New class retake policy to be in affect Fall 2009
Kit Alvear
Issue date: 1/19/09 Section: News
Beginning Fall 2009, a new policy will be enforced concerning students who want to retake a class at Benedictine University. Students will no longer be allowed to retake a class in which they receive a C or higher, or which they have already taken twice due to the decision to put guidelines in place.
A group of faculty members have met and discussed the problem of students retaking classes numerous times, thus not allowing others to take classes needed for their major.
"There was a continuing problem, especially in the sciences, with students taking classes over and over again strictly to raise their GPAs, and denying space to other students who needed the class," said Peter Seely, communications professor and department chair, who was involved in the process.
"I was involved in the discussions and deliberations just like all the other department chairs and program directors. Once it was approved by them, as chair of the Faculty Assembly, I brought it before that body, where it was approved by the faculty who were there to vote on it," said Seely.
This policy will affect all incoming undergraduate students in the fall, according to Registrar David Striker. "This will not affect the graduate population," Striker said.
Although the policy has been decided among the faculty, students felt their voices should have been heard.
"I know a lot of people who have gotten Cs and want to retake a class to boost their GPA, especially if they just barely got a C and want to raise it to make it look better for graduate or medical school," said junior and psychology major Gabriela Mendez.
Students who have in the past been able to retake a class numerous times may not have a disadvantage.
"I believe there was a need for this policy, since there has been an increase in students retaking classes in which they had earned passing grades," said Ralph Meeker, dean of the college of science.
"Since only the last recorded grade for a class is used to calculate the GPA, some students have been retaking classes in which they earned grades of B or C in order to raise their GPAs, perhaps thinking this will work in their favor when applying for graduate and professional schools. In practice, the transcript shows all attempts of classes, so it actually works to the students disadvantage to have an excessive number of repetitions of a class that the student passed on an earlier attempt," he commented.
A group of faculty members have met and discussed the problem of students retaking classes numerous times, thus not allowing others to take classes needed for their major.
"There was a continuing problem, especially in the sciences, with students taking classes over and over again strictly to raise their GPAs, and denying space to other students who needed the class," said Peter Seely, communications professor and department chair, who was involved in the process.
"I was involved in the discussions and deliberations just like all the other department chairs and program directors. Once it was approved by them, as chair of the Faculty Assembly, I brought it before that body, where it was approved by the faculty who were there to vote on it," said Seely.
This policy will affect all incoming undergraduate students in the fall, according to Registrar David Striker. "This will not affect the graduate population," Striker said.
Although the policy has been decided among the faculty, students felt their voices should have been heard.
"I know a lot of people who have gotten Cs and want to retake a class to boost their GPA, especially if they just barely got a C and want to raise it to make it look better for graduate or medical school," said junior and psychology major Gabriela Mendez.
Students who have in the past been able to retake a class numerous times may not have a disadvantage.
"I believe there was a need for this policy, since there has been an increase in students retaking classes in which they had earned passing grades," said Ralph Meeker, dean of the college of science.
"Since only the last recorded grade for a class is used to calculate the GPA, some students have been retaking classes in which they earned grades of B or C in order to raise their GPAs, perhaps thinking this will work in their favor when applying for graduate and professional schools. In practice, the transcript shows all attempts of classes, so it actually works to the students disadvantage to have an excessive number of repetitions of a class that the student passed on an earlier attempt," he commented.
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