Academic probation changes

The criteria for academic probation and suspension has been revised and is now stricter.

According to Deb Foss, Associate Dean of Advising and Director of the Center for Student Success and Engagement (CSSE), the first notable adjustment to the criteria is the change in the definition of “good academic standing.” Now, all students need to obtain an overall grade point average of 2.0 or higher in order to be considered in good academic standing.

“There are good reasons to raise the bar for students,” Foss said. “The old criteria was too confusing. Now there is one standard for every student. It will go into effect this December. The new rules will then apply to everyone’s grade point averages.”

The old criteria depended on the amount of credits each student had obtained. Freshmen who had the same GPAs as juniors would have been considered in good academic standing, while the juniors would not. Now the bar is set at 2.0 for all students, no matter what his or her class is.

Kate Heekin, Assistant Director of CSSE said she hopes students will conform to the increase in expectations. Heekin said if students are asked to reach a higher bar, they will strive to do so.

“It makes sense to have this as the standard,” Heekin said. “In order for students to be accepted at MCLA, they need to have grade point averages of 2.0 or better. This shouldn’t change once students are enrolled here.”

The old criteria made it so new students would only be suspended if they ended their first semester with a GPA of 0.0. Now, the new criteria states these students would be on probation instead, as long as their cumulative GPAs are below a 2.0.

“We have to make clear to students where the bar is in terms of what we expect of each student’s academic work,” Foss said. “The new criteria makes it clear that we expect students to have GPAs of at least average work, and we define average as obtaining a C.”

Another new addition to the criteria is the establishment of Academic Warnings, Heekin said. A student with a semester GPA less than a 2.0 but a cumulative GPA of a 2.0 or greater will be issued an Academic Warning. A letter will then be sent to the student and copied to his or her advisor explaining the consequences of poor academic performance.

“There are lots of legitimate reasons why a student’s GPA might dip during one semester,” Heekin said. “Often students don’t know who the right person to talk to is; this warning flags students and advising services to work together for support.”

The student will then meet with his or her advisor to create an Academic Success Plan, which will be submitted to Advising Services for review and appropriate referrals. Foss said the warning is like an alarm for students. This way, both the student and the College can gain control of the student’s academic performance before it falls further.

“Academic excellence is not a 1.9,” Heekin said. “The College wants to address the factors that are standing in the way of students reaching a 2.0 by partnering with these students. We want to come up with a plan for each student to reach success.”

Advising Services has been talking to academic departments to encourage them to review each student’s academic standing during advising to make sure students know they could be in a different category this December, because of the change in criteria.

“This is the transition period,” Foss said. “We want to make sure students understand if they are caught in transition that the College will give consideration to this. The College is mindful that the criteria is now tougher.”

Students who are on academic probation can create an appeal from suspension. However, there are certain conditions that students may need to follow, depending on that student’s success plan.

These new conditions include: a student’s course load cannot exceed more than 15 credits; academic schedules are subject to change to allow repeat courses; students must meet with academic advisors and learning services; students may be required to attend academic workshops; and restrictions may be made for students involved in extracurricular activities.

Todd Foy, senior and SGA president, said he was unaware of these policy changes and hopes the administration is making this known to students, so that they will not be blindsided if they are affected.

“I think that raising our academic standards is honestly a good thing,” Foy said. “I think that a ‘C’ average is very reasonable and attainable. If anything, this might motivate students to seek out extra help from teachers, teachers’ assistants, and other learning services the College offers.”

The Registrar’s office placed all college policies online, according to Foss. Students are able to view the new criteria on the College’s website.

“We hope faculty and students will see this as a positive change,” Foss said. “This change will not even apply to most students. Some students won’t just meet the bar, they will exceed it.”

Students who have questions or need support can contact the Center for Student Success and Engagement via FirstClass.

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