Satisfactory/no credit option to be made available to students, Student Senate confirms

Student Senate. Photo by Tim Zelina.

Students will be able to change their spring semester courses to satisfactory/no credit because of Ohio University’s move to online learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Student Senate President Lydia Ramlo confirmed at the body’s first online meeting Wednesday. 

The current plan would make grades “A” through “D-“ count as satisfactory and “F” count as no credit, Ramlo said during a discussion of the impact of the novel coronavirus on the university. Classes converted to satisfactory/no credit would not count toward a student’s GPA.

The option of satisfactory/no credit would apply to both undergraduate and graduate students. However, some accredited courses may not be eligible, and students should consult with their academic advisers for course eligibility.

Courses graded as satisfactory would still fulfill general education requirements on student degree audits. It is unclear when more details will be communicated to students.

An online petition circled social media this week, asking the university to implement a pass/fail option for students or curve students’ grades. At the time of publication, the petition had nearly 4,000 signatures. 

“Due to the uncertainty of this situation and the possible, unsafe environments of some students' homes, it is likely that their academic performance will be deeply affected,” the petition read. 

Also, during Wednesday’s meeting Jason Pina, vice president of Student Affairs, confirmed the university is discussing prorated refunds for housing, meal plans and parking costs.

Pina said the university hopes to provide a public notice about refunds along with a timeline early next week.

Students were directed to move out of campus residence halls after Ohio U moved to remote learning for the rest of spring semester. Housing and Residence Life, however, is accepting applications for students to remain on campus if they meet certain criteria. 

Pina said, at the time of this report, 221 students have been approved to continue living in the residence halls and 5,868 students have moved out. 

Wednesday marked the first Student Senate general body meeting since Ohio U’s move to online and remote learning. The meeting was held using Microsoft Teams, and students were invited to attend virtually.

Because of the change to a virtual format, the Senate voted to suspend office hours for the remainder of the semester and change the quorum to approximately 20 voting members.