As universities across the country began moving to online courses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March, they also began making adjustments to their grading policies. Many schools decided to move to alternative grading systems, such as optional pass/fail and universal satisfactory/no credit. For several days after other schools began announcing these policies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County students were left to wonder what steps the university would take. Some began petitioning the university to adopt a pass/fail grading system, but others feared that they would lose out on an opportunity to raise their grade point average.

Ultimately, UMBC’s administration decided to utilize an optional pass/fail grading system for the remainder of the semester; students have until June 10, two weeks after final grades are posted, to decide whether they would like to switch a grade from a letter grade to a P, which can represent any grade of D or higher. Students are encouraged to wait until they know what grade they are receiving in a class to change their grading method to pass/fail and are warned that they cannot switch back to standard letter grading after doing so.

A grade of P is not factored into students’ GPAs but can count towards the requirement that students must earn 120 credits to graduate. Additionally, for this semester only, students can use a grade of P in a general education course, excluding English composition. Because passing English composition with a C- or higher is a Maryland state requirement rather than a UMBC-specific requirement, the Maryland Higher Education Commission would have to approve the use of pass/fail grading for that course. More details regarding this semester’s policy changes can be found on the Academic Success Center’s website.

The administration had to go through an extremely expedited process to get these changes approved. A team led by Dr. Katharine Cole, the vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, came together to produce a draft of the policy changes that were to be implemented. The team included Dr. Yvette Mozie-Ross, vice provost for Enrollment Management; Dr. Ken Baron, assistant vice provost for Academic and Pre-Professional Advising; Dr. Amanda Knapp, associate vice provost of Undergraduate Academic Affairs; Pam Hawley, university registrar and Jane Hickey, director of Financial Aid and Scholarships. 

By including representatives from a variety of departments, the team was able to approach the issue of grading from all relevant angles. “[It is] very important that we don’t have any unintended consequences for students, [such as] consequences with financial aid,” Cole said.

From there, the plan was sent to the provost, the deans of the colleges and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee for approval and feedback. Two bodies, the General Education Committee and the Undergraduate Council, voted in favor of the temporary policy changes. “Due to the extraordinary circumstances this semester[,] the GEC did not want students to have to decide between damaging their GPAs and having to repeat a class to fulfill their requirements,” explained Dr. Richard Sponaugle, a senior lecturer of information systems and the GEC’s chair, in an email correspondence.

The plan was finalized within a few weeks — university-wide policy changes usually take several months, according to Cole — and was subsequently communicated to students through email on Mar. 23. “The thing that sets us apart and has been so special is that it’s an option. You’ll see in the news, many campuses are moving to pass/fail but it’s a sweeping decision,” Cole said. “Students have choice, and they can make the best decisions based on that choice.”

Though many students were relieved when these policy changes were announced, others were left with questions. Student concern centered around a caveat in the email that stated that, “For major, minor, and certificate requirements, only courses enrolled under the Regular grading method in which a letter grade of ‘C’ or better is earned will be permitted, unless otherwise indicated by the academic program.”

Because many upperclassmen are primarily enrolled in courses for their majors or minors, this seemed to undercut the value of the pass/fail system. However, since then, several departments have decided to allow a grade of P to count towards any major, minor or certificate requirements. 

Among them is political science, chaired by Dr. Carolyn Forestiere. Political science was one of the first departments to officially make such a decision. The same week that the email regarding pass/fail grading was sent to students, Forestiere called a faculty meeting with only one agenda item: decide whether a P will count towards major and minor requirements.

Forestiere was pleased with how quickly and efficiently the faculty was able to come together; at 8:45 a.m. that Wednesday morning, she emailed her faculty asking them to meet only a few hours later, at 11 a.m. They did so, with almost perfect attendance, and came to a conclusion after an hour of weighing pros and cons.

But in the political science major, Forestiere noted, there are only two “hard requirements” that students have to take; the others are chosen by each student out of the various courses offered by the political science department, with few constraints. In majors with more stringent course sequences, she can understand why the department may be hesitant to implement this grading system. A grade of a D, she said, may not be high enough for students in programs like languages, “where you have to demonstrate competency at a certain level before you can be expected to do well in the next level.”

