UNC professors threaten to withhold final grades until university reinstates suspended occupiers

Professors at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill are allegedly threatening to withhold reporting of final grades to the registrar’s office in protest of the suspensions of anti-Israel campus occupiers.

A screenshot of one message to students by a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill was posted by North Carolina radio host Nick Craig on Sunday.

BREAKING: A professor at UNC Chapel Hill is apparently going to withhold grades from students if the administration does not unsuspend students who were part of protests last week #ncpol #ncga pic.twitter.com/AdeBA3qca8

— Nick Craig (@nicholasmcraig) May 6, 2024

”As most of you probably know, the University has suspended 15 of your and my fellow students for their participation in a peaceful protest calling for UNC to divest funding for Israel’s military action against civilians in Gaza. In addition, dozens of students were arrested or injured by police and counter protesters. In solidarity with these students, and to pressure the University Administration to reinstate the suspended students, I (along with many other faculty, teaching assistants, fellows, and graders across campus) have decided to withhold my reporting of final grades to the Registrar’s Office,” the professor wrote.

”This decision will have no impact on your GPA. On May 13, if the administration has not reinstated the suspended students, you will see a NR (for Not Reported) on your transcript. An NR does not change your GPA positively or negatively, and can remain on your transcript until the end of the following semester. I would not do anything that puts your wellbeing or academic careers at risk. I will keep a personal record of your grades so that, once the administration meets our demands, the grades you earned will be recorded. I have attached a copy of those demands to this message, in case you’re interested,” the professor added.

According to the News Observer, the university’s Students for Justice in Palestine began circulating a petition calling on faculty to withhold reporting of final grades.

While it’s unclear how many students were suspended, 13 UNC-Chapel Hill students were arrested for trespassing, according to WRAL.

A spokesperson for UNC-Chapel Hill pointed Campus Reform to an email Provost Chris Clemens and Graduate School Dean Beth Mayer-Davis sent to deans and department chairs on Monday.

”We are hearing concerns from students whose instructors have informed them they will withhold grades as part of a protest. These students depend on the timely submission of their grades for graduation, jobs, and athletic eligibility, and it is part of the required duties of all faculty and graduate TAs to submit grades by the registrar deadlines,” the email stated. “We are asking you to please work with your faculty and graduate students to ensure that we follow exemplary practice in our work as educators.  We strongly support the right of faculty and graduate students to express their opinions freely but there are better ways to do this than hurting our students and abrogating our contract with the people of North Carolina who support our university.  We are counting on your leadership in this matter.”

Any instructor who improperly withholds grades might be sanctioned, according to the administrators.