With students returning to classes this Monday, the hypotheticals and vague plans for the rest of the semester are becoming all too real. Suddenly, students have to figure out how to adjust to new learning environments and combat new distractions, and since we’re already halfway through the semester, there isn’t much time to make the transition.
GPAs are bound to take some hits during the chaos of the remainder of this semester. In order to combat this decrease, the University should offer an optional change to a pass/fail grading scale, an option which many LSU students favor according to a petition on change.org.
Public health and safety are of course more important than getting all A’s, but as an academic institution, LSU should be concerned about giving its students all the necessary tools to succeed. The transition to online-only classes means students must familiarize themselves with new software and programs, adjusting to new learning environments within a very short timeframe. 
Not every University student will have access to high-speed internet, quiet study spaces or resources comparable to those offered on campus. While the Center for Academic Success is still offering the full range of their services, they are limited by physical distance and technology. The tutoring, study help and advising offered to students by University programs doesn’t necessarily translate well into an online format. 
The physical location of the classes isn’t the only dramatic change faced by students and professors. Course curricula will have to be changed to make up for the full week of valuable instruction time lost before spring break, a significant amount of time especially when considering the two additional days taken off at the beginning of the semester for the Nationals.
Students are still expected to perform well and maintain their grades in courses being taught in a truncated semester with very last-minute changes to syllabi. In addition to the stress of academic changes and upheaval, students face family and social stressors as well.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has nearly the whole world holding its breath, waiting for the next disaster to strike, and LSU students aren’t exempt from that fear. College students aren’t just students; we have other concerns and responsibilities. Some students are worried about job security and finances, others about at-risk loved ones. 
Some of us will probably do just fine in our courses despite all the upsets and inconveniences, but we don’t all have the same advantages or resources. It isn’t fair to expect students under duress to perform to the same degree that they would under different, more normal, circumstances. 
A pass/fail option would allow students to give a little more attention to pressing issues right now, like the health and safety of themselves and their families, while still preserving their GPAs.
Not everyone needs the option, but it’s worth offering if it helps ease at least one student’s mind during this difficult time. 
Marie Plunkett is a 21-year-old classical studies junior from New Orleans, Louisiana.