As the student encampment protest reached its sixth day, USC put “an enhanced accommodations protocol” into place Tuesday for final exams beginning Wednesday, similar to what was done during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A note to faculty offering guidance suggested teachers can use discretion about the location and process for final exams if they are worried about disruption.
The message from Andrew Stott, vice provost for academic programs, stated students had a few ways to get academic accommodations: By directly contacting their class instructors for specific support; connecting with academic advisors via Advise USC; and for graduate or professional students, reaching out to their program director or school-based student affairs staff.
Students are also encouraged to access resources via USC Student Health and Campus Support and Intervention for help handling difficult situations.
In an email to faculty, the academic programs office also said that they did not have a reason to believe that final exams would be disrupted, and if exams were disrupted, professors would have the “discretion to determine whether [the exam] has to be relocated or abandoned” or moved online entirely.
“You may also use your discretion to make alternative arrangements for assessing final grades, such as calculating the final grade based on work submitted to date,” the email said. “Please note that if you choose this option, you should provide an opportunity for students who were hoping to raise their grade via the final to submit additional graded work.”