Managing Editor

Pass/fail will not be an option for the fall semester, Gillian Small, the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, tells The Equinox.

The school offered the pass/fail option last semester after classes went online due to the pandemic. 

In looking to the condensed fall, the recess has been eliminated, and there is only one reading day instead of two at the end. The semester starts a week earlier than usual, on Aug. 17, and also ends the week of Thanksgiving. The school is scheduled to return to in-person instruction after Labor Day, Sept. 8.

The fall schedule will be condensed. Following are key dates from the fall 2020 Academic Calendar:

Registration/Academic Counseling and Advising

August 3-14

Classes Begin, 8:00 a.m. (Monday)

Aug. 17

Last Day for New Registrations and Final Drop/Add Changes (Monday)

Aug. 31

Labor Day Holiday (Monday)

Sept. 7

Midterm Progress Reporting Opens (Monday)

Sept. 21

*Fall Recess Cancelled*

Midterm Progress Reporting Closes (Tuesday)

Oct. 13

Last Day to Withdraw (Friday)

October 23

Priority Scheduling for Spring Semester

Oct. 26 to Nov. 10

Last Day of Fall Classes (Monday)

Nov. 16

Reading/Snow Make-up Day (Tuesday)

Nov. 17

Final Examinations (Wednesday to Tuesday)

Nov. 18 to 24

Grades due no later than 5 p,.m. on the third day after the exam is administered.

Fall Semester Ends, 11 p.m. (Tuesday)

Nov. 24

The school will start classes remotely, and Small said, “while planning for in-person and hybrid classes starting after Labor Day, [the school] will be prepared to move back to fully remote classes if necessary.” 

Classes this fall will operate on a hybrid schedule — meaning remote learning for the first three weeks and in class for the rest of the semester. 

When midterms and finals take place, the school will plan to offer exams in-person in the assigned time frame but not all at the same location, Small said. Fully online courses will remain the same, she said.

Academic advisement and registering for classes will be done remotely, Small said.

Looking ahead, The Equinox also asked about plans for the spring 2021 semester. 

 “It is too early for any decisions regarding the Spring 2021 semester, but we will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed of our plans,” Small said.

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Art by Amaya Morales