Emily Garrett | A pass/fail policy finally makes the grade

First semester freshman year I took a class called "Introduction to Religions of the West."

I was almost completely ignorant when it came to the class's topic. I had never known a Jewish person before I arrived at Penn and the only Muhammad I knew of floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee. This was, of course, why I chose the class in the first place.

I learned vast quantities of information in that course, but the workload was far more hellish than I anticipated.

After the last class before finals, in the midst of a small panic attack, my mouth naturally dropped when I heard another student say, "Oh, I'm not too worried about the test. I'm taking this class pass/fail."

Thus, I was introduced to Penn's pass/fail policy.

According to the University Web site, "The pass/fail option was created to allow you to explore new disciplines or take a genuinely challenging course." Therefore, students who long to seek out knowledge outside their expertise can do so without jeopardizing their exceedingly important GPA.

This is all well and good, but having spent three semesters at Penn I know what the pass/fail option is really for. Often it is an excuse to do as little schoolwork as possible in order to have more time to play "Guitar Hero," watch Law and Order and surf Facebook. And what's worse is that employers know this too.

This is in part why I have hesitated to take any classes pass/fail. I've thought about trying another subject that's completely foreign to me, but then I start having nightmares again in which scriptures I've memorized earlier in the night from the Bible, Torah and Koran jump off the page and try to strangle me.

Even though I would likely be relieved from these disturbing dreams, I'm reluctant to use the pass/fail option because, regardless of whether I'm using it for the right reasons, I feel I will be labeled a slacker in the eyes of potential employers.

As a remedy for this situation, Columbia University has opted to modify their pass/fail policy. Their new policy will allow students to view their grade in a class taken pass/fail and decide whether they would like the passing grade to be included in their transcript.

According to an e-mail interview with Kathryn Yatrakis, the dean of academic affairs at Columbia College, the administration was approached by students who proposed the change. They feel it will "encourage students taking a course for a grade of pass/fail to work harder in the course than they otherwise might," Yatrakis said.

This policy seems to have it all. While still providing a safeguard for trying new and challenging courses, it will also add incentive to study and do well. So why hasn't Penn adopted a similar policy? I went to wise College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dennis DeTurck to satisfy my curiosity.

Penn is in no hurry to alter our current policy. According to DeTurck, in addition to permitting students to explore new subjects, "Pass/fail was meant to be sort of a stress reliever," and this would be in jeopardy under the new system.

According to DeTurck, if Penn adopted a similar policy, pass/fail would still be an option, but the new system would push students to aim for an exemplary grade, even if the course is more difficult than usual.

However, DeTurck reasoned, when they pursue their ideal grade in a more rigorous class, it's likely they'll be disappointed with their performance. This would merely add more stress to an Ivy League student's already nerve-racking life through a process that is designed to minimize the stress of exploratory academic endeavors. Although he's still open to suggestions and will observe Columbia with interest, DeTurck thinks that changing Penn's policy would be "going to a lot of trouble for little return."

While I understand DeTurck's logic, I maintain that having the option of receiving a grade would encourage me to use our pass/fail alternative. Knowing I could fall back on a passing grade would relieve a good part of my stress, but I would have more motivation to keep up with the class.

But if my academic experiment ended like those of high school chemistry, it wouldn't ultimately taint my resume by sabotaging my GPA.

Finally, I would also be less likely to lazily drag my way through the semester, making the class a complete waste of my precious time that could be better spent fine-tuning my "Guitar Hero" skills.

Emily Garrett is a College sophomore from Waukon, Iowa. Her e-mail address is garrett@dailypennsylvanian.com . Carpe Di-Em appears on Tuesdays.

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