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From: jrc@ritcv.UUCP (James R. Carbin)
Newsgroups: net.college
Subject: Re: Topics for Discussion
Message-ID: <9075@ritcv.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 26-Nov-85 19:16:36 EST
Article-I.D.: ritcv.9075
Posted: Tue Nov 26 19:16:36 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 29-Nov-85 00:27:59 EST
References: <1054@gitpyr.UUCP> <43@mit-amt.MIT.EDU>
Reply-To: jrc@ritcv.UUCP (James R. Carbin)
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
Lines: 39

In article <43@mit-amt.MIT.EDU> gerber@mit-amt.MIT.EDU (Andrew S. Gerber) writes
>Today is Drop Date at MIT.  There are less than three weeks to the
>last day of class.  Dropping a class at this point is the same as
>droping (sic) a class at any other point in the term -- it doesn't show up
>on your record.  It is the same for any department.
>
Evidently Massachusett Higher Education Policy differs from that of New York
State.  In N.Y.S. the length of time for a student to drop a course is limited 
without any record appearing on a student's transcript.  At most schools, this
is known as a "drop" and is generally restricted to a week or two.  After
that time, a student is allowed to "withdraw" from of a course depending upon
the policies of the particular school, BUT an entry is made on the student's
transcript.  This is both logical and fair.  Logical since not recording
the withdrawal from the course after several weeks is akin to "changing
history."  From a student's transcript, it can not be determined just
what courses the student took during that quarter.  An extreme case:
A student could withdraw from all courses and it would appear that they were
never even at school.  It is fair to the other students who successfully
complete the course.

I don't know of any recent instances, but 20 or so years ago, professors
were called into court to testify whether or not a particular student
was in class on a particular day.  (These were often paternity suits.)

N.Y.S. Higher Education Regulations may have been changed in recent
years, and if so, I apologize for broadcasting misinformation.  
I should add that for whatever rationale, N.Y.S. Higher Education 
Regulations appear to be violated from time to time by various
institutions without any apparent repercussions.

I would also add that I strongly feel that students should not be allowed
to withdraw from a course after a few weeks without any record made of it.
A student's transcript is not only a record of achievements, but also
an historical document which records the student's association at a
particular institution of higher education.

j.r.       (allegra,seismo}!rochester!ritcv!jrc

"We're number two, so we try harder!"