McCormick dean: All final exams will be optional for undergraduates

The+Technological+Institute%2C+where+many+McCormick+classes+are+taught.+

Evan Robinson-Johnson/Daily Senior Staffer

The Technological Institute, where many McCormick classes are taught.

Austin Benavides, Campus Editor

The McCormick School of Engineering announced that all outstanding final exams should be made optional in an email sent to students Sunday morning.

McCormick’s announcement follows a University email sent out on Friday that encouraged professors to give their finals remotely or as take-home tests.

Per University policy, students are not required to attend in-person exams. In a separate email sent by University Registrar Jaci Casazza, faculty who are still holding in-person exams were recommended to make arrangements with their students to complete a remote assessment or grade based on work during the quarter.

According to the email sent by McCormick dean Julio M. Ottino, students choosing not to take a final exam should have their grades based on “work completed to date.”

The email also outlined that students who opt for taking a final should not receive a lower grade than they would have had if they had chosen to not take the final.

Ottino wrote that this solution isn’t perfect, but was the best option available at the time.

“Of greatest importance is that you tend to your immediate needs, communicate with your families, and take the necessary steps to protect your health,” Ottino wrote in the email.

In an email to the Daily, Weinberg Dean Adrian Randolph wrote that this is “a university-wide issue” and he is working with the Office of the Provost to resolve the issue.

Medill dean Charles Whitaker said the Provost’s Office is expected to make an announcement regarding all schools later Sunday.

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