BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — BGSU has announced no spring break for 2021, operating out of an abundance of caution to limit potential spread of COVID-19 in the community.
In emails sent on Friday to students and families, BGSU President Dr. Rodney Rogers detailed the cancellation of spring break, which was originally planned for March 22-26.
"However, we still believe our students, who work so hard, deserve scheduled breaks from their coursework. We are announcing four Wellness Days this spring semester where classes will not be held," Dr. Rogers wrote. "Instead, we will offer wellness programming for our community as well as opportunities for us to focus on our commitment to create public good. Additional details will be available in the coming weeks."
The planned Wellness Days are:
- Friday, Feb. 12
- Thursday, March 11
- Tuesday, March 30
- Wednesday, April 14
The email to students by Dr. Rogers and Provost Joe Whitehead outlined a new flexible grading option, available immediately, which would convert from the traditional letter grading scale to a "Satisfactory"/"Unsatisfactory" model. Letter grades of a "C" or above would qualify as an "S" and count toward their degree.
The details on this grading option, as the email reads, are as follows:
- All undergraduate and graduate students will be allowed to convert any or all standard-graded courses to the COVID-19 S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) grading option for fall semester 2020.
- If students choose this option, any course that the student receives a “C” or higher in will be converted to an “S” and will count toward their degree, regardless of current department, college or University requirements.
- Students in 15-week classes will have until Wednesday, Nov. 18, to switch to the S/U grading option.
- Students enrolled in Fall I seven-week classes will receive a message today about S/U grading options. Those enrolled in Fall II seven-week classes have until Friday, Dec. 4, to switch to an S/U grading option.
- Courses converted to the S/U grading option may not be utilized for GPA recalculation of a prior grade earned.
- Changing the grading option to S/U for fall semester 2020 will not have an impact on students’ ability to receive Latin Honors for graduation and/or their eligibility for Dean’s List. Courses that are switched to S/U because of COVID-19 will count toward a student’s total letter-graded credits (TLCs) but will not be calculated in their cumulative GPA.
- If a student is taking an Honors-designated course, they should consult with their Honors advisor before changing the grading option to S/U, since that change would prevent the class from calculating into their Honors GPA.
- Any grades changed to S/U during fall semester 2020 will not count toward the 16-credit maximum allowed by the existing University policy on grading options.
- Students may not adopt the S/U grading option for College Credit Plus (CCP) courses.
The email also notes that students should meet with their advisors or coordinators before opting in to the S/U option, to make sure it is the best course of action for them.
BGSU's Office of Registration and Records website has additional information, including how to request the S/U grading option.
