Faculty Senate votes to endorse ABC/NC grading for spring and summer 2021

Sacramento State Vice President of Academic Affairs Ed Mills discusses amendments being made to the Faculty Senate’s ABC/no credit endorsement at the Faculty Senate meeting Thursday, March 4, 2021. The Faculty Senate voted Thursday to approve the endorsement of the use of ABC/no credit grading options for spring and summer 2021. Screenshot taken via Zoom.

Sacramento State Vice President of Academic Affairs Ed Mills discusses amendments being made to the Faculty Senate’s ABC/no credit endorsement at the Faculty Senate meeting Thursday, March 4, 2021. The Faculty Senate voted Thursday to approve the endorsement of the use of ABC/no credit grading options for spring and summer 2021. Screenshot taken via Zoom.

Eric Jaramishian

Sacramento State’s Faculty Senate voted to endorse the ABC/no credit grading option for the spring and summer 2021 sessions at its meeting Thursday.

The proposal, which was read for the first time at last week’s meeting, was amended to say that undergraduates would be able to select the ABC/no credit option, and graduate students would be able to select the AB/no credit option. 

The item was also amended to say the senate endorses the grading options “to the extent permitted by the chancellor’s office” since the senate is only giving an opinion to administration and does not have the power to make the option available to students.

The endorsement passed after a Zoom vote at the meeting. The Faculty Senate did not disclose the vote tally at its meeting.

In last week’s meeting, Sac State President Robert Nelsen said the Sac State administration has not yet decided if the use of the grading option will be permitted for the summer 2021 session.

The Faculty Senate’s proposal is meant to help address the ongoing difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the agenda item. Students had partial implementation of the ABC/no credit option to choose from in fall 2020, but the option will not be made available to students in the fall 2021 semester, Nelsen said at the last meeting.