The University’s strict withdrawal policy dictates exactly when students are allowed to exercise their choices to leave classes without any effect on their GPAs. But with a new endorsement from the Faculty Senate, a Student Government proposal to change that policy is one step closer to becoming a reality.Meghan Hanna, chairwoman of the SG Athletics, Academics and Administration Committee, presented the resolution to the Faculty Senate at its April 13 meeting. After discussing the proposal, the Faculty Senate decided to formally endorse the new policy, which would make the distribution of W’s more flexible.Currently, University students are allowed three W’s during their first 29 credit hours. After that, they are allowed one W for approximately every 30 hours. SG’s proposal is a “3-2-1 tier system,” allowing three W’s over the freshman and sophomore years, two over junior and senior years and one for the remaining time it takes a student to graduate.According to the policy proposal, withdrawal appeals increase in older students. In spring 2008, freshmen accounted for 13 appeals while seniors appealed 63 times.The number of allotted W’s remains the same. The question is when students are allowed to use them.Hanna said she hopes this will be the year a new policy is implemented.”If you look back through past SG campaigns, it seems that every year people seek more W’s,” Hanna said. “Every year research is done, but it is pushed aside.” With the Faculty Senate’s endorsement, the resolution will now go to the vice provost and, upon further approval, to the provost. If approved by Academic Affairs, University Registrar Robert Doolos said the changes would probably be implemented in fall 2010. Before the proposal is instated, it must be put into the 2010-11 catalog, which publishes next spring.The current W policy was implemented in 2006 because students abused the course withdrawal privilege.”[Numerous W’s] can look very bad on a student’s record,” Doolos said. “If they are applying for professional school or a job, people may ask, ‘What kind of commitment does this student have to their work?'”Another problem with W’s, according to Doolos, is students may wait until the last minute to decide to drop a class, preventing other students from scheduling it.Doolos said the proposal, if passed, would be a positive change.”It gives students more flexibility without allowing an additional number of W’s,” Doolos said.The flexibility would be welcomed by students who feel the current policy is too rigid and does not properly distribute W’s over an academic career. Morgan Gagliano, political science junior, said the high concentration of W’s for freshmen is not the best procedure.”Freshmen are doing electives and feeling things out, while [the current policy] leaves things inflexible for upperclassmen,” Gagliano said.——Contact Ryan Buxton at [email protected]