Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Jack Connor had no idea that it would take him two hours to drop his one credit-hour beginner’s basketball course.
First, Connor, Overland Park senior, could not find the graduate student who taught his class on KU people search, and then he couldn’t find her at Robinson for her to sign his drop form. Finally, someone in the Office of the Registrar told him he needed a dean’s stamp from the School of Journalism to drop the class because he was journalism major.
Connor thought the policy had changed, but trusted the Registrar’s Office only to find out his instincts were right.
After following so many steps, Connor thought there had to be an easier way for students to drop classes.
“Everyone here is an adult,” Connor said. “I don’t think you should have to get your teacher’s permission to drop a class.”
In the future students may be able to drop their classes more easily online. Today the Academic Policies and Procedures committee will recommend to the University Senate’s Executive committee that the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, as well as other schools at the University, be able to make their own drop rules.
The committee will also recommend that the University reinstate its use of “W” on transcripts to indicate students withdrew from a class after the first 15 days of the semester in place of the current “WP,” withdraw passing, and “WF,” withdraw failing marks. The University used the “W” system until last school year.
Geraldo de Sousa, chair of AP&P, agreed with Connor that if students are mature enough to sign up for a class, they are mature enough to drop it as well. He also said Connor was not the only student who had to face what Sousa called a “traffic jam” to drop classes.
Sousa said many students who had decided to drop classes tried to do so on the last day, which caused problems for the Office of the Registrar and for students as well, especially if they could not find their instructor, like Connor.
Jim Slocum, Wheaton, Ill., freshman, said he thought obtaining his teacher’s signature was not worth his time because his teacher did not even ask him why he was dropping the class. Slocum said he wished his teacher had asked him why.
“Then I could have explained to him kids are dropping because he’s just not a good teacher,” Slocum said.
Erika Fisher, Eden Prairie, Minn., sophomore, said she had dropped two classes and was satisfied with the University’s procedures.
“If it was a press of a button, that would be great,” Fisher said, “but instant gratification is what we are all about these days, and its not that hard to go the couple extra steps.”
Sousa said the committee would recommend a return to the “W” mark because teachers don’t necessarily evenly enforce “WF.”
He said instructors might interpret the grade in different ways but that “W” was a neutral grade.
He also said the University has had problems with students changing “WFs” to “WPs.” He said only 10 to 15 students a semester had attempted to do this, but that it was academic misconduct. Sousa said one way of solving the problem was to do away with the “WP/WF” system.
“The only thing I don’t like about the policy is the “WP/WF,” if they could just reinstate the “W,” I’ll be happy,” Geraldo said.
Connor said he thought the drop system could be improved with better advising.
He said the University should create ways to help students decide which classes they should drop instead of creating barriers.
SenEx has to approve the AP&P’s recommendations before University Senate passes them. Connor, a student member of SenEx, said he would attend SenEx’s meeting today to give the committee his advice.
SenEx’s meetings are open to students and faculty.
—Edited by Nick Mangiaracina
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