The two words students never want to hear, "academic warning," always seem cause some confusion among College students.
The distinction is given to students who do not fulfill all of the University's academic expectations as full-time students enrolled in the College.
The 2001-2002 student handbook explains that, "if you are a full-time student, you are considered to be in Good Standing at the end of a semester if, in that semester, you have earned at least 12 credits of course work with at least a 1.80 semester average, and have no more than one grade below C-."
Likewise, the Undergraduate Record states: "Special permission is required to register for fewer than 12 credits or more than 19 credits each semester." If any of these requirements are not filled, a student will receive a formal academic warning.
And aside from the notation on a student's transcript indicating his or her semester of academic shortcomings, this warning can affect students lives in various other, non-academic ways.
Fourth-year College student Edward Daniel had to learn this lesson the hard way after he decided to take a reduced course load during the Spring 2001 semester.
Daniel said he knew that his decision to drop below 12 credits would put him below the required number for the College, so he filled out a Reduction of Course-Load Approval form and received the O.K. from his academic dean.
This official approval form, however, was not an exemption from the academic warning. It is outlined in the approval form of the petition that an academic warning will be incurred because of a student's decision take a courseload falling below 12 credits. Get two academic warnings and a suspension from the College for at least two full semesters will result.
According to Assoc. Dean Gordon Stewart, "the petition is a formal request to go below the minimum expectations of a student."
The petition does not, however, put the student who files it with the University back in good standing.
The consequences of not being in good standing academically can indeed prove to be detrimental to a student's extracurricular as well as academic lifestyle.
When the Residence Life Office discovered that Daniel had an academic warning, he was informed that he was unable to participate this school-year as a senior resident adviser in a first-year residence hall.
Residence Life did not discover Daniel's ineligibility until only nine days before move-in day, after which Daniel had to scramble to find housing for the coming year.
"I had been in Charlottesville all summer doing absolutely nothing," Daniel said. "Had I known that I was on academic warning, and that it was something that RLO [Residence Life Office] had a concern with, I would have taken classes in order to correct the situation."
Residence Life has developed specific eligibility criterion for resident advisers. The students must be in good academic standing based on the definition used by the school in which they are enrolled. They also must maintain a grade point average of 2.0.
"It is so important that staff members are in good academic standing because they are role models," said Angela Davis, associate dean of students for residence life.
The College also offers advising for students who believe they may have academic problems. Students have the chance to discuss the various ways to overcome the problem that is prohibiting them from taking a full course load with their association dean.
Every students is assigned an association dean during their first year to help monitor their academic careers at the University.
"We have the opportunity to council and advise the student," Stewart said.
Despite efforts to prevent problems associated with academic warning, receiving approval to take less than 12 credits still places a student in jeopardy.
"Even though I'm progressing toward a major and I have enough credit to graduate, because I was on academic warning I was unable to participate in something I loved," Daniel said.
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