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April 14, 2021
News
IUP announces summer plans for classes, activities AMARI WALKER Staff Writer jqtbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP The structure for summer classes at IUP looks to be about the same as they are now. IUP’s university leadership has approved the COVID-19 Response Committee’s set of recommendations for operations that have been developed for the summer 2021 sessions. These recommendations are based on current information and guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. All recommendations may adjust depending on local, regional and national COVID-19 information and guidelines. Therefore, they may change throughout the summer. Similar to the spring 2021 model, summer 2021 classes will offer in-person courses when necessary, following current masking and distancing regulations. In addition to classes, the committee developed these recommendations to make sure that the procedures for summer events were addressed. This includes admissions recruitment events, camps, conferences, field courses and labs at the Indiana campus, and at regional campuses and sites. The summer plans focus on continued efforts to prevent and decrease the spread of COVID-19. Previous health and safety requirements that were introduced in the fall semester, including face coverings and social distancing, will continue to be required on-campus. Aside from the class schedule, field courses must follow their locality’s guidelines as well as any other guidelines required by IUP. In addition, you must obtain permission for the course from the vice president of your division, using the IUP Travel Petition for Mission Critical Activities. All meetings and events are being held remotely, except where face-to-face is critical. If a face-to-face event must be held, it must follow the Pennsylvania gathering limits that became effective as of April 4.
(Clipartmag) Students have the option to choose two classes for a pass/fail.
Students react to pass/fail option available for spring semester JULIA ROBINS Staff Writer spxbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
(Facebook) Information about summer classes at IUP have been released. Here are the gathering limits that you must follow:
Indoor Events Indoor venues are allowed 25 percent of maximum occupancy, regardless of venue size and only if attendees and workers are able to comply with the six-foot physical distancing requirement.
Outdoor events Outdoor venues are able to have 50 percent of maximum occupancy, regardless of venue size and only if attendees and workers are able to comply with the six-foot physical rule. Therefore, conferences and events that require to be face-toface will be limited to those that are sponsored by IUP and/or are approved conference services activities. You must schedule space for any event on campus through 25Live Pro. This online program is designed to help IUP monitor the “people footprint” for the safety of the university community. It is utilized for tracking COVID-19 capacity, personal protective equipment resources, custodial services and other important health and safety factors. 25Live Pro is open to all members of the IUP community, both students and employees.
For employees, IUP will continue to work remotely for employees, except where face-to-face operations are needed to meet mission-critical needs. In response to these recommendations, Dr. Melanie Duncan (professor, sociology) predicts that this summer at IUP will be “rather typical.” However, it has COVID-19 precautions set in place, along with classes that are typically in-person, being offered that way. Summer 2021 sessions must meet these recommendations provided by the COVID-19 Response Committee using the following: follow the current CDC guidelines, pay attention to the data about the planned activities, housing capacity, health service options, current numbers of IUP and Indiana County reported COVID-19 cases and the status of the vaccine distribution and vaccination plan of Pennsylvania. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact IUP at university-notifications@iup.edu. Any additional updates for the spring semester and summer sessions will be posted on the Plans for the 2020–21 Academic Year web page, which you can access from the IUP News and Events page, as decisions and information are finalized.
On March 31, the University Senate approved a change to the pass/fail policy, which extends the deadline to May 7. Students will be able to select up to two classes to be graded as pass/ fail as opposed to letter grading. The window for selections will open April 30 at 8 a.m., according to a university-wide email from the Registrar on Monday afternoon. Overall, pass/fail has its benefits for some students, especially those in non-competitive programs. However, for those in the latter, appearances are concerning, especially when considering graduate school. Some students look at the issue from the standpoint of how that one decision could impact their future in graduate school. “Especially for those going on to graduate school, understanding the basics is vital for succeeding in further education,” Jordan Delattre (sophomore, biology/ pre-veterinary) said. “As someone going into a competitive graduate program, letter grades are vital to the application process and my college transcript, especially for key prerequisites. “If you are even missing the bar by one little thing, you don't even stand a chance of getting in.” Delattre also said that some programs may make you retake a course in order to get the letter grade. “Some places will make you retake a course for a letter grade if they think you skimmed by taking a pass/fail,” Delattre said. “I know that [the University of Pennsylvania] is especially stringent, along with Cornell and some other high-end colleges of veterinary medicine. Ohio State University (OSU), the one I am really looking at, is not too bad, but taking a chance on [selecting pass/fail] would just be counterintuitive.”
Others also kept their future in mind when thinking about their continued education. “I think it is good to have the option for students’ liberal arts classes that they may not be strong in, but letter grades are better than pass/ fail,” Hannah Condon (sophomore, ecology conservation and environmental biology) said. “On paper, they are better because if you go to graduate school, it will not look like you are trying to hide bad grades.” The logic behind this is that a student with an A is less likely to choose the pass/fail option, rather than a student with a C. A pass/fail in the transcript can impact a GPA either the same or differently than a letter grade can. “You probably shouldn’t use [pass/fail] just in case future employers were to look at your transcript,” Kailey Swope (freshman, English) said. “I worry about how future employers would see it for different classes,” Michela Lenhart (freshman, English) said. “I think if students are struggling and really need [pass/fail], it is a good option, but it should be chosen wisely.” On the other hand, some see pass/fail as a stress-reliever and a tool that can help one graduate. In the fall, Dr. Lisa Newell, chair of the psychology department, decided to extend the availability of pass/ fail to any two classes in the department, contrary to previous limits on some major-specific classes. Students like Michaela Shaw (senior, psychology and sociology) were relieved with Newell’s decision. “I think it was a great decision,” Shaw said. “It was a huge weight off [shoulders] for everyone. I really hope they do it again. It helps you to stay on track for graduation. There are some classes that are only offered certain times of the year.” To see if your classes are available for the pass/fail option, check with the professors of those classes or with your adviser to find the best option for you.
