The Committee on Student Standing and Programs (CSSP), a standing committee of the faculty, is composed of three faculty members appointed by Academic Council, three students appointed by Students' Council, and two deans.  

The Committee is charged with reviewing students’ academic performance in consultation with their Advising Dean and, if necessary, with members of the Athletics department, the Office of Admission, and (to the extent consistent with confidentiality) the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) staff.

CSSP relies on the faculty to convey notes of concern to the deans of those students in their courses who are experiencing academic difficulty. The Committee reviews these faculty reports of concern twice during the semester.  If a student’s dean and CSSP decides concern is warranted, CSSP will reach out in writing to these students apprising them of the specific concerns, urging them to consult with their advisors, counselors, deans, and instructors, and recommending, where appropriate, that they make use of the College’s peer tutoring system, the Office of Academic Resources, and other academic support resources.

CSSP has broad authority to set requirements for a student’s continued enrollment. CSSP may at any time require that the student take an involuntary College Leave, typically for one year. A College Leave will be considered only as a last resort. No student will be placed on College Leave before being invited to talk with the Committee, their Dean and, if desired, a faculty or staff support person of the student’s choice.

Students are accountable to themselves and to the College (as embodied in the Committee) for the use to which they put both their talents and the resources of the College. Each case that comes before the Committee is treated individually within the context of College policy, and from this perspective, accountability means that some students who perform poorly but manage to pass their courses may still be placed on College Leave and ones who are failing may, on occasion, be permitted to continue. However, although CSSP may permit students who fail some of their courses to continue at the College, the Committee must first be convinced that there is a high probability that such students will do work that is at least consistently adequate in the immediate future.

When CSSP is considering the possibility of placing a student on College Leave, it will postpone making its final decision until an Academic Performance Review has occurred.  Such hearings typically happen at the end of January, immediately prior to the spring semester, and in early June in response to spring semester grade reports, but the Committee may invite a student to speak with the committee regarding their academic performance at any point in the calendar year.

A student will receive a written invitation to join an Academic Progress Review meeting at least three days prior to the meeting. At least one student, one faculty member, and one dean will participate in this meeting in order to constitute a quorum. A student who is asked to participate in an Academic Progress Review may invite a support person to join them. This person can be any faculty or staff member of the College (including a dean, member of the OAR, a coach or other member of the College). The role of the student support person is designed to help the student during what may be a stressful meeting.  The student support person will not speak unprompted during the meeting.  However, the student support person can respond to questions from the Committee and can initiate a pause in the meeting to talk privately with the student.  At the end of the meeting, the Committee will ask the student support person if the student represented themselves fully (an acknowledgment of the inherent stress of such a meeting designed to ensure that students do not forget to say things they intended to say).  If a student chooses to include a student support person, they are asked to share the person’s name with the committee in advance so that a meeting can be arranged. 

The purpose of the Academic Performance Review is to understand the challenges that a student has faced in their academic work and the strategies that they have used to counter these challenges.  CSSP will be focused on the development and engagement of support structures that will best help each student and the formation of a path forward for each individual.  

CSSP has several topics that may be covered during this meeting and will ask a variety of questions. The following questions will be asked at each Academic Performance Review meeting (these questions are shared with the respective student in advance):

• What were the challenges that you faced this semester and/or year?
• What strategies did you use to deal with challenges?
• What support mechanisms would you find most helpful?

• What is your plan for future success (including academic progress discussion points)?

The Committee will seek all available information from the students’ professors and academic advisor(s), including their chosen support person, to be held confidentially to provide context in this case. The Committee will ask students if they would want and would permit CAPS information to be released to their Dean or directly to CSSP if such information exists. The Committee’s deliberations regarding involuntary College Leaves are required to take into account any mitigating circumstances, including any physical and mental health issues, or other trauma the student may have experienced. CSSP, in consultation with the Dean’s office, will also take into account whether the student has a mentally and physically safe home situation to return to, including available health care, should they take a leave from the College. The Committee should also weigh whether it is better or worse for the long-term success of the student to remain on campus. The student will be apprised of the Committee’s decision immediately after it is made. 

The Committee acknowledges that an Academic Progress Review Meeting can be stressful for the student.  At the conclusion of the Academic Progress Review, the Committee will provide the student with an opportunity to provide any additional context to the Committee in the 24 hours following the meeting.  As such, no decisions will be made until this 24 hour window has expired.

If the student does not respond to a CSSP invitation to an Academic Progress Review, nor participates in the meeting, the Committee will, in the student’s absence, make a decision regarding the student’s status at the College. CSSP will inform the student of its decision in writing.

Students placed on College Leave may appeal the Committee’s decision to the President of the College on procedural grounds only. Appeals must be in writing, must state the grounds for the appeal, and must be received by the President within 96 hours of the student’s Academic Performance Review meeting.