CEPC 99/00 – 9
To: The Faculty
From: CEPC
RE: New Grades
At the February Faculty meeting, CEPC will propose the following modifications to the grade and marking system found on p. 43 of the 1998-2000 Academic Catalog.
Old System:
Final grades are designated as follows:
A (A+) 4.0 grade points
I
I
I
W Withdrawal (medical)
Course credit cannot be earned with a U, N, W, F, or I
Proposed System:
A (A+) 4.0 grade points
I
I
I
WP Withdrawal with a passing grade.
WF Withdrawal with a failing grade.
Course credit cannot be earned with a U, N, I, WF, or F.
In addition, on p.56 of the Academic Catalog for 1998-2000 in the section on Withdrawal from St. Olaf, the following statement is found:
Current Language:
“If a student withdraws after the last day to drop a course, the following entries are made on the transcript depending on the circumstance:
for medical reasons W grade for all courses
for other reasons F grade for all courses
“The W grade does not apply to single or selective courses. It is assigned only in cases where the student has withdrawn from all St. Olaf courses.”
CEPC proposes that the following language be substituted:
“If a student withdraws after the last day to drop a course, the following entries are made on the transcript:
WP for each course where a student was performing at a passing level
WF for each course where a student was performing at a failing level.”
The sentence about W not applying to single or selective courses would be omitted.
RATIONALE:
St. Olaf is unique in its insistence that a W cannot be applied to single or selective courses. At the colleges whose transcripts we have examined, including Colorado College, the University of Minnesota and the University of Iowa system, a variation of a W (either straight W or WP/WF) is used for each course. At St. Olaf, if a student needs to withdraw from a course after the deadline for dropping a course, the only recourse is to apply for a late drop. If the petition is granted, all record of the course is wiped from the student record. Therefore if the student later retakes the course, to all appearances this is the first time they have attempted the course.
With the new system of WP and WF, the course would remain on the record with an indication of the quality of the student’s work up to the date of withdrawal, yet it would not affect the student’s GPA. Also, omission of the requirement of medical reasons for withdrawal would more closely reflect the realities of students’ lives. Often students have legitimate reasons for dropping a course that are not medical in nature. It is really no one’s business why a student drops a class as long as it has been approved by college authorities. At present, the explanation of the transcript (printed on the back of all transcripts) indicates that the W is for medical reasons.
