SGB committee to propose extended drop deadline

If Pitt Student Government Board’s latest proposal succeeds, students could get more time to finalize their class schedules each semester.

Naomi Stoll, SGB Academic Affairs Committee chair, announced at SGB’s public meeting Tuesday that her committee was finalizing a proposal to extend the time students can drop a class without penalty from two weeks to four weeks.

Stoll, a senior economics and psychology major, said she and her committee have been working on the proposal for several months but haven’t submitted the proposal to Student Affairs yet. The committee does not know when it will submit the proposal, Stoll said, as the committee continues to make changes to the document.

Stoll said she has met with Kenyon Bonner, interim vice provost and dean of students, and John Twyning, associate dean for undergraduate studies, several times since the start of last semester to discuss the proposal.

Though still in its early stages, Stoll said Tuesday both deans expressed interest in the committee’s idea. Because her committee has not submitted a final proposal, Stoll said committee members are not sure of the level of overall support from the administration.

Other universities, such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, already have lengthy drop periods. According to UNC’s registrar’s website, students can drop a class eight weeks into a semester without a “withdrawn” mark on their transcripts.

Stoll said the proposal would not affect discussion-based classes because it does not seek to amend any attendance policies.

“If you are enrolled in the class, then you are expected to abide by the attendance requirements,” Stoll said. “This proposal only aims to extend the drop period, not amend any course attendance requirements.”

With SGB’s proposal, the drop deadline could come roughly a month after the semester begins.

Stoll said she and her committee originally wanted to extend both the add and drop period, but felt extending the add period would not be feasible because students could potentially miss nearly a full month of a class.

“We want to do it because it will make it easier on both students and professors,” Stoll said. ”We looked into extending the add period, but it’s not as feasible because [students] might not have opportunity to catch up.”

Currently, when students drop classes after the drop deadline, they receive a “withdrawn” mark on their transcripts. According to Stoll, the Academic Affairs Committee has taken on the initiative to advocate for students who need more time to withdraw from classes.

“We’re looking into extending the drop period because we see students that withdraw from classes often after two weeks,” Stoll said. “Often during the first few weeks of classes you don’t get the whole story.”

Stoll said she is unsure when the administration will review the proposal.

“Once we send in the proposal, we will have better idea of who is on board,” Stoll said. “We still need to talk to more administration, but we have some great administration that are super helpful.”

In other news, SGB President Nasreen Harun said she has spent the week helping newly elected Board member Robert Tessier learn the nuances of the position at SGB.

SGB elected Tessier to fill its ninth board seat at its public meeting last week. Harun said she worked with Tessier in one-on-one training and discussed current SGB policies and potential initiatives.

Allocations

The Pitt Student Slovak Club requested $1,950 for its annual Slovak festival. The Board approved the request in full.

The Pittsburgh Club Baseball team requested $1,579.84. The Board approved the request in full.

Some of God’s Children Gospel Choir requested $2,250 for a concert. The Board approved the request in full.

Hindu Students Council requested $1,839. The Board approved $1,675 and denied $164.