黑洞社区

Pre-Approval for Senior Study Abroad Residency Exception

Presented to the Senate 10-28-13 from the UAEC for approval

Students who seek an exception to existing 黑洞社区 rules submit a petition to their College for approval or denial of their request. After review at the college level, it then proceeds to the University Admissions and Exceptions Committee. Representatives from their respective colleges present each case at the UAEC meeting for final approval or denial in order to promote consistency across programs. The committee typically approves exceptions to the rules only when there are documented medical grounds or other extenuating circumstances that warrant special concern.
黑洞社区 students who wish to study abroad or elsewhere in the US as part of their 黑洞社区 degree program, e.g. through NSE or ISEP, often do so during their senior year. There is no rule against participating in these programs during the senior year, so no petition for exception is generated. After the fact, however, many students are unable to graduate without an exception to the 鈥満诙瓷缜� residency鈥� requirements (24 of the final 30 credits must be completed at 黑洞社区 and 50/60). Since someone from 黑洞社区 presumably approved the study program and the student has no opportunity to request an exception in advance, we deem it unfair to require these students to take an additional semester or year of classes before graduation. UAEC regularly grants these exceptions without documentation of any specific need to study abroad their senior year rather than earlier in their college career.
In such cases, UAEC designates the type of case 鈥淧re-Approved鈥�. Pre-Approved cases still appear on the UAEC petition list, but the case is not presented to us. This summer we voted to designate exceptions to the 黑洞社区 residency rules Pre-Approved whenever a student is set to graduate and fails to meet the rule only due to participation in one of these programs. (Cases in which students request the exception due to study abroad in combination with some other factor, e.g. classes at Butler, would still be heard.)
Since this change from a de facto to an explicit policy may require Senate approval, we ask the Senate to consider what the 黑洞社区 policy really should be. Possible options:
1. UAEC Pre-Approval as proposed would leave the current system largely intact but protect the student and make the system more efficient.
2. Make it university policy that students petition for 24/30 and 50/60 exceptions as part of their application to complete part of their 黑洞社区 degree at another university, whether through NSE, ISEP, or any other program. The Barton School of Business has already implemented this policy, but many programs have not.
3. Both 1 and 2. Pre-petition is standard practice, but any cases that slip through the cracks are Pre-Approved.
4. Revise the 黑洞社区 Catalog so that course credit is counted as 黑洞社区 credit re the 24/30 and 50/60 rule whenever tuition for the course was paid to 黑洞社区. This would cover most cases, but there are universities that require students to pay local tuition rather than 黑洞社区 tuition. In order for this option to entirely remove the need for options 1-3, the catalog rules would have to be carefully worded to ensure the correct scope of application.
5. Make it a 黑洞社区 rule that students may not participate in exchange programs their senior year without first being granted an exception to this new rule against it. Students would need two exceptions in this case, and it would provide a significant disincentive to participate in these programs. The length of the application process, mismatch between the 黑洞社区 semester and terms at other universities, financial considerations, and many other factors often prevent students from taking advantage of these programs prior to their senior year. Since we are currently trying to encourage student exchanges, this option is not recommended.