Student Handbook - Butler University

ACADEMICS
Academic Adviser
Butler University views academic advising as a significant aspect of the partnership in the education of
students. The Butler student is responsible for seeking adequate academic advice, knowing and meeting degree
requirements, enrolling in appropriate courses to ensure timely progress toward a degree and using resources
the University provides in the advising process.
Each student is assigned a faculty advisor with special knowledge of the area of the major. The advisor
explains and enforces regulations established by the University faculty and administration, especially with
regard to curricular issues. In working with a student to create his/her academic schedule, the advisor guides
the student in choosing those courses that best fit the student’s individual inclinations and needs. Each student
should work closely with his or her advisor to ensure that program requirements are met.
Students are encouraged to consult their advisors not only during registration periods, but also throughout
the year. A student who is having academic difficulty or is uncertain about procedures and regulations
will find the academic advisor ready to help. If at any time a student is unable to get in touch with the advisor
on a matter that requires immediate action, the student should contact the dean’s office of the their college
and ask for assistance. Students who wish to change advisers should consult the dean of their college.
Academic Ineligibility
Any student whose academic record does not demonstrate satisfactory progress toward a degree may be
declared academically ineligible. A declaration of ineligibility is not an attempt to deny any rights or privileges
or to punish a student for unsatisfactory performance. It is, rather, an attempt to prevent a student from
spending additional time and money without strong prospects for earning a degree.
A student runs the risk of being declared ineligible if the student:
1. Has gone as many as 24 points on probation in two or more semesters.
2. Has remained on probation for more than two semesters without making any significant reduction
in the amount of probation.
3. Has completed 90 semester hours without achieving the required 2.0 grade point average.
4. Has failed to earn a specified average during any given session after having been informed that
such an average would be required.
5. Has begun a session on probation and has finished with a lower cumulative average than that carried
at the beginning of the session.
6. Has been granted renewed eligibility and has failed to satisfy the stipulation under which
readmission was authorized.
7. Has been admitted on probation or as a transfer student and has failed to earn a 2.00 average
during the first two semesters at Butler.
A student declared academically ineligible will not be readmitted to Butler until at least one full semester
has elapsed. If, after an absence, the student feels that the problems that led to the academic difficulty have
been solved, the student may petition for renewed eligibility by writing a letter to the dean of the college in
which he was enrolled. This letter should be submitted at least 30 days before the start of the session for
which the student wishes to enroll.
The petition will be presented to the administrative committee of the college, which will consider both
the student’s record and the evidence presented in the letter to determine whether or not another opportunity
to enroll seems warranted. A student who has taken any academic work elsewhere during the absence from
Butler also must present a satisfactory transcript for all such work in order to be readmitted. If the administrative
committee concludes that the student has a reasonable chance to redeem the earlier record and earn a
degree, it may grant renewed eligibility — ordinarily with the stipulation that the student must earn a 2.50
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