'FX Policy' to officially begin

While it was approved in 1994, the Forgiveness Policy, or FX Policy, will officially begin in the upcoming fall semester. This policy allows students to retake a class and replace their first grade with the second attempt. Under the current policy, students may only retake a class if they received an F in the course.\nThe Bloomington Faculty Council addressed many of the questions they anticipate students and advisers will have. A feeling among the council of lack of time and need for immediate action pressured members to vote "unofficially" on some answers to these potential questions.\n"After waiting seven years for it to be implemented, the policy is now being implemented with great speed because it is starting in the fall," said Professor Robert Eno, chair of the educational policies committee. "Given the time pressures, I think we need to start trying to answer some of the most important questions that will be asked."\nThe first topic discussed was whether courses taken prior to fall 2001 would be eligible for replacement. Eno said his impression was that there is a sort of panic in the University Division about how it will handle the waitlists for certain 100- to 200-level courses, which already have problems accomodating students who haven't taken them a first time. \nProfessor James Sherman, faculty council president, asked if there was a way to sort through the waitlists and give certain students more priority. But Eno said that according to the Registrar's Office, there is no mechanism that allows this categorizing. \n Eno called for an unofficial vote and council members agreed that courses taken before the FX Policy is implemented should not be eligible. \n The suggestion that the total hours replaced may not exceed 10 hours was also agreed on. Because the policy can only be used for courses taken before or during the term in which the 45th credit hour is attempted, discussion on when the credit hours start to be counted followed. The members agreed that "all IU coursework, or transferred course credits earned at another institution, should be included in calculating the first 45 hours." \n"I am not deeply committed to this suggestion, but given the time pressures, we need to start trying to answer questions like these," Eno said. "This is the simplest first cut, and if we discover we need to make changes, then we will go back."\nThe council addressed only a few of the issues it will face. After consulting with Pat Wheeler from the Registrar's Office, Eno said he anticipates many other questions such as, "Will GPA credit hours for the replaced course be removed at the point at which the course is replaced?" and "Can a student request reversal after asking for and applying the GPA exclusion?" The remainder of the questions will be addressed at the next BFC meeting.