Opinion: UNC needs to adopt a new pass/fail gen-ed policy

General education requirements demand students expand their mindset beyond their chosen discipline. It gives the most devoted math student a taste of Michelle Alexander and the young philosopher a night writing reactions.

Yet the current model is characterized less by this ideal of exploration and more by apathy.

All too often, the norm seems for students to cram as many requirements into one course as possible, taking into deep consideration the grade distribution of previous years.

The University ought to change this by allowing students to be graded on a pass/fail basis in non-major or non-minor gen-ed classes.

While this is only the beginning, it is the first step in creating a model that rewards curiosity.

Adopting a pass/fail policy would remove the pressure of performing poorly in a class outside your comfort zone and allow students not to dwell on grade point averages but instead on the principles of a liberal arts education.

Especially for those looking toward post-graduation options that require a strong GPA, gen eds are seen as a risk rather than an opportunity.

Other institutions are already taking these steps.

During their first semester at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, all freshmen students are graded on a pass/fail system. If a student earns a C or better in a course, their transcript reflects only that they passed the class.

In their second semester, these freshmen are pushed to further integrate into the rigor of MIT’s curriculum by grading students with a hybrid system: a letter grade is only recorded on students’ transcripts if they earn a C or better.

MIT even helps students take the right classes for them by offering a short semester in the middle of the school year for exploration.

UNC should look toward both these options, and the conversation starts with pass/fail.

Some might argue this pass/fail policy would create a worse culture around learning outside students’ chosen disciplines, but this view mischaracterizes the pass/fail requirement.

If gen eds were to be added to pass/fail, students would still need to take nine credit hours of fully graded material, they would not be able to pass/fail within their major and minor and would be limited to only sixteen credit hours of pass/fail courses in their entire time at UNC.

We are not talking about students breezing through college on the pass/fail, but instead asking why not cushion the pitfalls of the drop/add policy by grading some gen-ed requirements on a pass/fail basis to ensure students get the most out of their Carolina education?

College is a time to grow beyond what you know. The current system limits learning to classes where you feel you can receive an A, not a new mindset —we should change that.