Q: I received notice of academic suspension after my freshman year. What am I supposed to do? I want to continue studying at CU in the fall.

A: Suspension is just that, and it normally lasts one semester and a summer. The University is sending you a very strong message: we do not believe, given current evidence, that you can be successful in your present course of study. For most students, it is best that they take a break from all academic pursuits and spend a considerable amount of time re-evaluating their situation. Such absence and reflection may lead to a change of plans, or, less frequently, to a return to the University after the suspension with a different focus and attitude. You can take courses at another institution during a suspension. However, the grades earned will not impact your CU GPA even though the credits may appear on your CU transcript. It may be necessary for you to improve your CU GPA before you attempt to return to CU, if your suspension was due to a GPA below 2.00. You may do this by taking summer term courses or correspondence courses only.

Q: I have been put on probation. As a result, I may lose my financial aid. Can I meet with my last semester's instructors and ask them for grade changes so that I can get off probation retroactively?

A: The only justification for asking an instructor for a grade change is that an error has occurred in assigning your grade for that course. It is unfair to approach an instructor, asking for a change of grade, when it is based on a circumstance external to the course, such as probation, suspension, or loss of financial aid. You are putting the instructor in an unfair position. Don't do it. You may ask for an IF grade during the semester if an external circumstance beyond your control, e.g., a medical condition, has affected significantly your ability to complete the course.

Q: The semester is half over. My course workload seems to be too much. I need to bail out of a couple courses. What do I do?

A: After the six-week drop deadline, it is difficult to bail out of courses. When you enroll in courses at the beginning of the semester, you make a commitment to complete them. You have the first six weeks of the semester to make decisions about dropping courses. After that, you may ask for an IF grade during the semester if an external circumstance beyond your control, e.g., a medical condition, has affected significantly your ability to complete the course. You may also consider withdrawing from the semester if your personal situation is most severe. Starting in Fall 2006, the Boulder Campus has made the forgiveness program permanent, under the title “course repetition program.”. This program will allow students to repeat up to 10 credit hours of course work with the first grade in the same course not calculated into the CU grade point average or the total credit hour calculations. The exact same course must be repeated on the Boulder Campus. Meet with the Dean’s Office staff for additional details on this experimental program.

Q: I am having a real problem with an instructor. I feel as though I'm being harassed unfairly by this individual, but since s/he controls my grade in the course, I'm afraid to complain about it. Help!

A: This is always a tricky area. Your feeling of harassment may be the result of a mis-communication with the instructor. If you can possibly do it, you should discuss your feelings with the instructor.   That will often take care of the matter right away. If you feel uncomfortable about doing this alone with the instructor, ask a friend to accompany you. You may also wish to contact the ombudperson's office or a faculty advisor on the matter. If you are female, you may wish to contact the Women In Engineering Program. If you are an ethnic minority student, you might want to contact the MEP Program. These are not matters to be taken lightly and good communication is most important.