Appealing a suspension

<p>My son was formerly suspended from his college due to bad grades. He was suspended twice and the second time was not allowed to be readmitted. He did send an appeal letter to the president, but it was denied since he said he doesn't overturn policies. He basically sent it back to the committee who made the decision in the first place. I don't want the comments that he won't get back in and that he should just go on with his life (already got those). The question has more to deal with how to handle things now.</p>

<p>My son wants to go back to the school more than anything. His issues at school were due to ADHD, Depression, shyness and immaturity. His poor executive function skills, led him to do poorly on tests then shut down. He was not a threat to himself or to anyone else. He just felt like a failure and couldn't face anyone who wanted to help since he was so disappointed in himself (the depression).</p>

<p>The reason I'm asking this is considering the school he attended, Earlham College a small liberal arts school that accepts kids who are smart, but a bit quirky, unique, think outside the box. The suspension forced my son to realize he needed to change his life and on his own got a job in his field and moved away from home and his depression lifted. He also learned that he cannot get into his field without a college education. He also knows the alternatives. Either skip school or apply to a new school as a freshmen. He doesn't do well in classes that aren't challenging. His sister also goes there and she is fine, but then again, they are 2 different people.</p>

<p>I'm sending a positive letter about my son to the school and how his life has change in an incredibly positive way. I also stated that for a school that accepts unique smart kids who think outside the box that their procedures are arbitrary and should not be the same for everyone since they value uniqueness. That he can be a success and deserves a 3rd chance. Even his adviser sees his potential and wanted him to come back (though I can understand that he doesn't want to get really involved in this since it could affect his job especially since the school is hurting financially).</p>

<p>The real question is if it would be a good idea for him to go out to the school and talk to them. I thought this might help because then they could see the changes he made and not just read about them (anyone could have written the letter). In my opinion, policies are not set in stone and when an individual accepts the fact he messed up, has changed his life around, knows what he needs to do to become successful in school he deserves another chance as this new person (in this case a 3rd chance).. </p>

<p>I wouldn't be asking this, but he really wants to go back and him going there, at least in my feeling, would really show how much it would mean to him to return to Earlham.</p>

<p>Sorry this is so long. Guess I had too much to say! Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read it!!</p>

<p>

Whoever writes the letter, I suggest that it be signed by your son. It’s his appeal.</p>

<p>OP- you are surely in a tough spot, but there are quite literally hundreds of colleges that would be happy to take your son. Now that he’s got some clarity on his issues, why not spend the energy you have focused on Earlham and divert it somewhere else? Find a college which will meet his needs and will accept him- and get going on that plan.</p>

<p>What am I missing? Why is it Earlham or bust???</p>

<p>Maybe I missed it, but how long has it been? The passage of time can support your argument that he’s changed. So can performance at his job over time. If he has less than 4 semesters of credit so far, taking courses at a community college and doing well in them may also help.</p>

<p>Showing up on campus, by itself, is unlikely to change anything. He should be getting in touch with people who know him personally and believe in him, like favorite professors. They may have some better advice.</p>

<p>In my counseling practice, I specialize in dealing with students who have been expelled, arrested, etc. In my experience, it’s not about pleading the case better. It’s about amassing evidence of the change.</p>

<p>How was your son’s summer job on the boat? From reading past posts of yours, I’d like to ask what is different now than it was according to your previous posts?</p>

<p>If his problems were due to ADHD, what accommodations was he getting?</p>

<p>If he was not getting accommodations, you MUST (IMHO, as a parent) start on that path. It sounds like he needs accommodations no matter where he ends up, whether he stays at Earlham or not.</p>

<p><a href=“https://www.earlham.edu/policies-and-handbooks/academic/policy-on-student-learning-disabilities/”>https://www.earlham.edu/policies-and-handbooks/academic/policy-on-student-learning-disabilities/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I can’t for the life of me understand why someone who has had life challenges and has managed to get into college, then would not get appropriate accommodations in college.</p>

<p>Thought I’d point out that if the student starts somewhere new, he can start fresh with a new GPA. Not the case if he he gets back into the place that suspended him twice. </p>

<p>Thanks! He knows that, but he does have credit at Earlham and he wants to go back. He’s already 23 and wants to get on with his life. </p>

<p>Thanks! He already sent in an appeal letter that anyone who read it said it sounded great. It’s just his parents supporting him since they turned down his first appeal (his psychiatrist suggested we do it)… We plan to attach his original appeal letter to ours and send it to others involved in the whole process. The letter from the president was basically a bureaucratic form letter.</p>

<p>Sorry, but he seems unreasonably fixated on Earlham. He really should just apply somewhere else.</p>

<p>My only thought would be a solid year at a local CC with stellar performance and then going back with that data to Earlham to plead his case with evidence of his improved performance.</p>

