The end of the semester will mark a policy change that change the way the campus deals with undergraduate students who have less than stellar grades.
Effective Spring 2009, ‘any student who falls below a 1.0 cumulative GPA at the conclusion of a semester will be disqualified immediately without first being placed on probation,’ according to the Probation and Disqualification Policy for Undergraduate Students at CSU Northridge.
This policy won’t affect first time freshman, who are exempted and will the opportunity to redeem themselves the following semester.
‘It has almost no impact on enrollment and only about a handful of students will be affected,’ said Cynthia Rawitch, associate vice president of Undergraduate Studies. Although it may seem a little drastic, it’s more of a wake-up call for the students, she added.
‘I think the policy is definitely a good thing for CSUN,’said Kenneth Dacher, 18, a freshman business administration major. ‘It should be easier to weed out the people that are bringing the school down.’
Another change that will be effective in Spring 2009 is that students who are disqualified for the first time will no longer will be allowed to enroll at CSUN for one additional ‘grace or renewal’ semester,’ according to the Probation and Disqualification Policy for Undergraduate Students at CSUN.’
Therefore, if a student is disqualified then he/she can’t enroll the following semester. Instead, the student must complete course work at a community college and raise her/his GPA before returning to CSUN. Students who take Summer Bridge and have a contract with Equal Opportunity Program (EOP) will be exempt.
This works out better for students because after their first disqualification, students can go to a community college and receive the help they need before receiving anymore, said Rawitch.
The policy states that Undergraduate students are allowed a maximum of three disqualifications before they are denied readmission for at least five years.
Disqualifications are based on the amount of units a student has earned (this includes
‘ developmental courses). The policy states that ‘if a student is on probation and either the CSUN or cumulative GPA falls below the listed minimums in any semester the student will be disqualified.’
The reason a student must maintain the minimum for units earned is because in order to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree from CSUN, a minimum of a 2.0 cumulative is necessary. If a student is a junior and doesn’t have a minimum of a 1.85 GPA, then they’re in danger of not being able to receive their degree if they’re unable to raise their GPA.
‘You should not be here if you have less than a 1. 0’, said Taylor O’Marah, 18, a freshman graphic design major. ‘It is a waste of time and money is you are here and you are not doing’ your work.’
Students who are currently on probation have been informed by the university that the policy has changed. If students are not able to raise their GPA, then they are at risks of being disqualified at the end of the semester. E-mails have been sent to the Web portal and advisors are reminding students about the policy change during advisement.
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