An Important Message to Students from the Provost and Dean of Faculty, March 12, 2020

Dear Students,

In light of the extraordinary circumstances this semester, the college is changing grades for Spring 2020 to mandatory S/U. Faculty will record letter grades, but transcripts will show S/U grades for all courses this semester.

Because these courses are mandatory and not elective S/U credits, they will not count against the cap of 16 S/U credits that can be counted toward degree completion. Students who had elected S/U credits for this semester will have those credits converted to mandatory S/U so that the previously elected credits will not count against the cap.

I remind you that courses taken S/U do count for Latin Honors distribution. Additionally, courses taken S/U this semester will count for majors, minors, and concentrations (though S/U grades do not typically count); departments and programs will make exceptions to policies governing S/U courses, found in the Academic Rules and Procedures section of the Smith College Catalog.

Because letter grades will be recorded, it will be possible for students to request an official letter attesting those grades for purposes of application for graduate and professional programs and for employment should that be necessary. This letter would attest only to grades, not to GPA. We will ensure that those who need evidence of your academic achievements this spring will be able to get it.

Grades for courses taken this semester will not enter into GPA calculations and the college will not be able to calculate or communicate alternative GPAs. I understand that this will be disappointing for some. This unusual moment requires that we take unusual steps.

I want to assure you that the libraries are working to support you for the rest of the term. Please find important information regarding books and services below. Please send any questions you may have to libraryhelp@smith.edu and we will reply.

  • Smith books. All students can bring books borrowed from Smith College home with them for the term. (Books are labeled as Smith). Loan periods will be extended for first-year students, sophomores and juniors through mid-September. Seniors must return books by Friday, May 15. Library items that are returned late will not be charged any fees. Recalls of books from all Five Colleges will be discontinued. The libraries are determining a way for students to send back books postage-free.
  • Books from the other four colleges. Students can take books with them that are borrowed from the four colleges (Mt. Holyoke, Amherst, Hampshire, and UMass). Please either renew them online or return them through the mail to Smith Libraries by the due date. Information on how to return books for free will be sent to you soon.
  • Return Interlibrary Loan books Before you leave campus please return Interlibrary Loan books (will have a colored paper band around the cover)
  • Requesting books from the annex. Materials can continue to be requested from the Annex. In addition to weekday deliveries, additional deliveries will be made on Saturday March 14 and Sunday, March 15 to Young Library.
  • Library hours. The libraries will be open through spring recess during the hours posted on the website. Additionally, Young Library will be open on Sunday, March 15 from 10am-5pm. Hillyer and Josten Libraries will also be open 1pm-5pm on Saturday, March 14th and Sunday, March 15th. Check the libraries website for all hours.
  • Research librarian consultations. Schedule an appointment to meet via Zoom or in person with research librarians using the Ask Us link on the Libraries website. You can also email questions to libraryhelp@smith.edu.
  • Workshops. Research librarians, special collections curators and archivists, and Spatial Analysis Lab staff are available to provide subject specific workshops remotely for your courses.

With best wishes during this trying time,

Michael Thurston
Provost and Dean of Faculty
Helen Means Professor of English