By Mahdi Abdulla Murad
AUI-S Voice Staff Reporter
www.auisvoice.org
Academic probation is one of the AUI-S policies for those students whose grades are below 75 percent. Students who have 75 percent are not on probation, but those who have 74.9 percent are on probation. Those who are on probation should spend one hour and half each week at one of the Reading, Speaking, and Writing Centers.
“Academic probation is one hour and a half every week,” said Rachel Laribee, assistant for EWPLI planning. “The result for those students who do not go to the Centers is that they will remain on probation. These students who do not attend the Centers have lower grades than the students who go to the Centers.”
Ramy Amjad, 22, Baghdad, who is on probation since he started level four, said that even if he had a chance to leave probation, he would still go to the Centers. “Even when I am released from probation, I will go to the Centers because they are really helpful,” he added.
Havin Osman, 19, Sulaimani, said that being on probation is a punishment because it is mandatory.
However, Rosalind Warfield, the director of EWPLI, said that being on probation helps the students, and does not punish them.
“Teachers want the students to succeed,” she said. “We’re not trying to punish the students, but we’re trying to help them do better.”
Christopher S. Edwards, EWPLI instructor, said that the students who are on probation should have a plan to fix their problems.
“If they are on probation, it means that they have a problem. So, they need to come up with some kind of plans to fix that problem,” he said. “Ultimately, if a student doesn’t care or doesn’t want to have a plan, then probation won’t be helpful.”
Edwards added that probation is a step to help the students find their weaknesses.
“Some of the students know something is wrong because they can see their grades, but they don’t know what is wrong,” he said. “They are not yet ready to make a plan to solve their problems.
So, probation is the university’s step to help them begin to form that plan.”
The policy doesn’t oblige the students to go to the specific Centers. It is up to the students to visit one of the Centers.
“Students are not obliged to go to any Centers,” added Laribee. “They should go to (a Center) where they need help. But they must go to one of the Centers for an hour and half every week.”
One result for those students whose grades are below 75 percent is that they are not allowed to join the sport activities.
“Students cannot join any of the sport teams as a punishment to encourage them to increase their grades, and we think that it works,” said Laribee. “Education comes first, and it has to be first. School is so important because it affects your futures, so students must take it seriously.”
“I am strict about the decision about sports involvement,” said Warfield. “It takes so much of the students’ time which they are supposed to be spending on their studying. The students are not studying as much as they should.”
Andy Watkins, EWPLI instructor, said that mandatory probation works for all students who are on probation. “I think we have to have a mandatory system; otherwise, the students will not take things seriously,” he said.
Some of the students complain about that policy.
“It is not fair to forbid students to join the sport activities,” Osman said. “We are adults, and we can manage our schedules.”
On April 20, a party was thrown for 19 students who left probation at the AUI-S. Several teachers and staff members were at the party.
Laribee added that she believed that the students who work hard should be rewarded.
“We have a celebration for those students who left probation,” she said. “They should feel proud about themselves for working hard and increasing their grades. I am very proud of those students.”
Dashnye Daloye, director of student affairs, congratulated the students who left the probation.
“Congratulation to the students who are no longer on probation.
This shows hard work and commitment pay off,” she said. “The students who are on probation, just keep going, and you really need to work hard, and you can do it. This celebration today shows you are able to get off probation and do well.”
The students who left probation felt very happy during the party.
Chawarwan Esmael, 20, Kirkuk, said that she didn’t like to be on probation again. “I’m very happy because I left probation,” she said. “Now I feel free. I can choose any enrichment classes that I like, and I can join the sport activities, too.”
But Bahar Rostam, 21, Derbandixan, said that she would go to the Centers even after she left the probation.
“Being on probation makes me study harder,” she said. “The Centers are very useful, and I will continue going to the Centers when- ever I have time; especially the Speaking Center is the best.”
Haval Mustafa, 21, Sulaimani, said that the students who are on probation are not lazy. “The difficulty of being on probation is that the students who are not on probation call those who are on probation lazy,” he added.
“Students should go to the Centers even if they are not on probation because the teachers are very good, and they are ready to help all of the students without any differences.”
Karwan Gaznay, 19, said that the Centers are not just for the stu- dents who are on probation.
“I go to the Centers almost every day,” he said. “The Centers are beneficial for every one.”
Gaznay added that going to the Centers is a great opportunity for the EWPLI students to improve their skills in English.
According to the new policy, those students who are on probation, but their grades are not below 70 percent, can join the enrichment classes.
“Students can go to the enrichment classes if they have above 70 percent,” added Warfield. “I don’t want them to miss enrichment classes. Enrichment classes are important.”
Laribee added that probation is helpful for students to pass EWPLI. “It is hard to be strict,” she said.
“I believe that probation helps these students pass EWPLI. I want them to get to the academic courses as fast as possible. Stu- dents need to pass EWPLI, and they need to work hard to do this.”
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