College success takes discipline and no small degree of smarts. You have to study. You have to go to class. And, if you should find yourself struggling, you have to know all the academic approaches to improving. Maybe you need to visit your professor's office hours. Maybe you need to join a study group or find a tutor.
There are academic situations, though, that just can't be fixed with ordinary academic solutions. What do you do, for example, when a grumpy professor just won't treat you fairly? What do you do if you miss class because you've been in a car accident? How are you supposed to handle three more months of taking a class with the person who just broke your heart?
If you're having trouble meeting East Carolina University's academic standing requirements, start by trying to devote a little more time to your studies and a little less to your social calendar. If that doesn't work, though, you should contact the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team. The attorney advisors at the Lento Law Firm Education Law Team have helped hundreds of students just like you get the fair treatment they deserve. All that experience has given them unique insight into how universities operate. They know all the tips and tricks to keep you on track, and they're ready to help you develop and implement a plan to deal with whatever problem you might be facing.
Academic Progression at East Carolina University
Let's start with the basics. Just what is an academic standing policy? A standing policy defines the specific standards you must meet in order to make steady progress toward your degree. The ECU standing policy defines “Good” standing as maintaining a cumulative GPA above 2.0. That's it. Pretty simple. If, however, your GPA should fall below that number, things can quickly get complicated.
- Warning: The first consequence of a low GPA is a Warning from the university. A Warning is just what it says it is: a warning that you need to work harder to get your grades up.
- Academic Probation: If your GPA remains under 2.0 after a Warning semester, ECU then places you on Academic Probation. Even on probation, there are no special requirements. You don't have to sign up for particular courses, you're not limited in how many hours you can take, and you don't have to meet with an advisor before you register. You do have to get your grades up, though. If you haven't returned to Good standing after a semester of probation and you haven't earned at least a 2.5 term GPA, you're then Suspended from the university.
- Academic Suspension: Suspension means at least one semester away from the university. You may attend summer terms, but in order to return as a full-time student, you must go through a readmission process, and your return is not guaranteed.
Dealing With Academic Sanctions
ECU doesn't offer any formal processes for challenging an academic standing decision or sanctions. Warning, Probation, and Suspension are the result of a low GPA, and the school doesn't consider the fact of your GPA open to debate.
That doesn't mean you must simply accept a sanction. There are a number of informal options for handling a low GPA.
- If your academic deficiencies are the result of extenuating circumstances, you can petition the dean of your school or college for more time to improve. A hospital stay or a family emergency could be enough to help you avoid a sanction.
- ECU allows suspended students to take summer courses. If you are suspended following a spring semester, good grades in the summer might be enough to help you avoid actually serving that suspension.
- Academic misconduct allegations can be the cause of low grades. Your instructors have the authority to accuse you of misconduct, determine whether or not you've committed an offense, and lower your grades. However, you have the right to challenge their decisions by appealing to the instructor's department chair or, should that fail, asking for a hearing before the Academic Integrity Review Committee.
- If you consistently struggle to make good grades, you might consider visiting Disability Services. They can determine if you have a learning disability. If you do, you might be able to retake courses with accommodations in place.
- Some faculty are open to grade negotiation. You might ask them to review all your work from a semester, or you might try making a specific argument. For example, if your final exam grade was higher than your course grade, you might argue that it's a more accurate measure of what you learned and should replace that course grade.
- Faculty are also sometimes willing to assign makeup and extra credit assignments. If your grade is borderline, this can be a quick way to raise your GPA.
- Any time you feel you are being mistreated in the classroom, you should report this mistreatment to your instructor's department chair. You could be entitled to a higher grade.
If you should wind up suspended, you should know that the attorney advisors at the Lento Law Firm Education Law Team are highly experienced at filing readmission petitions. They know what kind of evidence committees like to see, and they know all the ways to make you look your best on paper.
You're always better off trying to solve your progress issues before you're suspended, though. It can be hard going back once you've been forced to take time off. If you're dealing with a Warning or Academic Probation, or even if you're just worried about your grades, contact the Education Law Team at the Lento Law Firm today before the situation gets worse.
What Can the Lento Law Firm Do For You?
Students sometimes ask: how exactly is an attorney-advisor supposed to help me with academic issues? It's a fair question. It's not like you're on trial for shoplifting. You need help with your grades. That's normally a matter of studying harder or finding a tutor.
As the information on this page suggests, though, succeeding in college is often as much about dealing with bureaucracy as it is about writing papers and taking exams. No one knows more about bureaucracy than attorneys, and no one knows more about how to handle educational bureaucracy than the attorney advisors at the Lento Law Firm. That team was assembled specifically to handle student conduct and academic progress issues.
The Lento Law Firm Education Law Team is on your side. They understand that no one is perfect, and they're committed to the idea that a few mistakes shouldn't keep you from earning your degree and going on to a successful career. They'll fight to make sure you're treated fairly and that you get all the rights you deserve. You've worked hard to get to this point. Don't let that hard work go to waste. To find out more about how you can fight dismissal, contact the Lento Law Firm today at 888-555-3686, or use our automated online form.
