The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is warning professors and faculty members not to withhold students’ final grades after students expressed concern that some professors would do so in apparent protest against the university. .
After anti-Israel demonstrations broke out on campus, university administrators took action to restore order on campus. Students who participated in the riot were disciplined. UNC-Chapel Hill professors reportedly planned to show support for the students who were allegedly suspended by organizing an effort to withhold all students’ final grades.
On Tuesday, UNC-Chapel Hill President Chris Clemens and Graduate School Dean Beth Meyer Davis sent a letter to deans and deans citing the apparent protest.
“We are hearing concerns from students whose teachers have notified them that their grades will be withheld as part of the protest. “It’s part of the obligation that schools have to submit grades. We require all faculty and graduate TAs to submit grades by the Registrar’s deadline.” Clemens and Mayer-Davis said in a joint statement.
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About 1,000 anti-Israel demonstrators formed a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” in the south building of UNC-Chapel Hill. It was removed by police in the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Travis Long/News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
A university statement said some professors “along with many other faculty members, teaching assistants, fellows, and graders” planned to protest the university’s disciplinary action of withholding grades for 15 suspended students. The announcement was made after UNC students were notified.
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-North Carolina) said professors who withhold students’ grades should be fired from their universities “immediately.”
“UNC professors should protect students who are targets of anti-Semitism and violence, not bigots and anti-Semites,” he wrote in X. “UNC professors should be protecting students who are targets of anti-Semitism and violence. They should not be protecting bigots and anti-Semites. Faculty members who participated in withholding grades should be immediately fired. Do it,” he tweeted.
On Monday, several students received the following message through their school portal: “I stand in solidarity with these students, [the unnamed author] “I (along with many other faculty members, teaching assistants, fellows, and graders on campus) have decided to refrain from reporting final grades to the Registrar’s Office,” the Carolina Journal reported.
Anti-Israel demonstrators clashed with police after replacing the American flag with the Palestinian flag at UNC-Chapel Hill on April 30, 2024. (Travis Long/News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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“On May 13th, if the administration does not reinstate a suspended student, NR (Not Reported) will be displayed on the student’s transcript,” the message read. “NR does not change your GPA positively or negatively and can remain on your transcript until the end of the next semester. I will keep a personal record of your grades. Once the administration meets our requirements, the grades you earned will remain recorded. ”
The university warned that the professors could face “sanctions” for the apparent protest.
“Deans and department heads, we ask that you work with faculty and graduate students to ensure that we, as educators, follow exemplary practices,” Clemens and Mayer-Davis wrote. “While we strongly support the right of faculty and graduate students to express their opinions freely, we would rather do this than harm students or break our contract with the people of North Carolina who support our university. There is a better way.”
They continued, “We look forward to your leadership on this issue.”
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“The Office of the Provost supports sanctions against instructors found to have unfairly withheld grades, but hopes that this matter can be resolved amicably without harm to students,” the letter added. .
Police evacuated the Gaza Solidarity Camp at UNC-Chapel Hill on April 30th after receiving a request from the university to do so. (Travis Long/News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“Excellence in the classroom and research is a credit to the institution and an important service to the students and people of North Carolina. If a few instructors cause harm, it is a disservice to all of you and to the institution. We appreciate the trust we have built with our students by withholding grades. ”
The university finally asked police to clear the campsite on April 30th.
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As WRAL reported, this apparent protest and the university’s response prompted more than 700 UNC-Chapel Hill faculty to sign a petition granting clemency to students facing disciplinary action after last week’s protests. It happened later.
University officials insisted the protests were peaceful, but administrators said the four-day encampment caused damage to the school and posed a safety risk to people traveling or staying on campus. Stated.
Despite the demonstrations, UNC-Chapel Hill said it plans to continue with its graduation ceremony, which was scheduled for May 11.
