***Note: S/U grading for graduate students differs from undergraduates. Graduate students need an A or B to earn a grade of satisfactory. A grade of C and below equates to unsatisfactory per rule 10.14.2*** 

Q: How do I change my grade to S/U?
A: You can change your grade to S/U on Howdy. See instructions.

Q: Do S/U grades affect my GPA?
A: Not this semester. In a typical semester, course hours for grades of S are not included in GPA calculations; whereas course hours for grades of U are included in GPA calculations. For spring 2020, the Faculty Senate recommended and President Young approved an exception: “Any U or F grade received this semester will be removed from GPA computations.”

Q: Why are the S/U equivalencies different for undergraduate and graduate courses?
A: Because Student Rule 10 stipulates that the relationships between A-F grade mode and S/U grade mode is different in undergraduate and graduate courses. 
While the Faculty Senate recommendation that was approved by President Young includes language that applies to undergraduate courses, it does not include language about the S/U relationship in graduate courses. The recommendation states, however, “S/U grading will adhere to its current Definition in Student Rule 10.” Since the recommendation does not modify the relationships between S/U grades and A-F grades in graduate courses, that relationship must follow the Student Rules. Student Rule 10.14.2 states that “[a] grade of ‘satisfactory’ (S) will be given only for grades of A and B in graduate courses” and “a grade of ‘unsatisfactory’ (U) will be given for grades of C and below in graduate courses.” 

Q: I’m worried about taking all online classes. Is there an option to change my grading to S/U?
A: Yes, you have until 5 PM on Tuesday, April 28th to change your grading options. Be sure to contact your academic advisor about your grading options to discuss any implications this may have on your degree progress. 

Q: If I change a course to S/U and decide to change it back to letter grade, can I continue to make changes through April 28, 2020?
A: Yes. Students have until April 28, 2020 at 5 p.m. to finalize the grade mode selection.

Q: Will changing my grading to S/U affect my full-time enrollment status for financial aid purposes?
A: Changing to S/U will not affect your full-time enrollment status. However, you should contact the Financial Aid for any aid related questions 

Q: Will changing the grade to S/U hurt my Aggie ring eligibility?
A: Always contact the Aggie Ring Office to confirm. In short, changing the grade mode will only hurt your eligibility IF you receive a U or F grade.  Courses with grades of S will be considered ‘earned’ hours.

Q: Will the grades of U and F be on my transcript if I don’t drop a class?
A: Yes. The U or F grade will be on your transcript, but will not be factored in the GPA.

Q: I have used all 4 of my TAMU institution drops, but I am not doing well this semester. Can I still q-drop a class?
A: Drops after March 16 will not count as institution or state drops. These will be processed as “W” instead of “Q”.

Q: Is the Q-Drop and Withdrawal deadline still the same? 
A: No, the Q-Drop and Withdrawal deadline has been extended to 5 PM on Friday, April 24th. 

Q: How do I submit my Q-drop form?
A: You can submit a prefilled Q-Drop form via email to your academic advisor. The Q-Drop form does not have to be signed, but it MUST come from your official TAMU email. 

Q: How do I submit my withdrawal form for the semester? 
A: You can submit your withdrawal form through Howdy: My Record Tab → Student Withdrawal → Select “Student Withdrawal.” 

Be sure to contact any necessary offices to discuss any implications towards your degree progress or financial status such as your academic advisor or a financial aid advisor.

• If you are feeling ill, make an appointment with your healthcare provider. Students can make an appointment at Student Health Services by visiting the website or by calling (979) 458-8310. Please do not show up at a clinic, urgent care or other healthcare facility without calling first. Your provider may need to take special measures to protect other people in the clinic. Telemedicine may also be available, enabling you to consult a provider from home. If possible, request a medical provider’s note to document your illness.
• Contact your instructors to notify them of your illness.
• Personal injury or Illness that is too severe or contagious for the student to attend class may be considered an excused absence under Student Rule 7.  The student is responsible for providing documentation substantiating the reason for the absence, including reasons stated in Student Rule, Section 7.2. This documentation must be provided within three business days of the last date of the absence, unless otherwise stated in this rule.
• If your illness is impacting your ability to make progress in your courses and you can’t get in to see a medical provider this form may be used in lieu of a medical confirmation note as required in Student Rule 7 during Spring and Summer 2020 terms only. Please refer to Student Rule 7 for guidance on class attendance and absences. This form must be submitted to the instructor within 2 calendar days of return to class.

