Princeton permits professors to give 24-hour Dean’s Date extensions

On Thursday, Dec. 8, students received an email from their residential college dean which included an announcement of a new pilot policy that allows professors to give 24-hour extensions on Dean’s Date assignments.

The announcement marks a change from existing University policy that required students to first reach out to their dean before requesting extensions on academic work due on Dean’s Date. With the new policy in place, students could directly contact the instructor of a course for a 24-hour extension.

An email from the Dean of Butler College, Rashidah N. Andrews, emphasized that any extensions longer than 24 hours will still need approval from a dean, and also noted that “faculty may impose a grade penalty for lateness when grading extensions.”

In a similar email, Maria A. Medvedeva, the Assistant Dean for Studies for Rockefeller College, reminded students that “Dean’s Date is the [U]niversity deadline for the submission of all written work (except for take-home exams); it is a firm deadline.”

The pilot arrives amid ongoing campus discussion pertaining to student mental health and academic rigor.

University President Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83 shared his stance on this relationship in an interview with The Daily Princetonian earlier this semester, in which he said that “high-aspiration environments, and that includes academically rigorous environments, are fully consistent with and helpful to mental health.”

During a shorter-than-usual Reading Period this academic term, the change to the extension policy announced on Thursday marks a loosening of University restrictions related to academics.

Allison Peart ’24, a student in the Department of Anthropology, said she appreciated that the policy enhanced the scope of flexibility for both students and professors.

“I think it’s nice that they’re trying to make things easier for students and professors because I think there’s often cases where students might not need to talk to the dean,” she said.

Amy Ciceu is a senior writer who often covers research and COVID-19-related developments.

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