Written By: Olivia McCaa
One month ago, a new petition began circulating amongst CUNY students calling for the university’s administration to implement a credit/no credit policy for this spring semester.
Ahmed Tahomy, a student at College of Staten Island, organized the petition on Change.org and addressed it to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez, and Executive Vice Chancellor Jose Luis Cruz. The petition currently has over 5,000 signatures with a goal of 7,500 final signees.
In his statement, Tahomy wrote that virtual schooling “doesn’t imply that we have additional opportunity to accomplish extra work, yet rather less because of the conditions the pandemic has introduced.”
Tahomy also expressed the distaste students have towards receiving credit/no credit for the spring and fall of 2020 but not this semester. Students have needed to overcome numerous barriers and challenges brought by COVID-19, he emphasized.
The statement also discussed how graduating students are facing difficulties entering the workforce during the pandemic, lacking the support and resources needed for post-graduation.
The petition also contained comments from students who signed in agreement with Tahomy. One common response from the signees was that the credit/no credit policy was a flexible way to offer support for students. One student noted that “nothing has changed, no extra resources have been provided to aid us succeed academically.”
Another commented, “it’s very hard to dictate how your semester will go…we can’t guarantee good grades because online learning isn’t for all of us. Implementation of this policy is important to make sure students are not demotivated to take classes and have a safe spot if things go wrong.”
As the semester comes to a close and students prepare for finals, the petition is looking to receive more signatures to reach 7,000 quickly and formally request the CUNY Board of Trustees to implement the policy.