"I am scared because two of my housemates are now unemployed and a third housemate's mother has lost her job. We have no idea how or where we are going to pull rent from.
I am scared because I share a house with someone who was in direct contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19.
I am scared because my parents have gone to the Sprouts supermarket in Tustin where an employee also tested positive for COVID-19.
I am scared because I don't want to lose my GPA-stipulated scholarship which pays for over half of my tuition.
I can try to stay as positive and calm as I can, but the truth is that these are scary times--not just for me, but for many others in my situation or even worse. Please think about those of us who are being severely impacted in terms of rent, finances, mental health, and physical health. This is not just a matter of grades, but also student's lives.
I urge you to allow GPA-stipulated scholarships to be renewed for the upcoming fall semester where we can properly earn the GPA we deserve or to adopt the double A system. I urge you to seriously consider the fact that not all students are privileged to continue blissfully attending school as if huge life circumstances are not weighing heavily on us."
"This pandemic is mentally and emotionally exhausting for all of us. Very few of us will be operating at our peak level of performance and are dealing with heavier loads of stress than we have ever experienced in our lives. By adopting a mandatory pass/fail or credit/no credit system the Faculty can help alleviate some of that stress and allow students to process this global tragedy and in some cases personal tragedy without risking their academic/legal future or destroying their past hard work. Further, mandatory p/f evens the playing field for disadvantaged students who have children or elderly relatives to care for, are dealing with physical or mental health issues, or are worried about their loved ones who are at risk, sick, or far away. It accounts for students who no longer have a quiet study space as they are quarantined in small apartments with one or more people. P/f accounts for students who have poor internet connection and relied on space at USD to study and take exams. Maintaining a graded system favors those privileged enough to have a safe and adequate study space, who have parents providing their food, have family that is safely able to working from home so that they do not have to worry about the safety of those they love in the same way that students with family deemed essential are worried. Those in a privileged position should not be given the opportunity to boost their GPA and class rank on the backs of their fellow students who are suffering most as a result of this global tragedy. Lastly I hope that the faculty understands that we are not advocating for p/f because we want an easy way out, we just want to even the playing field for the students who are most disadvantaged by this pandemic."
"I have been incredibly stressed during this crisis. My grandma, who is 90 years old, lives alone, and therefore, I have to grocery shop for her and care for her needs at a distance because no one else lives at her small apartment. I am constantly thinking of her and how vulnerable she is to the virus because of her detoriating health. In addition, my parents are both doctors and have recently been called into the hospital to help halt the spread of COVID-19. This puts me at risk of getting the virus because my parents are in contact with COVID-19 patients and I am constantly worried that they will also catch the virus. This relates back to my stress pertaining to my grandmother because now I have to find an alternative solution to going to her home during this time to provide care and groceries for her, because I am at risk of developing the virus through my parents due to their line of work. Any time I sit down to study or for my online courses, I cannot fully focus because my mind is constantly pre-occupied with the stresses that my family is currently enduring. I am beyond terrified for my grandmother and my parents during this time and myself and other students in similar situations do not need the added stress of grades. COVID-19 is a life or death situation and therefore, we do not need to be stressed by grades on top of the countless numbers of issues we are currently dealing with. In regards to remote learning, I have not enjoyed my experience. Although some courses have gone fairly smoothly, most cut out frequently, computers freeze, and the recordings do not help, as these freezes and cut outs are portrayed in the recordings. I believe I truly cannot do well on finals given that I am not learning as well through the online system. I understand that zoom is the only way to conduct courses during this time, but this should result in having pass/fail courses because how we perform on finals will not be a good representation of how well we can learn considering the circumstances."
"I find it a lot more challenging to be engaged in the lecture and to take notes now that we are remote. I feel like I’m not learning as much so that concerns me about grading."
"One of the greatest challenges as a person(and student) is anxiety. My immediate family lives across the United States, and my parents both fall into the high risk categories. I have anxiety about the possibility of them contracting it, knowing it could be lethal, and also knowing I would not be able to say goodbye. This very real concern has kept me up at night. As a student now using remote learning, my wifi is not very reliable and has cut me out of Zoom lectures numerous times. While I appreciate the lectures are recorded, taking final exams with my wifi is a concern."
"The concerns/questions I have are as follows:
- I feel like the administration is looking over the simple point that (aside from jobs and scholarships and OCI) this predicament in and of itself is incredibly stressful and anxiety-inducing across the board for all students (and of course amplified for those in less than ideal situations) and combined with the sheer amount of stress and anxiety that law school and law finals bring in a normal world it is absolutely insane to me that that weight on students shoulders is being overlooked
- not to mention how that situation is amplified from a virtual teaching standpoint. While the professors are trying their best a virtual law school experience for the most important part of the semester leading up to finals is an inherent disadvantage for having a normal finals experience because virtual teaching is just not the same. (And even further conflated by unique struggles students face in their current learning environments)
- the dean said some students need grades this semester to help them for OCI and an optional pass fail system wouldn’t be looked at differently by employers. But what wasn’t mentioned in that was that students who are in a more privileged position (or those who cheat) still have the advantage of grades during that same OCI period, how is that fair? And with OCI likely being moved to January this concern is minimized.
- the deans response to these concerns was something along the lines of “well what if this is longer we can’t have two semesters of pass/fail for OCI” and I don’t understand how that is a valid concern that would trump the seriousness of right now. Especially with the timeline we’ve seen in other countries and the fact that the peak of this all is projected to be in the next 2 weeks (the utmost important time in the semester for outlining and studying for finals)
I am one who is in a fairly privileged position in the sense that I have access to groceries and a roof over my head although I have stress regarding WiFi and noise I am surely privileged. And I know that I will in no way be able to match the amount of time and dedication I put in last semester to get my grades when looking at my current situation. I can absolutely provide more details if needed but these are just my general concerns that I’d hope the faculty would agree with when deciding on the vote."
"Just about everything has become a challenge, but especially as it relates to law school. I have one class (Barry) that still has some organization and has been effectively able to use Zoom tools. As someone who is diagnosed with learning disorders and with chronic anxiety prior to this happening, there is no such thing as maintaining a sense of normalcy right now. In terms of mental health, although a minority of students deal with these issues under normal time, the majority are experiencing these issues currently. When most people are struggling regardless of the various levels for each individual, maintaining the status quo is never the proper move. And adding stress to the most stressful period of time in almost a century in this country certainly is a poor response. In terms of learning disabilities, not everyone with this diagnosis chooses to register for special needs and embarrass themselves with special exam accommodations. You can give them the same additional time on exams, but you cannot replicate everything else in terms of exam conditions. Moreover, people with these issues no longer have any of the resources or practices that are normally available to students and that have allowed them to make it this far in life and in law school. It is important to note that although learning disabilities may apply to me, these general issues are not limited to students that have that mental health diagnosis. They will, however, predominantly leave these students in the dust. This is not just about the exam itself, it is the entire scope of academic resources and academic conditions that will burden students both with and without these issues throughout the remainder of the semester. There appears to be a belief from the Deans and administration that all students are just sitting twiddling their thumbs and have unlimited time to do nothing but law school to make up for the unexpected changes. That is simply not the case, regardless of amount of time available, there are many that are panicking and in a state of distress over the concern that they can no longer keep up, have ruined the incredible career progress they have made up until this point, and looking into what alternative moves can be made because things are not working. Please do not disregard mental health concerns and wellbeing during this time for the sake of maintaining a competitive environment. The answer and solution to these issues cannot always be that "the counseling center is still open." If students blow this time off, they can still fail. Motivation is an incredibly misguided explanation and rationale that has been provided to students, if students are not motivated then they should not be in law school. Please do not make myself and many other students regret our decision to attend USD Law over other options that we had that have made the ethical and equitable decision under unprecedented circumstances affecting every law student in the country."
"My family is comprised of essential workers and nearly everyone that I love is out there at risk. My mother works in medicine, is in the high risk age group and has several underlying conditions that make it more dangerous for her to be working yet she still has to work. My pregnant sister is still forced to work daily. My father as well. My little brother is quarantined all alone in LA. I now live in fear everyday for the safety of the people I love. I can’t sleep, I hardly eat, I can’t remember a single thing that I have read from my text books because I am so overwhelmed with concern for my loved ones. I fear for my own safety as well due to personal underlying conditions.I have always battled with anxiety and it is now raging completely out of control. My ability to concentrate and focus is non existent and I find that I am unable to retain information from my readings and class. I am fortunate to be quarantined with my fiancé who is working from home. However that means that I do not have any quiet study space as we share a relatively small living area. Additionally as construction is considered essential I have construction noises to battle when trying to complete my readings and Zoom classes. I have always cared about doing well in this program which has reflected in my law school performance thus far. Now I fear that my inability to cope with the extreme emotional distress and mental fatigue that am under will interfere with my ability to focus and study for finals and will have a negative impact on my legal career going forward. I cannot fathom the loss of life and the widespread suffering that is occurring across the globe and is only predicted to increase in America in the coming months. The predicted loss of life is unimaginable and to know that the next month is expected to bring a steadily increasing death toll is very difficult for me to cope with. I cannot imagine that I will be at my best in April trying to prepare for finals with the current situation weighing so heavily on my mind."
"My mom is a healthcare worker. She works at multiple hospitals and is constantly being exposed. Additionally, I have a disability which causes immunodeficiency along with lung impairment. I'm concerned for these to coincide with one another. Additionally, I recently visited a hospital for an essential doctor's apportionment and lab. I took precautions but thought that everything would be normal except for my own actions because I was going to a doctor that had nothing to do with infectious disease etc. I was wrong. The healthcare system is overwhelmed at the moment. While my issues did not lie with COVID-19, I saw healthcare workers in states of various flurry trying to address precautions while taking care of patients with other matters. Right now, it is very hard to do both, and I understand, but from my experience, my health will be impacted by this situation regardless of if I get COVID-19 or not."
"I am experiencing stress and overwhelming anxiety due to concern about my medically vulnerable family who live far away. Whenever I come across news related to coronavirus or think about my family, my concentration is totally derailed. A few times in Zoom class, I have just felt like crying because I want to concentrate but I am just so overloaded with anxiety right now that it's very hard to be a good student. I see this getting worse in the coming weeks, not better."
