Moving the withdrawal date to two and a half weeks earlier would benefit administration and faculty, but how would it benefit EC students?

The last day to drop a class with a “W” is fine where it is now, there’s no need for changing it other than making things more complicated for students.

The campus administration wants to move back the “W” drop date from 75 percent to 60 percent of the semester, because the U.S. Department of Education allows students to keep 100 percent of the financial aid money they’ll receive during the term if they’ve completed at least 60 percent of it.

If a student doesn’t complete the full 60 percent, then they will have to pay back the money they’ve received from financial aid. There are students who drop a class before the drop date as a precaution toward forgetting to drop it or the lack of Internet access. Will they have to pay back the financial aid money if they’ve only completed 59.9 percent of the term?

And how is that fair for students who work as hard as anyone else, but have to drop for numerous reasons? Not every student drops a class due to poor grades, some have medical issues or have to leave school for an extended period of time for personal reasons. Asking them to pay back the money would only hinder their ability to get through college without racking up debt.

Some students stick it out to the very last day to drop with hopes of turning things around and pass the class. With this 60 percent change, that means students are barely out of midterms and might not have received the results. So how would they know if it’s wise enough to drop the class if they are not sure how they’re doing in the class a week and a half after midterms?

Seventy-five percent through a semester gives students enough time to get a feel for the course, so if they do decide to drop the class, they can choose to retake the class the following semester and do better.

Changing the drop date would do more harm than good. Sure students might receive their financial aid money earlier, but at what cost? At least with four weeks remaining in the semester, students have a better idea as to how they’re doing and what steps they need to take to either drop the class or stay enrolled.

Community colleges are designed to make going to college more accessible for students, not pulling the rug from under students’ feet whenever administration and faculty come up with these ideas.