New withdrawal policy allows students grading options

House Editorial

This fall, students who withdraw from a class after the course adjustment period won't necessarily receive an F as the current policy states because the Faculty Senate recently approved a policy that will give professors more grading options.

Under the new policy, professors can give students a WF for withdraw failing or a WP for withdraw passing. Students who withdraw before the course adjustment period will continue to receive a lone W.

While the Student Government Association had qualms with the proposal in its March 2 meeting, stating that the policy is subjective and gives professors too much grading leeway, the new policy will give students who are passing a course a better option. An F on a transcript does not look positive, no matter the case, and a WP would show that a student did not withdraw merely because he or she was failing. The university grading scale can be somewhat ambiguous, but a WP or WF allows for some flexibility when deciding what mark a student will receive.

The Faculty Senate seems to have good intentions with the new policy, and it should be looked upon favorably by the student body. Many people withdraw from classes after the course adjustment period is over even if they are not failing the class, and it isn't fair to penalize them the same way a person who was failing the class would be.

Perhaps a student decided his or her workload was too much and withdrew from an elective course. For example, a student may withdraw because he or she does not feel a course is beneficial enough to continue. Whatever the reason, the new policy will amend student worries about receiving an F.

Of course, those who are failing and withdraw will receive a WF, but they aren't any worse off than before. The new policy is more specific, and thus, more fair, to the majority of students who withdraw after the course adjustment period.