"My mom is temporarily laid off, I don’t have resources to the academic success center Or library reserves to its same capacity, etc. I’m more focused on keeping my family healthy and having food on the table. It’s hard to stay motivated and I was honestly disappointed with the dean’s lack of compassion and empathy for students who are in disadvantaged situations. Moreover, I found that the school lacks any sort of transparency nor outlet for students to have a formal voice. I still don’t know who is on the task force."
"After the first week of remote learning I have become increasingly concerned about anyone’s ability to do well. The technical problems in one of my classes is so bad that we only hear about 5 minutes of what is said and most of the time is spent telling the professor we can’t hear him."
"This virus has drastically impacted my life. My mom has been sick since my junior year of high school with a severe illness. Since the virus, she has moved to California to live with my step dad and I so that I can care for her. I have already spent many school nights caring for her. It is incredibly difficult to adjust to being a caretaker yet again. With this being said, we have a lot of people crammed into a small home. Seven people live in my home. It is very difficult to study and to focus. I tried to take a midterm exam and my grandma and stepdad got into an argument. It was so loud that even through my noise-canceling headphones I could not focus. Since the virus is so bad and my mom cannot be at risk of getting sick, I am not even allowed to go outside. It has been incredibly hard to workout when I can't even get fresh air. I need to be able to move by body outside in order to perform well in school and I cannot. Additionally, since I am caring for my mother, my sleep schedule is very off and there is no possible way to have a set routine."
"Both me and my significant other have lost our jobs. We are struggling to pay the bills and don’t know what is going to happen with the next couple of days let alone the next months. I may have to leave San Diego and the stress of that plus trying to stay on top of school has been very challenging. Plus there are many new distractions I have faced in taking tests from home and learning from home even within this first week."
"My boyfriend lost his job due to the virus...we have since been forced out of our apartment. Moved back in with my parents (outside of San Diego County). We now are in a two bedroom house with six adults and two children who are being home schooled. Our internet access is limited because we have SO many people using the internet at once. We are food insecure, in debt from the move, under an IMENSE amount of stress. My mom is a cancer survivor (went into remission this year) and is therefore housebound for fear of catching the virus. The responsibilities have fallen on my shoulders to provide for my family both financially and for general household errands. I take my zoom classes in the living room because I currently sleep on the sofa. I have no quiet study space and no access to quiet study space."
"Lectures cutting in and out on zoom; one of my professors had to cancel a class because he couldn't get zoom to work; lack of a library or quiet place to study; lack of access to a printer (I normally print out my notes and outlines, hard for me to read/study solely on my computer); distracted by the outbreak and what the future holds (summer job)."
"Two weeks ago I had to miss class for a week due to being sick (per student health center flu or cold most likely). I’ve had to catch up on all my classes while still not feeling 100%. Additionally I live in a small apartment with a relative who is also working at home and our dogs so it is not the best and most quiet study environment. Finally one of my courses has had significant audio problems on zoom basically causing us to lose a week of learning."
"I consider myself to be one of the more fortunate ones. My only concern is that my apartments WiFi is terrible and goes in and out often. I can’t go home because my mom works at TWO different hospitals in San Diego and I don’t want to put myself or my other family members at risk. I am very concerned about what will happen WHEN my WiFi goes out during the finals."
"It’s just disappointing and I feel like I am getting ripped off paying tuition for videos I could watch off of YouTube. Only TWO of my professors (classes) are actually sticking to zoom videos. One of my classes just cancelled classes, saying we don’t really need them and to just work on our papers (since this is our grade) and another is uploading video links (VERY late might I add), and still hasn’t even uploaded the “makeup” lectures from the prior week, and has told us that we can always just watch LAST YEAR’S lectures. Extreme laziness in my opinion. It is a bit harder to stay motivated, but it IS possible for me and I understand that it is my responsibility and my duty to MYSELF to do so. However, if the faculty chooses to switch our grading system to P/F, I don’t see the point in studying or attending online lectures at all, you may as well just give me my degree now. That being said, it would be nice to just hangout and visit with my family in these trying times, but I think it is in my best long-term interest to remain engaged in school. I do understand though, that some students have it a lot worse and would appreciate compassion. However, law school was never “equitable” to begin with, everyone has different challenges. And I know for a fact that for many students who I have seen complaining about online testing are students who can absolutely manage taking online tests just fine. (I’ve done these tests in several classes in the past, and there’s never been a problem). I feel the worst for the 1Ls and their job prospects if we switch to P/F since I know for me, my 1L grades were the most important and shaped my entire law school trajectory and the opportunities I got after that. I feel like it would be a disservice to them. So either way, the decision would not much affect me but if a change IS made the most important thing is that I would want to know ASAP. That is the thing causing me the most stress. The worst-case scenario for me is that I’ve sacrificed countless hours in preparing to ace my exams to find to a week before exams that I will not even have the opportunity to excel (a Pass is not excelling in my opinion), THIS would be infuriating and frustrating. Especially when I could have gone home and been spending time with my family instead of staying here in San Diego, isolated and alone because I want to remain diligent in my studies."
"I have been hospitalized recently with an unknown virus that attacked my lungs. I then moved home, out of state, and am at home with multiple people who all have to work / do school remotely and it is not quiet or without disruption. Additionally I still have not healed from this illness and am having multiple follow up appointments. Focusing on school is not a top priority. Also, my parents, whom I’m living with are essential workers and I will need to help them if they get ill."
"I hope the task force realizes the gravity of this pandemic and the seriousness of student's concerns. I strongly urge pass/ fail. I am in one year long course (in which we did not get a grade fall semester), and would urge that year long courses keep grading."
"I hope the task force realizes the gravity of this pandemic and the seriousness of student's concerns. I strongly urge pass/ fail. I am in one year long course (in which we did not get a grade fall semester), and would urge that year long courses keep grading."
"I hope that the task force will communicate with students and others effected and collaborate with them."
"I believe P/F is the only reasonable grading solution right now. Decisions on whether 1L students on probation continue in the law school should be postponed until the next semester. Scholarship decisions should be based on Fall grades. Employers will understand that this is a unique situation and will adjust their hiring practices as necessary."
"How students with mental illness can be supported while there is no on campus therapy and many "virtual" therapy opportunities are in high demand/not covered by insurance/uncomfortable for people to initiate during an already extremely stressful time. How we can be expected to perform at the level we previously were performing at before we moved to Zoom, WHILE taking into consideration the sheer uncertainty and discomfort of living through this pandemic while it is happening."
"Consider switching from a letter graded system to Pass/Fail or Credit/No-Credit in a time of uncertainty for many students who need not worry unnecessarily about the burden of society and the challenges of law school contemporaneously. In addition, the the Task Force consider the changes made by other law schools during these times."
"Switch to pass/fail and allow all students who have academic scholarships to retain them going into next year. Right now students are facing a plethora of different problems, and not all students are on equal footing due to the massive changes we've all had to recently make in our lives. Many are concerned about their academic status, whether they will be able to retain their scholarships, and whether they will be coming back to law school after this semester. Countless law schools across the country switched to pass/fail as early as the first week of March. If the administration cares about its students, it will switch to pass/fail."
"Taking into account the varying degrees of pressure we are all under, it is my opinion that the Task Force should implement a baseline Pass/Fail standard for this semester's grades. Insisting that the curve will balance out students' performances is a misguided conclusion given that not all students will be entering exams on equal ground. Some of my friends will be testing without reliable wifi. Some will be testing from their tiny apartments that are being shared with 3 or 4 other people. We don't all have the luxury of a quiet space, a spare room, a place free from distractions. All of us are worried for loved ones and friends but to varying degrees. Some of us cope with stress by working harder. Some by being completely incapable of focusing. To award letter grades during this novel time in our history would be to grant some of us greater opportunities for success at the expense of our peers and friends, a form of "success" that I, for one, would not at all feel comfortable accepting were I to receive it. Similarly, it would strip others of their opportunities for success as a result of a pandemic that has brought the entire world to its knees. With the world begging for grace during this period of exhaustion, confusion, fear, and sadness, it is my opinion that continuing "business as usual" and awarding letter grades would be a cruel and unjust oversight of the real issue surrounding all of us, which is that the world we are living in at present is not the same one we were living in at the end of previous semesters where getting a C in Civil Procedure was our biggest fear. These are strange and terrifying times. A Pass/Fail standard for grading at the close of this semester would allow us to loosen the noose of anxiety and hardship that is wrapped around each of our necks just a notch and take a breath that is less choked out than those prior, even if only for a minute. The Task Force is in a unique and privileged position to ease the burden COVID-19 has placed upon hundreds of students who attend USD. Failure to do so would be an utter disappointment to our community, and could ultimately devastate our futures."
"As a student who earned a 3.5 GPA last semester, I think it would still be most beneficial to switch to a mandatory pass/fail system. I hope the faculty will choose to protect their students at this time and set an example for the other law schools in the region. To myself and multiple peers, it seems like a no-brainer: we are facing drastic times, and there have been drastic changes to the pedagogical and testing modes, therefore there should be a drastic change in how we those tests are evaluated. Additionally, giving students the option to choose pass/fail is just as marginalizing as not implementing the option at all. There needs to be a blanket policy that affects all students equally so as to reach the purpose of the change in the first place."
"Nothing like this has happened in any of our lifetimes. It is extremely difficult for many of us--some very much more than others--to focus on grades at a time like this. Maintaining the traditional grading system puts students whose families are more affluent and have better access to healthcare at a much greater advantage than when there are open libraries, kids are in school, roommates are not all at home, and there is not a record number of workers losing jobs and a deadly virus going around. These problems disproportionately impact our less wealthy students who have smaller homes with more people, no quiet study space, family members getting laid off, and so forth. Being graded based on remote learning is not what the disadvantaged students signed up for and we are no longer "all in the same boat." This is too pervasive to just give certain struggling students specific help. In my opinion, giving the disadvantaged students the option to go pass/fail still inherently puts them at a disadvantage because I don't think employers should be able to assess from a transcript whether one chose an easier route due to these circumstances (or simply opted for passes instead of bad grades). I hope we will move to mandatory credit/no credit or significantly lighten the curve."
"I've seen quite of other schools incorporating at least some sort of option for P/F classes, and then pushing back scholarship retention decisions and class rank until the end of fall semester of next year."
"In light of the unusual circumstances, my hope is that the Faculty Task Force will decide on a pass/no pass grading system for the semester."
