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Glass Buildings

Academic Affairs

As students, our main purpose at the University of Minnesota is to learn and prepare for our future. COVID revealed to us the importance of fair, equitable, and supportive academic policies in our everyday student life. As a university, we are on the right track; students saw a lot of beneficial changes such as additional emergency funds, flexible attendance policies, and S/N grading, but many of these policies have since expired. In addition, there are many other issues that affect the ability of students to complete their degree on their time. From the expansion of recorded lectures to SRT reforms, our team is committed to ensuring that students have the access and support that they need to earn a degree. Therefore, we need to advocate for the following initiatives: 

 

1. Academic Flexibility and Accessibility

  • Advocate for recorded lectures to ensure that students have easy access to course materials in the unforeseen event that they have to miss class 

  • Attendance leniency policy for courses

    • ​Implement a Flex Day twice per semester to allow students to catch up on academics and prevent burnout

  • Expand the CBS GopheResearch to other colleges in order to increase accessibility to paid research opportunities

  • Expand S/N Grading options for major and nonmajor courses

    • ​If students are required to provide additional documentation to switch from A-F to S/N grading, the University should be providing these services without additional charges and (especially for international students who might not have access to primary providers)

  • Continue to work with SVP Frans to shift away from Proctorio and ensure students’ privacy

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2. Academic Accountability 

  • Reform the Student Rating of Teaching (SRT) forms to hold professors accountable and to assist students in making course enrollment decisions

  • Create widespread student body engagement in reforming liberal education graduation requirements

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3. Disability Resource Center

  • Reduce inefficiencies and eliminate bottlenecks in the DRC accommodations approval process

  • Advocate for more funding towards the DRC so students can have access to more resources advisors to assist them during their academic journey

  • Provide information and resources to students to increase transparency on what the DRC does and does not do

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