Northwestern U. Professors: Officials Can’t Cancel Finals

Professors at Northwestern University claim that university officials do not have the authority to cancel final exams. Officials announced last week that final exams would be optional for undergraduate students that are “stressed” over the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic.

Breitbart News reported last week that Northwestern University officials had announced that final exams for the spring semester would be optional. University Provost Jonathan Holloway said that the decision was made to help students that are struggling during the viral outbreak.

Now, some professors are fighting back against this decision. Northwestern Statistics Professor Martin Tanner said that his final exam will not be optional because students need to be “strong” during this crisis.

“You are strong,” Tanner wrote in an email to his students. “If God forbid, you get the virus, in all likelihood it will pass in a few days. But when this pandemic is over, you need to be able to look back and say ‘I was strong’. I am not going to make the final optional for your own good.”

Political Science Professor Jacqueline Stevens argued that the administration does not have the authority to cancel final exams. Stevens announced that she plans to move forward with the final paper assignments for her courses.

“Last night the Provost distributed an announcement offering options for your final paper and your letter grade, despite the fact that he lacks any administrative authority to do so,” Stevens wrote in an email. “Only instructors have the authority to create, evaluate, modify, or eliminate the assessments for your final letter grade.”

It is still unclear at this time whether or not professors will be able to ignore guidance from administrators on final exams. A Northwestern University spokesperson said that he encouraged Professor Stevens to “work within the parameters defined by the Provost last night regarding making final examinations and assessments optional.”

Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more updates on this story.