"Not all students have access to quite study space. Not all students have reliable WiFi at home Not all students live in households where they can be "students" (many must take on the roles of caretaker/parent) Many students (and immediate family members) may get the virus and be unable to remain engaged in coursework during this time."
"I hope they change to mandatory pass fail. I received above a 4.0 last semester and I was proud of the work I did and I know what I am capable of. However, when I do not have a place to study or a quiet place to focus I feel that my hard work will not be shown. I also worry/ know from what people have said that cheating will be rampant. I do not want the students’ GPA to reflect who was the best at cheating."
"Just the disparity between the situations for some students - some now have extra time and quiet spaces to study and take exams, others now have very limited space and even less time to do the same amount of work they were previously expected to complete."
"You can see above my previous response. But the plain fact is the FTF should not act like we should just try to continue as normal with grades and the curriculum. Just like any other company or business in this crisis, we may have to wildly adjust how we do things this and coming semesters as long as we are in this crisis because the world is not what it was prior. It's not fair to students or faculty to expect the same level of academic focus and attention as before. Not including the fact that this is not what any student paid for. Not that that's the university's fault, but that does not mean the university is any different from the rest of the country. Just like any business, this is going to be hard financially for the university. They shouldnt also make it hard on its students who are also struggling to make it through this. The world will understand coming out of the crisis that the reasons we made changes were because changes had to be made in an unprecedented time. It doesnt mean we are worse lawyers or a worse law school because of it. This is not the time to worry about "looking good" or "staying competitive". This is about doing whats right and best for its students. And that's NOT based only based on what the faculty thinks."
"Option pass/fail system. I did really well on my midterms. Didn’t do so hot last semester. I’ve been excited to redeem myself and the prospect that I’d get a P for my nearly perfect midterm scores hurts. The grading system should be one where finals can only help, not hurt students. If the final grade hurts, the student should get an option to pass or take their current letter grade."
"I hope you will consider some sort of pass/fail or tiered system. When I started law school, I knew being a parent would put me at a disadvantage. I've successfully dealt with that by having strict schedules and using the LRC as a quiet place to study. COVID-19 has taken both of those away from me (and added more stress by making me a part-time teacher). As a law student, law school has been the focal point of my life for three-years. But in this unprecedented time, I along with many other students must (not may or can, must) switch our focus to taking care of kids, elder parents or grandparents, even ourselves. I strongly urge, in the spirit of fairness, to consider pass/fail grades as lower GPAs would put a high burden on students who are already dealing with immense pressures."
"Please consider not revoking scholarships for this year, as this semester may disrupt students ability to perform sufficiently to maintain, or makeup for poor performance last semester, in terms of GPA."
"One of the comments Dean Ferruolo made in the Town Hall Zoom meeting was particularly concerning. He essentially said that because everyone is affected by this new remote learning situation, the curve will still produce an accurate reflection of where people stand in comparison to one another. This completely disregards the fact that students are disparately impacted by these new remote learning procedures. Some no longer have quiet places to study, some relied heavily on USD campus resources such as the library to perform their best academically. I believe that a Pass/Fail grading system is the only way to ensure that students who more negatively impacted by the current situation are not worse grade-wise."
"I think the pass fail system is the most appropriate solution. I think allowing for a "choice" system where students are permitted to choose whether or not they want to opt in for a letter grade or a pass fail will create inequitable consequences (basically, a future employer can look at two students and see one who opted in for a letter grade, which resulted in the respective gpa boost, and one who opted for the pass fail. The person who opted for pass fail likely did so because they were facing hardships that maybe the letter grade student did not. That future employer may prioritize a student who opted for the letter grade for obvious reasons.) There are a lot of consequences of that opt in system that I think disfavor individuals who are having a harder time with this situation, and disproportionately the disadvantaged."
"All the students who are not fortunate enough to just "make it work" or "just find a quiet place to study at home" because of factors out of our control. A mandatory pass/fail would put everyone on the same playing field."
"Not letting scholarship funds or money be the ultimate deciding factor for keeping the grading as is. There has to be an equitable solution to move forward from this that will ensure the students are not negatively impacted long-term."
"It is not correct to assume everyone will follow the honor code as suggested by the Dean during town hall. Dean also argues that we can rewatch zoom classes which is an advantage but with failed technical issues you can’t hear the live class or the recordings. Scholarship requirements need to be frozen in light of these circumstances so that we may switch to the pass/fail system. Competitor schools including Loyola has switched and we need to follow suit. Unprecedented measures beed to be taken during this unprecedented time."
"I hope they will take into account all of those who no longer know where their finances stand, what housing will look like, or their next coming meals. Also those who have many distractions while having to be at home. We cannot even go sit in the library or a coffee shop at this time and are really at the hands of our situations at home at all times."
"I hope the faculty will consider that there is no where for me to take a peaceful and focused exam (or even take a class without disruption). To say that students should 'adapt' is a GROSS misapprehension of the diverse issues facing our student body. Being 'adaptive' will not put me on an even playing field with my peers who have more access to basic necessities right now. Those who aren't worried about food, money, housing, healthcare, family members. Those who can study in peace, take their classes without disruption, pay for high speed internet. Furthermore...to naively contend that we should 'trust each other' not to cheat on exams is not realistic. Students with parents who are attorneys, who have access to siblings who are attorneys, or who can afford private tutors to sit in on exams with them will be given an IMMENSE advantage. Unfortunately, operating under the belief that 'students are generally honest' will give those who choose to cheat an unfair leg up on their honest peers. I am a hard worker who did very well first semester. I'm afraid of dragging my GPA down due to unforeseen stressors that are out of my control. Please consider switching to a p/np system. The Dean is correct...we cannot please every student. But PLEASE seek instead to level the playing field, The goal should not be to 'please students' it should be to make sure that all students are put on an even footing."
"Even with the above concerns, I still have concerns with shifting to a pass no pass grading system. I have worked extremely hard this semester with multiple midterms, lwr assignments, and applying to jobs. I am so proud of myself for earning As on those midterms and assignments and would hate for that work to not be recognized. Maybe there could be a way to add this to a transcript addendum if we do indeed shift to pass no pass. I was looking forward to boosting my gpa and class rank as well. Maybe there could be an option to opt in to letter grading for the courses of your choice after grades come out. Or a tiered pass no pass similar to eap with honors/high, pass, and low pass. It would be a shame for people who worked hard to boost their gpa to not have their hard work recognized so maybe there is still a way to do this even on a pass no pass system. I’m also concerned about not calculating class rank after spring because we will all be taking different classes in the fall so this would penalize people who take harder courses."
"I hope you will consider pass/fail. Or high pass/pass/low pass/fail. This will definitely not be the best reflection of our work and a letter grade with a strict curve would be unconscionable."
"There has been ALOT of talk in support of the pass/fail system. Please consider there are many of your classmates who will NOT benefit from this, especially the excelling 1Ls, and ask yourselves is it fair to rob them of that opportunity and to switch things up on them when they have spent all semester putting in hard work and countless hours, just to be told they will receive a P like everyone else."
"1. Myself and the majority of my classmates I’ve spoken to can barely focus on school work during this time. Personally, when I sit down to read or outline, I have such a short attention span because I constantly worry about the spread of this virus and how people are being affected. Almost everyday a new development is in place by the government and these developments make us lose even more focus on academics. 2. The law school grading system creates so much stress, which would be acceptable at any other time, but not during a pandemic. This stress of grading is the last thing law students need, as most of us are fearing for the lives for our loved ones and our own health and safety. 3. We have not been learning as well online and many of us do not have access to certain accommodations (computers, a quiet place to study and take finals, etc,) which puts some students at an unfair disadvantage, which may and will impact both job searches for 2L year and scholarship retention. ZOOM has not been working well for a majority of my courses, including a few of my courses and the recordings do not help because any voice scratches, freezes, etc. are in the recording. This will impact how well we will perform on finals. 4. A LOT of law schools, including Berkeley, have implemented a pass/fail system, which during unprecedented times, only makes sense to do. 5. Health and safety should be the top priority right now for students, not worrying about being graded on a curve for law school finals. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions. 6. I am worried that if I do not perform well this semester, given the current situation, my scholarship will be affected negatively and many students have the same concern."
"Everyone’s situation. The “competitive” argument the Dean has consistently made doesn’t seem to work if all other schools go pass fail. I also understand that a lot of people want to up their gpa, so I personally would want a relaxed curve. I do not think the optional pass fail makes any sense and would look bad for people that chose that over grading."
"Pass/Fail - we are all facing adversity and should not have to overly stress about grades at a time like this. Our families and health should be number one at this time."
"Seems like our school "task force" is leaning towards keeping it the same in terms of exam grading, which I feel, as I've heard a good amount of people express, would further favor the students who are more "privileged" in terms of their home learning environment. But I'm glad that out dean is so passionate and decisive about no tuition refunds, and felt the need to call us students naive because we've already had jobs rescind their offers for summer employment, but by all means we know nothing about the hiring process that we are actively going through. That is all, thanks."
"An option to have grades be P/F after student's receive their final grades does not solve the problem that some students will be forced to choose P/F because they were more impacted by the situation, where others who were not as impacted will do better on exams and will choose grades. I recognize that this option doesn't hurt the student's GPA, but it can hurt their class rank if they are in a situation where they essentially have to choose P/F instead of grades."
If we don't go pass/fail, most students will be at an extreme disadvantage. I am very anxious about having a curve. I think we need pass/fail. Law school is not meant to be done online. I think there are reasons for this - one of them being engaging in the material. None of us have the opportunity to do this during this semester. It is not enough to trust the honor code. People will cheat. People will take group exams. People will hire others to take exams for them. That disadvantages those who do not want to compromise their morals or standing with the bar. I have worked my whole life to be in law school. Grades will impact my future career. I don't think anyone should ever have to leave their grades in the hands of others. Unfortunately, a curve will force people to depend on others to not cheat. The dean kept saying that "we must trust our classmates." Respectfully, I should not have to trust my classmates to know that the curve is fair. These are not proper exam conditions and they are incredibly unfair."
