www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=14723
Nearly 700 students have flooded the university with responses mostly against Dean of Undergraduate Division Robert Holubs proposal to move up the drop deadline to the third or fifth week of school.
Im taking all the arguments that students have put forth very seriously, Holub said.
The students have good responses, but those responses still have to be weighed against the goals of the university.
While the vast majority of students contested the plan, Holub said he also received suggested amendments and even support for the proposal.
Ive gotten an entire spectrum of responses, Holub said.
A lot of students are dead set against it, some think its not such a bad idea.
There hasnt been one singular response.
The proposal was developed after a study revealed that the 25 most impacted courses had nearly 10 percent of their seats open by the end of the semester despite initial over-enrollment.
The study also showed that almost 75 percent of students dropped courses by the third week of instruction.
My main concern is that students have access to courses they need for their education, Holub said.
The current drop deadline is preventing students from getting access to the classes they need.
But several students said that forcing them to drop classes earlier may add to stress because they are unable to settle into their classes within three weeks.
We need the adjustment period so that we know what were getting into, said UC Berkeley sophomore Michael Tsia.
Changing the drop deadline isnt the solution, its just another hurdle for students to jump over.
An earlier drop deadline may also present problems for students applying for financial aid, which requires students to take a certain number of classes to qualify, said senior Camilo Romero.
Since the financial aid deadline is the fifth week of classes, students might not have their schedules set if the drop deadline is changed, Romero said.
While I understand the reasoning I dont support it.
Holub has countered by saying that some students load up on classes to qualify for financial aid, then drop them after the fifth-week deadline passes.
It is uncertain when an official proposal will be drafted or when the university will reach a decision on Holubs plan.
Theres still a lot of things Id like to explore and a lot of groups I still have to meet with, Holub said.
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