Spring Break
Students limited to four 'Ws'
BRIAN MINK
Issue date: 2/8/08 Section: News
Students will be limited to four course withdrawals during their college careers starting in Fall 2008 as the University attempts to change what one administrator called a "culture of withdrawals."
The change Thursday came after a close vote with strong opposition from student representatives at the University Council meeting.
Student Government Association Sen. Connor McCarthy, a member of the Educational Affairs Committee - the committee proposing the changes- offered an amendment allowing students to withdraw from up to 20 hours of courses.
Changing withdrawal restrictions to hours rather than courses would not penalize students who withdraw from a course and its accompanying lab. It would also better account for one-hour seminars, McCarthy said.
University president Michael Adams said before the vote he favored McCarthy's proposal.
But the council defeated the amendment, as well as a faculty member's proposal calling for 16 hours of withdrawals.
A friendly amendment to the policy was adopted to count a class and its lab as one course.
SGA Sen. Cameron Secord spoke against the policy, saying consequences for financial aid and graduate school already provide incentives for students to limit withdrawals.
Students should bear the responsibility for weighing their options, he said.
Passed by wider margins were policies creating an additional "Add" day during the Drop/Add period and a proposal moving the withdrawal deadline to two weeks past the midterm.
The council passed a policy changing the "W" appearing on students' transcripts for withdrawals to "WP" and "WF," withdrawal while passing and withdrawal while failing, respectively.
An ad hoc committee will be formed to decide how the University will implement the policies approved.
The change Thursday came after a close vote with strong opposition from student representatives at the University Council meeting.
Student Government Association Sen. Connor McCarthy, a member of the Educational Affairs Committee - the committee proposing the changes- offered an amendment allowing students to withdraw from up to 20 hours of courses.
Changing withdrawal restrictions to hours rather than courses would not penalize students who withdraw from a course and its accompanying lab. It would also better account for one-hour seminars, McCarthy said.
University president Michael Adams said before the vote he favored McCarthy's proposal.
But the council defeated the amendment, as well as a faculty member's proposal calling for 16 hours of withdrawals.
A friendly amendment to the policy was adopted to count a class and its lab as one course.
SGA Sen. Cameron Secord spoke against the policy, saying consequences for financial aid and graduate school already provide incentives for students to limit withdrawals.
Students should bear the responsibility for weighing their options, he said.
Passed by wider margins were policies creating an additional "Add" day during the Drop/Add period and a proposal moving the withdrawal deadline to two weeks past the midterm.
The council passed a policy changing the "W" appearing on students' transcripts for withdrawals to "WP" and "WF," withdrawal while passing and withdrawal while failing, respectively.
An ad hoc committee will be formed to decide how the University will implement the policies approved.
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