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December 02, 2020 - Image 2

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The Michigan Daily

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The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is publishing weekly on Wednesdays for the
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During
the
COVID-19

pandemic, and after a graduate
student strike and a contested
presidential election, University
of Michigan undergraduates are
still applying to graduate schools.
And for grad school applications,
grades matter.

Though
the
University

unveiled a new grading policy for
the 2020-21 school year, allowing
students to display “Pass” on their
transcript for grades above C-
and “No Record Covid” for those
D- and below, students applying
to graduate schools said they are
worried schools will assume the
worst if they see masked grades
on their transcripts.

The University released its

new policy after months of
student advocacy for a revised
grading policy. Central Student
Government,
the
largest

representative assembly at the
University, passed a resolution
demanding the implementation
of the winter 2020 grading policy
for the 2020-21 school year.
LSA senior Cameron Roehm
started a petition advocating for
the University to apply P/NRC
grading to the fall semester.

CSG President Amanda Kaplan,

a Public Policy senior, spoke on
the widespread support from
the student body for an adjusted
grading policy at the Nov. 2 CSG
meeting.

“This is a crazy semester,”

Kaplan said. “Over 10% of the
student body has officially signed
on in support (of the resolution).
The
overwhelming
amount

of support demonstrates that
students really feel like they need
this.”

LSA senior Timmy Li, who will

be applying to medical school next
year, said despite the pandemic,
the expectation to do well still
remains.

“I
haven’t
been
severely

affected (by COVID-19), and I
haven’t had any major family
issues or health issues of my own.
And so, because of that, I feel like
I still have the pressure to impress
the schools and show to them that
I can still get a good grade,” Li
said.

LSA senior Jessica Baker, who

applied to medical schools last
semester, echoed Li’s concerns.
Baker also said she feels most
at ease when graduate schools
acknowledge
challenges
that

come with online learning in their
application processes.

“I think as a pre-med student,

you basically had to reveal your
grades, because if you left them
Pass/No Record (Covid) … it
shows to the medical schools that
there’s a reason why you’re hiding
the grade, and so it kind of forces
you to expose them,” Baker said.

LSA senior Claire Hubbell said

she will be applying to physician
assistant programs this year.
Hubbell said she would like to use
the new grading policies, but feels
that she needs to show programs
she excelled in a course.

“I would love to use P/NRC

on (pre-requisite courses), but I
really can’t, because I need them
to show up to show that I got an
A for these grad schools,” Hubbell
said.

She said she felt the new

grading policies are beneficial to
undergrads who aren’t planning
on attending grad school, but not
so much to those who are.

“Pass/NRC is really great for

a lot of people that maybe aren’t
(applying to graduate school),
but for pre-health kids — for kids
that are really set on going to
grad school right after undergrad
— it really is not much of a help,
because you can’t really use it,”
Hubbell said.

Public Policy senior Mariana

Perez is applying to law schools
this semester and said she feels if
she uses the P/NRC option, law
schools will assume a low grade.

“It
feels
like
a
lose-lose

situation,” Perez said. “If I put it
as a pass, I feel like law schools are
just going to assume that it was a
C+.”

Paul
Robinson,
interim

vice
provost
for
enrollment

management and associate vice
provost, wrote in an email to The
Michigan Daily that students’
decisions to convert a letter
grade to a “Pass” or an “NRC” to
a letter grade should depend on
the programs where they plan
to apply and the importance of
the individual class in a student’s
application.

“Many
graduate
programs

want to see a letter grade and the
associated GPA. So, there will
be cases where a letter grade is

needed,” Robinson said. “On the
other hand, there may be courses
where
converting
the
letter

grade to a ‘Pass’ is advantageous
- especially in the case where a
student’s GPA might be negatively
affected.”

Though
students
said
the

University’s new grading policy
has taken a little pressure off, they
said the best support would be
leniency from professors and clear
communication from graduate
schools.

Hubbell said she feels there are

other actions the University could
take to help students, like talking
to professors about leniency with
deadlines.

“The P/F option is definitely

really good for a big handful of
students, but I also feel like what
would most help all students,
regardless of what your post-grad
plans are, is just having professors
that care and are willing to work
with you,” Hubbell said.

She said some of her professors

do not understand why students
are finding this semester more
challenging but hopes they begin
to prioritize learning over strictly
sticking to syllabi and deadlines.

“I know a lot of professors are

worried about grade inflation
and stuff like that with the online
format, but I think professors and
administrators (should) just keep
in mind that the best thing for our
students right now is making sure
that we’re learning,” Hubbell said.