<p>Well. he does like the school and what happened to him there would have happened anywhere. He just wasn’t ready. It’s a small school and they know him and his adviser wants him back because he knows his potential. Plus he already has credit there and wouldn’t have to take the basic courses over again which he doesn’t do too well in since they’re too easy and therefore boring to him. He also feels comfortable there. Unfortunately he won’t be able to transfer to any other place because of his gpa. He’s a very different type of child who would need a very unique school who would be able to understand his rather unique thinking out of the box ways… Larger state schools would be the worse thing for him since he’ll be lost and won’t get the personal experience (I went to a school of over 35,000 and that’s what happens). Plus he’s a visual hands on learner and not auditory which is how Earlham teaches. Plus they’re well known for their biology department, It couldn’t just be any school unfortunately that would work for him. </p>

<p>Thank you for your response. It was after last spring semester he received the final suspension. He then got a contractual job with the Dept of Natural Resources here which unfortunately ended early due to their poor financial planning. He realizes that to even get a job that is closely related to his field he need a a degree so he’s in a catch 22. I suggested in the meantime to look for any paying job and volunteer at a park or down at the dept of nat. resources. He can’t do exactly what he wants to do due to his lack of a degree, but it’s the closest thing we can think of. His fear is that once home, he may fall back into his old patterns. He’s desperate to get back to school and finish. He has momentum now! What upset him was that the school just went remembered who he was, not how he has changed. Thought by seeing him and talking to him that could change their mind.</p>

<p>ChddarcheeseMN, the GPA from school 1 will stay with him if he is planning to continue his education beyond undergrad. They take into account any grades received from college level courses regardless of where or when they were taken.</p>

<p>Thanks for asking. He has gained more confidence in himself. Has learned to be less shy since he had to talk to lots of strangers everyday about invasive species. First time he lived away from home (2 1/2 hours) and that taught him a lot of responsibility. He basically has matured and is ready for the challenge especially now since he knows he needs a degree. Even his doctor sees a huge difference in him. Plus, it helped him decide the path he wants to take. He needs to continue on his journey and not be at home that’s for sure.</p>

<p>He did get some accommodations, extended time and use of a calculator. I just asked him what the biggest issue was and he said memorization. Even though the upper level classes were challenging he understood what was going on. He also did well in his labs. It’s that he just tanked on the tests. One bad test grade led to another bad test grade then down he went.</p>

<p>Utzy, you are not going to believe me but I’ll write this anyway- somewhere out there is a college which has bio, will accommodate his learning needs, will take some of his credits so he’s not repeating lower level courses despite his GPA, and will provide a supportive environment for him.</p>

<p>You appeal once- it’s denied. To me, continuing to agitate over Earlham is a convenient way to avoid moving forward. Your son has realized he needs a degree to do what he wants in life- terrific. Help him get moving on a degree. If the next appeal gets denied at Earlham, then what is Plan B???</p>

<p>I should say that he did contact his adviser who could only do so much. The advisory committee just saw the numbers and that’s what counted. As I just told someone else, he understood the classes, did well in the labs, just couldn’t do well on tests due to poor memorization. He did fine at CC but that was a lot easier and less work. Though he did not go to some of the classes because they were just too easy and therefore boring. He does s lot better when challenged except on tests! Thinking about this, I can’t even begin to think of schools he’d do well at. I guess more alternative types but not sure about which ones they are. </p>

<p>Family member here was suspended from a very fine university…twice. After the first suspension, he was told to take courses at a CC, and prove he could do the work. He did this and was admitted a second time. When he flunked out the second time (despite the school providing awesome help to try to prevent this), his relationship with that school was “severed”. Yes, it says this on his transcript. He could not be readmitted under any circumstances.</p>

<p>Fast forward. He worked for a few years, the went to a CC where he completed his general ed courses. He then transferred to a four year university to complete an engineering degree. He has been a very successful engineer for over 30 years now.</p>

<p>I would strongly suggest that your son go to a local university or community college. He needs to gain some confidence. He needs to know he can pass college courses. He needs to prove that he can to future colleges. If he enrolls at a CC, he should discuss plans to complete a bachelors with an advisor. The CC will likely have an articulation agreement with some four year universities where his CC credits will be accepted, and he will be accepted assuming his performance at the CC is good.</p>

<p>I would not continue trying to get back into a school where this student has been dismissed twice. I’m sorry, but that is throwing good money after bad. They have given him two chances. I’m quite sure there were stipulations when he was admitted the second time. </p>

<p>It’s time to move on.</p>

<p>And Utzy- I do realize that you are trying to be supportive. But in your description of someone who doesn’t like doing boring things, you are likely enabling some behaviors which aren’t going to help him be successful even if he does get readmitted to Earlham. Life is filled with boring things. I don’t particularly like organizing my travel expenses at work but if I don’t, my company won’t reimburse me. I don’t like doing my taxes. I find filling out employee evaluations boring (really boring) and the more successful you become in my line of work, the more people you manage and therefore, the number of evaluations goes up every year.</p>

<p>Your son needs support to understand that there will be boring elements to his classes- even at Earlham- and his job is to soldier on to get to the more interesting stuff. Checking out when it gets boring is likely to lead to the same result.</p>

<p>I don’t understand why you think that the credits earned at Earlham won’t transfer to another college. People transfer all the time. </p>