May 9, 1990

Hoping to improve the pass/fail option, the faculty approved a non-recording option (NRO) that allowed students to chose the lowest grade they would like to have recorded in courses offering the option. If they received this grade or above, it appeared on their transcript; if their grade was lower than that which they selected but not F, students received a grade of SA, “satisfactory.” Course instructors had the right to exempt courses from the option.

Dean of Studies Colton Johnson supported the NRO, saying that it should make students more inclined to take unfamiliar courses and to work more consistently in them. “Working to achieve a goal that’s realistic seems to be a better system” than simply aiming to “pass,” said Johnson.

—The Miscellany News