THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE FACULTY SENATE ________ Senate Document Number 2988S___ ________ Date of Senate Approval 3-17-88_ _________________________ Signature of Senate Chair _________________________ Action of Vice Chancellor: ________________________ ______________ Approval ________________________ Date ______________ ________________________ ______________ Denied ________________________ Date ______________ Reasons for denial and suggested modifications: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Statement of Faculty Senate Action: Version 2 - Please look over carefully APC Approved 2-18-88 DRAFT POLICY ON ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY DRAFT POLICY ON ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY TEXT TEXT Catalog p. 27-8: After the new section on Academic Warning, REPLACE REPLACE entire section on Academic Eligibility with: ACADEMIC SUSPENSION ACADEMIC SUSPENSION Because students with persistent academic difficulties may benefit from taking time off, the University imposes a suspension of one regular semester when a student fails to meet a minimum grade point average on hours attemptd at UNCA. Students must maintain a grade point average at or above the following levels in order to be enrolled at UNCA: Page 2 Hours Toward Graduation Minimum Grade Point Average Hours Toward Graduation Minimum Grade Point Average 30 - 44 1.50 45 - 59 1.66 60 - 74 1.75 75 - 89 1.84 90 - 104 1.90 105 - 119 1.94 120 and above 2.00 After the suspension, a student is eligibile to re-enroll upon notification of the Registrar. No student with less than 30 hours attempted at UNCA will be suspended. A student must have been on Academic Warning for at least one regular semester before suspension. ACADEMIC DISMISSAL ACADEMIC DISMISSAL A student returning after a suspension must raise the grade point average above minimum levels within the next 24 hours attempted. Those who fail to do so, or at a later time fall again below the minimum levels, will be dismissed from the University. APPEALS AND REINSTATEMENT APPEALS AND REINSTATEMENT Appeals for waiver of academic suspension must be submitted in writing to the Office of the Registrar no later than three days before registration. Appeals will be heard by the Faculty Enrollment Services Advisory Committee. If a suspension is Academic waived, the student must meet the requirements under Academic Dismissal Dismissal in order to continue at UNCA. A student who has been dismissed may, after an absence of at least one regular semester, apply for reinstatement. The application must include a written statement explaining any changes in circumstances and behavior that would encourage the University to think the student's performance will improve. Considering this statement and the grade point average, the Enrollment Services Advisory Committee may choose to reinstate students judged to have a good chance to graduate. There is no right to reinstatement. Academic warning, suspension, and dismissal apply to all classifications of students. A student who is eligible to register at UNCA is considered to be in good academic standing. This policy will become effective Fall 1988. Academic warnings will be issued prior to the Fall semester of 1988. Page 3 RATIONALE RATIONALE The new policy on Academic Warning should notify a student that he or she is in academic difficulty before the "point of no return" is passed. The proposed policies on Academic Suspension and Dismissal are intended to get the attention of students who are in severe academic trouble and to (kindly) remove students from campus who have a very low probability of graduating. The sliding GPA scale is based on a Quality Point Deficit scale (A= 2, B = 1, C = 0, D = -1, F = -2 per credit hour). The translation is: HOURS GPA QPD HOURS GPA QPD 30-44 1.50 15-22 45-59 1.66 15-19 60-74 1.75 15-18 75-89 1.84 12-14 90-105 1.90 9-10 105-119 1.94 6-7 120 and above 2.00 0 This scale seems reasonable in light of the data provided by Archer Gravely on current student performance. This policy should not remove from campus any student who has a reasonable chance of graduating. The early warning system may improve the chances of some students graduating because they will have to do something about their performance before it becomes "fatal". For the first two years of implementation (until Fall 1990), the Enrollment Services Advisory Committee will lean toward approving appeals of suspension or dismissal for students who have earned a significant number of credits before Fall 1988 and who would have been allowed to continue under the old Academic Eligibility policy. A letter listing grounds for appeal including the above statement will be sent to each student with the suspension or dismissal notice. In addition, students currently enrolled who have a 2.0 or lower GPA will be sent a letter detailing the new policy and the grounds for appeal. These two actions should provide a sensible transition from the old policy to the new.