Senate considers policy on retroactive withdrawl

Thanks to a push by one undergraduate activist, the University Senate will consider a proposal this semester to allow students with mental health disorders to withdraw from a course after it has ended.

Samantha Roman, president of the mental health awareness group Active Minds at Maryland, proposed a new policy to the senate Saturday that would allow students to petition for withdrawal of the last semester enrolled if they provide the university with documentation from a mental health professional that the student had been seeking treatment was fit to return to the campus. University Senate Chair Eric Kasischke said the proposal will be discussed at the next Senate Executive Committee on Feb. 22, where it will most likely be assigned to a sub-committee for review.

The standing policy requires students to withdraw by the last day of the semester, but Roman said students suffering from a mental illness have so much to handle they might not be aware of the date.

"Students who are hospitalized or maybe never leaving their dorm aren't going to be focusing on the withdrawal policy and withdrawing on time," Roman said. "I've known several people where this has actually been the case. This must be happening a lot, but nobody's noticing it, and the students who are affected aren't going to be reaching out to change policy."

Other universities — including some of this university's peer institutions — such as the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign — have retroactive withdrawal policies in place. Since this is not a novel policy to establish, Roman said she is hopeful this university can join the list of others with such provisions in place for struggling students.

Roman said some students suffering from a mental health disorder take a leave of absence from the university, but current policy makes it difficult to re-enroll.

After taking a leave of absence, all students must petition the Faculty Review Board and then reapply for admission if their cumulative GPA is less than 2.0. Roman's proposal suggests amending the policy so students can re-enroll in courses without having to reapply to the university, as long as they were enrolled the previous four semesters and provide documentation from a medical professional.

"I know there are a lot of students on campus that struggle with mental illness," Roman said. "A lot of times, they might not be able to withdraw by the end of the semester, in which case they would receive failing grades."

Jeri Boliek, the University Health Center's coordinator of triage services and suicide prevention program, said she often diagnoses students with severe depression at the end of the semester.

"People who are getting depressed don't often recognize that that's what's happening, and they don't understand that their ability to concentrate is being affected," Boliek said.

Boliek said if the proposal passed, it could not only help students academically who have been dealing with a mental illness, but it could also make it easier for students to seek treatment.

"I think it would make it easier for students to feel less ashamed to ask for help," Boliek said.

Active Minds secretary Madeline Reed said that is the goal of the organization — to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and increase awareness.

"I think people would be more willing to say that they were leaving because of a mental illness if the university accepted it," Reed said.

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