During their meeting today the faculty senate voted to allow the pass/fail system for online classes and made a change to its bylaws.
The system will only apply to grades in the spring semester, and students will choose whether to apply it or not once final grades have been submitted. The system does not need to pass through any other group for approval and is in place and ready to be used now.
The original proposal was passed, though the designation of SC, which would mean the student received a C or higher in the course, was changed to S+ because SC may have a “negative connotation,” according to senator Ramy Harik.
Harik said students asked him about the grades the pass/fail system uses. Ramy said he thought the specific SC grade would cause confusion when reading grades in the future.
Harik also proposed a vote of confidence in USC President Bob Caslen. As discussion continued, a motion to table the vote of confidence was passed by “a clear majority,” according to Mark Cooper.
The bylaws of the faculty senate were also changed regarding terms of service. The bylaws initially said a member must wait one year after their term ends to be eligible for another term. Senators can serve either a one-, two- or three-year term.
The senate passed a motion to change the section. It now reads that a senator cannot serve more than two consecutive three-year terms and no more than nine years in a 12-year span.
The Daily Gamecock reached out to Mark Cooper, chair of the faculty senate, via email today at 4:47 pm and is waiting for comment.
Updated on April 2 at 11:58 a.m.
Correction on April 2 at 11:58 a.m.: A previous version of this article incorrectly spelled Ramy Harik's name.