Other departments, including English, Asian studies and geography and environmental systems, have also decided to allow Ps to count towards major, minor and certificate requirements for the semester. 

However, Cole noted that even departments that do not decide to accept Ps across the board will be open to allowing students who achieve a Cs or higher in major, minor or certificate requirement courses to change those grades to a P after grades are posted if they do not want the grade on their transcripts.

The question of departmental approval, therefore, is about whether departments will allow Ds to count towards major, minor or certificate requirements, rather than whether students will be allowed to prevent unfavorable Cs and Bs from counting towards their GPAs. 

“If we can give them assurance that the final grade was, indeed, a C, the departments would have no problem moving [students] forward,” Cole said. When the time comes for students to request to change their grading method from letter grades to pass/fail, those requests will be fielded by Knapp, who says she “will work in partnership with the student and the academic department to navigate any confusion that might exist.” Those requests will be made via an online form.

Another major area of concern for students was how the switch to pass/fail grades will impact their scholarships and financial aid. According to Jane Hickey, director of financial aid and scholarships, there will be leniency in terms of what a student’s GPA must be to retain their institutional scholarships this semester as long as students achieve a P, or a letter grade of a C or higher.

Hickey was not certain precisely how federal scholarships and financial aid would be affected; she noted via email that “the recent stimulus bill passed by Congress provides flexibilities for how institutions carry out some of the federal regulations related to financial aid, but not enough information has been provided so that the university can be clear on how this may impact our students.”

When I heard the news that COVID-19 had been upgraded to pandemic status only three weeks ago, I was sitting around The Retriever’s conference table with my colleagues. We knew it was going to be a stressful meeting — by then we were already scrambling to establish a plan of coverage for when the University of Maryland, Baltimore County began its two-week break from in-person classes. 

Even as we all spoke over each other and scribbled furiously on the whiteboard, I felt an odd clarity begin to settle in as I reassured myself that I, like the rest of The Retriever staff, was doing everything within my power to encourage safety.  

But when our Opinions Editor suddenly interrupted the conversation, announcing in a serious tone that what was once an epidemic was now a global pandemic, a threat to the lives of those we love and essentially impossible to stop, we all froze. A heavy silence fell over the room. It was brief, lasting only a few moments, but in that time my worldview shifted. I’ve been living in fear and mourning ever since.

This is the second semester of my senior year and everything was beginning to fall into place. I had completed all of my degree requirements, and the few courses I was taking were purely for fun. In early March, I was accepted into an exciting graduate program, which alleviated the pressure of not knowing what comes after graduation. 

My best friend had returned from her study abroad trip and moved into a cozy West Hill apartment with me. The two of us worked together, cooked and cleaned together, studied and made music together. Sometimes I would wake earlier than I needed to, steeping green tea in my favorite mug as I watched the sunrise. I felt endless gratitude and wanted nothing more than to capture the sensation, remember it forever.

At this point, I’ve been in extreme isolation for over two weeks and all I want is for my senior year to be over. I sanitize and disinfect and follow every protocol, but I can’t escape my constant worry for the elderly, the weak, the homeless and essential workers who remain at risk. This includes my parents, who both work at a hospital downtown. Because of their heightened exposure, I’m not able to safely live at home with them. Other UMBC students, for various reasons, are in similar situations, torn from their families for a frighteningly uncertain span of time. Though I am lucky to have a safe place to stay with people who care about me, I can only imagine that many do not.

The combination of these worries and the slew of bad news is constantly spilling over into in-person conversations. Sometimes the bad seems inescapable. 

But even in this time of crisis, we have to allow ourselves to step back for a moment and view the world through selfish eyes. I worry about the world, yes, and my parents, but honestly? I miss my tiny West Hill kitchen, and the act of reading a book by the library pond, where friends and classmates would stop and chat as they made their way around campus. I miss popping into professors’ office hours to chat. 

Unlike every other graduating class in UMBC history, the class of 2020 won’t have a commencement. In the past, when college felt too stressful (which it so often did) I sometimes imagined myself looking up at the ceiling of the Event Center and watching confetti spiral down like a snowstorm, enveloping me. I hoped that when it happened for real, time might slow or even stop, just briefly, as my four years of hard work culminated in one single symbolic moment of joy.

