Big Red Pass

04/05/2020

(please read till the end)
Hello Everyone,

We are sorry to inform you that the administration has decided not to implement a Universal S/U. There are no words to describe how many of us are feeling right now after this decision. It is heartbreaking, to say the least.

This movement was started because many of us believed that marginalized students would be protected from inequity by a universal grading policy. All of us here at Big Red Pass believed that our priority should be looking out for the most disenfranchised Cornell Students. Our movement was never premised on self-interest. For us, it was always about solidarity. It was about the student who would not be able to study because they lacked access to internet or a proper study space. It was about the student who had to become a caretaker at home. It was about the student who would not be able to focus on academics because their mother just passed away. This movement was always about them, not the average Cornellian.

We still hold these beliefs, no matter what the administration decides.

Many of you are feeling a sense of great loss right now. Don't. It was because of you that we were able to get this movement so far. Without your efforts, there was no way we could have put the pressure we did on the administration. In a time of great divide and chaos, all of you came together to work towards a self-less goal of protecting your most marginalized peers. You should feel proud.

We will not lie to you and say we believe the administration's decision was correct or rational. They did not prioritize the demands of their students, especially not their most marginalized students. In a time of crisis, they exhibited apathy towards the inequity created by their policy. They bought the rhetoric of "choice", without considering who actually had choice, and what that "choice" would lead to. They did not care about how this "choice" would exacerbate inequality between students, nor how the "choice" of grades would affect their mental health during a global pandemic. Briefly, we expected more from an administration that touted the values of "any person, any study".

We urge all of you to email the administration and members of faculty to let them know your frustration, disappointment, resentment, or whatever else you may be feeling right now.

Even if the administration did not listen to us, we can still say we gave a voice to so many marginalized students. We will always be proud of that.

In solidarity,
Big Red Pass

04/05/2020

The Cornell campus was a powerful equalizing force. We’re all back home, and that force no longer exists. We need equity, we need a Universal Pass

When they were all in the same dorms and eating the same dining hall food, the disparities in students’ backgrounds weren’t as clear as they are over video chat.

04/04/2020

Some of our students are on the front line fighting this epidemic head-on. They should not have to worry about letter grades this semester. Support a Universal Pass Cornell.

-Share and sign our petition at bit.ly/BigRedPass
-Share and use our email template to email the administration at bit.ly/bigredpassemail. Make the emails PERSONAL.

04/04/2020

“Personally, I do not benefit from any particular grading scheme. I am only speaking on behalf of thousands of students dealing with death, starvation, an acute lack of resources (to the extent that they cannot read this article) and countless other problems marginalized within the conversation. Ultimately, we need an ethical grading system: Universal S/U. “

We are facing an unprecedented dilemma. For the first time in United States history, we are shutting down all our social institutions, ranging from healthcare facilities to education. Within that, there are groups of people who are facing incomprehensible calamities like the death of parents or crip

04/03/2020

We are living through a crisis. Students should be worried about their families and their health, not grades. Support a Universal Pass

-Share and sign our petition at bit.ly/BigRedPass
-Share and use our email template at bit.ly/bigredpassemail. Use it as a **guideline**, make your emails personal

04/03/2020

***VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT***READ ALL OF IT***
With the Student Assembly voting to side with a Universal S/U and the Faculty Senate voting against it, the decision comes down to the administration.

We need EVERYONE'S help to flood the inboxes of administration. Here is what you can do to help

EMAIL TEMPLATE TO ADMIN AND PROFESSORS: bit.ly/bigredpassemail

1-Send an email to a member of the senior administration using our template. The list of admin can be found on our template. Note, use our template as a *GUIDELINE*. They don't want to see generic emails, they want to see real and PERSONAL stories and arguments. Focus on emailing Provost Kotlikoff and Vice Provost Nishii. (Message us if you are struggling writing your emails, we can help).

2-Get 3 of your friends to do the same. If you can get more, even better!

3-Reach out to any campus groups or organizations you're in to get them to email as well. If they're interested in endorsing this movement or getting more involved please directly reach out to us.

4-Email your professors and get them to also email the administration and sign our faculty petition at https://forms.gle/9U6cSxW4wUNUvJ7q9

5-Finally, spread the word everywhere and anywhere! Blast our page and petition (bit.ly/BigRedPass) on social media

This battle is far from over and we've put the administration in an uncomfortable position. Let's show them how much support this movement has and how important it is to the student body. Your classmates are depending on you, don't let them down.

04/02/2020

Comparative evaluations cannot be equitable under these circumstances. Support a Universal Pass now.

Share and sign our petition at bit.ly/BigRedPass
Share and use our email template at bit.ly/bigredpassemail

04/02/2020

Yesterday, the Cornell Faculty Senate voted down a resolution calling for universal S/U. We were deeply saddened by this, especially following the strong support demonstrated by the Student Assembly days earlier. But things are moving far too quickly to put much weight on this outcome.

In the hours since faculty senate voted, it was reported that 6.6 million American jobs vanished in one week. Even the most thoughtful faculty voters could not have imagined such staggering numbers, which doubled last week’s unprecedented high.

It is mathematically impossible that unemployment and economic peril are not sweeping through the Cornell community at this moment. The devastimg truth is that it will be worse tomorrow, and with each passing day.

We call on all members of the Cornell community to rely on logic as much as compassion to vocally support this movement.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/02/unemployment-claims-coronavirus-pandemic-161081

To sign our petition go to bit.ly/BigRedPass
To use our email template to email the admin and professors go to bit.ly/bigredpassemail

More than 6.6 million U.S. workers filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week, on top of 3.3 million a week earlier, marking unprecedented devastation across the labor market.