6 GROUNDCOVER NEWS BACK TO SCHOOL SEPTEMBER 4, 2026 Proposed solution to some U-M students’ mental health crises: no letter grades? WILL SHAKESPEARE Groundcover vendor No. 258 On August 11, 2026, ABC News reported that the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor announced that, starting in the fall of 2027, the university will begin changes in its grading policy for some freshmen, eliminating letter grades for about half of its incoming class. Why? The mental health crisis of students at the freshmen level has made it difficult for some students to succeed, even when they take advantage of university resources. A YouTube video did a re-broadcast of the ABC News presentation. It carried the headline, “University of Michigan announces grading change amid ‘mental health crisis.’” YouTube’s introductory statements include the following: “Thousands of freshmen students at the University of Michigan will not see letter grades in their report card next fall.” The Wall Street Journal did a detailed story about Michigan's new grade policy. NPR and a host of major news media have covered the new policy, social media like Facebook and Reddit have discussed the proposed policy in depth, and have solicited comments from users of the platforms. There have been staggering numbers of comments already. Thousands more are coming in this ongoing story. The statement on the YouTube platform continued, “The school recently announced it is starting a ‘grade converting’ pilot program in 2027 for all incoming first year students in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts [LSA] for their first semester, where students will only receive Pass (P) or No Credit (NC) grades instead of A through F letter grades.” On August 13, FOX News Channel 2 arrived at the Ann Arbor campus to broadcast the news and interview some of the students. FOX 2 reporter Lauren Edwards showed a glimpse of some student reactions, which primarily indicated that many don’t understand why it’s happening. Some of our customers may ask, “Why did this Groundcover News article include many nationwide media beyond the confines of the state of Michigan?” This writer believes that the University of Michigan story is a nationwide news headline because young people’s mental health and what schools are doing about providing solutions are paramount societal concerns. Furthermore, the University of Michigan is one of the pre-eminent universities in the world. It was ranked among the top college campuses globally. U.S. News and World Report has consistently ranked U-M as one of the top three public universities in America. It is ranked among the top 25 national universities for undergraduate study. Time Magazine has consistently ranked U-M as one of the top 15 universities in the world, mentioned alongside prestigious universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, MIT, Harvard, Stanford, U-C Berkeley, Princeton, Yale and UCLA. Michigan Daily information digest The Michigan Daily newspaper of August 19, 2026, carried a headline which stated, “LSA announces pilot program making first-semester grades pass/fail, beginning 2027.” This newspaper’s communication with the College of LSA administration has shed light on the key reasons for the new pass/no pass grade policy. The newspaper said that LSA wrote that “the change was implemented in order to help incoming students better acclimate to the academic demands of campus. The program will be automatically adopted for every first-year student.” Specifically, it is the goal of LSA to help students succeed, survive and thrive in their new environment. The acclimation strategy will “allow students to guide personally meaningful academic journeys — core elements of a liberal arts and science education.” The statement continued, “For example, they can explore a subject that may not come easily to them or take a course in a new field without the fear that a low grade may have long-term consequences.” The University of Michigan expects about 8000 freshmen in the Fall of 2027. Approximately half of them will be enrolled in the College of LSA and therefore involved in the pass/no pass grade policy. It is also important to consider this observation from the Michigan Daily: “While LSA students will still receive grades and instructor feedback in every course as they always have, final grades will not be recorded on their external transcripts and will not be reflected on their GPAs … LSA students’ official transcripts will state that all grades in the first semester are automatically designated as P/NP.” For those people receiving scholarships their letter grades will be available to them and their scholarship providers as part of the internal record, but only internally. The Michigan Daily article provided a better understanding of the proposed new grade policy for the 2027 U-M incoming freshman class. The clarity of the article is a valuable addition to the headline news that had spread like wildfire. Unlike previous headlines from broadcast, print and social media reports, the Michigan Daily coverage by Caleb Obico on August 19 was highly factual and not sensational. During the composition of this story, we wanted to learn more about the magnitude of college students' mental health crisis as documented by higher education organizations such as the National Educational Association (NEA). NEAToday Magazine, in a report titled, “The Mental Health Crisis on College Campuses,” reported that “Rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation on college campuses have never been higher. Meanwhile, faculty and staff are overwhelmed.” The NEA report continued: “In 2019 — and this was before Covid-19 — 90 percent of counseling center directors reported an increase in students seeking services.” The report also noted that the demand for counseling and psychological services “has led to burnout among counselors, and turnover is rapidly increasing …” This information is based on the annual survey of counseling center directors. There is also the observation that while the campus administration may say that counseling help is available, many students tell NEA researchers that they couldn’t get in for appointments. At the University of Michigan, there are resources to support students' and educators' mental health. The resource center is called Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). The Dean of Students Office has the following resources: 1) information on student support and students’ mental health programs; 2) faculty and staff roles in students’ mental health crisis; and 3) information for parents and families about their adult children receiving help and the many forms of University assistance. Let us not forget the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on K-12 schools and college campuses. Many schools were closed and students and their teachers were engaged in online digital education. There were plenty of setbacks for millions of students. The pandemic officially ended about three years ago. However, the impacts on some students' academic preparation and college readiness are obvious, especially in poorer urban school districts across the nation. Also, let us keep in mind that today’s youth in middle and high schools are overstressed. The demands on their time to excel in the classrooms, sports and extracurricular activities are excessive. Both K-12 students and college freshmen can be at their best when they experience a reasonable balance between rigorous academic study and leisure time. Finally, the University of Michigan has indicated that one of the key reasons for this new Pass/No Pass grade policy at the Ann Arbor campus for the 2027 freshman class is to help students acclimate to their new learning environment. It is a competitive environment. Sometimes, it may not be a welcoming environment. For some students, it may not be a friendly nor supportive environment. It is important to understand that students recruited to the campus come from high schools in different communities, including urban, suburban and rural environments. The public and private school systems are not always see PASS FAIL page 12 Incoming Dean of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts Rosario Ceballo (left) started on August 15, 2026. Ceballo will be implementing the pass/fail grading policy enacted under outgoing Dean Anne Curzan (right).
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