The proposal to raise the requirement needed to earn a passing grade in a course taken pass/fail, which the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee recently considered, was rejected, according to a UCC representative.The UCC discussed a few options, including raising the minimum passing grade for a course taken pass/fail to a C-, to encourage students taking pass/fail classes to take them more seriously. While under the proposal the school would have awarded credit to students receiving a D, their transcripts would have shown their actual grade instead of "pass."

Students are currently allowed to take up to four classes pass/fail, but not more than one per semester. If a student is happy with the grade received in a pass/fail course, that grade can be left uncovered.

Ariel Strauss '07, the Student Union's senior UCC representative, said the UCC decided to continue with the current system in which students only need to receive at least a D- to receive a passing grade. Any grade left covered is not factored into a student's grade point average.

"The proposal did not pass due to concern that the more demanding standard, though philosophically sensible, could discourage many grade-conscious students from course exploration," Strauss said. "Given the marginal impact, positively or negatively, we decided not to take that risk."

Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Chair Prof. David Wright echoed that sentiment when he told the Justice last month that uncovering the "D" would unnecessarily penalize students who just want to explore a new subject "outside their frame of comfortability."

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs and First Year Services Michele Rosenthal, who supported the decision, said that so few students are covering up poor grades that there was not enough reason to change the policy.

In an e-mail to the Justice, Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences for Undergraduate Education Elaine Wong wrote that the UCC voted down the changes "mostly because enough members of the committee were in agreement that changes were not necessary at this time.