Topic: S/NC

The University updated several academic policies following the move to remote learning and teaching in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and recent student and faculty concerns. Policy changes include an opportunity for individual students to modify their grading options.

Amid the panic and fear caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, college students everywhere have been left in limbo about the trajectory of their academic careers. The most prominent concern I have encountered among students is the impact the global crisis might have on their academic success.

In recent days, there has been a call for all courses to switch to mandatory S/NC grading as a measure to “achieve real equality,” claiming that the loss of our on-campus community and access to resources necessitates the implementation of a forced pass/fail semester.

The purpose of Brown’s Open Curriculum is to let students choose how to design their education. As a part of this curriculum, students can choose to take courses Satisfactory or No Credit if they want to explore a course out of their comfort zone.

On Oct. 2, the Sastifactory/No Credit deadline passed without much fanfare. Forty-nine years after its inception, the S/NC option is so ingrained in the Brown experience that it doesn’t stand out as abnormal.

The S/NC grading option is a cornerstone of Brown’s academic experience.