Students are required to have a minimum 2.000 Grade Point Average (GPA) to graduate from Carthage College. Students with a GPA of 2.000 or above are considered to be in good academic standing. The academic records of students who are not in good standing are reviewed at the end of each term by the Sub-committee for Academic Review and Recommendation.
Academic performance will be evaluated on the basis of the number of credit hours attempted at Carthage College and all credit hours transferred into Carthage College from other institutions.
The following standards for evaluating student performance were adopted by the Carthage faculty in September 1990:
Grade Point Averages
Attempted Credits Probation Dismissal
12-16 1.0-1.99 1.0
17-36 1.2-1.99 1.2
37-56 1.4-1.99 1.4
57-72 1.6-1.99 1.6
73-86 1.8-1.99 1.8
87+ 2.00
Students whose cumulative average falls below the required minimum for dismissal are placed in a show cause category. The student is contacted to show cause why he/she should not be dismissed from the college. If there is cause for the student to be allowed to continue, he/she will be placed or continued on probation.
Students placed on probation are required to cooperate with Student Support Services. At the end of the term, the Associate Dean of the College will meet with the Sub-Committee for Academic Review and Recommendation to determine whether the student has satisfactorily fulfilled the obligations of the support program. At that time, the Sub-Committee for Academic Review and Recommendation will make a decision to dismiss the student from the college or allow the student to stay another term.
Academic Standards
Students who disagree with the Sub-Committee for Academic Review and Recommendation decision may petition the Committee for review. A student who is reinstated and fails in scholarship a second time is permanently dismissed.
A student who is dismissed for poor scholarship may petition for immediate reinstatement. The student must send a letter to the Sub-Committee for Academic Review and Recommendation outlining reasons why they believe the Committee should reconsider its action. The Committee will then meet to decide whether or not to reinstate the student. Appeals for reinstatement may be heard in person.
A student who is dismissed and not reinstated must wait one year or complete at least twelve transferable semester hours with a 2.25 grade point average or better at another college before applying to return. Requests for readmission are considered by the Study Action Review Committee.
Academic Probationary Restriction
Although there are no restrictions which apply to all students on academic probation, participation in intercollegiate athletics or holding an office in a student organization may be affected by a student's probationary status. Specifically, athletes participating in inter-collegiate sports must meet academic regulations established by the athletic conference during the season of participation in a conference sport. Also, the minimum cumulative grade point average necessary to be eligible for election or appointment to an office in a student organization is set forth in the constitution and/or bylaws of each organization.
Co-curricular Activities Policy
Carthage College sponsors co-curricular activities such as athletics or music ensembles and encourages student participation because these activities can be of substantial educational value. Occasionally, participation in these activities will conflict with class participation, and students must be prepared to choose between alternatives and accept the consequences of their choices. When students choose to participate in co-curricular activities, the faculty recommends that their instructors excuse them from class, provided that the number of such absences does not become excessive.
Departments sponsoring such activities will make every effort to minimize the amount of class time which participating students will miss. The department will verify participation of students for the faculty whose classes are affected. These departments will notify the instructors of such cases in advance. The Dean of the College will have final responsibility to ensure that sponsoring departments make serious efforts to minimize conflicts with class time.
While the student involved in a co-curricular activity may be excused from class attendance and may expect reasonable consideration and assistance from instructors when they miss classes, responsibility for making up assignments, for writing tests, for obtaining class notes, and for all other course activities rests clearly with the student. Further, students will take the initiative to complete these assignments as quickly as possible after their absence.
Because the period of examinations is a very small part of each term and because student absence during this period often poses serious problems of equity and reliability of evaluation, the policy stated above does not apply during examination times. Sponsorship of activities may be undertaken only with the understanding that excused absences may or may not be granted entirely at the discretion of the faculty members whose examinations are involved.
Final Exam Policy
Because final examinations usually affect student course grades substantially, Carthage does not require that any student take more than two final examinations on one day. In instances where the final examination schedule would require that a student take more than two finals in one day, all of the examinations except the first and last of the day may be rescheduled to other times during the exam period. Times for the rescheduled finals will be set by the course instructor provided that the new examination times do not conflict with previously scheduled examinations and do not require that the student take three examinations on one day.