Department of History, University of Michigan, Delays Grade Posting until May 12th in Support of Striking Grads

Monday, April 24, 2023

To the University President, Provost, and Administration:

We are deeply troubled by reports that the administration intends to punish faculty, staff, and department chairs who refuse to assign grades for work that they have not personally assessed. We find these actions to be an infringement on faculty autonomy, and we reject the threats and warnings of the administration as unethical and antithetical to our mission as educators. We reiterate SACUA’s statement that “assessment of student work is the prerogative of the instructor, and demands thoughtful and holistic evaluation of student performances.”

Photo by Ardalan on Unsplash

In light of the administration’s pressure to implicate faculty in breaking GEO’s strike and to perform uncompensated labor, History department faculty have made a collective decision to withhold our grades as a form of protest until May 12th. On that day, we will collectively reconsider our stance. We urge the administration to cease its threats to faculty and to present an equitable offer to GEO in collective bargaining immediately.

Signed,
Members of the History Department