My sister graduated from UMBC in 2013. My father graduated in the 80s, along with a handful of my aunts and uncles. My grandfather, a political science professor, began teaching at UMBC in 1972, and stayed until his death in 2008. When my mother dropped me off at my freshman dorm for the first time, she pointed out his old office and reminisced about babysitting for UMBC professors when she was a teenager. She was raised at UMBC, and I was too, watching soccer games and attending Homecoming festivities. When the time came for me to apply to college, there was no discussion. I was a UMBC girl.

Every now and then I reach my limit of news intake and excessive worry, and I remember, suddenly, the world I left behind so abruptly. At UMBC, I grew up twice, first as a child and then as a teenager becoming an adult, learning to make good decisions and, sometimes, justify the bad decisions. 

I have 21 years’ worth of UMBC memories, but I’m selfish — I want just two more months to complete the narrative, tie up loose ends, say my many thank-you’s, hug my friends and watch one last sunset from the top of Walker Garage, where the sky burns orange in the Baltimore smog. This is the best view on campus, and I hope I see it again soon.

We're glad that you have expressed an interest in or have already started the process to study abroad. Given the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, we anticipate that you may have questions about upcoming study abroad experiences and want to give you as much information as possible so you can plan accordingly. Currently, review of study abroad applications for Fall 2020 is on hold as we continue to assess the situation caused by COVID-19.We plan to  make a decision in the next few weeks. In the meantime, we are happy to answer any questions to the best of our ability but we encourage you to weigh your options and make the best decision you can for yourself given the information you have now. We have attempted to answer some of the commonly raised questions below:

Can I defer my study abroad to a future term?
Yes. If you would like to defer your study abroad to a future term, please send an email to educationabroad@umbc.edu so we can update your information in our application portal. Don't forget to tell us which term you would like to go. Starting in August, we intend to start accepting applications for Winter 2021 and Spring 2021.

I no longer want to study abroad during my time at UMBC. How do I withdraw my application?
If you are no longer interested in studying abroad, please let us know by sending an email to educationabroad@umbc.edu so we can update your information in the application portal. If you have applied to an affiliated partner, please be sure to notify them as well and follow their processes for withdrawing your application.

Can I start a new application for Fall 2020 study abroad?
Given the global pandemic, we have temporarily suspended new applications and payment of application fees related to Fall 2020 study abroad.

If I have already started an application for study abroad in the fall or my application is pending review, will my application be processed?
Application processing for Fall 2020 is currently on hold. If you have already applied to an affiliated partner program, you can contact the provider to check on the status of your application. Please be sure to ask about their refund policy should your program not be able to proceed.

If my application has already been approved in the application portal should I move forward with the next steps in the process?
We recommend holding off on the next steps in the process for now. Given that many of our partner institutions and affiliate providers are still assisting spring students at this time, consulates around the world are suspending visa services, and travel restrictions are preventing free movement globally, we feel this is the appropriate approach.  

What if the deadlines for next steps are coming up?

Since Fall 2020 study abroad is currently on hold, UMBC is unable to make nominations for student placements at this time. All applicants will be notified when and if this situation changes. Unfortunately, some partners and affiliates may not accept late nominations. Students should consider backup options in case their first choice is no longer available.

What if my study abroad program is suspended for the fall?
If your Fall 2020 study abroad program is suspended, you will receive a refund of your UMBC application fee (if already paid). If you have applied to an affiliated partner program, we recommend checking with the provider now to find out what their refund policies are in case of program cancellation or the suspension of study abroad by UMBC for the fall. UMBC is not able to refund fees paid to affiliated partner organizations.

Please be advised that UMBC has an international travel policy that prohibits student travel to any location that has a Department of State Travel Advisory of 3 or 4 or a CDC Travel Advisory of 3. At this time, these advisories apply to every country.

What if my program requires a deposit? 

We do not recommend that you move forward with a program deposit unless it is refundable. Be sure to check with your program to determine if and under which conditions it is refundable.

