Update on Spring 2020 Grading: Unanimous Faculty Vote Passes to Recommendation to Board of Trustees

On this sunny Friday that ends what our calendar called Spring Break, I write at the conclusion of a long and thoughtful faculty meeting.

At today’s meeting, the faculty (including our student representatives) considered a proposal from the Academic Standing Committee with regard to grades for the Spring semester and summer session at the Law School. The faculty also discussed a petition from students proposing Universal Pass, as well as the opinion of some students that we should adopt an optional P/F system, which would permit students to choose grades or P/F after seeing their grades. Our vote came at the conclusion of 90 minutes of full discussion, including consideration of accreditation and University rules, the disparate conditions under which our students are trying to learn, the absence of “choice” in those conditions that lead to unequal opportunity for learning, and the effects of the proposal on students on probation and on students’ efforts to seek employment.

At the conclusion of the discussion, the faculty voted unanimously to approve the following:

The faculty at CUNY School of Law adopts a Mandatory Pass/Fail system without a letter grade opt-in for the Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 terms. Faculty must state explicit criteria for passing the course.

This recommendation needs to be approved by the CUNY Board of Trustees.
T The faculty also adopted operating principles which explicitly state among other things that P/F is not Cr/NC; P represents letter grades A through D; P represents good academic standing; faculty at CUNY School of Law are committed to assisting every student in completing the Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 semesters satisfactorily; the Office of Academic Affairs will work with students to fashion individual strategies; the policy should be implemented in a way that recognizes that our current circumstances should not result in the academic dismissal of any student; faculty must consult with the Academic Standing Committee before failing a student or giving an INC; and any student unable to complete the semester would be accommodated a way that does not incur any additional costs to their legal education.