June 4, 2020
Dear DePaul community,
In my message of June 2 to the faculty, I indicated that Academic Affairs and the Faculty Council were working on options to bring some relief to all students during the final exam period for Spring quarter classes. Nothing can alleviate the pain so many of us have been dealing with in the past few days due to the recent horrific events, added to the stress and anguish resulting from COVID-19. However, I hope that the following Faculty Council resolution, passed on the evening of June 3, 2020, will provide some relief to our students as they approach their final exams.
With respect to the grading of courses for the Spring 2020 quarter, faculty shall allow all students (undergraduate, graduate, non-degree-seeking, and any other category) at least one of the following options:
- To award, at the student’s request, a final course grade on the basis of materials due by May 29, 2020, assuming that at least 70% of the graded materials, according to the learning goals of the course, had been submitted by that date.
- To complete the course as expected, with the understanding that the final exams and/or projects may be determined optional by faculty, and all work submitted after May 29, 2020, cannot reduce the final grade.
- To award, at the student’s request, an Incomplete (IN) without explanation and subject to all rules regarding incomplete grades, including a satisfactory record in the work already completed for the course. Faculty will clearly inform students about completing the material within a specific deadline, as per the IN policy. Note that degree conferral is June 22nd, and therefore graduating students would need to have their IN grade resolved prior to this date.
All faculty are encouraged to offer students any additional appropriate accommodations that will enable the students to successfully complete the quarter.
For Spring 2020 only, the deadline for withdrawing from a class,will be extended to the last day of finals, June 13, 2020. Before withdrawing from any classes, students receiving financial aid are urged to consult with the Office of Financial Aid to determine whether a withdrawal will impact their aid status.
This policy does not apply to courses or colleges for which final grades from the term were submitted prior to May 29th, 2020.
Please be mindful that it is through the daily actions of each of us, members of the DePaul community, that our Vincentian mission is brought to life: a faculty member who sees with great empathy and understanding the weight that our students are carrying; a staff person who creates space for students in a creative way when we cannot gather in a shared physical space; a student whose passion, activism, and organizing teach us and guide us in our work.
Please be safe, while acknowledging that safety at times is a privilege not shared by all; be kind to others while standing up for truth and justice, and most of all be kind to yourselves.
Sincerely,
Salma Ghanem
Interim Provost