When the UNC-system Board of Governors met in November, members punted on the proposal to standardize the add/drop period throughout the UNC system — a standardization that would have drastically cut the length of the add/drop period at UNC.
While it seems unlikely that the 10-day period proposed last November will be approved when the board meets today, it’s imperative that the board be cognizant of the problems cutting the length of the add/drop period would cause.
The Board of Governors may argue that the drop process should be standardized across the UNC system.
Although there’s nothing wrong with streamlining and standardizing the drop process, per se, that change shouldn’t come at the cost of students’ academic exploration.
Allowing a longer drop period lets students explore alternative fields of study that they might find interesting.
By shortening the drop period, students will become discouraged from stepping out of their comfort zone, challenging themselves or even discovering a potential new major. Academic exploration is essential to a true liberal arts education.
Of course, there is still the concern of inequality and mismanagement by individual schools in the absence of a standard. But this concern neglects the importance of allowing schools to tailor their policies to their own specific needs. It isn’t always better to paint with a broader brush.
In fact, UNC’s longer drop period was itself devised as a solution to the problem of low retention rates.
The board should be wary of standardization for its own sake. This university has a system in place that works for its faculty and students.
