This past Wednesday, we had the pleasure of having Dr. Easton come to our INTD class to talk about SUNY Geneseo’s academic probation letter. Over 500,000 students across the United States are in academic probation. Being on academic probation isn’t necessarily the issue, but the real issue is getting off of academic probation. Almost 33% of students never get off, and eventually drop out of college. This leads to the question being asked by colleges: what can we do differently?
The main goal of the academic probation letter should be to let students know where they are going wrong and how they can improve. I believe SUNY Geneseo’s academic probation letter is incomplete because it simply states how the student managed to get on academic probation, not how the student can improve. Sandra made a great point in class in which I think the academic probation letter can improve: she suggested that the letter should include what department that the student is failing in. To further expand this idea, the academic probation letter should include what class/classes you failed and the number/email of the department you need help in. For example, if you failed calculus, the letter should include the math department’s number and email and what they offer for extra help (math learning center). This applies for students who fail their INTD or science classes; when they get an academic probation letter, that letter would include information on the writing learning center, the physics learning center, etc. I believe syntax plays a huge role in the academic probation letter because it could intimidate a student from trying anymore. Hannah stated that the word “fail” in the second sentence of the academic probation letter makes the reader feel that it is the end of the process, which is why students are afraid of reaching out. On the other hand, you want the letter to seem somewhat stern and serious, so it grabs the student’s attention. If the student doesn’t believe academic probation is serious, then they will more than likely not act at all.
I believe SUNY Geneseo should rewrite their academic probation completely because she said our current letter was based off a template which was written about 30-40 years ago. To me, that seems outdated. One thing I would keep from the current academic probation letter would be the last three paragraphs because of the syntax and information provided in both. For example, the third paragraph states that you can set up a meeting with your academic adviser and discuss strategies on how you can get off academic probation. On top of that, the fourth paragraph suggests that how you can boost your GPA most efficiently is by retaking classes you did poorly in. This gives the student enough information to be proactive about being on academic probation and how you can succeed by getting off academic probation. The last paragraph to me has the right diction and syntax because it gives the student hope. Hope is what gets students through the toughest of days because with hope, anything is possible.
In conclusion, the main point Dr. Easton made to me is that the academic probation letter is a living document that is and always will be changing for the students. The academic probation letter should not come off as a scare tactic, but rather as a motivational and informational piece of writing.