Crisis brings development of UTSA withdrawal procedures document
(Sept. 20, 2001)--In response to the possibility that students may be called to military or other emergency duty such as Red Cross, a committee coordinated by the UTSA Office of Student Affairs has established a withdrawal procedures document. The policy comes after last week's terrorist attacks.
Rosalie Ambrosino, vice president for student affairs, said, "Some faculty have asked if they can give incompletes to students if it's realistic for them to complete course work on their own, while we have received reports that other faculty have told students that they must withdraw from all classes."
"We want to work with students on an individual basis and do what is best for them. We suggest that faculty work with students to make decisions based on the content and workload in their individual courses, but we need to caution them that there is a difference between dropping one or more, but not all courses, and and withdrawing from UTSA," she added.
Questions can be directed to the Office of Student Affairs at 458-4136.
The withdrawal procedures document is produced here in it's entirety:
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PROCEDURES FOR STUDENTS CALLED TO MILITARY OR OTHER EMERGENCY SERVICE RELATED AS A RESULT OF THE SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACK ON THE UNITED STATES
It is anticipated that students enrolled at UTSA may be required to withdraw from the University to fulfill military or other emergency service obligations related to the emergency in New York and Washington DC that occurred on September 11.
Students desiring to withdraw or with special requests may be students or spouses/partners of students who are called to military or other emergency service obligations in the United States of the student’s or spouse/partner’s country of origin.
Depending on the time of the semester, it may be possible for some students to receive grades of incomplete from faculty members rather than to withdraw. This decision should be made in consultation with the student’s faculty and the associate dean of the college in which the student is enrolled.
UTSA will attempt to provide refunds for tuition and fees to all students who withdraw or drop courses for reasons cited above and provide appropriate documentation. However, situations will be handled on a case-by-case basis since dates noted on withdrawal forms determine when a student has to begin paying back financial aid. Individualized attention from staff will help students make decisions regarding withdrawal that are best for them and their families. Students will be assigned grades of "W" for all courses dropped.
While some students may conduct withdrawal transactions normally, some may require extra handling due to short notice on the part of students. UTSA must be prepared to be flexible with these students. A “one stop shop” will ensure timely service to students. Therefore, the following guidelines will be implemented:
1604 Campus
--Students withdrawing from the University should contact the Enrollment
Services Center. The ESC will determine if these students fall into one of
the above categories.
--These students will be referred to Fred Hample or John Wallace to counsel
about options available in terms of grades, percent of withdrawal, financial
aid and housing obligations.
--Students with financial aid will be referred to Cyndi Inkpen, 458-4852 (cinkpen@utsa.edu,)
or Lisa Blazer, 458-4846 (lblazer@utsa.edu)
to evaluate the status of their financial aid.
--Students with Veterans Affairs certified hours must: Contact VA office at
458-4540. Provide copy of orders (either by individual or by unit).
--Students with housing commitments must contact the Housing Office at 458-6700.
--All students must complete a short survey for contact purposes.
Downtown Campus
--VA students will be seen by one of the VA representatives at the Downtown
campus.
--Other students requiring withdrawal should contact the Downtown Enrollment
Services Center. Staff there will contact Fred Hample or John Wallace to discuss
withdrawal and grading options.
--Students will be asked to complete a short survey for contact purposes.
General Information
It is anticipated that, due to time constraints, some students may not be able to complete these actions in person. Therefore, they should contact Fred Hample or John Wallace at 458-4547 if possible to begin the process and to satisfy the above actions.
If individuals are required to report immediately and do not have time to complete this process, an immediate family member can work with UTSA if he/she has copies of the student’s military orders and other identifying documentation.
The Office of Registrar and Admissions will collect and store all documents relating to withdrawal actions.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
Business Ethics Symposium on Tuesday will feature SBC Chairman
Discounted Texas Open tickets available at UTSA Ticket Office; Whataburger Cross Country Invitational at UTSA
Unconventional
author and political observer will speak Monday at UTSA
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