Academic Standards Committee
Minutes
November 14, 2014
Present: Ken Clark, Jo Crane, Karl Fields, Jim Jasinski, Sunil Kukreja, Jan Leuchtenberger,
Martins Linauts, Sarah Shives, Adam Smith, Brad Tomhave, Landon Wade, Keith Ward, Ann
Wilson, Danny Laesch
ACTION: M/S/P to approve the minutes of the meeting of October 24 with modifications.
Petitions Subcommittee Report for the Period 10-22-14 – 11-11-14: The following report was
submitted by Brad Tomhave, Registrar.
4 Approved Late Registrations
1 Approved Reinstatement
2 Approved Registrations with a Time Conflict
7 Approved Medical Withdrawals
1 Approved Waiver of the “Last 8 Units Rule”
1 Denied Drop with a W Grade
1 Denied Appeal of Registrar’s Transfer Evaluation
17 Total Petitions
Registrar Approved: 0
Preview Team Approved: 13
Sub-Committee Approved: 2
Total Approved: 15
Sub-Committee Denied:
2
Total Petitions: 17
Of the 4 late registration petitions, 1 was a late fall-back for a Mathematics student, 2 were late
registrations in 2nd session activity courses that will allow the student to graduate, and 1 was a
missed music recital.
The denied drop with a W grade was requested to be retroactive to Spring 2014. The petition
was denied because the Committee was not convinced the extraordinary conditions presented
were consistent with what the faculty intended by their policy.
The denied transfer credit appeal was from a student who had completed programs while in high
school. All other considerations aside, in reviewing course materials, the Committee did not find
the content was equivalent to an academic college course at Puget Sound.
For the year to date, 61 petitions have been considered and approved with 15 late registrations,
17 schedule conflict registrations, and 10 medical withdrawals. For comparison, by November
12, 2013, 59 petitions had been considered with 28 late registrations, 8 schedule conflict
registrations, and 3 medical withdrawals.
In addition to petition actions, a student was placed on Academic Warning based on an
Incomplete grade that was replaced by a failing grade.
Parental Leave Subcommittee Report: Ann Wilson submitted a report of behalf of the Parental
Leave Subcommittee (See attached). There was considerable discussion regarding revising
language in the current Leave of Absence policy to include specific provisions for partners of
pregnant women to allow them to care for the mother and/or child.
The current Leave of Absence policy on page 28 of the Academic Handbook states that
“Students usually request leaves for medical reasons, financial difficulties, uncertainty about
academic or career goals, personal considerations such as illnesses within families or special
educational opportunities not available at the university.”
The ASC Policy Committee proposed revising the language to be more inclusive of mothers who
had recently given birth or adopted a child or partners who need time away to care for the mother
and/or child to read:
Students may request leaves for health or financial reasons, uncertainty about academic or
career goals, personal considerations such as health related conditions within families, other
significant changes within family circumstances or educational opportunities not available at the
university.”
ACTION: M/S/P unanimously to adopt the new language.
Summer Sanction Policy Language: Brad Tomhave distributed language to the existing policy
on probation and dismissal to include ramifications related to summer session courses. The
committee felt that the proposed language clarifies the Academic Standards Committee’s
prerogative to continue a student on probation by taking mitigating circumstances into
consideration.
The current language regarding probation reads:
“A student whose cumulative grade point average is below 2.00 for the first term by any number
of quality points is placed on academic probation. A student whose cumulative grade point
average is below 2.00 by less than one quality point in a subsequent consecutive semester is
continued on academic probation.”
The proposed language reads:
“A student whose cumulative grade point average is below 2.00 for the first term by any number
of quality points is placed on academic probation by the Academic Standards Committee. A
student whose cumulative grade point average is below 2.00 by less than 1.00 quality point in a
subsequent consecutive semester is continued on academic probation. If a student on academic
probation attends the summer session and earns a cumulative grade point average below 2.00,
the Academic Standards Committee may consider the summer session as a “semester” for
purposes of continuing a student on academic probation.”
ACTION: M/S/P 12-2 to adopt the proposed language.
The current language regarding dismissal reads:
“A student whose cumulative grade point average remains below 2.00 by 1.00 or more quality
points the second consecutive term may be dismissed from the university by the Academic
Standards Committee”
The proposed language reads:
“A student on academic probation who, in the next semester, maintains a cumulative grade
point average below 2.00 by 1.00 or more quality points may be dismissed by the Academic
Standards Committee. However, if the Committee determines there are mitigating
circumstances, the Committee may continue a student on academic probation in lieu of
dismissal. If a student on academic probation attends the summer session and earns a
cumulative grade point average below 2.00 by 1.00 or more quality points, the Academic
Standards Committee may consider the summer session as a “semester” for purposes of
dismissing that student.”
ACTION: M/S/P to adopt the proposed language by a vote of 13 in favor with one
abstention.
ASC meetings for remainder of semester: The next and final ASC policy committee meeting
for the semester will be December 5. The topic of discussion will be to review the incomplete
grade policies. The discussion points will include the following:
 When is the final grade due and what happens if a student does not meet that deadline?
 Under what circumstances may/should an incomplete grade be given.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:50 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Ann Wilson
Parental Leave Subcommittee
Drafted 11/1/2014
The Parental Leave subcommittee met twice to consider the possibility of proposing a new
policy to cover prospective parents. The committee investigated policies that exist at other
universities for parental leave to determine how those institutions handle parental leave. The
institutions whose policies the subcommittee considered has special provisions under the Family
Leave and Medical Act for those graduate students who are employed at a university as graduate
teaching assistants, etc. There are no policies specifically for undergraduates or graduate students
who are not also employed by a university other than taking a leave of absence.
The subcommittee reviewed the Academic Handbook to determine if any of the existing policies
at Puget Sound could reasonably include parental leave. The policies considered were the
Medical Withdrawal Policy, the Leave of Absence Policy and the Emergency Administrative
Withdrawal Policy. In considering these policies, pregnant women have two options – a Medical
Withdrawal at some point during the pregnancy if the condition warrants or a Leave of Absence.
Partners of pregnant women or prospective adoptive parents have the following options:
1. If the time away is expected to be brief or occurs near the end of a semester, the student
can work with individual faculty members who have the latitude to grant extensions
and/or issue grades such In Progress or Incomplete.
2. Take an official Leave of Absence if it is known in advance that a leave will be needed.
3. Take an Emergency Administrative Withdrawal if a situation arises after the point in the
term in which a student can withdraw according to the faculty withdrawal policy.
Under the current Leave of Absence policy, prospective parents are eligible to request a leave to
care for the mother and/or child. Page 28 of the Academic Handbook states that
“Students usually request leaves for medical reasons, financial difficulties, uncertainty about
academic or career goals, personal considerations such as illnesses within families, or special
educational opportunities not available at the university.”
Although this language seems to include issues such as parental leave, the subcommittee
proposes adding the following words to the statement above to further clarify that parental leave
can be included in the policy.
“Students may request leaves for medical reasons, financial difficulties, uncertainty about
academic or career goals, personal considerations such as illnesses or other health-related
conditions within families, or special educational opportunities not available at the university.”