@JBStillFlying it is a Core class, and I believe the drop date was 4/24 (not certain)
Drop is usually end of third week so that date would make sense. Someone getting a 90% is best off taking the quality grade 
Exactly! So what’s the point in having the option/potential to drop? It makes no sense to me, and seems a little insensitive.
@momo2x2018 not sure about this particular class or prof but it sounds like he/she doesn’t like the pass/fail option. Either that or the median is 95%!
I thought the P/F could be figured out in week 9. If it’s a Core class, why would anyone drop? That could be a very problematic action if the course is part of a sequence, for instance.
UChicago is doing things a bit differently than most other schools. The P/F option is clearly designed for those who have “compelling reasons” to make such a request (per the letter). The request for the Core course has to be made to the Office of the Dean of Students, not the prof. Now, I’m guessing that Jay Ellison will be very understanding; however, we can be confident that at least some students would want to use P/F opportunistically in order to slide by on reduced effort - especially in courses that they feel they “have” to take. It’s naive to think otherwise. There are parents on other threads actively discussing the opportunity for their kids to do P/F in order to maximize their GPA for med school! Hardship vs. Med-school: That is the full spectrum of P/F cases this quarter. Such is the way of the world. Anyway, that’s very likely why UChicago put such a high bar on the P/F request for Core and leaves it up to the Dean of Students to figure out. If it’s truly a “compelling” case, no student will fail to submit. If it’s not, then hopefully no student is lacking in common sense.
It’s possible that the prof wants to save some students the pain of being turned down or simply wants the class to have the same motivation that they’ve always had. Grades are highly correlated with grasping the content and making salient points during discussion, etc.
This was from a week ago. I just came across this today.
https://news.wttw.com/2020/05/06/covid-19-across-chicago-hyde-park
https://provost.uchicago.edu/announcements/update-campus-wide-planning
Get the masks ready for your kids 
I’m sure that everyone on campus will comply with the rules to wear masks this fall. But just an FYI: I’m in Chi-Town at the moment and there are more people wearing masks in my suburb back home (where it is NOT required) than there are wearing masks on the south side. At least that’s what I observed today
YES, we are going to Phase 4 tomorrow.
Hopefully, with Illinois citizens keeping masks on and social distancing, we can have some degree of normalcy back for fall term. At this stage I am satisfied with a hybrid model of in person classes and remote learning.
From a friend: UChicago Law will start one week early, on 9/21, and will run through T-Giving. Last day of first quarter not known (perhaps the entire week will be off? Not sure). First Q exams will be remote.
If the College follows the same idea, that would mean starting on 9/21 and leaving the dorms by the weekend prior to T-Giving; taking-off all T-Giving week (two of those days would be “Reading Period”) and holding finals remotely the following week. That would give everyone a four-week winter break, assuming the normal start date of 1/4 for Winter.
@JBStillFlying I think that is a sensible plan. I am seeing more and more universities in Midwest adopting this “starting school term early and ending in person classes by Thanksgiving” model. U of Michigan and U of Notre Dame have adopted similar schedule. No school Administration would want the students to risk the normal Thanksgiving back and forth travel before there is a COVID-19 vaccine.