On Wednesday evening, Dean Leslie Grinage sent an email to the Barnard community that announced fully remote final exams for students.
The email comes a day after the NYPD sweep of Hamilton Hall and the ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampment’ at Columbia University, where 109 individuals were arrested. As of 6 p.m on May 1st, there is no public information regarding the number of Barnard students arrested late Tuesday night.
“I know the events of yesterday evening and the past couple of weeks — here at Barnard, at Columbia, and on other campuses around the country — have been very difficult for many in our community,” Dean Grinage says. “This is not how we wanted or expected our semester to come to a close.”
Dean Grinage also says that all final exams originally planned for Friday, May 3rd, will be rescheduled to Friday, May 10th. Dean Grinage says that “faculty may also, at their discretion, make adjustments to their syllabi and/or plans for assessments.” Students should receive communications from their professors in the coming days regarding final assessments and assignments.
Dean Grinage’s email comes shortly after Columbia University’s Provost Angela V. Olinto announced all General Studies, Columbia College, and SEAS courses must also administer finals fully remote.
As finals approach, President Laura Rosenbury announced Barnard’s campus will be limited only to Barnard ID holders, with no updates as to when campus will reopen to the public. In addition, Dean Grinage and Provost Linda A. Bell announced Barnard’s library, The Milstein Center, has closed at 7 p.m. the past two nights.
To accommodate students, all deadlines for final assignments that would have fallen this week (Monday April 29th – Sunday May 5th) are required to be extended to at least Monday, May 6th. Professors can extend deadlines further at their own discretion.
Dean Grinage notes that policy regarding Pass/D/Fail will remain the same as stated in her communication to students on Monday, April 29th titled “Further Pass/D/Fail Exceptions for Spring 2024.”
“Our focus is on supporting you to complete the semester successfully,” Grinage says.