Academic Standards: Good Standing, Probation, and Dropped Status

Information on this page is for students entering the PharmTox program in Fall 2019 and later.

(Students entering the program Fall 2018 and earlier should refer to the Undergraduate Student Policies and Procedures document (approved May 2017).

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Pharmacology and Toxicology Admission & Oversight Committee | Philosophy |  Good Standing  |  Failure to Maintain Good Standing (Academic Probation) |  Dropped Status  |  Academic Probation Consequences  |  Returning to Good Standing  |  Graduation and Academic Probation/Dropped Status  |  Appealing PTAOC Decisions

Pharmacology and Toxicology Admissions & Oversight Committee (PTAOC)

Responsibilities
The Pharmacology and Toxicology Admissions & Oversight Committee (PTAOC), as appointed annually by the Dean of the School of Pharmacy, is responsible for defining academic standards required for entrance to, continuation in, and graduation from the Bachelor of Science – Pharmacology and Toxicology program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy (SOP).  In addition, the PTAOC develops policies and procedures to maintain these standards, and applies these policies and procedures to address circumstances where Pharmacology and Toxicology (PharmTox) students do not meet these standards. These actions are undertaken with appropriate approval from the faculty of the SOP.

Responsibilities of the PTAOC are to:

• interpret, review, and recommend revision of the SOP Undergraduate Student Policies and Procedures (USPP) document, as needed
• review the academic progress of PharmTox students
• determine the outcome of students who appeal being dropped from the degree/major
• report to the Dean and to SOP faculty and staff regarding committee activities

Membership
The Dean of the SOP appoints all committee members, including “resource” members. The committee is chaired by the PharmTox program faculty director, and includes at a minimum the SOP Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and at least four other Pharmaceutical Sciences faculty or affiliate faculty members, any academic staff employed as academic advisors in the PharmTox program, and one member of the SOP PharmTox alumni.

Voting
With respect to Undergraduate Student Promotion Policies and Procedures, all regular (non-resource) members of the PTAOC are voting members. Note that the PharmTox alum serving on the committee should not be present for meetings (or portions of meetings) that involve academic progress issues of PharmTox students and may not vote in such matters. Faculty or staff on the PTAOC who work directly with PharmTox students as an advisor are required to excuse themselves from voting on academic progress issues involving their direct advisees. The PTAOC may invite other persons to participate in committee activities in an advisory, non-voting capacity.

Quorum
For addressing policy matters or any individual student case (e.g. admissions decisions; poor academic performance, etc.), a simple majority of eligible voting members constitutes a quorum.

Philosophy

These Academic Standards are intended to help PharmTox students who encounter academic difficulty assess and remedy their situations.  This policy is administered by the PTAOC, with the assistance of other SOP faculty and staff.  PharmTox academic advisors monitor the academic progress of students, including periodic contact with students and their instructors.

The actions of the PTAOC include:

• determining whether students who have encountered academic difficulties may continue in the major and, if so, establish standards for continuation,
• identifying specific factors and behaviors that caused or contributed to a student’s academic difficulties,
• discussing with students the reality of their academic situations and the appropriateness of their educational expectations and goals, and
• referring students to appropriate resources that will support them in understanding and productively responding to unsatisfactory academic performance

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Good Standing

Students declared in the Bachelor of Science – Pharmacology and Toxicology degree/major shall be considered in good standing if they have:

• grades of C or higher in all courses in the semester just completed (excluding summer terms), AND
• a GPA of 2.5 or above in the semester just completed (excluding summer terms), AND
• a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above.

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Failure to Maintain Good Standing (Academic Probation)

Students will be placed on academic probation when, in the semester just completed, that student has:

• earned D or F grades in any course(s) (excluding summer terms), OR
• attained less than a 2.5 semester GPA (excluding summer terms).

Students on academic probation will be provided written notice of such from the chair of the PTAOC at the conclusion of the semester.  The academic probation notice will be delivered electronically to the student’s UW–Madison email address.  Students on academic probation may be required to meet with their academic advisor and/or the PTAOC to discuss their academic progress and future plans for improvement and success.  An academic action noting probation status will be placed on the student’s record.

Once on probation, a student is continued on probation until either removed from probation (returned to good academic standing) or dropped from the major.  Probation status cannot be appealed.

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Dropped Status

A student on academic probation will be dropped from the Bachelor of Science – Pharmacology and Toxicology degree/major at the end of any semester in which the student has:

• earned D or F grades in any course(s) (excluding summer terms), OR
• attained less than a 2.5 semester GPA (excluding summer terms).

Written notice of being dropped from the degree/major will come from the chair of the PTAOC and bedelivered electronically to the student’s UW-Madison email address.  An academic action noting dropped status will be placed on the student’s record.  Students will be required to drop all future enrolled courses that require declaration in the PharmTox major and/or School of Pharmacy student status. Students dropped from the degree/major will need to transfer to a different school/college at UW–Madison.  The PharmTox academic advisor will help facilitate this with the student.

