Despite warnings, 20 probationary business students thrown out of school
By Theresa Ebden
The School of Business is turning into the School of Hard Knocks.
Despite numerous warnings from administration, 20 business students have been kicked out of Ryerson because they failed to sign a probationary agreement. Ryerson policy states that students on probation must sign a contract that binds them to take only four courses per semester.
In past years, business students have avoided the contract and registered for extra courses over the phone to avoid the four-course limit.
This is the first year business students who didn’t sign a contract have been kicked out of school.
“It just seems so severe. I didn’t really think they would do it,” said Mike, a fourth-year student who asked that his name be withheld.
“I knew I had to sign [the probation agreement],” said Sam, another suspended fourth-year student who asked that his real name not be used. “I think it’s really unfair. I was going to go [with extra courses] until November 3, decide which courses I wanted, and then drop down to four.”
Currently, there is no policy approved by RyeSAC for dealing with students who don’t sign their contracts.
On that basis, three students are appealing the suspension.
“We made [the policy] as clear as we could make it [that students have to sign the contract],” said Jane Monro, director of student affairs in the School of Business. “We sent three forms with each probationary student’s timetable in August… we put up signs during registration week… we were not obligated to do this.”
She added that the student handbook states it is a student’s obligation to sign their contract.
By the October 2 deadline, 34 students had not signed the study plan, despite written warnings, signs, and class announcements. Some students claimed that they didn’t receive the letters or see the signs.
Monro admits that some students had not informed the school of a change of address, and thus didn’t receive their timetables. But she says the signs were all over the Business Building during registration week.
In reality, most students were holding out, not thinking that they would actually be suspended.
Sam says he got the letters, but didn’t see the signs until Monro pointed them out to him – after he was deregistered.
Since the rule wasn’t approved and written into Ryerson policy this year, Frank Cappadocia, Executive Assistant of RyeSAC, thanks that the three appeal cases will win.
“If [the Business school] had come to the Academic Council first, it may have been okay,” said Cappadocia. “But this is a university decision.”
Despite the School of Business not getting official approval for the move, Cappadocia thinks the new policy is a good idea.
“It seems pretty severe,” he said. “But if [another student can] follow all the rules and lose out, and some other guy doesn’t sign his agreement and comes out on top, that’s not fair.”
Michael Mayo, associate dean of the School of Business, claimed he wasn’t aware the new policy wasn’t officially approved but plans to keep things the way they are from now on.
“If people know what to expect, they’re going to operate accordingly,” said Mayo, who hopes that the new policy will break the school’s history of probationary students breaking the rules and getting into deeper academic trouble.
Monro wants to get the word out that her department is there to help students on probation, but they must first sign their contract. “We’re saying, ‘You’re in trouble, stop and look at yourself.’”
Monro believes most students have accepted the result, and can see the error of their ways.
Leave a Reply