***Note: S/U grading for graduate students differs from undergraduates. Graduate students need an A or B to earn a grade of satisfactory. A grade of C and below equates to unsatisfactory per rule 10.14.2*** 

Q: Do S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) grades calculate towards students’ GPA?
A: Upon a recommendation from the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and approved by President Young, the S/U grading will adhere to its current Definition in Student Rule 10 (Student Rule 10; “S: Satisfactory (C or above, hours not included in GPA, U: Unsatisfactory (D or F), no grade points, hours included in GPA).  However, with this new policy for Spring 2020 only, all U and F grades will be excluded from GPA calculations (where ordinarily a U would count the same as an F grade in terms of GPA calculations).

Q: If a student has changed their mind about a course they already dropped prior to this announcement, can they reinstate back into a previously dropped course now that they can opt for S/U grading and U or F grades are being excluded from GPA calculations?
A: Yes, the advisor can submit an “add” request using the online Add/Drop request system to request a course be added back to the student’s schedule. The student would need to update their grade mode if desired.

Q: Does changing grade method (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) have any impact on students' full time enrollment status? 
A: Student’s enrollment status will not change if they opt for S/U grading.  Please visit financial aid for more information as to whether they have situations they may need to consider before opting for S/U grading.

Q: How do students change grade mode from letter grade to S/U?
A: All other students will have until 12 noon, Tuesday, May 12th to make changes to finalize their grade mode selection in Howdy.  GPA and academic records will not be finalized until 5pm, May 12th.  See instructions from the Office of the Registrar on how students can change grading options.

Q: How will this affect prerequisites for courses that require C or better? Will an S grade meet that requirement?
A: Yes. An S is considered to be the equivalent of a C or better and pre-reqs set to require a C or better would be met with a grade of S. 

Q: Does the S/U grade mode for Spring 2020 override the grade mode set for courses? For example, if a course was set for letter grading only.
A: The Office of the Registrar has already enabled grade mode options for all undergraduate and graduate courses.  For courses that had been set for letter grade only, it will now permit students to opt for a S/U grade mode option per new policy for the spring. 

Q: Can a student choose just 1 class to be S/U? Or is it all or nothing?
A: The student has the choice to select a grade mode of S/U for any course.  It is NOT all or nothing. They will have to change the grade mode for each class on Howdy.

Q: What implications could courses taken S/U have on a student’s ability to be competitive for the various professional schools?
A: Refer students to OPSA website for updated information. Updates and notices will come from the OPSA listserv.

Q: How will taking the course S/U impact my change of major eligibility? 
A: See department advisor. This is going to be different for every college/department. To be consistent across campus, I recommend using the S grade to meet the grade requirement for a course. 

Q: How will changing a course S/U impact student athletes? Will it affect their eligibility?
A: Each student’s situation will be different. Always refer the student to consult with their athletics advisor. 

Q: I’m in a writing/communication intensive course.  Can I choose to take this course S/U and it still counts towards degree requirements?
A: Yes. 

Q: What is the new deadline for Q-drop/Withdraw?
A: The new Q-drop/withdraw deadline is Friday, April 24th by 5:00pm.  Advisors will have access to continue processing Q-drops in Compass through the extended deadline using the “QL” drop code for all drops. More information. 

Q: How can students submit their Q-drop forms?
A: Students can download the q-drop form and email it to their academic advisor for processing.

Q: Will Q-drops submitted this semester count towards the students’ State Limit?
A: Spring 2020 Q-drops on or after March 16th will not count against the student’s State or institutional limits. Grades of W will appear on the transcript instead of a Q.

Q: How do I process Q-drops?
A: Use the “QL” drop code for the rest of the term to process all Q-drops. More information.

