As of this quarter the De Anza College Department of Admissions will begin enforcing a strict policy against students dropping classes after the final calendar drop date for dropping with a “W” grade, indicating a course withdrawal.

According to “Title 5,” a complex book of California regulations that governs community college operations, the drop schedule for California community colleges must be based on specific calendar dates, and a student who does not drop a class before the final drop date must receive a letter grade, rather than a “W” on the grade scanner at the end of the quarter.

“The rules that we operate under dictate to us that eight weeks into a quarter, if you as a student don’t think that you can pass the class for whatever reason, you need to drop it and walk away,” said Patricia Fifield, Associate Registrar of the of Admissions and Records Department. “The last date to do this is clearly published in the schedule of classes and Touchnet, so the students should be familiar with it.”

“Please issue drops and withdrawals on the first class list, census and final withdrawal forms given to you throughout the quarter,” said a memorandum slip sent to all faculty members.

This would give the students three fourths of the class time to decide whether or not to remain in the course for a letter grade. “That’s the law. That’s how the state has directed us how to do it.” Fifield said.

In fact, this has been state law for a few years, but has not been enforced at De Anza College until now. A new Dean of Admissions, Kathleen Moberg, has pursued the issue.

In the past, De Anza has been more lenient regarding the California law. As long as an instructor signed off on it, students could still drop a class for a “W” up until the final week of the quarter. Even after that, in the final grade submission, a teacher could submit a “W” as a student’s grade, indicating to anybody who reads his transcript that the class was dropped at some point during the quarter.

“[Moberg] is really adhering to these rules,” said Fifeld.

At the start of this quarter, Moberg had a yellow memorandum slip sent out to all faculty members regarding the newly enforced policy, which reads that final drops and withdrawals will not be accepted on the grade scanner at the end of the quarter. “Please issue drops and withdrawals on the first class list, census, and final withdrawal forms given to you throughout the quarter,” it says.

This enforcement is to serve for instructors as well, so that they will drop students when the students drop the class, rather than waiting until the end of the quarter to file their withdrawals.

One part of this renewed concern on behalf of Admissions and Records in having a proper drop policy is for emergency procedures.

“For security purposes if we have a major emergency, like when we had a bomb threat here a few years ago, if we’re going to go look into classrooms or send dogs or security personnel to look for a person who’s not even there, we’re putting innocent people’s lives at risk. We need to know who is enrolled what class,” Fifield said.

As of now, students can drop a class online, by telephone, or in the student services building.

To find out more, go online to

http://www.deanza.edu, or go to the Student and Community Services Building on campus.

Ehssan Barkeshli is the News Editor for La Voz. Contact him at [email protected].