Daily
Staff
Reporter
Julia

Rubin can be reached at julrubin@
umich.edu.
Daily
Contributor

Madeleine Bauer can be reached at
madbauer@umich.edu.

Grad school hopefuls feel pressure
to reveal grades despite P/NRC

‘You really can’t use it’: Students choose to opt out of using new policy to improve apps

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
2 — Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Design by Maggie Wiebe

ADVERTISING

WMG-contact@umich.edu

More than 2,300 students

began the application process
for the scholarship this year,
according to the Rhodes Trust.

As a woman of color, Girgis

said she is also coming to terms
with the complicated legacy of the
Rhodes Scholarship. The grant
was originally founded in 1902 by
Cecil Rhodes, a vocal supporter
of British imperialism and the
eugenics movement.

“I’m
both
celebrating
&

mourning the fact that the title
‘Rhodes Scholar’ next to the name
of an Iranian-Egyptian-American
woman has Cecil Rhodes turning
over in his grave,” Girgis wrote in a
tweet following the announcement
that she had won.

Though unsure what she wants

to do in the long run, Girgis said
she is excited to take advantage of
the opportunities the scholarship
presents and help create a more
equitable future for people of all
backgrounds.

“At the same time, the Rhodes

Trust has for a very long time now
been really doing incredible work,
and selecting incredible scholars
and contributing to a more just
world,” Girgis said. “But to me, that
tension still exists between those
two truths. And I look forward

to working with other Rhodes
Scholars and Rhodes alumni to
keep working for reconciliation
and reparations.”

Henry Dyson, director of the

Office of National Scholarships
and Fellowships at the University,
worked closely with Girgis during
the application process for both
the Rhodes Scholarship and the
Truman Scholarship.

Though Girgis did not win

the Truman Scholarship during
her
junior
year,
Dyson
said

her candidacy set her up to
eventually
become
a
Rhodes

Scholar-elect this year. He said
he admires Girgis’s resilience and
determination.

“I think one big takeaway

that I have with Amytess is that
it takes perseverance on these
things,” Dyson said. “In the case
of Amytess, she is phenomenal,
but even phenomenal students
don’t always get selected for these
things.”

Additionally, Dyson said he

believes Girgis makes a great
recipient because of her dedication
to many different commitments
outside
of
academics at the

University.
Girgis
is
heavily

involved in various organizing
efforts
with
the
Lecturers’

Employee Organization and the
One University campaign.

“I
think
Amytess
is
just

emblematic
of
what
the

contemporary Rhodes Scholarship
is trying to do, which is to identify
future leaders who are going to
work for greater justice, for greater
equity and for greater inclusion,”
Dyson said. “That’s been the
heart of all of Amytess’s work. …
She wants to really identify the
stories of those who have been
marginalized in our economic and
political systems and to raise up
their voices.”

LSA lecturer and president of

LEO Ian Robinson said he has
worked with Girgis in the past
on LEO initiatives and the 1U
campaign and is grateful for the
impact she has helped make in the
surrounding community.

Last year, LEO and 1U led

a
campaign
calling
for
the

University’s Board of Regents to
provide better funding and further
access to resources at the U-M
Flint and Dearborn campuses to
encourage equity between the
University’s
three
campuses.

Robinson said Girgis was one of
the activists who was instrumental
in extending the Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion funds to the Flint
and Dearborn campuses.

“Amytess played a critical role

in informing and organizing her
Ann Arbor peers to support the
extension of DEI principles to
students on the Flint and Dearborn
campuses,”
Robinson
said.

“Amytess’s many contributions to

the 1U campaign have undoubtedly
moved us further and faster
towards our goals than we would
have been able to do without her.”

Abdul
El-Sayed,
a
2018

Michigan gubernatorial candidate
and University alum, also received
the Rhodes Scholarship as part of
the 2009 cohort. El-Sayed served
on the Truman Scholarship and
the Rhodes Scholarship naming
committees and worked with
Girgis personally during his 2018
gubernatorial campaign.

“So incredibly proud today.

The best part of growing up is
watching the ones who come next
grow & emerge,” El-Sayed wrote
in a tweet.

Girgis advised other aspiring

students at the University to not get
caught up with the competitive
nature of college and to instead
pursue their passions.

“The
absolute
most

important thing I would ask
anyone to do is to really ground
themselves in the beauty of the
community,” Girgis said. “Focus
on who they are and what it is that
they hope to accomplish, and also
towards what end? Who are they
helping? Why? I think if we can
all ground ourselves in those facts,
we’ll be okay.”

Daily Staff Reporter Lily Gooding

can be reached at goodingl@umich.
edu.

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