University of Michigan Goes Full Participation Trophy, Will Hide Grades for Student 'Mental Health'
The largest college in the University of Michigan wants to be sure flunking every course does not create negative thoughts that could disturb a student’s happy time cocoon.
The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts will bury grades recorded by incoming freshman to “curb the mental health crisis” among its students, according to the New York Post.
Students will be able to know their grades, but whatever they are will be a well-kept secret that will never be shared by a transcript should anyone – such as, perhaps, parents — want to know.
A transcript will either offer the ringing joy of a “P” for passing or the soft letdown of an “NC” saying no credit was earned.
The rigors of having recorded grades will begin when the freshman class hits its second semester.
Should students need grades for academic awards, scholarships, internships, and the like, they are available. But the crushing blow of a first-semester transcript festooned with the letter “f” will nevermore be beheld.
“Helping all students establish early momentum has been recognized as the most important element in U-M’s campus-wide Student Success Initiative,” the college wrote.
“We believe that covering grades will help students start strong and curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals,” it said.
The new scheme only applies to the LSA college.
The college said the joys of self-exploration can now have full sway without the necessity of learning.
“For example, they can explore a subject that may not come easily to them or take a course in a new field without the fear that a low grade may have long-term consequences,” the university wrote, according to Fox News.
“LSA is investing in students’ well-being and growth by fostering a culture of connection and collaboration — rather than competition,” the college said.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, Swarthmore College and Wellesley College have similar programs
Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert said coddled college deserves an “f.”
“We’re raising a generation of students to believe that discomfort is dangerous,” Alpert said. “It isn’t. A bad grade can be upsetting, embarrassing and stressful. That’s not a mental health emergency. That’s college.”
Alpert said students will b=not be prepared for real life if they cannot face the consequences of a bad grade
“This is therapy culture invading the classroom. We’ve spent years turning normal human emotions into symptoms. Stress becomes a mental health issue,” Alpert said.
“We’ve gotten to the point where normal stress is being treated like a mental health problem. Getting a bad grade is disappointing. It can be embarrassing. It can make you anxious. But that doesn’t make it psychologically harmful,” Alpert told the Post.
“College should prepare students for adulthood. Your boss isn’t going to hide a bad performance review because it might make you anxious. Life doesn’t come with grade covering. At some point, young people have to learn that feeling bad is not the same thing as being harmed,” he said.
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