The Red and Black

Issue date: 1/25/08 Section: News

MOREHEAD

Proposals changing the withdrawal process for students were passed Thursday by University Council's Executive Committee.

The four proposals, including one that would limit students to four withdrawals during their entire college career, will go to the council's full body next month for final approval and could take effect as early as 2009.

"This discussion has gone on for a very long time," Jere Morehead, vice president for instruction, said. "A 'W' is not consistent with having academic success at the University."

Another proposal passed could allow students an additional day to add classes during Drop/Add.

The Executive Committee also agreed to move the withdrawal deadline to two weeks after the midpoint of the semester.

The committee decided to eliminate the "W" mark on student transcripts in favor of the more descriptive "WP" or "WF," signifying withdrawal while passing and withdrawal while failing, respectively.

Each of those three proposals passed unanimously and with little discussion.

Student Government Association President Katy Bowers asked committee members to further consider the policy limiting withdrawals before sending it to the full council.

"I have a concern about students who come in their first semester and don't know what they're getting into," she said. "I think there's some other options to be looked at."

Bowers said the University does not meet advising needs of some freshmen and the proposal should exempt first-semester students.

But, the proposal passed by voice vote with few dissensions.

During the 2006-2007 academic calendar, there were 14,430 W's, according to the proposal. Data on the number of WF's for the same period was not available.

Morehead said he is pleased with the compromises reached by the Educational Affairs Committee, which passed the proposal earlier this month. Those compromises include allowing four withdrawals to be used as the student wishes, rather than two in the first two years and two in the second.

The proposal will apply differently to current students.

Withdrawals before the policy is instituted will not count toward students' total, Morehead said.

Denise Mewborn, chair of University Council's Educational Affairs committee, said hardship withdrawals will be allowed under the policy, but students filing for hardship must withdraw from all courses for that semester, rather than one or two.

Students can file hardship withdrawals in special situations, such as a family tragedy.

The proposal is based on the University of Florida's withdrawal policy, she said, but Florida is revising its policy.

William Vencill, Executive Committee chair, said student withdrawals at the University of Virginia must be approved by a dean.

Mewborn said the average student at the University uses two-and-a-half withdrawals during an academic career, but extreme cases of chronic users need to be curtailed.

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