Today, the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs of William Paterson University sent an email to students about receiving credit in Spring 2020 classes. 

“William Paterson University has put into place a new Spring 2020 Pass / No Credit and Course Withdrawal Extension Policy for both undergraduate and graduate students,” according to the email. 

This policy gives students the options to either receive a course grade or a pass/no pass option for any classes during this semester. Students will have between May 1 and June 1 to make a decision and will have to fill out a form on the Registrar’s website. 

If a student chooses the pass / no credit option, it does not count towards their GPA. A pass counts towards requirements for a degree.

Two weeks ago, William Paterson student that goes by “Dante X” created a petition called “Universal Pass Policy for ALL William Paterson University students Spring 2020” in light of  COVID-19 interrupting classes in person. The petition received almost 3,000 signatures and 50+ comments as to why the policy should be put in place. 

“We as the student body of William Paterson University request for a “Universal Pass Policy” to be put in place to ensure peace of mind while attempting to continue our studies, and survive during a global pandemic,” stated Dante X. 

With other state colleges passing the policy, students felt it was only fair since William Paterson only offered a distant learning option for the time being. This can highly affect students who have other responsibilities to tend to, especially the ones deemed as “essential workers” during the pandemic. 

For more information, please check out the Registrar’s website.