Princeton U. Petition Calls For Postponed or Re-Evaluated Midterms

In light of the University's new coronavirus policies and the changes they have wrought upon students' plans for the upcoming weeks, a Change.org petition calling for the University to "re-evaluate" the weight of midterm examinations has been circulating on social media, gaining signatures at a rapid pace.The petition, which was created by Addie Jung '22 and Jacqueline Xu '22 at around 7:04 p.m, had 2,011 signatures by 9:15 p.m."We, the student body, respectfully ask that the university considers reevaluating the weight of this semester's midterms or postponing them," the petition states. "This will grant students the opportunity to prioritize their health and safety, without the pressure of upholding Princeton's typical academic standards.""I'm trying to study, but I can't because of everything that's going on," said Xu, who believes that the atmosphere on campus "has changed" as a consequence of the new coronavirus policies. "Everyone is worried about their health, their families, about how to get home, what to do after they get home."The petition claims that students have been "immensely stressed about their health and travel plans for the upcoming weeks" and thus "are not in the right state of mind to prepare accordingly for their midterms."According to the University's current guidelines, academic classes and mid-term exams will continue the week of Mar. 9 as planned, following social distancing protocols."We ask that you use your best judgment to adjust your courses to the circumstances at hand, while trying to sustain the essential goals of your courses," University Provost Deborah Prentice wrote in a Mar. 9 memo to faculty.The two students created the petition while trying to study—but being unable to focus—in the library earlier this evening before a review session. Only 6 students showed up to the class from a usual attendance of 10, they said.The petition has signatures not just from Princeton University students but parents who are concerned for their children."My daughter is a hard-working student who is very astute with her studies and should be given consideration with how this outbreak will affect her overall mental health," wrote one parent in the comments section.On top of the difficulty of managing academic stress, several students have expressed that concern for family members has been the main priority on their minds. One student wrote that they have spent the past 48 hours making contingency plans with their mother, who has a "pre-existing condition" that makes the coronavirus incredibly risky for her health."How am I supposed to care about a revolutionary war midterm when there are actual life-threatening issues that need to be dealt with?" the student wrote. "The administration is handling this terribly."The petition emphasizes the plight of international students, who are characterized as being "especially distressed because they're not sure whether they should or will be able to come back following the three-week period.""Everyone's just freaking out about everything," said Alberto Rigail '21, an international student from Ecuador. Rigail has four midterms this week. "It's not just the messages, but also the fact that the messaging changes every other hour. I'm also an international, so I'll be thinking of leaving the country, but I'm nervous about leaving because I'm not sure if I'll be let in again."David Lipman '22, who, like Rigail, has four midterms this week, signed the petition while studying at Frist Campus Center."It's just a very stressful and hectic time," said Lipman, about midterms season. "[The new coronavirus policies] are making the stress of midterms ten times worse. The goal of this petition would negate the effect of the added stress."Both Rigail and Lipman expressed frustration about Sunday's retracted then re-published message on the new coronavirus policies, claiming the slip-up was "poor timing."For Aditi Dhital '20, an international student senior, the new changes are an added burden to an already very busy semester."Especially as an international senior figuring out [visa] stuff, working on my thesis, getting a job, et cetera, it's an unnecessary burden to also be thinking about midterms," said Aditi Dhital '20, who is from Nepal. For now, she is planning on staying on campus during the two-week virtual period, if not staying with a friend based in the United States.For Dhital, the prospect of leaving the country is daunting for several reasons: among them, applying for post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT), a period in which international students can remain and work in the United States post-graduation, can become "very complicated" when one is applying from abroad. "There's also the very real issue of whether or not I'll be able to re-enter the country, which I'm not sure we would," she added.Update: a previous version of this post stated that there were 3 students present at Xu and Jung's precept on Tuesday evening, which has a regular enrollment of 10 people. The precept has a total enrollment of 36 students with 10 regular attendees, among which only 6 showed up on Tuesday evening. It was a review session, not a regular precept. The article has been corrected to reflect that fact.