UC Berkeley will still hold final exams — albeit modified — and will not default to P/NP grading amid the ongoing UAW academic workers strike.

Accommodations for DSP students will also be available for modified exams, according to a campuswide email sent Monday evening. The deadline to submit grades is extended from Dec. 21 to Dec. 31 to ensure faculty have enough time and students receive letter grades for graduation, financial aid or graduate school programs. Additionally, the Student Learning Center will remain open for the rest of the fall semester.

“The university is focused on supporting you and your academic progress, and we are continuing to pursue potential solutions,” the email reads.

The campuswide email echoes a previous message from the Academic Senate on Nov. 23 that was sent to senate members, senate and nonsenate faculty, GSIs, instructors, department chairs and deans. 

The senate advised faculty to still administer final exams, but suggested including students in decisions about assessments and grading. Additionally, the email recommended that faculty leave grades blank rather than assigning an incomplete if they cannot calculate and enter final grades by the Dec. 31 deadline.

While the senate acknowledged the hardship on students, the email said P/NP would not be instituted because “the strain on students does not reach the level imposed during the first months of the pandemic.”

“The current situation highlights the contributions of GSIs and their essential role in fulfilling Berkeley’s academic mission,” the Academic Senate email reads. “While we have attempted in what follows to outline some approaches that should enable an easier end-of-semester for faculty, we recognize that there are no truly satisfactory solutions to the withholding of GSI labor.”