Should I register for UMBC courses for the fall semester?
Yes. We recommend all students enroll in regular courses through UMBC for Fall 2020 just in case. Your UMBC courses can be dropped from your schedule later if you are able to proceed with your study abroad plans.

Should I register for housing for the fall?
Yes, if you are eligible for UMBC housing. You can be released from University housing later if you are able to move forward with your study abroad plans.

Where can I find more information?
Our office will email you if anything changes pertaining to study abroad for the Fall 2020 semester. Continue to check your email regularly for communication from the University and visit UMBC's dedicated webpage for COVID-19 for the most up-to-date information at https://covid19.umbc.edu/

We thank you for your patience and understanding during this unprecedented time. Please keep in mind that decisions are being made with the safety of our students as our top priority and with the best information available at the time.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Maryland, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Residential Life told students that the cleaning staff would be disinfecting the common spaces using an “elevated cleaning protocol.” 

The first thing I wondered was how the campus cleaning staff would be impacted by being on the front lines of the battle against this virus. Unfortunately, working remotely, I realized I wouldn’t be able to simply approach a cleaning staff member,  so I reached out to Facilities Management to see if they could put me in contact with a janitor. I was told that UMBC’s cleaning staff members are contracted by ABM Industries Inc, a Fortune 500 company.

Facilities Management Associate Vice President, Lenn Caron, informed me ABM was “not interested” in allowing me to conduct interviews, so I decided to reach out to the senior ABM manager, Jennifer Miller, myself. Almost immediately, she told me that the company had decided they didn’t “want to do an interview like that at this time.” 

I asked her why. She informed me that because of a “policy,” cleaning staff members are not permitted to talk to the press without the company’s permission.

I immediately asked to view the policy, but she quickly stated that it was an internal policy. We abruptly ended the call. I then reached out to ABM’s legal team, leaving a message. I haven’t heard back since.

After reading articles like this one in The New York Times, that describes cleaning workers being manipulated by corporations, I worried especially about those who may not be able to speak for themselves. Taking away the sovereignty of the self for these service workers seems exploitative. Janitors and cleaning staff, who often get paid very little, are also risking the most: their lives. 

And yet, I couldn’t see how UMBC would be working with a contractor that was censoring its employees. In that very article, The New York Times had interviewed a janitor named Ismahan Ali, who shared a break room with janitors who cleaned a building where an Amazon employee who had coronavirus worked. In the article, Ali shared the sentiment that I’m sure many civil servants do: “‘Everyone is scared.’”

I reached out to the two reporters who covered this story, curious as to how they got the interview with Ali. Nellie Bowles, the Times reporter covering technology and internet culture, responded almost immediately. Nellie had worked with a union to get janitors speaking on the record. She connected me with a source, to find out whether UMBC janitors are unionized. As it turns out, they aren’t. 

UMBC also contracts employees from Siemens. I reached out on behalf of The Retriever and the Director of Media Relations, Annie Satow, informed me that contracted employees are not permitted to speak to the press. She told me that “it is [Siemen’s] policy to comment through official company channels, i.e., a designated Siemens spokesperson.”

These “essential personnel” are those working on our facilities and facilities all across the country doing manual labor. The question of who is considered “essential personnel” has come to the forefront of many people’s minds with the rapidly spreading pandemic. In a newswire ABM released on March 27, they stated that their “operations have been deemed an ‘Essential Service’ by the applicable governing authorities given the unprecedented focus on safety, infection control and cleaning protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Essential services sound important. But what does that even really mean? There is no guarantee of more pay, though small businesses and start-ups, like WeWork, have been offering bonuses. For most civil servants, it simply means they are forced to come into work and put their lives at risk. 

Many of the spokespeople for companies like ABM and Siemens are able to work from home while cleaning staff do not have that same opportunity. It is impossible for them to speak to the experiences of those putting their lives on the line to clean potentially deadly environments. 

And even those who are able to project their voice often can only do so with their first names. The story of ‘Vanessa’ was published in TIME, telling the narrative of a hospital cleaner with underlying health conditions, working without protective equipment, who makes about $11 an hour. In the article, she said, “she might have stopped showing up at work if she didn’t need the money.”

