By Sufia Langevin — Associate Editor

On Nov. 9, an email was sent to the student body explaining that the pass/fail option, wherein students can convert numerical grades into a P or an F on their transcripts, will not be in effect this semester. Pass/fail was introduced at the beginning of the pandemic, as a form of “compassionate grading” designed to support students through the increased burden of study during the pandemic. In 2020, students could convert any number of courses to a P. Any grade under 50 was converted to an F. In Fall 2021, as classes were returning to in-person, students could choose one of their courses to convert to a P or an F per semester. It seems that the decision to remove pass/fail completely is based on the premise that the pandemic is over, that it no longer affects students’ abilities in their academics, and that compassionate grading is a thing of the past.

This false premise makes this decision worrying. The pandemic is not over and students continue to feel its effects. With ongoing cases and long COVID, the pandemic is still very present in the lives of students. Students are still in need of accommodation, flexibility, and compassion. The decision to not extend pass/fail communicates to students that their ongoing difficulties are invalid, and that they need simply to work harder to return to normal levels of output. In addition, it assumes that classes are in-person and learning is as it was previous to the pandemic. While my situation is not representative of all students, in the five courses I registered for this semester, only one is currently running in-person. In my eyes, my situation has not changed from last year to this one. Why should students lose compassionate grading systems when the need for compassion persists? Importantly, even if the pandemic truly were over, extending pass/fail and implanting a more permanent version would still be a better decision.

Many students have been hoping that compassionate grading, and a pass/fail option, would be maintained beyond the pandemic. McGill has a pass/fail system wherein students are able to convert numerical grades for their electives, allowing students the freedom to explore courses outside of their disciplines without being overly concerned about the ways in which this exploration will affect their GPA. This system emphasizes learning and broadening horizons beyond your comfort zone. Bishop’s should be able to draw on the systems used at other universities to create something that fits the needs of our students.

The decision not to extend pass/fail also fails to consider that for many students currently at Bishop’s, the pass/fail system has been in place for the entirety of their university studies. Each time pass/fail has been extended, it has been with short notice to students. For example, students were made aware on Dec. 17, 2020 that it would be in effect in Winter 2021. By communicating when it is extended and not communicating until just before finals that it is not extended, this assumes that the default is that we do not have pass/fail, an assumption that is clearly not made when inhabiting the mind of a student. Students currently in their fourth year experienced one semester before the initial COVID lockdown, and one semester is not enough to properly manage the realities and challenges of being a university student. While the limited pass/fail of 2021 did present a kind of transition, students were not aware of what to expect at the beginning of this school year, which is not setting us up for success.

The decision not to maintain the pass/fail option is a huge step backwards. If Bishop’s is going to call itself student-centred, it needs to create systems that support student learning instead of pushing students to carry on as if their problems don’t exist.