THE Volume 91, Issue 9
Q
UADRANGLE A Student Publication of Manhattan College Since 1924
March 24, 2015
Jaspers Walk The Plank
www.mcquad.org
A Look Back at a Rough Winter Shanell Garcia Staff Writer
MC Falls to Hampton Pirates in “First Four” Game of NCAA Tourney
Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle
The snow that has plagued the Manhattan College campus is now melting in the beaming sun. However, that isn’t enough to obliterate the treacherous winter from the memories of students and faculty. This semester alone the school has had four closings, including two that were delayed, and two delayed openings. This as a result has been of much inconvenience to many commuting students and faculty members. “We’d like not to cancel classes if we can avoid it because we want there to be school, but if it seems clear that its going to be dangerous then we obviously do cancel,” Manhattan College Provost William Clyde said. “There are definitely schools that you can tell by the way they cancel, they cancel if there’s any threat of snow at all. In fact there are schools that make their decision at 6 p.m. the night before when you couldn’t possibly tell what the weather is going to be like the next day.” The provost makes the ultimate decision on whether the school will be closed due to harsh climate. His decision is made after consulting with various members of the community. He consults with the school’s Physical Plant to determine what the conditions are like on the ground of the college. He then consults with Public Safety, the Vice President of Human Resources to inquire about employees and the Vice President of Student Life to inquire about events that are scheduled on campus. The provost comes to a conclusion based on the facts presented to him by his sources and through his own research. The school has a written policy that serves as a guideline for the closing of the school. The documentation serves as a layout of procedures and contacts. Each year in November the staff comes together to review any changes to that policy before the snow starts to fall again.
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New Grade Replacement Policy Instituted at MC Sean Sonnemann Editor-In-Chief
Students at Manhattan College who fail to meet the minimum required grade for a class now have the opportunity to improve their grade point average by retaking the course at the college. With a new grade replacement policy effective the 2014-2015 academic year, only the higher of the two grades received will be factored into a student’s cumulative GPA. However, both grades will still be listed on a student’s transcript. “The rationale was to give students the added incentive to retake a course at Manhattan College,” Registrar Luz M. Torres said. The new grade replacement policy is
not unique to Manhattan College, but a standard practice throughout colleges and universities across the country. “It is common. Other schools are definitely doing this,” Torres said. While the specifics of respective policies may vary, most colleges have some way for students to replace a failing or unsatisfactory grade when they retake a course. “Every institution that we Googled had some kind of grade replacement policy,” Carla Fraser, associate registrar, said. After being proposed by faculty members and deans, MC’s policy was approved in November of 2014 by the Educational Affairs Committee. Once specifics regarding qualifications for the program were determined, it was then announced to the college community. Currently, the new policy applies only
to 100 and 200 level courses at the college. Students may petition their respective academic deans to have a grade replaced for a 300 or 400 level class. Additionally, the grade replacement policy can only be utilized the first time a course is retaken. It also only applies to classes taken at Manhattan College, not credits transferred in from other institutions. While the policy is available for any eligible student during his or her undergraduate enrollment at the college, the Registrar’s Office cautions students to research potential impacts before having a grade replaced. “Not everyone can do this,” Fraser said. “Financial aid might be affected in some cases.” Students studying under the G.I. Bill or other programs for veterans may affect
their benefits by replacing some grades. Regardless, the new policy was welcome news for students at the college, especially those who are currently retaking a course. Sophomore civil engineering major Alex Sciacchitano is taking a course again this semester after failing to meet the minimum requirement in the fall. “It is a great policy, especially for students who need to maintain a certain GPA for scholarships or athletics,” he said. “There is always a possibility of running into a tough class or professor and you end up having to retake a class,” Sciacchitano said. “It is nice to know that you can get a second chance to redeem yourself and come out relatively unscathed.”