"My personal opinion: we (students) should not be held to the same standard (grading-wise) when we don't have access to all of the school's facilities and in-person lectures/office hours. Mandatory pass/fail, in my opinion, is the most fair and reasonable response to this crisis. Many professors posit at the beginning of the semester that studies show, "students who use computers very frequently at school do a lot worse academically than students who use them moderately." This needs to be understood in relation to the current matter - lectures, office hours, notes, study time, study groups, and exams being solely virtual is not workable for many students. COVID-19 is an unprecedented, terrifying pandemic that has caused fear and instability. USD Law should follow the other schools that have made pass/fail mandatory. Here are some CA schools going mandatory pass/fail: Cal Western, Berkeley, Stanford, UC Irvine, USC, with virtually all the others undecided (with the exception of UC Hastings going optional pass/fail after grades are released). I'm sure there are administrative concerns (scholarships, regional competition) that may incentivize keeping the normal grading curve. However, I simply ask the school to keep those who are hurt most by this crisis in mind. Keeping the current grading system, making an optional pass/fail, or some other tweaked system is simply going to hurt those students who are struggling the most during his crisis and benefit those who have access to proper facilities. Moreover, if Cal Western, UC Irvine, and USC are all mandatory pass/fail - our surrounding competitors are going a certain way and following their lead would be an act of solidarity in response to the pandemic. The state of California is shut down & by the looks of it, we are going full steam into another recession. This is a crisis. My proposed solution: high pass/pass/fail still incentivizes students to work hard to receive the high passes. Further, Professors should still award CALI awards to those students who performed the best. These incentives will keep students working hard and focused. I say these words with the utmost respect to our school and administration. I have been thinking a lot about this, along with everyone else, and wanted to share my honest opinion. I wish everyone well during this time."
"Unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions. Please consider students recommendations during these times and understand that we have high levels of stress concerning our health and safety along with that of our families."
"A professor told one of my classes that he is concerned that P/F is unfair to "top students." As a "top student," I am more concerned with my fellow students' and my own health and mental wellness than my rank and maintaining the status quo at this moment, even if I stand to benefit from the status quo. I do not believe this is an appropriate moment for competitiveness, and I think the majority of my classmates agree."
"We are not only expected to play a role in this pandemic by staying home and self isolating and "working from home" (i.e business has paused or diminished all over the world) but we are expected to LEARN new, unknown material that is not easily translated to a zoom video chat. Our professors are NOT online professors.What is going to be done for the students who are struggling to learn brand new, unusual material such as first year law WHILE balancing the unknown. There is no precedent for these times, they are scary for everyone, the constant pressure of not only being extremely worried about grades, but about scholarships, the bar exam, income, internships and health."
"I am a 1L student who suffers from a history of reoccurring lung issues (tied to stress), I am more particularly at risk but additionally due to the stress of having my father quarantined and worried at home in Italy and my mother stuck in another country for who knows how long while she was traveling. The added stress of graded finals would potentially gravely affect me in this time of uncertainty about my family not to mention the countless other students in equally troubled circumstances. It would just make more sense for the school to treat this as a time of leniency."
"Decreased learning capacity; it is common for professor's audio to cut out on Zoom, for students to interrupt and distract others by showing off their pets, for students to blow up the chat during Zoom meetings, for other members of my household to be heard while using Zoom and I am unable to relocate elsewhere, and overall increased anxiety over corona virus fears. I'm disappointed in USD's administration for being weeks behind other law schools, and especially because they announced that the earliest day we will know if we are switching to pass/fail is April 3rd while the cutoff date to withdraw and receive any tuition money back is April 2nd. That's unbelievable."
"As a person, COVID-19 is stressful, emotionally taxing, physically draining, and mentally disabling. I've struggled with asthma and respiratory problems all my life. I also happen to know a lot of immunocompromised individuals, both family and friends. For us, COVID-19 could be a death sentence. And that's given rise to crippling anxiety in my life. Still, I would consider myself one of the "lucky" ones. I say this because I complete this survey from my home which is mostly quiet, except for the seemingly never-ending construction taking place around me and the blaring music being played by the workers carrying out the construction. I complete this survey on my generally fast and reliable wifi connection, without the distraction of roommates, or pets, or children, or family members to care for. I complete this survey from a place of financial security, knowing where my next meal is coming from, that my rent can be paid, and that any medical expenses I might incur can be managed. I complete this survey from, although not an ideal position, one that is certainly more privileged than others. When I study for exams, I will have a quiet space in which to do so. When I take exams, I will have a reliable network from which to submit my responses. I won't have to worry about my roommate(s) interrupting me. I won't have to worry about how I'm going to afford tomorrow's rent when I couldn't even afford yesterday's meals. To say that, as students, we are all "in the same boat" would be to invalidate, disrespect, and ignore those students' experiences who are living in darker times than those with which we have recently become acquainted. COVID-19 is a nightmare for all of us. But we are not all living the same nightmare. To pretend we are and to live in some fantasy world where we believe that a graded curve will balance out exam results would be to turn our backs on those who need us most during these trying times."
"My father is currently in cancer treatment and is at extremely high-risk due to Covid-19. He has been forced to shut down his business due to Covid, and I cannot return home to assist him financially during this difficult time so as to not possibly expose him to the virus. This makes it extremely difficult to focus on school especially completely alone, without the support of my peers and faculty I would typically have on campus."
"As a person I am facing significant stress and anxiety due to the fact that a large portion of California is likely to get this virus and both my mother and father are at a high risk due to their history (thankfully we are currently healthy). My parents are both also facing significant financial challenges, and I am uncertain about my summer income. As a student, it is extremely difficult to focus on school and grades due to these uncertainties. In addition, I've always attributed my good grades to paying strict, close attention in live class sessions, and now I feel I can't do that as effectively."
"I've had to move back to Wisconsin on very short notice to be with family. Also, needless to say, learning remotely does not seem near as effective, more so with some of the professors than others."
"As a result of the pandemic, my anxiety has increased greatly regarding the health and financial well-being of those around me. This increased anxiety has made it far more difficult to focus on school work. Additionally, the online class formula makes it harder to focus and pay attention with constant technical issues."
"I am really concerned about my academic performance this semester. I am a first generation law student and have GPA contingent scholarships on the line. I live with my family in a single story home. There are 6 of us living here (2 of which are vulnerable to respiratory illnesses). I have very little access to quite study space at home, and remaining current with readings and Zoom classes has been very difficult (even with noise cancelling headphones). I worry that my performance this semester will not be a true indicator of my abilities to perform and I worry that I may lose my scholarships if this semesters grading policy doesn't change. My family members are showing mild signs of the virus, and I feel guilty worrying about my grades when my health and the health of people I care about are in jeopardy."
"I do not have a quiet place to study or an area to study in my home."
"The challenge I am facing is doing school and internship remotely while also caring for my three year old. My husband is an essential worker, so he is gone during the day and my kid is no longer in preschool because of the virus. This is in addition the mental/emotional impact that the situation has had on everyone."
"The main problem is the remoteness. I dont have access to the facilities I paid for. I dont have access to the library to study or search for material. While the school is doing it's best to accommodate as much as possible those deficiencies, the simple fact is it cant replace what we need or subscribed to. Add to that the constant uncertainty day by day, and the increased attention I need to give other aspects of my life surrounding this crisis, I can't focus as much on school as I would like. My study space is not optimal. My remote classes are generally plagued with technical difficulties both on my end and others. To act like everything should continue on as normal and not make changes or recompense students financially like many other business and universities would be irresponsible and embarrassing."
"Hard to find a quiet place in my apartment where I can adequately focus on Zoom lectures. I’m having trouble logging on to watch Zoom lectures as well. Have to watch recorded links and can’t ask professors timely questions."
"The shift to remote learning has been incredibly challenging. Prior to COVID-19, I was a full-time law student, parent, and part-time law clerk. I had a very strict study schedule, which included waking up at 4:30am to study and to spend at least 8-10 hours in the LRC. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, everything has been pretty chaotic. My backup childcare was my parents-in-law who are 70 years old and need to be completely isolated. My children's school has sent work home and expects us to spend 3-4 hours per day homeschooling. Although the Law School has been great in the switch to remote learning, I am listening to lectures while my three year-old son is trying to crawl in my lap and type on the keyboard. On top of this stress, my position as a law clerk has been reduced from 40 hours every two weeks to 5 hours in the past two weeks. The internship was likely going to turn into a post-bar job but is no longer looking likely due to the uncertainty of the economy. Although it may seem like we are doing the same learning just in a different location, that is definitely not the case for all of us. I am facing higher stress and anxiety about the health of my family, my parents and in-laws, making ends meet, and post-bar work. As much as I'd like to devote as much time and focus to my law studies, it's nearly impossible to be as studious when I have two children at home constantly needing attention."
"I have to stay home with my 5 other family members, and we all have to use Zoom and this leads to lag, and disrupted learning. Additionally, it is significantly harder to study at home compared to studying in the library, as I have done and would have continued to do, had this pandemic not occurred."
"This transition has been particularly difficult because I no longer have a space that is conducive to studying. I am with my parents and siblings during quarantine. Moreover, during my whole academic career, I have always required a very quiet place to studying and focus (i.e. a library). While remote learning has been okay for listening to lectures, I worry that once I must begin preparing for finals as well as taking the finals, I won't have a space that will allow me perform at the same level in the past."
"Frustration, anxiety over future work, potential issues working during the summer. Significant other and parents being out of work making it difficult to afford basic necessities; making daily life complicated, stressful, and difficult. Difficulty working at home due to others also working in the same home and with the distraction of our dogs."
