The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has cautioned professors and faculty members against withholding students' final grades after students expressed concerns that some were going to do so in an apparent protest against the university.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) is facing a potential grading crisis after some professors reportedly threatened to withhold students' final grades in protest against the university's disciplinary action against students involved in anti-Israel demonstrations.
In response, university administrators have sent a letter to deans and department chairs, warning that professors could face sanctions if they fail to submit grades by the registrar's deadlines.
"We are hearing concerns from students whose instructors have informed them they will withhold grades as part of a protest. These students depend on the timely submission of their grades for graduation, jobs, and athletic eligibility, and it is part of the required duties of all faculty and graduate TAs to submit grades by the registrar deadlines," wrote Provost Chris Clemens and Graduate School Dean Beth Mayer-Davis in a joint statement.
The university's statement comes after UNC students were notified that some professors, "along with many other faculty, teaching assistants, fellows, and graders," would protest the university's disciplinary action against 15 suspended students by withholding grades.
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) condemned the professors' actions, saying they should be "immediately" terminated from the university.
"UNC professors should be protecting students who are targets of antisemitism and violence. They should not be protecting the bigots and antisemites. Fire any faculty or staff participating in withholding grades immediately," he tweeted.
On Monday, several students received a message via the school portal stating that the unnamed author would withhold their final grades in solidarity with the suspended students.
"On May 13, if the administration has not reinstated the suspended students, you will see a NR (for Not Reported) on your transcript," the message board read.
The university has responded by warning that professors could face "sanctions."
"We are asking you to please work with your faculty and graduate students to ensure that we follow exemplary practice in our work as educators," Clemens and Mayer-Davis wrote in their letter to deans and department chairs. "We strongly support the right of faculty and graduate students to express their opinions freely but there are better ways to do this than hurting our students and abrogating our contract with the people of North Carolina who support our university."
They continued: "We are counting on your leadership in this matter."
The provost's office will support sanctions for any instructor found to have improperly withheld grades, but hopes to resolve the matter amicably and without harm to students.
The university ultimately requested police remove the anti-Israel encampment on April 30.
Despite the protests, UNC-Chapel Hill plans to continue with its scheduled commencement ceremony on May 11.
As WRAL reported, the apparent protest and university response comes after more than 700 UNC-Chapel Hill faculty and staff signed a petition to grant amnesty to the students facing disciplinary action after last week's protests.
The university employees argued the protest was peaceful, but administrators maintained that the four-day encampment resulted in damages to the school and presented a safety hazard.
* The anti-Israel demonstrations at UNC-Chapel Hill have sparked a national debate about academic freedom and the role of universities in addressing political controversies.
* Some professors argue that withholding grades is a legitimate form of protest against what they perceive as the university's unfair treatment of the suspended students.
* However, university administrators maintain that withholding grades is a violation of faculty and staff obligations and could have serious consequences for students.
* The incident at UNC-Chapel Hill is not an isolated event. Other universities have also faced similar challenges in recent years, as students and faculty have become more vocal in expressing their political views.
* The future of academic freedom and the role of universities in addressing political controversies remains uncertain. However, the events at UNC-Chapel Hill highlight the complex and often conflicting values at stake in these debates.