Students may appeal dropped status by meeting with the PTAOC, but the student must formally request an appeal meeting. Instructions on requesting a PTAOC appeal meeting will be included in the dropped status notification email. The meeting will take place before the beginning of the following semester. If a student requests an appeal meeting:

1. Selected course instructors may be asked to provide information for the PTAOC regarding student’s academic performance. The PTAOC may consider pre-SOP grades, academic performance in the SOP, and personal issues in its deliberations.
2. The student will be asked to submit an explanation for their academic performance and their action plan for future academic success.
3. The PharmTox academic advisor will present the case and the student’s academic records to the PTAOC. Relevant faculty and staff may be asked to attend the meeting and they may present information.
4. Students shall attend a portion of the meeting to discuss their situation with the PTAOC and may be accompanied by legal counsel, an advocate, or another individual. Accompanying individuals may only observe and may not actively participate in the proceedings. If the student wants to present any additional material, they need to provide copies to the PTAOC chair 48 hours prior to the meeting.
5. The meeting shall not be bound by common law or statutory rules of evidence and may admit information having reasonable probative value, but shall exclude immaterial, irrelevant, or unduly repetitious testimony, and shall give effect to recognized legal privileges.
6. The PTAOC shall take notes for the meeting. Any party to the meeting may obtain copies of the notes at his or her expense.
7. Following the presentation of information, the PTAOC will excuse the student and others who are not members of the committee to engage in deliberations.
8. The decision of the PTAOC shall be delivered in writing to the student’s UW-Madison email address.If permission to continue is granted, the committee will prepare plans for the student’s continued progress in the major, which may include recommendations for repeating coursework or reducing credit loads. Students will be notified in writing of the plan and must reply in writing that they understand and accept the provisions of the plan. If dropped status is upheld, students will be advised that they have the right to appeal the committee’s decision, as outlined in Section 3.8.
9. The PTAOC chair and the student’s academic advisor shall receive copies of the decision letter.

If a student in dropped status successfully appeals to continue in the major, the student’s academic standing will be changed from dropped status to academic probation and the student’s record will be updated accordingly.  If that student is eventually moved to dropped status for a second time, the student may not appeal again and will not be permitted to continue in the major.

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Academic Probation Consequences

Until students return to good standing, students who are on academic probation:

• are not permitted to seek or hold office (e.g. the presidency of either the TOX-3 or TOX-4 class)in any SOP student organization;
• are not permitted to represent the SOP in any non-course related capacity;
• are ineligible for SOP associated travel scholarship funding to attend professional meetings;
• are ineligible for term credit overrides (that is, they may not exceed 18 credits of enrollment in a fall or spring semester or 9 credits for a summer semester); and
• are ineligible for consideration for awards and scholarships from the SOP.  If an academic probation status is received after a scholarship has been awarded (e.g., after a fall semester), the student will not be eligible to receive the spring semester payment.

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Returning to Good Standing

A student on academic probation will return to good standing and be removed from probation if that student has:

• grades of C or higher in all courses in the semester just completed (excluding summer terms), AND
• a GPA of 2.5 or above in the semester just completed (excluding summer terms), AND
• a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above.

Students on academic probation who meet the semester course grade(s) and semester GPA requirements for good standing in the semester just completed but do not yet have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above will remain on academic probation.

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Graduation and Academic Probation/Dropped Status

A student who is on academic probation or dropped status at the end of a semester in which they have fulfilled all Bachelor of Science – Pharmacology and Toxicology degree/major requirements will be conferred a degree, and will not be required to return to good standing or appeal to continue in the major.

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Appealing PTAOC Decisions

Students may appeal the PTAOC decision to maintain dropped status to the Dean of the School of Pharmacy. An appeal shall be in writing and be received within five (5) business days of receipt of the PTAOC’s written decision. The appeal will be reviewed by the Dean of the School of Pharmacy. For an appeal to be considered further, students must state the basis for appeal and provide documentation relevant to the basis of the appeal. Bases for appeal are limited to:

• new facts that were not available at the time of the PTAOC meeting and have direct bearing on the academic performance;
• a claim of inadequate consideration of specific information by PTAOC;
• a claim that PTAOC did not follow procedures established here or based its decision on factors proscribed by state or federal law; or
• a claim that PTAOC’s action was unduly severe.

The burden of proof shall be on the student to demonstrate that the PTAOC’s decision was biased to a significant degree. The dean’s review of the decision is based on the record. The dean may take any of the following actions on the appeal:

• Sustain the PTAOC’s decision.
• Modify the action recommended by the PTAOC.
• Reverse the decision of the PTAOC on the grounds of the appeal.
• Remand the matter for further consideration by the PTAOC.

Depending on the outcome of the dean’s review, the dean’s decision shall be delivered in writing to the student’s UW–Madison email address. The director, and the student’s academic advisors shall receive copies of the decision. The dean’s decision shall be final. Students may enroll in PharmTox classes during the appeal process.

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approved February 2019