"I personally have been struggling and most of the people I speak to are struggling. I live in a 1 bedroom apartment with my fiance and our dog. I do not have an adequate place to study until after 6pm when he stops working for the day and making phone calls and i can focus. But even then, he is making dinner, relaxing for the day, watching TV, etc. So really, I never have a quiet place to study unless I go sit on the floor in my closet. There is no where in our bedroom to set up a desk space and sitting on the bed all day kills my back and is difficult. My anxiety has been crippling during this time. I have disability accommodations and studying at home is near impossible due to my distraction and processing issues. My family is also struggling financially because we just spent $60k+ on my wedding before everything happened, and that wedding now has to be postponed until next summer which is devastating. My parents are retired and living off their investments, which have tanked in the market. They may not be able to afford to assist with my law school anymore and that is a huge area of stress for me. Even just navigating the Zoom interface, from a small laptop screen, combined with my notes and other documents I need up during class, is challenging. It is so difficult to study at home, I can barely attend classes and half the time, I can't hear what's going on because my fiance is on the phone with hospitals, or the dog is whining at me to take her out, or otherwise, I'm sitting on the floor in my closet hoping my internet connection stays in place. I can't imagine studying for finals. I'm not sure why professors are proceeding with their syllabi as though nothing has changed. Everything has changed and work load needs to be more manageable. I receive time and a half for texting through DLDRC. That means i need to find a quiet place to study, where I can focus and have outlet power, for 5 hours. That's 5 hours, on 3 occasions, that my fiance has to go sit in his car or go on a walk because everything is closed. So unreasonable. From what I've seen, the people pushing for regular grading this semester are fortunate enough not to be affected by this situation. That is not the case for more than half of us. I have many other thoughts but I am so swamped and stressed right now though with everything and trying to stay on top of school in these circumstances, I don’t have time to write any more out. But the people who are saying that they don’t want a P/F system are the ones who are privileged enough not to be negatively affected by this situation. Unfortunately, that's not all of us. From what i've seen, the effects of this situation are so debilitating for so many people and the university can't expect to just trot along in the same way with grading, as though we are not impacted by this. When our dean says "everyone is in the same boat in terms of being affected by this" in that we are all at the same negative detriment, could not be farther from the truth!! Many are doing just fine with this because they are fortunate enough to have wealthy parents or stable situations and can proceed without much detriment. Others are trying to figure out how to survive with everyone out of work, or children to home school, or crippled by anxiety and depression right now, or are in households with 6 people without a quiet place to study and no where to go to do so because everything is closed, or infant/young children to keep entertained in a house for 15 hours every day and still be expected to study and attend class, or who are caring for elderly grandparents because caretakers are no longer coming and are trying to balance school and that full time job, etc etc etc. This situation has not impacted those who are fortunate enough not to be impacted, but I hope those individuals have compassion for those of us who are struggling to make it through each day right now. Us young people are staying indoors to protect those over 65, who are many of the faculty and administration, and so they should show us some compassion and practicality with adjusting the grading for these extraordinary circumstances."
"Remote learning has been difficult. There are a lot of technical difficulties with the Zoom instruction to work through. It's hard to concentrate at home outside of a classroom environment and without a normal setting to study in. We are also making up classes for all the classes, so the workload has increased. I think the general anxiety level for myself and others I socialize with has increased given the world pandemic situation as well. It's not a great time to be in law school. I'm also concerned about my summer associate position, and the impacts of the economic downturn to my potential employment post-bar."
"As a person, COVID-19 is stressful, emotionally taxing, physically draining, and mentally disabling. I've struggled with asthma and respiratory problems all my life. I also happen to know a lot of immunocompromised individuals, both family and friends. For us, COVID-19 could be a death sentence. And that's given rise to crippling anxiety in my life. Still, I would consider myself one of the "lucky" ones. I say this because I complete this survey from my home which is mostly quiet, except for the seemingly never-ending construction taking place around me and the blaring music being played by the workers carrying out the construction. I complete this survey on my generally fast and reliable wifi connection, without the distraction of roommates, or pets, or children, or family members to care for. I complete this survey from a place of financial security, knowing where my next meal is coming from, that my rent can be paid, and that any medical expenses I might incur can be managed. I complete this survey from, although not an ideal position, one that is certainly more privileged than others. When I study for exams, I will have a quiet space in which to do so. When I take exams, I will have a reliable network from which to submit my responses. I won't have to worry about my roommate(s) interrupting me. I won't have to worry about how I'm going to afford tomorrow's rent when I couldn't even afford yesterday's meals. To say that, as students, we are all "in the same boat" would be to invalidate, disrespect, and ignore those students' experiences who are living in darker times than those with which we have recently become acquainted. COVID-19 is a nightmare for all of us. But we are not all living the same nightmare. To pretend we are and to live in some fantasy world where we believe that a graded curve will balance out exam results would be to turn our backs on those who need us most during these trying times."
"Switch to pass/fail and allow all students who have academic scholarships to retain them going into next year. Right now students are facing a plethora of different problems, and not all students are on equal footing due to the massive changes we've all had to recently make in our lives. Many are concerned about their academic status, whether they will be able to retain their scholarships, and whether they will be coming back to law school after this semester. Countless law schools across the country switched to pass/fail as early as the first week of March. If the administration cares about its students, it will switch to pass/fail."
"My father is currently in cancer treatment and is at extremely high-risk due to Covid-19. He has been forced to shut down his business due to Covid, and I cannot return home to assist him financially during this difficult time so as to not possibly expose him to the virus. This makes it extremely difficult to focus on school especially completely alone, without the support of my peers and faculty I would typically have on campus."
"Decreased learning capacity; it is common for professor's audio to cut out on Zoom, for students to interrupt and distract others by showing off their pets, for students to blow up the chat during Zoom meetings, for other members of my household to be heard while using Zoom and I am unable to relocate elsewhere, and overall increased anxiety over corona virus fears. I'm disappointed in USD's administration for being weeks behind other law schools, and especially because they announced that the earliest day we will know if we are switching to pass/fail is April 3rd while the cutoff date to withdraw and receive any tuition money back is April 2nd. That's unbelievable."
My mom is a healthcare worker. She works at multiple hospitals and is constantly being exposed. Additionally, I have a disability which causes immunodeficiency along with lung impairment. I'm concerned for these to coincide with one another. Additionally, I recently visited a hospital for an essential doctor's apportionment and lab on March 29. I took precautions but thought that everything would be normal except for my own actions because I was going to a doctor that had nothing to do with infectious disease etc. I was wrong. The healthcare system is overwhelmed at the moment. While my issues did not lie with COVID-19, I saw healthcare workers in states of various flurry trying to address precautions while taking care of patients with other matters. Right now, it is very hard to do both, and I understand and applaud all the healthcare workers in this situation, but from my experience, my health will be impacted by this situation regardless of if I get COVID-19 or not.
"This virus has drastically impacted my life. My mom has been sick since my junior year of high school with a severe illness. Since the virus, she has moved to California to live with my step dad and I so that I can care for her. I have already spent many school nights caring for her. It is incredibly difficult to adjust to being a caretaker yet again. With this being said, we have a lot of people crammed into a small home. Seven people live in my home. It is very difficult to study and to focus. I tried to take a midterm exam and my grandma and stepdad got into an argument. It was so loud that even through my noise-canceling headphones I could not focus. Since the virus is so bad and my mom cannot be at risk of getting sick, I am not even allowed to go outside. It has been incredibly hard to workout when I can't even get fresh air. I need to be able to move by body outside in order to perform well in school and I cannot. Additionally, since I am caring for my mother, my sleep schedule is very off and there is no possible way to have a set routine."
"As a person I am facing significant stress and anxiety due to the fact that a large portion of California is likely to get this virus and both my mother and father are at a high risk due to their history (thankfully we are currently healthy). My parents are both also facing significant financial challenges, and I am uncertain about my summer income. As a student, it is extremely difficult to focus on school and grades due to these uncertainties. In addition, I've always attributed my good grades to paying strict, close attention in live class sessions, and now I feel I can't do that as effectively."
"My boyfriend lost his job due to the virus...we have since been forced out of our apartment. Moved back in with my parents (outside of San Diego County). We now are in a two bedroom house with six adults and two children who are being home schooled. Our internet access is limited because we have SO many people using the internet at once. We are food insecure, in debt from the move, under an IMENSE amount of stress. My mom is a cancer survivor (went into remission this year) and is therefore housebound for fear of catching the virus. The responsibilities have fallen on my shoulders to provide for my family both financially and for general household errands. I take my zoom classes in the living room because I currently sleep on the sofa. I have no quiet study space and no access to quiet study space."
"As a law student, our law school has different challenges than the other graduate schools. I'm more than open to implement alternative grading parameters but not sure how open-minded the law school is to a pass/fail grading situation."
"Anything but pass/fail seems unfair. Many students are extremely disadvantaged right now."
"We no longer have access to the LRC and study materials. I utilized those daily. I've never studied from home until now."
"Many of us do not have a quiet place to take the final exam and have miscellaneous distractions at home in general. The online courses are not as engaging, and learning the immense amount of material jam packed into the remaining of the semester is incredibly more difficult. Some professors are not even doing live classes - just pre-recording them. If I wanted this kind of learning I would have signed up for a barbri course. This is not at all what we signed up for and it could not have been reasonably foreseen when we paid tuition. Partial refund and an easier curve / pass fail option is the least the school can do."
"I feel a pass/fail grading system is needed at this time so students who are in difficult circumstances have the mental space to take care of their and their family's needs first during this stressful time. I have 1 year old daughter who I am taking care of full time now that I cannot put her in childcare. I hope the university takes into consideration situations like mine and others."
"I believe we need to do some sort of pass/fail like many other law schools in the country. The problems relating to the coronavirus will only get worse as more testing become available. We need to get ahead of this and realize the impact this will have on everyone. Many of us will be impacted. I know people have concerns about grades and jobs, but these are unprecedented times and our main concern should be our health and well being. A pass/fail system will help alleviate the pressures of law school under these terrible circumstances."
"I think pass/fail is the most equitable option and best way to protect those who will be most affected by the situation."
"The administration needs to be more compassionate and understanding of students who may disproportionally feel the affects of COVID-19. The administration wanted a diverse student body for their graduate programs, but are unwilling to understand the disproportional affects this pandemic has on diverse communities."
"Please prioritize those who will be most negatively impacted by this crisis - there is more on the line than GPA's and competitiveness here. People who want to learn and who want to stand out in the job market will still be able do so, regardless of whether there's a placeholder on their transcript. Those reading them will know a pandemic was going on."
"I believe that we should go purely pass/fail. Making it optional P/F means that employers will look at the transcripts of those who struggled and opted for P/F grades, and, knowing that their school gave them the option to publish actual grades, there will be an inherent bias against them. Allowing for grades at all in this situation will also incentive cheaters, since they can now easily cheat on take home exams. I have heard stories of people joking about hiring attorneys to take their exams. Probably others will be collaborating."
"We need to remember that people will be facing very different challenges that will make even an optional P/F grading system desperately unfair. Some students come from disadvantaged households and will be worrying about layoffs and bills. Some may get sick. Others may spend much of their time caring for or worrying about family or friends that are sick."
"Optional P/F would be just as bad as a standard grading system in my opinion. We should stick with a simple P/F for everyone."
