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3278 DOCUMENTS OF THE GENERAL FACULTY EDUCATIONAL POLICY COMMITTEE PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE IN THE POLICY FOR DROPPING A COURSE On behalf of the Educational Policy Committee, Professor Paul Woodruff (philosophy) submitted the following proposal for change in the policy for dropping a course. The secretary has classified this as general legislation. It will be presented to the Faculty Council for action at its meeting on May 10, 2004. <signed> Sue Alexander Greninger, Secretary The Faculty Council Posted on the Faculty Council Web site on May 3, 2004. Paper copies are available on request from the Office of the General Faculty, FAC 22, F9500. 3279 EDUCATIONAL POLICY COMMITTEE PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE IN THE POLICY FOR DROPPING A COURSE On pages 78-79, in The University of Texas at Austin General Information, 2003-2004, in chapter 4, ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, in the section ADDING AND DROPPING COURSES, make the following changes: DROPPING COURSES: RULES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS Subject to the conditions below, an undergraduate may drop a course through the midsemester deadline in a long-session semester or the last class day in a summer term; the midsemester deadline is given in the academic calendar, patges vii-xi. The student must remain in conformity with the quantity of work rule given on pages 66-67and must obtain all required approvals. International students must obtain written permission from the International Office, in addition to other required approvals, to drop a course. On the recommendation of the instructor, and with the approval of the student's academic dean, a student may be required to drop a course at any time because of neglect or for lack of preparation. Dropping a course through the twelfth class day. The following rules apply from the first class day through the twelfth class day of a long-session semester and from the first class day through the fourth class day of a summer term: To drop a course during this period, the student must have the approval of the chair of the department offering the course. In some colleges and schools, the student must also have the approval of his or her adviser and dean; each student must consult the regulations of his or her college or school. If the student is allowed to drop the course, the course is deleted from his or her academic record and applicable fees are refunded. Normally, the approval of the chair of the department during this period is routine, and the student may initiate the drop through the registration system. However, in some circumstances a department may disapprove requests to drop certain courses. If a drop request is not accepted by the registration system, the student should consult the department that offers the course for more information. [Dropping a course through the fourth week of classes. The following rules apply from the thirteenth class day through the twentieth class day of a long-session semester and from the fifth class day through the tenth class day of a summer term:] Dropping a course after the twelfth day of classes. The following rules apply from the thirteenth class day through the midsemester deadline in a long-session semester and from the fifth class day through the last class day of a summer term: To drop a course during this period, the student must have the approval of his or her dean. In some colleges and schools, the approval of the student's adviser is also required; each student must consult the regulations of his or her college or school. If the student is allowed to drop the course, the symbol Q appears on his or her academic record to indicate a drop without academic penalty. No refund is given. [Dropping a course after the fourth week of classes. The following rules apply from the twenty-first class day through the midsemester deadline in a long-session semester and from the eleventh class day through the last class day of a summer term: To drop a course during this period, the student must have the approval of the instructor, the student's adviser, and the student's dean. If the instructor approves the drop, he or she will assign the symbol Q or a grade of F. The symbol Q indicates that the student has a grade of at least C in the course, that no final grade has yet been assigned, or that no academic penalty is in order because of the student's performance and the nature of the 3280 course. In compelling circumstances, the student's dean may assign the symbol Q for nonacademic reasons.] Dropping a course after midsemester. After the midsemester deadline for dropping courses in a long-session semester, an undergraduate may not drop a course except with the approval of his or her dean, and then only for urgent and substantiated, nonacademic reasons. Rationale: This simplifies the procedure for students and advisers, and it brings our policy in line with common practice. Few professors seriously review drop requests. This proposal originated with the deans of the colleges. The committee accepted it, after a long discussion in which it promised to undertake a further revision of drop policy in line with the recommendations of the Task Force of Enrollment Controls. In particular, the committee will consider bringing to the Council proposals (a) to put a ceiling on Q drops per student, (b) to limit repeat enrollments in a course, and to charge a fee for drops beyond the fixed ceiling. This discussion is the penumbra of the above proposal.