Ole Miss drops GPA exceptions for rush

[fantASTic]

I also feel like there are a LOT of people who use learning disabilities as an excuse to underachieve. For example...my little sister has mild ADD. When she gets a bad grade, she blames it on this, even though she's on medication. I know for a FACT that she is using this as an excuse...and if she does it, there are college kids who do it too. I think this will keep people focused on their grades as a gateway, instead of something they can excuse with a, "But, but..I have ADD!"

[OleMissGlitter]

I agree with Tippie....as someone who works with a chapter there, I can tell you that this policy will only help the chapters. Like Tippie said, most of the PNMs going through rush are well prepared and they know how to play the game too. Another point she said that I agree with is that each sorority has their own policies. I have seen PNMs go through with a 1.9 GPA and they just end up getting released from every sorority. If anything Ole Miss is doing them a favor I think. I think this just benefits everyone, full circle.

[Blue Skies]

Learning disabilities can occur in students with any level of intelligence. For instance, many teachers suspect that Albert Einstein may have had a learning disability due to the fact that he was unable to read until he was in the third grade. There are many different types of LD's and they can range from mild to severe. LD's can also occur in combination, or in combination with other disorders such as ADHD.

I've seen students with a mild LD get excellent grades with minimal support (such as additional opportunities to respond to oral questions, or extended response time to oral questions.) Some students with moderate disabilities "grow out of it" in the sense that they learn strategies to cope with their LD as they mature, and they can also do quite well.

My feeling as a teacher is that there is an appropriate time for the "training wheels" to come off, and that time is college. LD students should be able to succeed with only minimal accommodations. College is not for everyone.

I do not believe that there should be a grade exemption for learning disabilities at the collegiate level.

[Dionysus]

Originally Posted by fantASTic

I also feel like there are a LOT of people who use learning disabilities as an excuse to underachieve. For example...my little sister has mild ADD. When she gets a bad grade, she blames it on this, even though she's on medication. I know for a FACT that she is using this as an excuse...and if she does it, there are college kids who do it too. I think this will keep people focused on their grades as a gateway, instead of something they can excuse with a, "But, but..I have ADD!"

I do agree that college students are full of excuses...but ADD and other learning problems can make school VERY VERY hard for students. Even when on medication. Sometimes the medication doesn't work as well as it should or stop working completely. Even when medication is working well, it doesn't treat all symptoms of ADD. It treats mostly the hyperactive, impulsivity, and inattentive symptoms. Medications doesn't help executive functioning that much. If someone is having trouble with executive functioning, it could negatively effect performance, no matter how well you are medicated.