"For the equity of disadvantaged students who have had to take on additional responsibilities or may not live in an environment conducive to studying as before, the grading for the school of law should be mandatory pass/fail this semester. It is extremely important to take into account student opinions on this topic, and not be dismissive. It would hurt students more if they come out with a bad GPA for the semester versus having a P on their transcript. In addition, many schools in Southern California and across the nation have switched to mandatory P/F, it is the majority of law schools. If the school decides not to switch grading, privileged students who have not had their situations changed for the worse will be able to take advantage of the situation to increase their class rank while other students are suffering. The law school environment is incredibly competitive and there need to be changes to mandatory pass fail to promote equality this semester. There are issues ranging from students not being able to focus in their homes like they were able to in the library, to students in possibly abusive or nasty environments at home. The faculty and deans need to think seriously about this issue and put those students first."
"Underrepresented law students will be more adversely affected by any policy other than a pass/fail policy. If USD cares about its minority students it will do what’s just, and equitable, and mandate a pass/fail policy (preferably not an optional one)"
"1. I hope we can remember that grades, while important, are arbitrary measures of learning especially with a set curve, and creating a different set of parameters for this semester will not cause students to suddenly stop all their studying and hard work. I know myself and other students did not come to school for the grades, but to earn a legal education. This will continue to happen. I attended a high ranked university and, in comparison, the students at this law school continue to amaze me with their ethics, hard work, and resilience every day. You have a good group and I would trust them to fully commit to learning the law regardless of a letter on the transcript.
2. In the end, learning the law will be much more important than grades, as law students still need to pass the bar. Regardless of the grades earned, everyone is trying their best to be prepared for an enormous test and ultimate indicator of success as students will be able to be hired only if they pass.
3. I can say first hand, I have been privileged to be in a safer position than many of our students. Especially the Law/Graduate students who, unlike many undergraduates, do not get to go home to their families care and safety net. They are employed themselves, have families of their own, and are most likely worrying about their parents rather than eating their free meals. I hope the committee will read through the entire report students have put together, as their stories are integral to this decision.
4. One semester of different grades will not have a huge effect in the long run. Master's programs only have 4 semesters and they still can get accurate grades. Law school has 6 and using one as pass/fail will be acceptable. You could change current pass/fail classes to a curved letter grade and count this semester as all the P/F we do for the law schools 16 credits. Then, at the end, our grades will still factor the same as they would originally. I know this is an option you probably wouldn't consider but it is something to think about.
5. As a university who has done so much good for underprivileged populations, including many scholarships, multicultural events, and learning experiences, I hope that administrators, who may be more privileged, can remember the least of these. I have heard from a few faculty/admin that they believe students are sitting around at home on a vacation. Faculty/admin have not needed to move out of their apartment/fly back home/ get laid off from the job they had, thus reading the student statements listed above are very helpful to assessing the situation. I have read it in its entirety and thought I would know what people are experiencing because I am also in the position of student. I was wrong. I highly suggest reading the report in its entirety.
6. Concerning needing letter grades to pull up GPA, this is simply a gamble. I am one student that may or may not be able to pull up their grades from last semester. Addressing this fear simply, scholarships can be put on hold till next semester. While many students may think they absolutely will pull up grades, there is no way to know that they will. I would rather do a grade change that would definitely help people in terrible situations, than stay the same and maybe those who thought they were going to do well, do even worse because COVID-19 hits them in some way when they least expect it. Regardless, I would rather level the field for everyone and have P/F instead of getting a higher grade because those more affected than me suffered. Especially with the shelter in place and other factors of peoples individual lives, I would think only someone who lives at home, doesn't work because they have a well off family, and has no other responsibilities besides law school will be able to boost their grades this semester. Yes, there are always going to be socioeconomic discrepancies, but for the exact reason that COVID-19 is effecting everyone, this is a opportunity to change grading for everyone.
7. I think the administration is doing a excellent job at really thinking about this decision and I appreciate your thoughtful analysis on the matter. Thank you for considering all factors. I am thankful for this opportunity to express the views of the student body, and I hope that the underprivileged students, that may not even have time to take this survey can be heard.
*a small note* Concerning the physical health of the student body, I would like to think that USD students won't get the virus. This is a fallacy. I want to believe that USD will not be effected by COVID-19 but we cannot control this. Regarding health, I am a student who has a physical disability which severely limits both my immune system and my breathing capacity. I know as a population, students may not be at a high risk comparing with the elderly, but you do have students that are in the high-risk category."
"I am here at the USD School of Law because I got a near full scholarship. I can't afford law school otherwise, and my family is not financially able to help me either. I am really concerned about the curve, because I don't believe online classes accurately affect my ability to learn. I have performed well so far; I earned a 3.51 GPA last semester. I work really hard for my grades. But I don't think it's fair for our futures to be dependent on online, open book exams. I understand why the university is hesitant to go pass/fail, and I think the concerns are fair. But what I really think is essential is holding off on taking away scholarships based on GPA until next semester when things are back to normal."
"Especially for a program with a forced curve, like the law program, a “business as usual” approach disproportionately favors the wealthy and abled."
"I have lots of questions/comments/needs/suggestions. I am so swamped and stressed right now though with everything and trying to stay on top of school in these circumstances, i don’t have time to write it all out right now. But the people who are saying that they don’t want a P/F system are the ones who are privileged enough not to be negatively affected by this situation. Unfortunately, that's not all of us. From what i've seen, the effects of this situation are so debilitating for so many people and the university can't expect to just trot along in the same way with grading, as though we are not impacted by this. When our dean says "everyone is in the same boat in terms of being affected by this" in that we are all at the same negative detriment, could not be farther from the truth!! Many are doing just fine with this because they are fortunately enough to have wealthy parents or stable situations and can proceed without much detriment. Others are trying to figure out how to survive with everyone out of work, or children to home school, or crippled by anxiety and depression right now, or are in households with 6 people without a quiet place to study and no where to go to do so because everything is closed, or infant/young children to keep entertained in a house for 15 hours every day and still be expected to study and attend class, or who are caring for elderly grandparents because caretakers are no longer coming and are trying to balance school and that full time job, etc etc etc. This situation has not impacted those who are fortunate enough not to be impacted, but I hope those individuals have compassion for those of us who are struggling to make it through each day right now. Us young people are staying indoors to protect those over 65, who are many of the faculty and administration, and so they should likewise have our backs with grading."
"Even a HP/P/LP/F system will not be fair given the current circumstances. We are all in unique situations and do not have access to quiet learning environments and testing conditions. Grading on any curve in this situation is disproportionate. The students will quiet environments will be able to achieve high scores, disrupt the curve, and other students will be negatively affected because of the tumultuous learning and test taking environment."
"Remote learning has come with so many technical difficulties, often on the professor’s end due to high traffic for wifi. This is such a big distraction from the lessons. It puts us further behind than we already are."
"The lack of access to the law library, in-person office hours, and the benefit of in-class learning is my biggest concern regarding tuition reimbursement."
"The disadvantages that may be posed to some students and not others, especially to my classmates that become ill or those needing to cope with the loss of loved ones, demand that we change all grading to pass/fail."
"Don’t like the thought of students potentially collaborating on the final exams. Therefore, P/F seems equitable."
"The LRC closure is a big concern for me. I don't have a quiet home environment that is conducive to studying. Also, I've tried studying at public libraries in San Diego County before and have not had a good experience due to noise and distractions. Unless the LRC opens soon, I will likely see my final grades impacted by this situation."
"My wife lost her job, and I won't be working while I study for the bar, so finances are tight. A lot of people are going to be worse off than us. A lot of us are going to have a harder time getting jobs with the tanking economy as well. This is a lot more than a couple of weeks of impact as we're entering the job market."
"I moved back to the east coast and don’t have access to any personal space at the moment where I can study or take exams. There are five people in the house, all working from home, three dogs, and a cat. Family members are starting to get sick. I am starting to get sick. None of us know if we have COVID-19. I also have accommodations for my ADHD. I don’t think I am going to adapt well to the online learning, and I don’t know how I am going to be able to compete academically this year."
"I have no one here in San Diego. I am also now scrambling for a way to support my family from afar, and to pay my own bills. Not only do I not know how grading will proceed, but I do not know if I will be able to maintain the means necessary to properly dedicate my time and attention to my academics. Further, I will be going into surgery next week for bilateral ovarian cysts and will be immunocompromised for approximately 3 weeks. This is in addition to the health concerns I have surrounding the COVID-19 crisis. I have diagnosed depressive disorder and anxiety disorder. I feel like no one is actually listening to us as students..."
"Please do not take away the work we've all done in LWR. I've spent well over 60 hours of work on my writing this semester, and have a high grade thus far. To take that away would do an injustice. Our final assignment was already issued and we got an extension ONLY because of the closure, otherwise it was due this past Tuesday. Considering the effort we ALL have put into LWR prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how close we were to finishing, we deserve to be graded accordingly. We cannot say the same for all other classes, which either did not take a midterm, took a P/F midterm, or the midterm was a negligible % of the total grades. Those courses should go P/F based on the serious impact this is having on us as a family, as a father of elementary school kids, as an employee, and on our mental welfare. Thank you."
"Last Semester I used the LRC to study and do all my work. With the LRC now closed it will be more difficult to recreate my study situation."
"Internet access and adequate study spaces vary greatly amongst students, especially those with family, children, low income, etc. For example: My apartment building is incredibly old and for whatever reason the internet access is slow and unreliable. Whenever it rains, I lose my internet service for at least the day. If I'm stuck inside my house and also don't have reliable internet access, then I am at an extreme disadvantage compared to others. If USD were to continue to use regularly graded exams, it would be most beneficial to have open or increased exam periods rather than a closed window for taking the exam."
"Personally, I am going through law school with [medical issue]. During the year I rely on rehabilitative/therapeutic means to keep my pain at a manageable level without resorting to any medication so I can study. However, now I have no access to continue with the only form of recovery that has proven any success for me because the company was forced to close and cannot offer services for the time being. I’m already having severe muscle spasms return, my pain is increasing, and I cannot sit in place for nearly as long to study. Of course, physical pain also translates into a heightened struggle with mental health wellbeing during an already stressful time. This is only the beginning of the California shelter in place order, so I am concerned about how much worse my physical condition will get by the time we get closer to finals, considering I am already in constant pain. I share this because it is my hope that USD is aware that it isn’t just distractions at home and a transition to online learning that will make it hard on students to maintain their GPA. Thank you for taking my circumstances into account."
