Urgent Grade Change

One of the students that worked with me this summer turned in paperwork late and received an “I” for her work. She got the final stuff finished and emailed it to me about a day after I turned in the “I.” No big deal. This student worked hard, and I don’t have a problem changing the “I” to a good grade. The problem is that is something I have to do in person, on campus--it’s not an online change. But I’m trying to avoid campus right now, partly because of gas prices (the reduced demand that’s in the news—thank me) and partly because commuting time eats into the time I can use to get stuff done (and this is the final week of freedom from meetings). Again, no big deal. I’ve talked with the person that’s in charge of grade changes in my division, and I can fill out the paperwork next week when I have to be on campus for meetings. But it’s not that simple, at least not for the student. She gets an angry email from financial aid saying that her name will be stricken from the “approved” list because of the incomplete summer work. I think that we’ve figured out that as long as I complete the grade change by the first day of school, the financial aid office won't smite her and nothing else bad will happen. I have competing emotions from all of this. Having student-loaned my way through many years of college, I understand what the threat of losing that financial aid means to a student. At the same time, the paperwork was late. I sent four emails before her grade was due explaining the urgency of the situation. So I struggle with sympathy and indifference. Fortunately, all’s well that ends well. I will complete the grade change next week, two weeks before classes begin.