Ole Miss drops GPA exceptions for rush

[UGAalum94]

And it's possible that a high percentage of the people they were making exceptions for weren't ending up with bids, so they could see they were setting them up for bad results maybe.

[RU OX Alum]

basically it's legal discrimination

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

basically it's legal discrimination

Are you speaking out of your ass again?

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

basically it's legal discrimination

No...it's called standards!

[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.

[Dionysus]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

No...it's called standards!

Depeding on the circumstances, it can be considered as legal discrimination. But, I do agree that 2.5 GPA minimum is reasonable...even 2.75.

Originally Posted by Dionysus

Depeding on the circumstances, it can be considered as legal discrimination. But, I do agree that 2.5 GPA minimum is reasonable...even 2.75.

Just how exactly would that be discrimination?

[gee_ess]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

No...it's called standards!

LOVE this response!

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

And it's possible that a high percentage of the people they were making exceptions for weren't ending up with bids, so they could see they were setting them up for bad results maybe.

I honestly think it's better off with the cut off at 2.5, for the exact reason you stated. At a school like Ole Miss I can bet that the girls who were grade exceptions weren't getting bids anyway and that it was just a waste of the girls' time and mioney.

[Dionysus]

Originally Posted by OTW

Just how exactly would that be discrimination?

Professional and honorary GLOs would be off the hook, since their main focus is academic achievement. There are probably exceptions.

But social and service GLOs are the ones who should be careful how they handle certain students, because they are mainly non-academic orgs turning down students for academic reasons. Learning disorders, ADD, Asperger's or whatever are defined as disabilities. Depending on the school, students with disabilites can have a variety of accomodations, including GPA or grade exceptions. Most GLOs have anti-discrimination policies. Disibilities can be included, it depends on the organization (which I believe is the majority). If a GLO denies a disabled student's rights (granted by the disability office), that could get them in trouble. They won't get thrown in jail of course, but it could get them a civil suit.

Again it really depends...the specific disability, how the school accomodates them, if the student even notified his/her school about the disability, specific school and student org policies, greek life policies, GLO policies, and how the student is treated.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Dionysus

Professional and honorary GLOs would be off the hook, since their main focus is academic achievement. There are probably exceptions.

But social and service GLOs are the ones who should be careful how they handle certain students, because they are mainly non-academic orgs turning down students for academic reasons. Learning disorders, ADD, Asperger's or whatever are defined as disabilities. Depending on the school, students with disabilites can have a variety of accomodations, including GPA or grade exceptions. Most GLOs have anti-discrimination policies. Disibilities can be included, it depends on the organization (which I believe is the majority). If a GLO denies a disabled student's rights (granted by the disability office), that could get them in trouble. They won't get thrown in jail of course, but it could get them a civil suit.

Again it really depends...the specific disability, how the school accomodates them, if the student even notified his/her school about the disability, specific school and student org policies, greek life policies, GLO policies, and how the student is treated.

But it's a GPA based policy for people who probably were receiving accommodation for the disability, right? Otherwise, they probably wouldn't have documentation on the disability to seek a waiver, right?

Disability law doesn't require that you have no standards for people with disabilities just that you make reasonable modification for them. If the students were receiving modifications in their classes, why would they need to be held to a lower academic standard in terms of GPA?

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

But it's a GPA based policy for people who probably were receiving accommodation for the disability, right? Otherwise, they probably wouldn't have documentation on the disability to seek a waiver, right?

Disability law doesn't require that you have no standards for people with disabilities just that you make reasonable modification for them. If the students were receiving modifications in their classes, why would they need to be held to a lower academic standard in terms of GPA?

EXACTLY! Also, organizations other than honorary societies base decisions on achievement. Have you ever tried to get a job that requires a degree without having a degree or just getting by with the minimum gpa? The school itself often mandates a gpa cutoff for organizations because they see these as ways to make sure that weak students aren't overloading themselves on extra-curriculars while failing out of school. There are no rights to glo membership. It is an honor to join a NPC organization with lots of responsibilities. We may not be honorary societies, but academic success is part of our missions, Dionysus!

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

No...it's called standards!

basically it's a way for them to say "something is wrong with you, so we don't want you in" that's what discrimination is.

But none of the sororities wants to come out and say "we don't want anyone with learning disableties to join" so they made an NPC rule basically saying the same thing

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Dionysus

If a GLO denies a disabled student's rights (granted by the disability office), that could get them in trouble. They won't get thrown in jail of course, but it could get them a civil suit.

I don't see any such suit being successful.

In any event, as you've described it, it's not discrimination based on disability. No organization would be saying "we're not taking her because she's got this disability." They're not taking her because she doesn't meet academic qualifications. As others have noted, if there really is a disability requiring accommodation, then that should already have been taken into account by the school.

Not all standards = discrimination.

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

basically it's a way for them to say "something is wrong with you, so we don't want you in" that's what discrimination is.

No, that is not what discrimination is. Discrimination is "treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit." (Thanks, dictionary.com.)

A GPA is without question individual merit and has nothing to do with "the group, class, or category to which that person . . . belongs."

I'm sorry, but I think it's just plain silly to suggest that having a GPA requirement is merely to keep people with learning disabilities out of sororities. That doesn't even pass the straight face test.

[sigmadiva]

I'm sorry for butting in again, but when did learning disabilities automatically = dumb? I think some of you are assuming that. And, I don't think that is the case at all, that LD = dumb. Sure, some students may have to work harder because of their LD, but that does not make them dumb.

And, I don't see where this is discrimination. It is a standard. The sororities know how demanding being an active can be, whether you are talking about NPC, NPHC, MCGLO - greek life demands your time. If the student can not handle the demands of school and greek life, then that student needs to focus on school.

Besides, from what I've learned on these boards, it seems that girls who want to go to Ole Miss know if they want to be in a sorority or not, so then they should know that they need to have a high GPA to particiapte in recruitment.