"Please fall in line with what the other law schools are doing, do not allow us to be subject to greater disparity or disadvantages as a result. This will undoubtedly impact parents, which I am, and lower-income families disproportionately--Take a look at what Cornell University is doing...they issued guidance as to P/F, will the tenants of compassion, integrity, and equity. This situation of unproctored exams will likely cause a rise in cheating, and those of us who are honest will suffer the consequence of truly learning the material and doing our best under normal conditions. I do not want my rank to go down as a result of this, I have performed well thus far, and would like to have as fair of a level playing field as we can."
"One of my professors is assigning assignments at home instead of teaching for two class periods and also now will be giving minimal feedback on completed assignments. I’m concerned how this will help us learn if we have to guide our own learning for two class periods and won’t be getting much constructive feedback. It seems like these assignments are being given in lieu of live teaching on Zoom, possibly because the teacher doesn’t want to teach on Zoom since all our other classes will mainly be taught by guest speakers. I wonder if other Professors are assigning assignments instead of holding class."
"This school and work cancellation has upended most of our lives. This is not a regular semester and should not be treated as such. Please take into consideration students who are moving, not financially stable, or dealing with illness themselves or through family members."
"(1) Especially with shelter in place going into effect, it is impossible to create an exam atmosphere through remote testing, except for the exceptionally privileged that live alone and have no responsibilities during this time to care for family/those in need. (2) While all students went through orientation and have been informed of the mental health strains law school imposes, as well as certain coping strategies, access to adequate mental health care is currently impossible. Additionally, not only are students coping with “normal” law school stress, but also the economic and social stress entailing this unprecedented pandemic. (3) USD law students will be incomparable to other law students attending schools with modified grading scales for the Spring 2020 semester, unless USD decides to modify its grading in line with other schools. This will likely effect long term job prospects of USD students, as well as USD’s national reputation compared to students from other law schools. (4) It is simply the just, Catholic thing to do to allow students to care for others, and themselves, during this time instead of having to ignore their social, familial, medical, and economic priorities for the sake of testing. I would hope that a Catholic school would recognize this call to care for others with a universal kind of love instead of requiring students to focus on themselves in a selfish sort of way during a pandemic. (5) I understand USD is doing everything it can and trying its best to be fair. I truly appreciate all the hard work so many individuals are exerting right now because they care for students."
"It has been a stressful and anxiety-ridden adjustment period as we have moved online due to the Coronavirus, and it has been difficult to focus on law school "like normal" with concerns about loved ones who are at risk, uncertainty about when the Coronavirus crisis will pass, and worry about contracting the virus or having friends/family contract the virus. I would appreciate it if USD would consider the difficult circumstances students are now facing which have completely compromised our learning environment."
"I have to work remotely to pay my rent, at the same time I am helping my fiance who is unemployed because of COVID-19. This is all extremely stressful and exhausting. I would appreciate help/a break from the administration like other schools are!"
"My husband works in healthcare so there's a significant amount of uncertainty and stress at home knowing that he will likely be on the frontlines addressing this epidemic very shortly."
"I do not have a quiet space for me to take my online exams. My desk is in a shared common area and there is always people in and out. It would be an unfair advantage for those who can afford to have their own office or quiet space to take their exams. I don’t think my socio economic status compared to others should hinder my ability to perform well in my exams."
"Family issues. Financial hardships. Severe mental health issues. All caused by the pandemic."
"Having had to relocate because my roommate is moving home...I’m way over my head in debt and the stress of relocation. My current living situation is not conducive to remote learning and I’m nervous how it will impact my grades. I’ve worked so hard over the past 7 months and I’d hate to see it (my GPA) wiped out by a testing and learning environment I couldn’t have prepared for."
"With unprecedented stress and my family spread all over the globe it is difficult for me to focus entirely on law school. Being graded on a curve therefore would only make the pressure more intense and possibly cause me to not perform as well as I normally would."
"It is very challenging to focus on school during these times and having the stress of worrying about law school exams, especially as they are on a curve, makes life far more stressful during times where we should be focusing on our health, safety, family, and the law school grading curve just causes far more anxiety during these times."
"I have been at USD for 7 years as both an undergrad and now graduate law student, and I can say with confidence that the law school is an afterthought. And now it feels like the law students are even more of an afterthought. We have gotten almost daily emails from USD as a whole, Pertaining mostly to undergrads. But we have received only a couple from the Law school specifically. We need more communication from Ferrulo and our professors. Not just Zoom links. Actual information about what they are doing every single day to figure this out. Even if it changes. Letting us sit here in the dark, while professors are simultaneously assigning DOUBLE work and when pressed about it we are told it’s consistent with university policy. Next week back in classes is about to be a hell week because all of my professors think that I suddenly have all this free time. Most of us upperclassmen are still working remotely and trying to navigate uncertainty about if our employment timelines will even pan out because uncertainty surrounding the bar. Lots of us are already working more hours than we should be to try to save money, especially 3Ls preparing for bar study. It seems USD and our professors think we are all sitting around twiddling our thumbs until the next Zoom session. I want answers. I want results. I want to feel like USD and USD Law specifically care about me. And I have barely felt that throughout my time here and I especially don’t feel it now."
"Many law students are either immunocompromised or have a family member at high risk whom they need to care for. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures to accommodate the physical and mental wellbeing of students and ensure our success despite this pandemic."
"Some of us, like me, live in a loud and busy household. It makes online learning very difficult - especially when there is no where to else to go to - because we relied on the on-campus facilities and classroom learning environment with like-minded people."
"I believe it is unfair to the entire student body to treat the semester as if nothing is happening. Online classes are an inferior method of teach and our inferior grades that result from this method of teaching should be accounted for."
"I share a small space with my boyfriend, who is working from home full-time. With the current restrictions in place, and concerns about my family's health, paying rent, staying healthy etc., I think it will be incredibly hard to study at 100% for the next few months. USD please help students in this difficult time by not adding additional stress to the current situation. Only offering graded exams would be biased towards those with certain living situations (e.g. living alone). We can still learn and do work without the added stress of the law curve. Please think of your students and do what many other law schools are doing by going P/F!"
"I currently live at home and am the sole provider for my family. While in law school I have managed to take care of my family through different means, but I have also been successful academically because I had a place to study and excel (LRC, Writs, etc). Now that everyone in my family is living under one roof with no income, I am extremely overwhelmed. There is little to no time I have to dedicate to readings, let alone sit in my room and prepare an outline. I know several students have expressed the same concern and I am hoping my comment speaks for them. I would also like to express my concern about how unfair grading would be at a time like this."
"This pandemic has been terrible for my mental health. As someone with already severe anxiety and bipolar disorders, my ability to work and study has been severely inhibited."
"A mandatory Pass/Fail would provide much-needed clarity and structure to what is already a confusing situation. I believe that any other format is not likely to be uniform or fair. As a graduating student, I also believe a mandatory Pass/Fail would help ensure the school's ability to effectively process grades and guarantee a smooth graduation ahead of what will be a stressful bar study period."
"I live with my grandma who is 74 and cancer patient. I also live with my 61 year old father who is a cancer patient. I am ensuring that our family can still function during this time as we own a family business that is being severely impacted by the economy. A lot has changed in my life because of this and although school is important, my family’s life is equally important."
"I opt for some type of grade on our transcripts because I don't want people to fail or lose scholarships because their second semester grades were not up to par. That's why I vote for some type of grade for second semester. Second: Because of school closure, I have decided to move back home to take out less loans. My parents might lose their jobs/business if things don't get better as fast as we'd like them to and we need to be very conservative with costs. I live in a home with my uncle aunt and cousin as well. Not everyone is a student and studying at home is nothing like studying at the PLRC or at a quiet place I on campus. Lastly, for students who are managing health, finding food or caring for a loving one, I firmly believe this should be the number one priority in their lives. It is unfair to ask these overachievers to perform on law school exams - because studies show that the lowest income high achieving student will do it. But at the cost of their well being."
"I have close family members on the front lines fighting corona at hospitals and studying just is not a priority at the moment. I also live with my family (4 other people) and I just don’t have the level of focus or quiet I usually do during the school year. Given that this is a pandemic and we are under extremely abnormal circumstances, I kindly ask USD Law to tweak the exam grading."
"Learning in a virtual environment, although technically possible through Zoom, is completely different than a classroom environment in the way students focus and can follow along and learning the law virtually just doesn’t compare to a classroom. Also enforcing guidelines must be done fairly and thoroughly with every professor, we’ve already had one of ours try to add in extra classes on Saturday and Sunday."
"This is an unexpected and unprecedented situation that impacts law students nationwide; a relaxed approach to ease anxiety among law students will not be abused in the future, since it is particularly tailored to resolve the current situation."
"When Counties institute shelter-in-place ordinances, grocery stores are picked over, and loved ones are at risk, law school testing, especially for 2Ls and 3Ls, suddenly becomes superfluous. I do not believe that in this environment students should have to stress about grades. Other law schools use a HP/P/F scale. Although USD usually has an interest in using letter grading (for the BAR etc.), that interest falls to the wayside under these circumstances."
"I honestly have no idea how they are expecting us to go back to normal next week with online classes. So many of our students are parents, or adults struggling to pay bills and make things safe for their families. I personally, am part of the high risk for serious illness because of a chronic lung condition. This has made my entire life extremely difficult and produced an unprecedented amount of anxiety for me and my family. If the university intends to proceed with finals graded on a curve it will be a disaster. Not only will completely open world exams (which regardless of the honor system it will undoubtedly become an open world exam for most students) ruin the curve, it will unfairly favor those who are healthy and otherwise unaffected because economic circumstances are covered by third parties. In full, continuing to hold finals as normal would favor the abled and wealthy."
"Take into consideration the people who worked in legal journals, such as SDLR, SDILJ, and JCEL. The editorial boards of those journals work tirelessly throughout the year, often sacrificing grades for the sake of the school's academic reputation, so grades should not be negatively impacted for those in editorial boards."
"I am working at the same time to help my family, and I’m responsible for making grocery rounds for older family members."
"This is a very anxiety provoking time please take it easy on students."
