U.Va. to give option of course credit instead of letter grade

By The Associated Press
October 13, 2020 | 8:45 AM

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The University of Virginia is giving students the option of receiving course credit without a letter grade.

The Daily Progress reported Monday that the move is being made in the wake of students suffering stress, anxiety and internet connectivity troubles in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students will be allowed to choose a grading system that includes received a credit or no credit rather than the usual letter grading system.

Classes taken under the credit system will have no impact on a student’s grade point average.

The move follows student efforts to make the change.

Those efforts included online petitions as well as lobbying and a resolution by the university’s Student Council.

Breaking the silence around suicide: A Virginia mother shares thoughts on prevention

By Kate Ryan
September 1, 2026 | 4:22 AM

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and Betsy Stephenson, an Alexandria, Virginia, resident and a mother who lost her son to suicide, wants people to talk about it. "By not talking about suicide, we are not going to make it go away. In fact, I think that we could inadvertently give it a little more power than it deserves," she told WTOP. One of the things that Stephenson wants families to know is that people who are struggling can appear to be doing well. "You can be very high-functioning as a depressed person or an anxious person," she said. "You can be connected socially. You can be doing well at school or work. You can be making plans, smiling, laughing, engaged, but still be struggling deeply, you know, cosmically, inside."

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