"I am pleased that your academic career does not seem to have been affected by any of this. You remain a student in good standing at NIU and your decision to withdraw from your course this past semester, even though your frustration may have contributed to it, was a voluntary one. "
After withdrawing from his Meteorology program, Mr. Wilson enrolled for three courses in the area of Mathematics. As his Exhibit I shows, he did not have much success. His failure of all courses would have resulted in the computer automatically informing him of an academic dismissal even if the cumulative GPA meets the standards for retention.2 The computer also notifies the Office of Registration and Records and, more important, the Dean of the College in which the student is enrolled. The College analyses the records of all students who have failed all courses (and thus have been automatically dismissed by the computer) to determine whether retention is warranted.
Yesterday, I contacted both Associate Director of Registration and Records John Olson and Dr. Sue Warrick Doederlein, the Associate Dean of the NIU College of Liberal Art. and Sciences, the situs of the Department of Geography. Dr. Doederlein is the "Advising Dean" and is responsible for reviewing all undergraduate academic dismissals. I am attaching a copy of an e-mail message she sent me (Exhibit 4) and I believe it explains Mr. Wilson's status and the normal procedures of Office of Registration and Records and the College when a student fails all courses within a given semester. I have copies of notices sent from Dr. Doederlein to Mr. Olson on May 17, 1996 and October 1, 1996 which confirm Mr. Wilson's status. These are part of Mr. Wilson's official student records and I cannot disclose them without his written release.
I am also enclosing a copy of a form letter (Exhibit 5) sent to all students who were originally notified of a dismissa1 and who were later reinstated. Although this form letter is from the Fall of 1998, I am assured that it is the same form used in the Spring of 1996 and that upon the College's decision to readmit Mr. Wilson this letter would have been sent to him in the normal course of business. Unfortunately, copies of these letters are not retained.
2 Mr. Wilson's Exhibit I shows a cumulative GPA of 2.6, well above the retention threshold.