Our healthcare workers are incredibly heroic, but as Vanessa said, “‘Us housekeepers, we have families, we have health issues, we have people and animals we go home to that we could be giving this to … The doctors and nurses have that too, but they get recognized. No one ever mentions the people who clean it up after they’re gone.’”

On our campus, we are contracting these dedicated employees, who silently clean our messes, our leftover trash and our grime on common tables, often without thanks. Without hearing from our cleaning staff on campus, I have no way of telling how these employees are being treated or what is being done to support and protect these community members. It’s a system set up for exploitation. 

With the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s physical campus closed, many student activities have been canceled for the remainder of the spring semester. Student organizations have had to cancel any events that would lead to a large gathering of people, which means an abrupt end to in-person meetings. Not every club has completely disbanded though. As students adapt to taking their courses online, several club leaders are learning how to manage their organizations remotely.

“I would say we encountered no obstacles [when switching to virtual meetings],” said Calista Ogburn, a junior health administration and policy major. “It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it was going to be, personally.” Ogburn has been the president of Retriever Poets for two years now and has worked with the other executive board members to transition the club remotely.

Previously, Retriever Poets held weekly in-person meetings and would publish students’ poetry on their website. During meetings, student poets shared their original work and facilitated open discussions with each other. Since the campus closed, Retriever Poets is now maintaining its weekly meeting through the video conference program Webex, in addition to the students being able to share their poetry through the website.

“Our meetings are a safe space,” Ogburn said. She noted how the act of reciting a poem out loud is a valuable experience for the poet and how workshopping a poem amongst peers can improve each poet’s writing.

Some events could not easily be transitioned online, though, and the Retriever Poets ultimately had to cancel them. The club had scheduled a poetry open mic night to take place later this spring following the success of an earlier poetry open mic night Retriever Poets hosted at OCA Mocha on Feb. 25.  However, the plans fell through as the coronavirus spread, limiting the number of social gatherings.

Additionally, in the past, members of the Retriever Poets have represented UMBC in the annual College Union Poetry Slam Invitational, where they perform original poems in competition with other college students from across the country. UMBC has competed in the past two years and had started training in the fall semester for this year’s contest, which would have taken place in April at the Virginia Commonwealth University.

“That was by far the saddest cancellation,” Ogburn said. She was also the co-coach for the team. “We worked so hard for it.”

Ogburn recommends for club leaders to reach out to members to figure out the best way to continue their organizations: “The first thing is to ask what your club wants. A lot of us said ‘I want to do virtual meetings’ so I took their voices and implemented it.”

Some organizations are still figuring out the best way to reach out to their members. The United Nation’s Children’s Fund club’s executive board has been utilizing video conferences to plan out how the club will run for the rest of the semester. Fatimah Shaalan, a junior majoring in financial economics and mathematics, proposed the idea of using video conferences for the general body meeting of the UNICEF club. As the club’s president, Shaalan wants members to stay connected to keep the organization’s sense of community alive but worries that people won’t be able to join a virtual meeting during the free hour period that they normally held their in-person meetings.

“Everyone’s schedules have changed since being home,” Shaalan said. “I don’t know if people will be available at twelve anymore.” Shaalan also noted that some members work in the medical field and no longer have as much time to participate.

 The UNICEF club is trying to forge connections not only with its members but with the UMBC community as a whole. The club reached out directly to students who are practicing social distancing at home by promoting two social media challenges. The first challenge is to share a video showing off tips on how to have a successful self-quarantine with the hashtag #SurviveAndStriveLTE in collaboration with Living by Example, a nonprofit organization promoting health to youth through social media. The second challenge includes posting artwork that displays a recipe with the hashtag #HungerChallenge. The challenge is operated by the Student Rebuild program and the Bezos Family Foundation, which will donate six dollars for every recipe submitted.

In addition to fundraising, the UNICEF club has been seeking out ways to volunteer remotely. The UNICEF club worked in collaboration with the Shriver Center this year to create a mentorship program at the Children’s Home, a residential care facility in Catonsville for minors. Now that students can no longer travel to the Children’s Home, the UNICEF club and the Shriver Center are developing a way the program can continue remotely.

“We want things to stay as normal as possible,” Shaalan said. “We need to encourage people to stay connected.”