Ole Miss drops GPA exceptions for rush

[gee_ess]

^^^exactly!

[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.

[gee_ess]

I am almost positive that the exceptions rule was just for recruitment admission - not college admission - and that was just to allow the pnm to sign up with a lower than the minimum gpa. Once, they were allowed to participate in recruitment (through this exception) then the individual chapters could choose or not to pledge her based on their own criteria.

[sigmadiva]

Sorry to butt in here, but I just wanted to ask a question: Would it be better to 'cut' based on a national standard like ACT and/or SAT rather than hs grades, since like it was said a 2.5 at one hs may be a 3.0 at another hs?

FYI - in the NPHC the student must obtain at least 12 hrs of college credit with at least a 2.5 before they can be eligible to join. In the olden days, when I came through you had to have 30 hrs of college credit with at least a 2.5.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

Sorry to butt in here, but I just wanted to ask a question: Would it be better to 'cut' based on a national standard like ACT and/or SAT rather than hs grades, since like it was said a 2.5 at one hs may be a 3.0 at another hs?

I think ACT/SAT scores are an even worse predictor of college success than HS GPAs. 50% of it is just not getting nervous when you take the darn test. I've seen intelligent, straight A students totally bomb on it.

It would be a lot easier if everyone had deferred rush and what your HS grades had been would be a moot point since everyone would have a college GPA, from that college. But I know I'm shouting into the wind on that one.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I think ACT/SAT scores are an even worse predictor of college success than HS GPAs. 50% of it is just not getting nervous when you take the darn test. I've seen intelligent, straight A students totally bomb on it.

It would be a lot easier if everyone had deferred rush and what your HS grades had been would be a moot point since everyone would have a college GPA, from that college. But I know I'm shouting into the wind on that one.

Thanks! I hadn't thought about it like that before. Since, like I said, for the NPHC hs grades / college entrance scores are a moot point. Looking at the college grades, even after one semester, can really level the playing field.

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I think ACT/SAT scores are an even worse predictor of college success than HS GPAs. 50% of it is just not getting nervous when you take the darn test. I've seen intelligent, straight A students totally bomb on it.

Not only that, but there are some people who are just having a good day and may guess correctly on the multiple choice test ... or maybe people who just test really well but suck everywhere else academically.

I know at least a couple of people who did average in high school, did a pretty awesome job at the ACT/SAT test and then went on to be an academic failure in college.

[gee_ess]

^^^So, the College/University requirements trump Unanimous Agreements?

[CBU Jeff]

I pretty sure this standard was set in place not to discriminate girls from joining. The Greek Life office implemented this both for sororities and fraternities. I realize a 2.5 might be high from some people, but to compared with some other institutions, Ole Miss is still far behind in regards to academics. And as someone stated earlier (can't remember who), but the likelihood of an organizations accepting a girl below a 2.5 is minimal anyway.

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by CBU Jeff

I pretty sure this standard was set in place not to discriminate girls from joining. The Greek Life office implemented this both for sororities and fraternities. I realize a 2.5 might be high from some people, but to compared with some other institutions, Ole Miss is still far behind in regards to academics. And as someone stated earlier (can't remember who), but the likelihood of an organizations accepting a girl below a 2.5 is minimal anyway.

then why not let them decide?

[CBU Jeff]

it's an effort to raise the overall Greek cumulative GPA. Greek organizations were bidding freshmen with histories of poor academic performance, and once in school the poor performance continued and therefore reducing the overall GPA. The 2.5 rule for fraternities and sororities is set as a benchmark to determine preliminary expectations of the PNM and if they can handle academics and Greek Life. And although it is not too common for a girl to go through recruitment after their first fall semester, that option is in place for them to obtain a 2.5 at the college level in order to meet the qualification. New standards for the Greek system are being implemented this fall with scholarship being a main component. All chapters will eventually have to maintain a 2.6 cumulative average. The 2.5 requirement for recruitment will aid these chapters in obtaining that standard.

[gee_ess]

Minimum requirements to join organization, get a job, get accepted to college, etc are a way of life. I don't see the big discrimination here...