NKU provost answers student questions

On Monday afternoon, Provost Sue Ott Rowlands sent out a campus-wide email clarifying many of the questions the administration has received about current and future plans for the university in the wake of the current global pandemic.

Future graduation

Four commencement ceremonies will be held in December. All four ceremonies will be separated by college and include graduates from May and December. The first ceremony will be the Chase College of Law Commencement on Friday, Dec. 11. The next day will have a morning commencement and an afternoon commencement, and the following day will have a final commencement ceremony at 2 p.m. For May graduates, a survey will be emailed later on how NKU can “do something special to honor graduates now,” Rowlands said in the email.

Student employees and student fees

Student employees who were employed by the university will still continue to be paid based on their previously established work hours, and should work directly with their supervisors if they have any concerns.

All parking and housing charges will be reimbursed on a pro-rata basis from the date of your check out for housing fees or from March 20 for parking fees. Refunds will be applied to outstanding balances first. Reimbursements for these will be posted as a credit to student accounts no later than the end of the Spring 2020 semester. After this, refunds—if applicable—will be issued at that time.

Every Summer 2020 class will be online. NKU will not charge online course fees for any summer student, regardless of whether the class was originally online or not.

Scholarships and pass/fail grading

For the upcoming school year, NKU is waiving all scholarship requirements that require a certain GPA or require 30 credit hours per academic year. Scholarships will be renewed in May, as usual.

In regards to NKU’s new opt-in pass/fail grading, Rowlands clarified that the policy change is only for the spring 2020 semester and will not apply to summer 2020. After choosing to switch to pass/fail, a student may still request to change back to a letter grade if they are happy with their final result in the class. In addition, a ‘Pass’ grade in a class from spring 2020 satisfies all course and program prerequisites that require a letter grade.

RELATED: NKU allows students to opt-in pass/fail grading for semester

An incomplete (I) grade may be assigned on student’s request, when a student is unable to complete all work in time and there is a reasonable possibility that a passing grade will result from completion of the work. The student and faculty member will mutually set a deadline for completion of the work, and the faculty member will file a grade change when the work is completed. However, if the work is not completed by the end of the Spring 2021 semester, the student will receive an automatic F. However, the Dean of the respective college may grant a semester extension of one I grade due to unforeseen circumstances.

“I admire the effort and determination being put forth by all of you towards your academic achievements,” Rowlands said in an email. “Our community continues to rise to this momentous occasion with the pride and determination Norse Nation is known for. Thank you all.”

The Northerner is currently investigating the impact of the switch to online learning, including but not limited to how housing, dining, student workers, labs, studios and the office of Health, Counseling and Student Wellness will be affected. For any questions you’d like to know about the decision, contact us anytime on Twitter or Instagram. For questions or concerns about how the virus could potentially affect campus, contact us or email covid19@nku.edu. Keep checking The Northerner for all updates on NKU’s switch to alternative instruction.