Freshman Rule Policy Chair Bob Tracy moved that Council approve the Resolution to Revise Presidential Policy Memorandum No. 69 Freshman Rule Policy. Motion was seconded. Concern was expressed that this is a disadvantage to freshmen. Freshmen not doing well in a class are encouraged to do well on a final exam and this resolution puts freshmen at a disadvantage if they do not do well on the final exam. Students sometimes do not have a test during the first six weeks and do not know how well they are doing.
Freshmen are overwhelmed and it is difficult knowing all policies.
Academic advising cannot always tell students what to do. The Freshman Rule is a last chance solution for students who try and are not doing well, since they can drop the course and it will not hurt them so much. We should require freshmen coming in to meet a higher standard. By the time students are upper class, they should have a better feel for the courses. Others noted that the current Freshman Rule is a disservice to students because of the way it appears on the transcript.