Despite the many screenshots circulating throughout the UH community on Wednesday afternoon, the University’s interim grading policy has not yet been reinstated and is “still under consideration,” spokesperson Shawn Lindsey said.
The UH website on Wednesday said the interim grading policy that was in place in 2020 would be reinstated for Spring 2021 after the winter storm shut down campus and forced classes to be canceled for a week. The change, Lindsey said, was made in error.
Students have called for the policy, which acted as insurance for students struggling academically due to the coronavirus pandemic, to be reinstated for months.
One petition, which garnered over 7,000 signatures, began circulating in late January and asked for the policy to be reimplemented “until the pandemic shows signs of regression, or until students and professors have had adequate time to adapt to the new ways of learning and teaching”
“Though contracting the virus does likely remain the leading reason for students needing to utilize the policy, the effects that the global crisis also has on mental health mustn’t be overlooked,” the petition said.
The Student Government Association on Tuesday penned an open letter to Provost Paula Myrick Short in an effort to get the policy on the books for Spring 2021.
The policy “is going to help students who need compassion now,” the letter read. “The policy will help students who work as essential workers and put their health at risk every day and who continue to work hard academically despite their circumstances.