"I’m living at home in Orange County with my low-income family in a two bedroom apartment with four adults, two of whom have increased risk for the virus. My professors seem to want to proceed on with the semester as per usual when they don’t understand the difficulty for students with a living situation like mine. It’s so much harder for me to work/study at home every day. I don’t want to make excuses but I want to explain my situation. All my family members are living with mental illnesses on top of financial stressors, which have increased due to the virus. I’m not sure how you can grade my work product against someone who has a room or study space to themselves using the same grading system and class schedule. Thank you for your time. Stay safe."
"Back at home with vulnerable family members, difficult to maintain academic focus"
"Have to take care of my grandparents. Worried about finances."
"We have yet to understand all of the potential repercussions of social distancing and this pandemic. Everything from the economy and food supplies to mental illness and substance abuse may and will be affected. We ask that you be empathetic to this request."
"I was hospitalized with an “unknown virus” last week and had to them move home to Oregon two days after being released because my immune system is compromised. Focusing on my health is way more overarching than getting an A in classes."
"I still don’t know where I’m living next week."
"Remote testing opens the door for tech errors and cheating, lock it down with pass fail grading."
"The Bar exam is not offered in SD; we don't know yet if the Bar will be maintained. We don't know if we will have a graduation ceremony. USD curve is already stricter than that at other schools (and yet not sure our ranking or bar pass rate is improving). Now the pandemic and moving to online classes. That is enough anxiety for 3 Ls, the school can and should modify its exams and grading method accordingly."
"In a tight living situation, that’s extremely difficult to study and I have other medical conditions so it is not safe for me to go anywhere else but stay in my apartment. I am extremely stressed and learning online is very difficult."
"I have no idea how I’ll be able to learn in an at home environment and I’m truly worried it will effect me and my grades for the worse."
"Suffer from ADHD and receive special accommodations and this learning style will be extremely difficult for me."
"For students who have anxiety and depression, this time is extremely difficult and scary. Worrying about school on top of the uncertainty and chaos right now is so stressful. The entire world is watching how we choose to handle this, have empathy that there is NO precedent for this time, and adjust accordingly. Expecting students to be law students as usually is unintelligble and unfair to those who not only have adversity.
*immunocompromised, sick family members, chronic diseases, sole providers for family and mental health concerns but for EVERYBODY. I hope that USD will treat this time with the compassion and understanding that it deserves."
"In a household with family members on immunosuppressants, and two parents who will be required to continue to work throughout the pandemic (public safety). I would like the school to be mindful of students whose situations have changed, especially those who are displaced and fearful of what is to come. Grades in law school are rather arbitrary to begin with, and relaxing them would only allow students to develop skills that are more valuable (social, emotional, etc.)."
"I am currently sick and do not know if I have the virus/ how long I'll take to get better."
"Although I am not part of a vulnerable population myself, I am certain that I (and many of my classmates) will face severe emotional distress and grief as we navigate not only the social and financial implications of this virus, but the emotional as well. I am concerned that finals are going to hit at the same time as this virus peaks, and we will not be able to dedicate nearly the amount of time to our studies as we care for/grieve infected/lost loved ones."
"Here in SD by myself. Under financial stress."
"Being on academic probation is stressful enough but not knowing how the curve might work for this semester is even more stressful. I have been trying to prepare the best I can, but now going to remote teaching and an inevitable break in communication with professors, I’m worried I may not do well enough to not get kicked out of school. It’s heartbreaking."
"Working from home will greatly impact my studying. I understand everyone is dealing with the same situation. I typically used the law school facilities and resources on campus and will need to adjust my learning style. I know many of us are currently working to identify a peaceful and reliable space to take classes and study that we had previously relied on the school for."
"I would want USD professors to understand that a lot of us, including myself have bad anxiety and it’s really difficult to have a clear head to study and focus during this uncertain time. I have family members who are going to likely lose their jobs and be going through hard financial times. It’s just a really scary time for students so it would be extremely reasonable to ask USD to make our classes pass fail. No one is going to be able to study with a clear head, that is just a reality. Because many other schools will use pass fail grading, doing so would not hurt our school in any way. It would be a kind thing to do considering the anxiety people are suffering from due to the pandemic."
"I think P/F would be great as other law schools have successfully done this. I also have questions on if that were to be the case, how would our Goal's be effected down the line? We wouldn't have as many grades to counteract any unsatisfactory ones. This is definitely a complicated situation. I wonder why some schools have P/F methods in place already while others have harsh curves."
"Under the current circumstances, students grades will likely suffer. The following issues (and sub-issues) should be addressed and taken into consideration by USD Law administrators: (1) Working from home with an online-classroom forum will be challenging to work with: (a) Although we are very lucky to have the technology that allows us to persevere and continue our legal education, virtual lessons will likely yield many challenges that could impede student performance as opposed to having in-class instruction. With a virtual classroom, students will be at the mercy of technological issues such as WiFi problems, connectivity issues, screen freezing, etc. (b)There will be endless distractions: pets and all family members/roommates will be home (potentially making noise or just sharing a student's study space which is undoubtedly distracting); (c) the inability to directly communicate or easily interact with professors and TA's (who will all likely be swamped with emails as a result of email being the only means for clarification on course topics). (2) General fear and anxiety about what is going on in the world. What I have struggled with the most so far is staying focused. Even when doing readings for class, I find my mind wandering to my family and friends. It's difficult to stop worrying about the potential severity of this viral infection and the impact that it is having on so many lives. I'm worried about the economy and my family struggling to support all six of us with only two people able to work remotely. I'm worried about my friends and my boyfriend who are now unemployed and what that will mean for their bills. All in all, it is not going to be easy to perform at the level all of us were capable of last semester. That should be taken into account in some way. Perhaps the grading system could be adjusted, or maybe lighter testing on the content taught on Zoom in the following weeks."
"This is a day by day issue so it is helpful and comforting to hear information even if that information is just that USD is discussing and planning with how to deal with it."
"As someone living in a small house with two other people, taking multiple, long exams that will count for 100% of my grade is a very scary prospect. Working from home, with no possibilities of working elsewhere and no study groups makes it hard to keep my focus, not to mention that classes going forward will likely be of lesser quality than our regular in-person instruction. Altogether, I am worried about the affect this will have on my grades."
"Unfortunately, it is inevitable that some students are going to cheat/collaborate on take-home final exams. It's unfair to grade honest students on the same curve as those who cheat. Classes that have finals should be P/F, and not detract from our 18 P/F units (as many have already used those for extracurriculars/externships)."
"I quickly had to vacate my living situation so I don’t have all of my materials that I would have. Don’t have access to a good study environment."
"I have no family in San Diego. I depend on myself financially."
"This situation has made me extremely anxious. I am living away from my elderly family members who are living in states that are coronavirus hotspots."
"This is definitely a more stressful time than I expected and I am not put into too difficult of a situation. My family is in San Diego, I do not have elderly people to worry about, and finances are stable. However, I understand how the stress could be so much worse for other students who are more directly affected my the pandemic and the side effects."
"Immunocompromised family members in areas quarantined with more outbreaks and little money because of layoffs makes studying a lower priority and substantially increases anxiety."
"My family’s income is about to take some major Ls because of all of the closures. The financial stress my family is about to experience is going to severely interfere with my ability to focus on school."
"Taking finals at home is difficult and distracting with other family quarantined here as well. Additionally many people are stressed about other aspects of life which makes focusing difficult right now. We are all worried about what’s going on in the world, elderly relatives, surviving on a student budget when the stores are cleaned out, and what a resulting recession means for our summer externship and post grad job prospects. Good faith mandatory pass is the best option to preserve our job potential and take account of the situation as a whole."
"Mental health is a real thing during this time. this is not just a change of scenery, or simply "working at home" -- it's checking the news for updates, taking care of family, and managing own health."
"I do hope that the Dean has acknowledged/supported that in order for all courses to makeup their missed credit hours within the rapid approaching close of the semester it is going to require professors to adjust their syllabi - there are many competing schedules that are out of student/faculty control. It is important to realistically recognize and accept that all course content likely will not get adequately covered by the end of the semester."
"While I understand that we are all bound to a higher level of ethics, I am a realist too. During a final exam, it would be unfair if I was only using my outline/books as authorized and taking the exam alone, while someone else is using a second computer, working in a group, or utilizing other non-approved means or sources. I feel that a P/F option under a “good faith effort” is the only way to level the playing field. Lowering the standard for one semester will not have an impact upon our careers. We will all still have to demonstrate mastery while taking the bar, and both future employers and society should be understanding considering the exceptional circumstances."
"I think it’s importing for USD to consider both the students who will not be able to focus on exams completely and those who need a certain GPA to keep their scholarships. I know there are people in my section who are fighting to get better grades this semester to keep their finical aid, and if we go to pass/fail finals, we need to be reassured this change will not affect their scholarships. We all want to be here and get our legal education and the scholarships are important to making our dreams a reality."
"Although I appreciate that USD has taken precautions to send us home, I am very concerned about everything going on and am worried about what will happen if I cannot study as efficiently as I would like to and risk losing my scholarship. I have family across the world. My parents are in Qatar. My brother is in Germany and is living in an area that is heavily impacted by the coronavirus and is at a high risk of contracting it since students in his dorm have already contracted it and we cannot get him out of the country. My grandfather is in the ICU in LA with no visitation allowed and we are not getting updates on his situation. My roommate got laid off because of this and can not afford rent so he will be moving out and I need to figure out a new living situation by end of April. In the meantime I will be living with two people who are working from home so it is not an optimal study situation."
"I had to move back across the country on short notice to try and save money. To think that a situation so as this one is not dramatic enough to impact academic performance in a negative way would be pedagogical misconduct."
"I am in the Bay Area and we are currently in a mandatory shelter in place for the next weeks. I am expecting this to take a toll on my mental health. There's only so much isolation a person can take. Law school by itself is stressful, but adding the isolation, the lower quality of teaching because of going remote, and regular exam grading makes it even more stressful. I urge USD law to change the grading for this semester. This is not normal circumstances so exams should not be normal."
"It’s really tough being inside all day and trying to stay productive and focused on school, because I’m scared of the unknown."
"The global economy is literally tanking. Our parents are likely all near retirement and their futures are uncertain. My focus has ABSOLUTELY been interrupted irreparably because of this global pandemic. It’s unfair to expect us to continue as normal. None of this is normal. This situation is unprecedented."
"My main concern is my ability to keep my scholarship. I think it would be unfair give. The circumstances for ANYONE to lose their scholarship next year due to their GPA."