Feb. Issue (1)

February 18, 2021
In our opinion.
The Spectator | www.vsuspectator.com Page 2
Editorial
VSU Withdrawal Policy is not a free pass
The VSU Withdrawal Policy
allows students five withdrawals
from any class. After five
withdrawals are used, an
automatic F will show up on a
student’s academic transcript for
any subsequent withdrawals.
The Student Government
Association disagrees with the
policy and is hoping to get it
revised to allow students to use
more than five withdrawals.
SGA has been hosting town
hall meetings for the past week so
students can voice their concerns
about the policy.
Students are humans.
Humans make mistakes and
sometimes those mistakes can be
fixed.
However, when those mistakes
are made repeatedly, a life
line should not be warranted
repeatedly.
According to the current VSU
Withdrawal Policy, a withdrawal
is “a mechanism for students to
leave classes when they believe
that they will not be successful.”
There’s no telling what causes
a student to earn a failing grade in
a class, but sometimes it’s not a
student’s fault, which is why there
are other withdrawal policies
such as the hardship and medical
withdrawal policies.
Some students, however,
choose to take advantage of the
withdrawal policy and use it as
a way to sample certain classes
before they fully commit, which
is why VSU’s administration
chose to put a limit on the number
of withdrawals back in 2010.
Nonetheless, the withdrawal
policy is not a glorified free pass.
It’s more so a wakeup call.
The policy should be revised,
but instead of increasing the
amount of withdrawals for all
students, the administration
should examine a tiered
policy according to students’
classification.
The tiered Withdrawal Policy
would serve as a way to limit
students’ abuse of the policy but
still help those students in dire
need of a lifeline.
What some students don’t
understand is that withdrawals
not only hurt them but also other
students.
When students take up seats
in classes that they don’t intend
to stay in, other students who
Meet the Editors
need the class lose out on the
opportunity to take the class they
need.
Using withdrawals will also
cost you.
Even though students avoid
receiving an F on their academic
transcript, they don’t avoid losing
financial aid that could have been
used for other obligations.
Lastly, employers will still see
a W on a students’ transcript.
This can indicate to employers a
student’s lack of effort and cause
them to lose job opportunities.
We say all this to say that
withdrawals should be available
as a last resort.
Students would do better to
find other solutions, such as
talking to their professors or
attending tutoring sessions if
they find themselves in trouble
academically.
If those methods prove
ineffective, then a student should
resort to a withdrawal.
There has to be a reasonable
withdrawal mechanism for
students to use who desperately
need it.
But when withdrawals are
abused, they’re useless.
The tiered withdrawal policy
will hold students accountable
while still serving its purpose
-This editorial was written by a
member of the editorial staff and
expresses the general opinion of
The Spectator.
Lenah Allen
Editor-in-Chief
lrallen@valdosta.edu
Kayla Pool
Managing/ News Editor
kepool@valdosta.edu
Zach Edmondson
Sports Editor
zmedmondson@valdosta.edu
Kilie Huckleby
Campus Life Editor
kahuckleby@valdosta.edu
Torrence Weaver Jr.
Berliner/Entertainment
Editor
tmweaver@valdosta.edu
Isabella Schneider
Copy Editor
imschneider@valdosta.edu
Gracie Lucas
Digital Content Editor
mglucas@valdosta.edu
Camille Grube-Hall
Web Editor
clgrube-hall@valdosta.edu
Bailey A Storey
Photo Editor
bastorey@valdosta.edu
Sarahi Montero
Graphic Design Editor
smontero@valdosta.edu
Jonnie Brewer
Assistant Copy Editor
grfriedman@valdosta.edu
Gwenivere Friedman
Assistant Social Media
Editor
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