A cook in the dining hall of
East Quad Residence Hall at
the
University
of
Michigan
has
tested
positive
for
the
novel
coronavirus
(COVID-
19), according to an email sent
by Alasia Tardy, East Quad
MDining assistant manager, to
employees of East Quad’s Blue
Café.
“The rumors are true … a cook
in EQ tested positive for the
virus,” Tardy wrote.
The email does not specify the
risk of exposure for students who
have eaten recently at the dining
hall or for those who work in
MDining. It is unclear whether
East Quad will require students
to move out of its residence halls.
The University’s Office of
Public Affairs gave The Daily a
statement from MDining shared
with those that visited East
Quad’s dining hall. According
to the statement, the individual
who tested positive for COVID-
19 “had access to East Quad
dining” and is now self-isolating
at home.
“Effective
immediately,
we
will be closing the East Quad
dining facility for four days in
order to clean and disinfect the
unit,” the statement reads. “We
are working in partnership with
public health officials to notify
any individuals who may have
been exposed directly. Anyone
who has recently visited the East
Quad dining facility should self-
monitor for symptoms of fever,
cough or difficulty breathing.”
When
contacted,
Tardy
directed The Daily to MDining
marketing
manager
Kelly
Guralewski, who deferred to
Public Affairs.
An “operational update” on
MDining’s East Quad website
says East Quad Dining Hall is
temporarily
closed.
Students
usually eating at East Quad can
pick up their takeout meals from
South Quad Residence Hall’s
dining hall instead.
Multiple universities — including
Middlebury
College,
Georgetown
University and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology — have
announced plans to offer a passing
or not passing grading system for
all courses this semester. These
decisions
have
made
University
of Michigan students and faculty
question whether the University will
follow suit. No official decision has
been made yet.
Like these schools, the University
moved all classes to a remote teaching
format in order to allow students to
practice social distancing and healthy
habits amid an outbreak of COVID-
19. The University has encouraged all
students who are able to leave campus
and return to their permanent
residence.
In announcing the changes, leaders
at these colleges have attributed
the change in grading as a way to
quell fears about the global health
pandemic and ease concerns over how
students’ grades will be impacted by
the move to online learning.
In an email to Ford School
of Public Policy students, Paula
Lantz, associate dean for academic
affairs, wrote deans from across the
University are considering a grading
system in which students will either
receive a Pass or a No Record. A “No
Record” is different from a “Fail”
in that a traditionally non-passing
grade will not show up on a student’s
transcript instead of being listed as a
failed course.
In addition to this, she noted there
is also the potential to “unmask”
grades, meaning that a letter grade
for a course would show up on a
student’s transcript in addition to
the “Pass.” Lantz noted this policy,
which has been adopted by other
institutions, is being considered by
the University.
University
spokesperson
Rick
Fitzgerald said in an email while
the suggestion to move to Pass/
Fail classes has been brought up, no
decision has been reached.
“The Office of the Provost is
carefully exploring this suggestion,”
Fitzgerald wrote. “There has been
no decision.”
As of Thursday afternoon, LSA
and the College of Engineering have
both announced extensions to their
late add-drop deadlines.
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, March 20, 2020
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
As other schools move to Pass/Fail grading,
students wonder if Michigan will do the same
‘U’ has yet to reach
official decision on
grades; various deans
consider alternatives
Design by Cara Jhang
NAVYA GUPTA
Daily Staff Reporter
See GRADING, Page 2
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INDEX
Vol. CXXIX, No. 88
©2020 The Michigan Daily
N E W S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
O P I N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
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STUDENT GOVERNMENT
With
many
University
of
Michigan students off-campus
due to fears about the spread
of
coronavirus,
candidates
running in the Central Student
Government
election
next
week have based their efforts to
connect with voters on online
platforms.
Following the outbreak of the
virus in Michigan, the University
moved classes and finals online
while President Mark Schlissel
encouraged all students to return
to their permanent residences.
Campaigns adjust voter
outreach efforts, strategies
CLAIRE HAO
Daily News Editor
East Quad cook tests positive for virus
Dining hall employee becomes first confirmed case among members of University staff
See ELECTIONS, Page 3
ALEX HARRING,
LIAT WEINSTEIN &
FRANCESCA DUONG
Daily News Editors &
Daily Staff Reporter
See DINING, Page 3
DOMINICK SOKOTOFF/Daily
A cook in East Quad Dining Hall has tested positive for coronavirus.
DESIGN BY ERIN RUARK
Candidates
go digital in
CSG races