On May 11, 2020, Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab shared this update:
Dear Students,
We hope that you are staying safe and healthy. Over the last few weeks, we have been inspired by your resiliency as we all navigate the unexpected changes resulting from the current public health crisis. As the end of the semester approaches, we want to congratulate all of you on completing this unexpectedly challenging semester and wish you the best of luck with your final exams and papers. As you move into preparing for finals, we wanted to take a moment to share some important updates and highlight some enhanced resources that are available for students.
Changes to Important Policies
Because of the extenuating circumstances this semester, there are new grading and course withdrawal options available; we encourage you to read the new policies and speak with your advisor about these options. Your advisor will also be able to explain the possible impact of these new policies on financial aid or your plans for graduate education. Under the new Credit/No Credit grading policy for the Spring 2020 semester, students will have twenty days after receiving their letter grade to switch to a Credit/No Credit grade; you must make the decision by end of day June 25th. This policy will override all Hunter and program-level grading policies currently in effect, including those related to courses within the major, pre-requisite courses, honors courses and maximum number of credits that a student can earn with Credit/No Credit grades. In addition, CUNY has delayed the deadline to withdraw from a class until May 14th; before utilizing this extended deadline, we encourage you to consult with your department or student services advisor to ensure that it will not change your enrollment status or impact your financial aid.
If you have any questions or concerns about these policies, please reach out to Hunter Advising.
Celebrating Our Graduates
While we won’t have the opportunity to gather in-person this spring, we will still be celebrating the incredible accomplishments of our graduates. The entire Hunter community is so proud of the nearly 4,000 of you who have completed your degrees or certificate programs, particularly with such a challenging final semester. We have been working closely with schools and departments to plan virtual celebrations and we hope to “see” many of you there. In addition, spring graduates will receive their diploma, their tassel, and the Commencement program by mail in a few weeks and have been invited to participate in the January Commencement ceremony. For graduating students, we will be getting in touch with you soon with more information. For continuing students, we hope you will join in the celebrations of your classmates from wherever you are. We look forward to celebrating our graduates’ achievements and invite you to share your Hunter graduation celebrations on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using #HunterGrad.
2020 Summer Session: Make This Summer Count
As we all reconsider our plans amid the current crisis, we want to take the opportunity to encourage you to think about continuing your progress towards your Hunter degree this summer and taking at least one summer course. Many of you have already made this decision, and we urge more of you to consider it – there is still time to register for both summer sessions and we are regularly adding more classes and sections. This summer could be a unique opportunity for you to fast-track your education, advance in your major, or take an elective in a subject you always wanted to try. To this end, we have invested heavily in resources, including enhanced advising, financial aid, and dynamic courses, to help you make this a reality. You can access and learn more about these resources on our new Summer School website. You can find dynamic, new and exciting courses in the most diverse menu of summer courses in Hunter’s history, including many Pathways and major course offerings. In addition, we have made significant financial aid available for all students, with over half of all students receiving support, on average 50% of the cost of summer tuition. We encourage you to speak with your advisor and to visit the Summer School website to learn more about the opportunities this summer and how Hunter can support your goals.
Resources for Students
We are continuing to focus on how we can best support all of you, and encourage you to reach out to your faculty and advisors if you need additional assistance. As a reminder, we have laptops available for long-term loan for the summer as well, and we have invested in technology to help boost in-home wireless signals that will be available soon. If you are concerned that you don’t have the technology you need to be successful for finals, please reach out to Dean.of.students@hunter.cuny.edu as soon as possible. We recently launched a mobile distribution program that will bring food from our Food Pantry and technology, including laptops and wifi boosters, directly to neighborhoods where students live; you can learn more about the upcoming neighborhood stops here. We continue to distribute funds through the President’s Coronavirus Emergency Assistance Fund, in addition to the financial aid available for summer school. Many of you may have heard that Hunter also received funding from the federal CARES Act, much of which will be allocated directly to students through a CUNY-developed formula; more information about this program will be available soon. We have continued to invest in our mental health and counseling programs; you can access all services remotely and participate in a new support group for students experiencing personal or academic difficulties related to the current crisis.
Our aim, despite this difficult time, is to ensure that this spring and summer are as effective and enriching for all of you as possible, and we are committed to providing you with the resources you need to be successful. We are incredibly proud of all you have accomplished. We hope you and your family are staying as healthy and safe as possible, and we wish you the best of luck on your finals.
Sincerely,
Jennifer J. Raab
