As per SFA's website,

"Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) is committed to fostering an educational environment that promotes the highest level of learning and personal development of its students. To support this commitment, SFA strives to ensure all students are treated equitably and in accordance with university policies."

After waiting on the edge of our seats for weeks, dealing with the rather unfavorable reality of all of our courses being moved to an online format, students received an e-mail from Jeremy Stovall, the Faculty Senate Chair. In this e-mail, students were notified that the pass/fail measure would not be implemented at the university amidst an unprecedented worldwide pandemic. And in its place, we would essentially be offered the ability to consult our professors for additional time for assignments, and (let's be honest), in cases of utmost generosity, for grade curves.

This petition calls upon the SFASU Faculty Senate to reconsider their verdict on pass/fail and further look into the implementation of a measure that would not forthrightly penalize students' cumulative GPA's OR simply allow for students' GPA's to be affected adversely in ways that they otherwise would not have been had the semester played out normally, sans pandemic.

While the listed reasons found within the e-mail as to why the senate did not approve pass/fail make sense with reverence to the normal functions of scholastic & governmental institutions, they fail to appropriately address the underlying reality of the situation: this is far beyond the threshold of what might be considered normal functions.

Pass/fail (or some other GPA forgiveness measure) being implemented during this pandemic will not for certain cause complications in certifications, loss of financial aid or scholarships, etc., as the respective institutions and agencies will surely make accommodations for affected parties. However, what most definitely will cause unforeseen, and might I add, totally preventable complications is the failure to adequately support the student body during this time.

cause unforeseen, and might I add, totally preventable complications is the failure to adequately support the student body during this time. At the foundational level, the truth of the matter is that we did not choose these online courses for ourselves. While it is understandable why the courses moved online, it is unacceptable to hold students who would otherwise never choose to do online courses to only slightly adjusted standards. This is simply a matter of principle.

The alternative proposed by the Faculty Senate: that we should on a case-by-case basis seek out the professors, who are in a lot of cases, not adequately engaging with their students in ways they need to be successful & ask for mercy is frankly offensive, and neglects the root of the problem.

This pandemic might blow over in a month or two, but some of us could be dealing with ramifications for the rest of our tenure because of a variety of reasons caused during this period of time. Including but not limited to: having to drop classes, having to retake classes, the halting of in-progress certification processes, financially independent students having to work more, students without access to reliable internet/devices, international students, students with labs, etc...

Plainly put, the decision by the Faculty Senate is blind to the reality of the average SFASU student's current situation. While it seeks to indicate empathy, it clearly sends a message of misplaced empathy and bureaucracy.

The students of Stephen F. Austin State University deserve better. We deserve a faculty that is willing to meet us where we are & stand FOR us, not with us, in our time of need. We deserve to be treated equitably. And it is my belief along with many, many other students that the information served to us today was not only inequitable, but more damaging than it needs to be.

Thank you for reading. Axe 'em Jacks!