Q: If a student is out of Q-drops (TAMU or State) and they want to drop one or more classes this spring, is it possible?
A: Students do not have to petition to be able to drop any spring class as these are not considered ‘extra’ drops due to them being excluded from the limits.  Only grades of Q’s are calculated in the limits. Drops on or after March 16th will be reflected with W grades and not calculated in the limits.

Q: Even though q-dropped courses after spring break do not count toward institution or state limit, will they still be calculated in WOAHOLD?
A: No. Only grades of Q’s are calculated in the limits.  Drops on or after March 16th will be reflected with W grades and not calculated in the limits.

Due to growing concerns over COVID-19, students will have two options to receive their aggie ring - (1) Aggie rings can be shipped to home address and/or (2) students can pick up their Aggie ring at the Williams Alumni Center after Texas A&M resumes normal operations. Visit The Association’s website to learn more - https://www.aggienetwork.com/ring/ringday/

1. Navigate to tamu.zoom.us and login using your TAMU NetID and password
2. Under the Settings tab, click on Recording
3. Under the Cloud Recording section, set the following:

• ENABLE Record active speaker with shared screen
• DISABLE Record gallery view with shared screen
• DISABLE Record active speaker, gallery view and shared screen separately
• DISABLE Display participants' names in the recording
• ENABLE Record thumbnails when sharing

• Turn ON your video
• On your video thumbnail, click on the three dots (...) icon for more options
• Click Spotlight Video
• Click Record and select Record to the Cloud when you are ready to record the session

• NEW: Zoom In-Meeting Security Tab added to Host’s Meeting Toolbar (available with Zoom client version 4.6.10):
  • Please update your Zoom client to version 4.6.10. If you are unable to, please contact your IT department or Help Desk Central for assistance.
  • How to check your Zoom client version
  • Best practices for securing a virtual classroom in Zoom
• Microsoft Password Vulnerability
  • Resolved with Zoom client version 4.6.9 which was available for download on 4/3/2020.
• Zoombombing
  • TAMU has issued recommended guidelines for setting up a secure Zoom meeting. More information can be found in this link.
• Cloud Recordings
  • Only individuals with a TAMU NetID and Password will be able to view TAMU Zoom cloud recordings. This is a recent TAMU change to Account Settings.
  • Only the host is allowed to download a Zoom cloud recording. This is a recent TAMU change to Account Settings.
• In-Meeting Recording (applicable to Cloud or Local Recordings)
  • The host controls the ability to record. Unless the host grants permission to a participant, no other recordings can take place within Zoom.
  • When a meeting is being recorded in Zoom, “Recording…” appears in the upper left-hand corner. This is visible to all participants.
• Local Recording
  • In account settings, it is possible to allow the host and participants to record the meeting to a local file.
  • The host may give participants the ability to record locally. By default, this is not enabled. You as the host have to enable this in your Zoom Advanced Settings.

• It is recommended that faculty add verbiage to exam guidelines that are distributed to students ahead of the exam to disclose that the faculty member/TA will be recording the proctored exams.
• This information should be repeated at the start of the exam once the recording has been turned on.
• Additionally, when students register for the exam via Zoom, faculty may add a disclaimer that the session will be recorded.
• If the students are recorded and they can be identified, the portion that shows the student(s) would be an educational record under FERPA.
• Only the instructor and/or TAs should have access to the recording. Recordings should be retained for one year from the date of the exam.

• To accommodate the rapid increase in demand in February 2020, Chinese datacenters were added to a lengthy whitelist of backup bridges, potentially enabling non-Chinese clients to — under extremely limited circumstances — connect to them. On 4/2/2020 Zoom took the mainland China datacenters off of the whitelist of secondary backup bridges for users outside of China.
• Permanently removed the attendee attention tracker feature (updated 4/2/2020 to clarify that it is permanently removed).
• On 3/27/2020, Zoom took action to remove the Facebook SDK in iOS client and have reconfigured it to prevent it from collecting unnecessary device information from our users.
• A Message to our Users
• Response to Research from University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab