After the University of Minnesota’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) reported three kitten deaths in 2021, researchers are working to ensure all research animals are treated humanely.

The University suspended the study after the kittens died in a federal government research facility. Despite the study’s suspension, IACUC has 1,000 approved projects involving research with animals, according to Dan Gilchrist, communications director for the Office of Vice President for Research. University researchers and professors use animals, from zebrafish to agricultural animals, in class projects and research studies.

Animal care and use at the University

All projects, amendments or protocol changes to each study must be approved by IACUC. Last year, there were 417 new protocols and 629 amendments, Gilchrist said.

IACUC semi-annually inspects the animal facilities on campus to ensure all animals are being treated humanely. Frequently, agents from the United States Department of Agriculture make unannounced visits to ensure all mammals, besides mice and rats, are well taken care of, Gilchrist said.

Researchers who deviate from IACUC policies, usually by harming or killing the animal, are immediately suspended. In other words, they are not allowed to continue conducting the study and cannot work with the animal anymore, Gilchrist said.

Depending on the case, researchers are given an opportunity to amend and continue the study, but they are monitored by Research Animal Resources (RAR), Gilchrist said.

Research Animal Resources (RAR) is an organization through the University that provides researchers with animal care, services, veterinary knowledge and maintenance of housing facilities for animal-related research.

RAR conducts daily health checks to take care of animals used for research. Some researchers take care of their own animals and they report daily to IACUC, Gilchrist said.

IACUC is committed to the three “R’s:” Reduce, Refine, Reuse, Gilchrist said.

The committee looks to replace animal subjects wherever possible, though certain studies don’t allow for substitutes. Some policies require that body parts of certain animals are reused in other studies after the animal is euthanized, Gilchrist said.

The University is accredited every few years by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) and has been commended for being well-maintained, healthy and clean despite short staffing, Gilchrist said.

Most researchers who use animals are targets of animal rights terrorism, such as animal rights groups doxxing researchers and damaging their property, Gilchrist said. The University does not provide the names of staff or the location of the labs to protect researchers. However, the names of the main researcher are public information and are shared by the University, Gilchrist said.

Foundation of biology II

Adam Engelhardt, the program director for foundations of biology for biological sciences major part II, has been teaching the course for around eight years that uses zebrafish, a widely used vertebrate model, so students can study vertebrate development and environmental toxicology.

These experiments involve exposing the fish to some treatment, chemicals and sound movement, and measuring the fish’s reaction to the treatment. Students measure spine development, heart rate, movement patterns, behaviors or other measurements.

IACUC gives a list of approved chemicals and the concentration of each chemical that can be used on zebrafish, although not all groups use chemicals, said Mason Holum, who has been a TA for the course for the last two years.

Using zebrafish allows students to become familiar with using animals in research and the responsibility of research with animals, Holum said.

Each group of four to six students uses roughly 90 to 120 adult zebrafish throughout the experiments. After the experiment is completed, the fish are returned to the zebrafish system and will be used for future experiments, Engelhardt said.

The University has a zebrafish facility that is an automated system that maintains the correct pH, salinity or saltiness and temperature of the water.

“If any of those factors are slightly off, notifications are sent to us,” Englehardt said.

The fish are fed daily and go through a light cycle to promote breeding where the embryos are collected into Petri dishes, Holum said. Once they have reached a larval stage, the water in the Petri dishes is cleaned daily.

For euthanization, the fish eggs that are a few days old are placed in a bleach solution, which causes instantaneous death. Once the fish fully develops a spine, usually around a week after fertilization, the fish eggs are put in cold water until they stop moving and are then disposed of, Holum said.

“The process sort of knocks them out and gives them a humane death,” Holum said.

Adult fish are usually not euthanized unless they have severe deformity or aren’t swimming properly, Holum said.

Animal hospitals on campus

Morgan Carlin, a former student, worked at the University’s Large Animal Hospital for three years and the Lewis Small Animal Hospital for three months until she graduated last May.

Carlin brought in and registered dogs and cats at the small animal hospital and was a part of the barn crew that maintained the living conditions of sheep and cows at the large animal hospital. However, she worked mostly with horses who were kept in the Piper Equine Hospital on the St. Paul campus.

The horses are kept in 10-by-10-foot stalls with bedding made of thin shavings of wood that absorb urine and are easy to clean, where they are given food and water, Carlin said. Horses were kept one to a stall with the exception of a mother and her foal, Carlin said.

The barn crew was trained to read body language and hold or move horses to ensure the animal’s and the crew member’s safety, Carlin said. At the large animal hospital, a supervisor shadowed and helped the barn crew take care of the animals, she said.

At the hospitals, every animal patient has one or two veterinarians assigned to the case and another one or two students assigned to learn how to provide medical treatment, Carlin said.

Technicians checked on the animals regularly, were available to assist barn crew if necessary, and would give medication or treatment to the animals if the veterinarians or the students could not, Carlin said.

The University for the most part did its best to ensure the animals were being treated humanely while she was employed, Carlin said.

“There were times, usually emergency cases, where a patient had to be turned away because the procedure costs too much money or there wasn’t enough staffing,” she said.

The Animal Welfare ACT (AWA) was established in 1966 by Congress and set the standard for how animal research facilities are obtained and maintained. It set regulations for housing, transport, sale, purchase, care, handling and treatment of animals.

More than 95 percent of research with animals at the University uses rats and mice, which are excluded from AWA.

At the University, animals are used for research and educational purposes, though some animals do not share the same protections and treatment as others.

“The University will continue to uphold high standards for research with animals and continue to make new discoveries that have positive impacts on human and animal health,” Gilchrist said.

The University of Minnesota Faculty Senate passed an Academic Freedom and Tenure (AF&T) resolution on Nov. 3 with 87 “yay”s and two “nay”s earlier this month, which calls for the creation of a task force and requires the University to report term appointments that have continued for more than six years.

Term faculty are in non-tenurable positions with renewable annual or multi-year contracts.

The AF&T is an oversight committee that interprets the University’s Tenure Code and addresses broad issues of academic freedom. Although AF&T can make policy changes that address all faculty, the committee does not address individual cases and has no authority to fire and hire for positions.

Over the past two years, AF&T has worked toward understanding the number of term positions the University employs, which have increased from 28% to 43% since 2010.

Most faculty members working on these contracts have to manage their finances in jobs outside of the University, according to Heather Holcombe, a lecturer in the English department. Their contracts can be non-renewed without any cause, so they do not have the same academic freedom protections as tenured faculty, such as the ability to make changes to the curriculum or discuss politics, Holcombe said.

“I’m always concerned for my job,” Holcombe said. “In the event something controversial comes up in my classroom, I feel vulnerable because I know I have no academic freedom protections.”

In the Faculty Senate meeting, AF&T Chair Eric Van Wyk clarified the long-term use of term faculty includes the continued use of a position even if it is not filled by the same instructor over six years.

The goal of the task force is to gather more information on term appointments, create a report and make recommendations to ensure academic freedom for term faculty, Van Wyk said.

In some cases, there may be legitimate reasons for wanting to use term appointments, but tenure-track appointments are generally preferred because only those positions are guaranteed strong protections of academic freedom under the Tenure Code, said Gopalan Nadathur, the former AF&T chair.

“This resolution represents an important step in advocacy and allyship to recognize and acknowledge those who are working in tenuous conditions on campus,” Holcombe said.

In an email to the Minnesota Daily, Provost Rachel Croson said she continues offering her full support to protect the academic freedom of faculty and faculty-like staff.

The committee met and began the process of setting up the task force on Nov. 18., Van Wyk said. More details will be available in the spring.

“It isn’t for me to do anything about this, rather it is for the AF&T committee to act upon the resolution,“ Nadathur said. “My hope is that AF&T will take the intent of the resolution seriously.”

The University of Minnesota School of Social Work (SSW) is planning to cut the salary of Youth Studies (YOST) community faculty members by the fall 2023 semester due to a $500,000 budget deficit within SSW.

Joan Blakey, the new SSW director, made the decision. Blakey officially started her position as director on July 1, and she now oversees all programs, faculty and staff at SSW including its budget and the direction of the YOST program.

Blakey said the decision was made after it was discovered community faculty salaries were over budget and there were pay disparities between community faculty members.

Community faculty are professors with jobs outside of the University who do not generally have long-term contracts, job security or benefits such as health insurance through the University.

SSW has had a budget deficit for several years that was covered by reserves, or money available on hand to cover a wide range of expenses, but they were emptied when Blakey’s position started, she said.

Blakey said she does not know exactly how long or for what reasons there has been a deficit.

Blakey said she started discussing the budget deficit with faculty at the beginning of the semester and has been communicating with faculty the information she has learned about the causes of the budget deficit.

The YOST department has two tenured professors, roughly 26 community faculty members and 5 full-time professionals and administrators. Deborah Moore, interim director of the Undergraduate Program for the School of Social Work and a YOST professor, said she was upset to hear about the pay cuts.

“They are the frontline workers for our department,” Moore said. “It’s distressing to think about a significant number of them saying, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’”

Moore said she heard about the budget deficit in August, but was not fully aware of how Blakey wanted to solve the issue until October.

Katie Erickson, a community faculty member, teaches Introduction to Child Maltreatment and works as a child protection investigator for Hennepin County. Through her experiences and connections, she teaches students how to identify child abuse and maltreatment and how child protection agencies function.

Erickson said she makes $5,598 for the three-credit course she teaches, working 10 hours per week on average, and is undecided if she will stay at the University if her salary is cut.

“I want to keep teaching,” Erickson said. “But I don’t want to do it for an institution that doesn’t value its community faculty and students.”

Sarah Etheridge is a fourth-year student and vice president of the YOST cooperative, a student organization founded by YOST students. She said YOST students were upset to hear about the community faculty pay cuts.

“We were totally blindsided by the news,” Etheridge said.

Community faculty are the lifeline of the YOST program and go above and beyond to help students, Etheridge said.

“I’ve had to fight for my education for eight years across many different institutions,” Etheridge said. “I wouldn’t be graduating if it wasn’t for the community faculty I’ve met.”

John Marboe, a community faculty member who teaches Youth Work and Spirituality, said he wants to teach his students to listen and create safe and comfortable spaces for others to discuss difficult topics and spirituality. He said he uses his experiences from his other jobs to teach students the importance of spiritual care.

Marboe earns $8,600 for teaching four credits and puts in an average of 20 hours of work for the course per week, he said. Outside of the University, Marboe works as a Lutheran pastor and at funeral homes to provide pastoral services for families.

On Nov. 9, Marboe attended the YOST sit-in to protest the proposed pay cuts and said he was impressed with the strength and articulation of the students.

Marboe said Blakey did not provide answers to the students’ questions at the sit-in, and he will resign if the school follows through with the pay cuts.

“I found Blakey’s answers to be vague and evasive, though I respect her for showing up,” Marboe said. “This is not the way to treat people who are valuable to the program.”

The University is working toward addressing other areas to solve the budget deficit such as streamlining the curriculum and minimizing the number of required courses, Blakey said.

Blakey said she will continue to search for feedback from faculty to make the best, most equitable changes to solve the budget deficit.

“I’m making this hard decision so we don’t have to cut the program or make a more drastic decision,” Blakey said. “But I understand some faculty won’t stay.”

In 2022, US News ranked the University of Minnesota the twenty-third best public university, something the University has actively worked toward, but does this ranking actually mean anything to students?

US News is the primary college-ranking organization of the nation’s universities, Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education Robert McMaster said. Some variables they use when ranking include class size, how many faculty members have the highest degree in their field, students’ average test scores and the amount of students that graduate within a six year period, he said.

The University works toward achieving a higher ranking each year by decreasing class sizes and providing support to students so that graduation rates increase, McMaster said.

“Rankings provide valuable information to students,” McMaster said. “But making a decision solely on ranking would be a mistake.”

Students might choose their college because of its educational programs. For example, at the University, there are strong programs in engineering and social sciences, McMaster said.

Alli Harpel, a third-year graduate student, came to the University because of the college’s research with magnetics and said she never looked at the rankings.

“For a PhD, the reason why you go to school is if they have faculty and staff doing the work you want to do in the future,” Harpel said.

Often, geography is a factor in students’ decision making on which university they choose. Non-resident students refer to rankings when making decisions, while most residents or students with reciprocity might not, McMaster said.

“I came to the University because it was close by and I’d be near a lot of people I knew,” Jacob Worwa, a second-year student said.

Worwa said he did not know the University’s college ranking before attending but assumed it was high because of the University’s reputation.

“It’s a very good University with smart people,” he said.

Saija Maki-Waller, a second-year student, said she wanted to live in a big city, which led to her decision to come to the University.

“It’s been a big plus staying close by and saving money through in-state tuition,” Maki-Waller, who grew up an hour south of Minneapolis, said.

Maki-Waller did not think much about the University’s ranking and said “it didn’t factor into my decision.”

Despite the potential value of rankings, all rankings differ, which can make them problematic, McMaster said.

US News predicts based on income and metrics what the expected six-year graduation rate should be, specifically for low-income students, and ranks the universities according to if they went above or below that expectation, McMaster said.

A six-year graduation rate is used because it takes into account students who, due to legitimate reasons, cannot graduate within four years. This leads to the problem of the only objective metric available being a student’s grade point average (GPA) because the University does not currently require ACT or SAT scores and fewer schools have class rank, McMaster said.

All rankings should be considered in context, McMaster said. Students should take into account the education, experiences, research and other resources the University provides, he said.

The University of Minnesota Youth Studies (YOST) students and faculty members held a sit-in on Wednesday to protest the proposed pay cuts to community faculty at the School of Social Work (SSW). The sit-in took place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Peters Hall on the St. Paul campus and drew about 45 attendees.

YOST students received an email on Oct. 28 from SSW Interim Director of Undergraduate Studies Deborah Moore informing students of the department’s decision to “significantly reduce the pay of YOST/SJ/FVP community faculty.”

According to Moore’s email, the decision was made by the School of Social Work director, and some faculty may see as much as a 30% reduction in their pay.

“As students in YOST, it is important for you to have this information, as it may affect your classroom experiences,” Moore wrote in the email. “It is possible that some faculty may not continue teaching due to the pay reduction and that we need to consider course changes this Spring due to departures.”

Notice of the pay cuts was sent out by Joan Blakey, the director of SSW, in a letter to community faculty on Oct. 19. The decision was made as a result of an SSW budget deficit, according to Moore’s email.

“I requested and presented a counter proposal for the pay reduction and sent a letter of dissent against a proposal to pay a few faculty more without a transparent and communicated criteria,” Moore said in her email. “I will continue to both articulate my dissent on this issue and work to the best of my ability to administer and communicate about the decisions and policies sent by Dr. Blakey.”

At the sit-in, students brought forward a comprehensive list of questions and requests they have for Blakey regarding the pay cuts.

The list of requests includes a return to the previous community faculty pay rates while the department explores further options and allowing students access to information about the decision-making process related to solving the current budget deficit.

“I organized this event because I felt we need a space to share information,” Sarah Etheridge, vice president of the Youth Studies Cooperative, said. “We are trying to model what we’re taught in our classrooms and be transparent.”

Three representatives of the Youth Studies Cooperative sent a letter to Blakey on Oct. 28 voicing their dissent of the proposed pay cuts.

“Dr. Blakey, you see Community Faculty as the bottom line. We see them as life savers,” the letter stated. “These vibrant faculty members volunteer their time, exercise critical flexibility with students who are experiencing life crises, and provide opportunities for success outside of the classroom. They do all of this while making barely above a liveable wage with no benefits and no job security.”

In the United States, 73% of classes are taught by contract employees who are paid poorly, according to John Marboe, a YOST community faculty member who teaches youth work and spirituality. He said pay cuts are expected to take place in fall 2023.

“What does that say when we cut the pay of our lowest-paid teachers,” Marboe said. “If administration follows through with the pay cuts, I won’t stay at the University.”

Marboe said he came to the sit-in to support the community faculty in addition to YOST students.

“I work here because I believe in the mission, and I love the students,” Marboe said.

Emanuel Williams, a fourth-year YOST student, said he believes that community faculty members are instrumental in students’ education.

“We have potential youth workers that won’t understand how to apply what they’ve learned outside of the classroom if community faculty members leave,” Williams said. “If the institution fails them, it trickles down to us students.”

Piper Wilson, a second-year YOST student, said she thinks the community faculty are the backbone of this institution, and their field experience is valuable in the classroom.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay in this program and help our youth when the professors leave because they aren’t making a livable wage,” Wilson said.

Other students shared similar sentiments of disbelief and concern about the effects of community faculty pay cuts on their education.

“All these community faculty members have been there for me as a first-generation student of color and I know will continue to be there for me; I wouldn’t have my education without them,” Jalisa Sang, a YOST student, said.

William Eng, a third-year student with a YOST minor, is one of the officers of the Youth Studies Cooperative who helped organize the event to support his teachers.

“Community faculty will do anything to help you in your education,” Eng said. “I can’t describe how frustrated I am to see they aren’t being supported the way they’ve supported me.”

At the sit-in, Blakey said there is a $500,000 budget deficit, and SSW was the most over budget in the community faculty pay rate.

SSW is looking at other options besides pay cuts, such as limiting small classrooms and the number of required courses.

“Once we have a handle on the resources we have and how we use them, we can look at more funding,” Blakey said. “Right now, I don’t know where we need more money and if we are spending our current money the best way.”

In the decision-making process, Blakey has worked with a senior management team, other deans at Schools of Social Work, her leadership team, an executive coach and heads at the College of Education and Human Development. Despite the proposed pay cuts and budget deficits, Blakey would not be taking a cut in her salary

Etheridge asked at the sit-in if there were student representatives at any of the meetings and Blakely responded that the first conversation was at a graduate council meeting, which is open to students. However, none of the YOST students knew of the graduate council meetings, Etheridge said.

“It’s concerning,” Etheridge said. “Our response would’ve been different if we were involved from the beginning.”

Blakey promised to send them emails about the next graduate counseling meeting happening virtually Nov. 16 at 2 p.m.

YOST students received a curated email from Blakey in response to questions they had about the community faculty pay cuts where the response was sent out twice, which upset many students.

“I felt our concerns were being delegitimized, it was belittling to receive those responses. We deserve transparency and trust, which are our core values,” Eng said.

Blakey said she’s open to all ideas students have and the ways they can work together. She promised to share SSW’s total budget with YOST students in the near future.

Williams said Blakey should come to the classrooms and meet with students to better understand the YOST community and share her experiences with students looking to follow in her line of work.

“We need to see you,” Williams said. “You are a Black woman in a position of power that historically wasn’t an opportunity for you and me. Please get down here with us.”

The University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Academic Professionals and Administrators Professionalization Committee submitted a recommendations report in March 2021 to CLA Dean John Coleman. The report suggested changes CLA could make to improve the working conditions of contingent faculty.

In 2020, more than 40 % of faculty positions were held by contingent faculty, who are contracted, non-tenurable faculty who are professionals and administrators at the University. Contingent faculty have titles such as lecturer and senior lecturer.

Tenured faculty are protected by the Board of Regents Policy, last amended July 2020, against removal or censoring of faculty based upon political and religious beliefs or expressions.

Ascan Koerner, CLA associate dean for undergraduate education, said the requests for the report have been put under consideration and some significant changes have been made such as orientation, teaching awards and rebudgeting.

A subcommittee of CLA, headed by Jennie Robbinson Kloos, CLA senior director of operations, is working toward giving departments initiative and financial means to provide long-term contracts for contingent faculty, Koerner said. The goal will be to provide those long-term contracts in the next year or so.

CLA gave an orientation to new employees in September and is funding a teaching excellence award for non-tenure faculty, Koerner said.

Courtney Gildersleeve is a lecturer at the University in cultural studies and comparative literature. She’s worked as a lecturer since 2019 but has been at the University since 2007.

Gildersleeve said it has been more than a year since the report was submitted and despite the effort made by CLA, she has not seen many improvements to contract negotiations, benefits or promotions.

According to Gildersleeve, there was an effort to adjust the hiring process in her department where instructors were guaranteed one class per semester with some insight into the topic they would be assigned, however, it did not work seamlessly.

Some contingent faculty had to apply for additional classes, and some did not get the classes they applied for, she said.

“There’s still a lot that needs to be fixed in those processes,” Gildersleeve said.

Contingent faculty have contracts with the University that are sometimes signed a month before the academic year starts, and contracts usually begin a week before the semester starts, Gildersleeve said. The length of the contracts varies depending on the department and the position.

“Essentially, we are paid to prepare for a class one week before it starts and that causes a lot of problems,” Gildersleeve said.

Depending on the department, there is not always an opportunity for contingent instructors to teach over the summer, which means instructors can go three and a half months without a salary, according to Gildersleeve.

“As an instructor, I get paid about the same amount as teaching assistants per class,” Gildersleeve said. “I only make more because I have multiple courses I teach.”

To make ends meet, many contingent instructors work second jobs. Gildersleeve worked a temp job this summer at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, which she said impacted her ability to fully prepare for the upcoming fall semester.

According to Gildersleeve, other instructors will work at multiple universities during the school year to cobble together a living. There was a pay raise this semester, Gildersleeve said, however, the raise did not match inflation or current living standards.

“Teacher work conditions are student learning conditions,” Gildersleeve said, meaning that if instructors are not given the opportunity to appropriately prepare to teach courses, then students’ education is negatively impacted.

According to Gildersleeve, contingent faculty do not receive health insurance unless they teach three or more courses per semester, which is often not the case. Comparatively, teaching assistants have health insurance through the University because they are students.

“It feels like there’s always this emphasis on financial scarcity and cutting budgets wherever possible,” Gildersleeve said. “In doing so, contingent faculty don’t get as much support as they should.”

Gildersleeve said she would like to see instructors given contracts that start a month before the academic year so they can adequately prepare, and they should be given opportunities for promotion.

“Teaching at the University is a meaningful position, but it’s not compensated well,” Gildersleeve said. “It’s not treated with respect.”

The Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee (AF&T) is open to discussion with contingent faculty on issues they want to raise to the committee, AF&T Chair Eric Van Wyk said.

The task force that will be created if an AF&T resolution passes on Thursday will be “the big effort to ensure our contingent positions have some semblance of academic freedom and protections to maintain those freedoms,” Van Wyk said.

There have been instructors in contingent positions for many years, and positions that have lasted for many years but different instructors cycle through.

“The Tenure code outlines where it’s appropriate to hire people into contingent positions,” Van Wyk said. “But we’ve gone beyond that.”

Unfortunately, many people in contingent positions do have less power, Van Wyk said.

University of Minnesota students will need approval from the college scholastic committee before withdrawing from a class after Nov. 14, but regardless, if a student chooses to drop a class anytime after Sept. 20, a “W” will be put on their transcript in place of a letter grade.

A “W” stands for “withdrawal” and means a student dropped out of a class after the two-week grace period. The two-week grace period is “recognized by the University so students can figure out what’s going to work for them,” Rebecca Rassier, an advisor within the Hubbard School of Mass Communication and Journalism, said.

According to Rassier, when a student drops a class during those first two weeks, it doesn’t go on their record. After those two weeks, a “W” is placed on their transcript, but the timing of when they withdrew is not recorded, she said.

It is recommended that students try and salvage a class before dropping out, but “if a student knows they aren’t going to pass a class, a ‘W’ is better than an ‘F,’” Rassier said.

Emma Aronson, a fourth-year student, dropped out of a course her freshman year.

“I dropped a class last semester because my workload was overwhelming,” Aronson said. “I didn’t like that one, so I dropped out.”

Withdrawing from a class can be beneficial for students for various reasons, such as allowing a student to protect their grade point average (GPA) or better manage their current course load. If a student withdraws, it can free up time for them to be more successful in other classes, Rassier said.

However, “W”s on transcripts can potentially make it more difficult for students to graduate because they have wasted resources and opportunities, according to Rassier. Every time a student drops a class, it has to be made up later, she said.

“I still have to make up one of the lib-eds I dropped out of,” Aronson said. “I would recommend students to withdraw from a class if they need to … but I would tell them to keep in mind what they need to graduate.”

Dropping out of a course once or twice is fixable, but a pattern of withdrawals is problematic, Rassier said.

“It’s slowing you down from degree process because you are going backwards a little bit,” Rassier said.

If a student withdraws from a course, they can retake that course. However, it is not recommended to retake the same course more than twice because it could be a waste of resources, time and money for students, Rassier said.

How common are “W”s?

According to Rassier, W’s on transcripts are fairly common.

In the 2021-22 academic year, 4% of undergraduate course grades were marked as “W”s on students’ transcripts. The course subjects with the highest withdrawals were geographic information systems (GIS) at 22%, applied professional studies at 14.3% and multidisciplinary studies at 13.9%.

Certain course levels see higher percentages of withdrawals than others. Two thousand-level classes had withdrawal rates of 4.9%. One thousand-level courses followed at 4.5%, 5000-level courses at 4.1%, 3000-level courses at 3.3% and 4000-level courses at 2.7%.

Of all the academic years, both sophomores and juniors have the highest level of withdrawals at 4.1%.

“W”s and the honors program

“A ‘W’ doesn’t impact an honors student any other way than any other student,” Matthew Britizber-Stull, director of the University’s Honors Program, said in an email statement to the Minnesota Daily.

The main concern of a “W” would be if a student cannot complete the requirements for honors graduation. Even if a student drops below 13 credits for the semester after withdrawing from a course, they will not be removed from the program, Britizber-Stull said.

It’s when a student’s transcript shows a habit of withdrawing from courses that concerns are raised about their academic ability, Britizber-Stull said.

Some programs remove students if they have multiple withdrawals in their major courses, such as nursing. Withdrawing from major courses that are heavily sequenced, usually STEM majors, can negatively impact degree progress or timely graduation, Britizber Stull said.

According to Britizber-Stull, the Honors Program emphasizes “W”s on transcripts may be problematic when applying to graduate or professional schools and that students should expect to explain what happened and why they came to that decision.

“W”s and the graduate program

“In my junior year [I] was concerned if getting a ‘W’ was gonna mean something bad,” Aronson said.

Dean Tsantir, director of graduate admissions, said at the graduate level, a lot of programs are extremely interested in the grades of a student’s major. Questions and concerns would be raised if a student has a lot of “W”s in classes pertaining to their major.

However, one or two “W”s early on in a student’s academic career wouldn’t be a concern, Tsantir said.

On graduate school applications, there is a section called “Extenuating Circumstances” where students can directly address and explain the situation of their withdrawal. Students can use this section if they had to withdraw from a course related to their major or if they had an excessive amount of “W”s on their transcript, Tsantir said.

If there are any gray areas in the application process, then it is best to contact the graduate program staff or write an honest explanation in the applicant’s statement to address any “W”s on a student’s transcript, Tsantir said.

“W”s aren’t the only alternative letter

The letter “I” is designed for students to receive an ‘incomplete’ if extenuating circumstances prevent a student from completing a course. According to Rassier, the course instructor needs to complete a contract outlining what needs to be done and when it needs to be finished, or the student will receive the grade they earned throughout the course.

An incomplete cannot be given if a student stops completing the majority of the coursework. It is more so used to help students who could not finish a project or exam at the end of the course, Raisser said.

There are also “K”s, which indicate course activity is still in progress after the end of the course, and a grade will be submitted once the course activities are complete, but according to Rassier, these are rare.

“K”s are often used for two-semester courses, Raisser said, but sometimes they are misused.

University of Minnesota students will need approval from the college scholastic committee before withdrawing from a class after Nov. 14, but regardless, if a student chooses to drop a class anytime after Sept. 20, a “W” will be put on their transcript in place of a letter grade.

A “W” stands for “withdrawal” and means a student dropped out of a class after the two-week grace period. The two-week grace period is “recognized by the University so students can figure out what’s going to work for them,” Rebecca Rassier, an advisor within the Hubbard School of Mass Communication and Journalism, said.

According to Rassier, when a student drops a class during those first two weeks, it doesn’t go on their record. After those two weeks, a “W” is placed on their transcript, but the timing of when they withdrew is not recorded, she said.

It is recommended that students try and salvage a class before dropping out, but “if a student knows they aren’t going to pass a class, a ‘W’ is better than an ‘F,’” Rassier said.

Emma Aronson, a fourth-year student, dropped out of a course her freshman year.

“I dropped a class last semester because my workload was overwhelming,” Aronson said. “I didn’t like that one, so I dropped out.”

Withdrawing from a class can be beneficial for students for various reasons, such as allowing a student to protect their grade point average (GPA) or better manage their current course load. If a student withdraws, it can free up time for them to be more successful in other classes, Rassier said.

However, “W”s on transcripts can potentially make it more difficult for students to graduate because they have wasted resources and opportunities, according to Rassier. Every time a student drops a class, it has to be made up later, she said.

“I still have to make up one of the lib-eds I dropped out of,” Aronson said. “I would recommend students to withdraw from a class if they need to … but I would tell them to keep in mind what they need to graduate.”

Dropping out of a course once or twice is fixable, but a pattern of withdrawals is problematic, Rassier said.

“It’s slowing you down from degree process because you are going backwards a little bit,” Rassier said.

If a student withdraws from a course, they can retake that course. However, it is not recommended to retake the same course more than twice because it could be a waste of resources, time and money for students, Rassier said.

How common are “W”s?

According to Rassier, W’s on transcripts are fairly common.

In the 2021-22 academic year, 4% of undergraduate course grades were marked as “W”s on students’ transcripts. The course subjects with the highest withdrawals were geographic information systems (GIS) at 22%, applied professional studies at 14.3% and multidisciplinary studies at 13.9%.

Certain course levels see higher percentages of withdrawals than others. Two thousand-level classes had withdrawal rates of 4.9%. One thousand-level courses followed at 4.5%, 5000-level courses at 4.1%, 3000-level courses at 3.3% and 4000-level courses at 2.7%.

Of all the academic years, both sophomores and juniors have the highest level of withdrawals at 4.1%.

“W”s and the honors program

“A ‘W’ doesn’t impact an honors student any other way than any other student,” Matthew Britizber-Stull, director of the University’s Honors Program, said in an email statement to the Minnesota Daily.

The main concern of a “W” would be if a student cannot complete the requirements for honors graduation. Even if a student drops below 13 credits for the semester after withdrawing from a course, they will not be removed from the program, Britizber-Stull said.

It’s when a student’s transcript shows a habit of withdrawing from courses that concerns are raised about their academic ability, Britizber-Stull said.

Some programs remove students if they have multiple withdrawals in their major courses, such as nursing. Withdrawing from major courses that are heavily sequenced, usually STEM majors, can negatively impact degree progress or timely graduation, Britizber Stull said.

According to Britizber-Stull, the Honors Program emphasizes “W”s on transcripts may be problematic when applying to graduate or professional schools and that students should expect to explain what happened and why they came to that decision.

“W”s and the graduate program

“In my junior year [I] was concerned if getting a ‘W’ was gonna mean something bad,” Aronson said.

Dean Tsantir, director of graduate admissions, said at the graduate level, a lot of programs are extremely interested in the grades of a student’s major. Questions and concerns would be raised if a student has a lot of “W”s in classes pertaining to their major.

However, one or two “W”s early on in a student’s academic career wouldn’t be a concern, Tsantir said.

On graduate school applications, there is a section called “Extenuating Circumstances” where students can directly address and explain the situation of their withdrawal. Students can use this section if they had to withdraw from a course related to their major or if they had an excessive amount of “W”s on their transcript, Tsantir said.

If there are any gray areas in the application process, then it is best to contact the graduate program staff or write an honest explanation in the applicant’s statement to address any “W”s on a student’s transcript, Tsantir said.

“W”s aren’t the only alternative letter

The letter “I” is designed for students to receive an ‘incomplete’ if extenuating circumstances prevent a student from completing a course. According to Rassier, the course instructor needs to complete a contract outlining what needs to be done and when it needs to be finished, or the student will receive the grade they earned throughout the course.

An incomplete cannot be given if a student stops completing the majority of the coursework. It is more so used to help students who could not finish a project or exam at the end of the course, Raisser said.

There are also “K”s, which indicate course activity is still in progress after the end of the course, and a grade will be submitted once the course activities are complete, but according to Rassier, these are rare.

“K”s are often used for two-semester courses, Raisser said, but sometimes they are misused.

The University of Minnesota administration makes numerous decisions every year that impact faculty, students and staff. One way University community members can advocate for issues or raise concerns is through the University governance system. 

Colleen Flaherty Manchester became the chair for the Faculty Consultative Committee (FCC) July 1 after serving as the FCC’s vice chair last year.

The FCC makes decisions on the academic calendar, curriculum and other matters that go forward to the Faculty Senate and they set the Faculty Senate agenda, Manchester said.

The FCC consists of voting and non-voting members, each staff member is elected by the University of Minnesota faculty and those members choose the FCC’s leadership. The vice chair is chosen by the FCC chair and the Faculty Senate and the executive members of the FCC help run the Faculty Senate. 

In the FCC, there are several positions with varying term lengths. A staff member has a three-year term while the chair, vice chair and post-chair have one-year terms, Manchester said.  

The current vice chair for the FCC is Mark Bee. The post-chair is a non-voting member who provides a different point-of-view on the topics discussed at FCC meetings and is reserved for the previous FCC chair, Manchester said. Ned Patterson is currently the FCC post-chair. 

Manchester said this year the FCC is focused on both operational and impact goals.

Operational goals are improvements in communication, transparency and inclusivity, while the impact goals focus on re-engaging and reinvesting in faculty. The FCC is now focused on demonstrating to faculty, staff and students “what the committee does and why it is important,” Manchester said.  

As FCC chair, Manchester helps run the Faculty Senate. 

The Faculty Senate consists of faculty and eligible academic professional representatives and concerns itself with issues of faculty welfare and educational and research matters on University campuses. 

The Faculty Senate and FCC aren’t the only forms of governance at the University. 

Student Senate

The Student Senate was created to represent each student across all campuses to ensure student voices are heard in University policy and process decisions. Pavan Guttipatti is the Student Senate chair and Adam Sychla is vice chair.

Carter Yost, the ranking student senator, said the Student Senate acts as an advisory committee and ensures “there is student representation and perspectives on administrative decisions.” 

The Student Senate also raises issues and concerns the University might overlook. 

The current Student Senate goals are adequate pay for students, public safety and proper representation of students in the University decision-making process, Yost said. He added the importance of student governance is advocacy. 

“Students need to be at the table, in the room and called into the conversation before administrative decisions are made,” he said. “The biggest stakeholders are students, and we ensure they are at the center of those decisions that impact them the most.” 

Civil Service Senate 

The Civil Service Senate (CSS) consists of 50 members that represent civil service employees at the University. The senate focuses on employment conditions surrounding benefits, compensation, communications and civil service employment rules. 

Tony Fussy is currently the CSS chair with Matthew Verkuilen as chair-elect.  

In an email statement, Fussy said CSS’s goal is to achieve a balanced representation of civil service members in the University Senate. Currently, civil service members are disproportionately outnumbered by faculty, and the same situation applies to academic professional and administrative faculty, he said. 

Other goals for the CSS are campus safety, compensation that accurately matches inflation rates and that the CSS is positioned for excellence, alignment and knowledge (PEAK), Fussy said. 

P&A Senate 

The Academic Professionals and Administrators (P&A) Senate is an elected group of P&As that represent the 6,500 P&As at the University. The P&A Senate advocates for P&A views on University planning, resource allocation, governance and policies and practices. 

The P&A Senate focuses on benefits and compensation, communications, outreach and professional development and recognition of academic professionals and administrators. P&As have many jobs including conducting research, teaching students, directing programs and managing budgets.

Adolfo Carrillo Cabello is the current chair of the P&A Senate, and Whitney Taha Frakes is the current chair-elect. 

Some of P&A’s ongoing goals are increasing compensation rates to adequately reflect the current market rate, encouraging clearer and more concise communication in regard to PEAK and providing leave and accommodations for COVID-19 concerns of P&A faculty and their dependents. 

University Senate

All four senates culminate into the University Senate, which consists of 251 elected senators and 26 consultative committee members. These members include faculty, civil service, P&A and student members from all University campuses. 

President Joan Gabel is the chair for the University Senate and Faculty Senate.

The University of Minnesota’s attendance policy this semester allows instructors to assess on a case-by-case basis what they consider to be legitimate and unavoidable absences with a list of exceptions.

Absences that students cannot be penalized for include any physical or mental illness of a student or a student’s dependent, medical conditions relating to pregnancy and participation in University athletic events. Subpoenas, jury duty, military service, bereavement, religious observances and college entrance exams for Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) students are also exceptions.

Provost Rachel Croson said in an email to the Minnesota Daily that attendance policies are beneficial for both students and instructors by clearly laying out the types of excused and unexcused absences.

Attendance policies explain instructors’ obligations to offer make-up work and students’ obligations to provide reasonable notice of absences when possible, Croson said.

“I think attendance policies are great. It’s important for students to understand deadlines and showing up to class, however, professors should be lenient if students miss classes for legitimate reasons,” said Jacob Worwa, a second-year student. “We made a choice to go here, the school should be allowed to penalize us if students fail to hold themselves accountable for their education by not showing up to class.”

Students are expected to attend all classes with the exception of legitimate absences, and instructors are expected to accommodate students. The reason behind attendance policies is to foster an atmosphere of honesty and trust between instructors and their students, according to the policy.

However, second-year student Jose Hernandez said in a Minnesota Daily survey he disagrees and thinks the University’s policy should be more lenient.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructors as soon as possible if they cannot attend classes and provide the reasoning for missing class. Students must request make-up work for absences, and instructors have a responsibility to accommodate legitimate student absences in accordance with University policies.

“I think that professors should incentivize attendance by using class time to deliver material effectively and letting students decide if they need to attend,” third-year student Corbin Gradine said in the survey. “Students should be given the autonomy to learn how they best learn and employ their time most effectively to prepare for exams and assignments.”

In the survey, Jay Radke, a second-year student, shared similar sentiments.

“Zooming out, I think the attendance policy in general doesn’t have the most merit,” Radke said. “The vast majority of students are adults paying to be here, and enforcing attendance policies is incredibly restrictive.”

Most schools and colleges follow the University-wide attendance policy. However, certain colleges have attendance policies that apply specifically to their students.

The College of Veterinary Medicine attendance policy mostly aligns with the University but allows three personal days each year for doctor of veterinary medicine students on rotation. However, they must check the rotation beforehand. Still, personal days can be used for any reason without disclosing why.

On the other hand, College of Pharmacy students must provide 21 days of notice before any foreseen absences, and students must receive secure approval directly from course faculty.

Within the University’s attendance policy, voting in a regional, state or national election is not an unavoidable or legitimate absence.

“Eighteen to 24-year-olds already have the lowest voter turnout, so this policy seems like unnecessary voter suppression,” Radke said.

According to Radke, the attendance policy puts students in an “awkward position if they are missing for an embarrassing reason, or simply have other commitments.”

“If an adult student thinks they need a day off, that should be their personal burden to bear,” Radke said.

There is no procedure for absences outlined by the University, only that instructors must consistently apply attendance policies to all students enrolled in their classes. The University’s attendance policy does not provide penalization for unexcused absences, only what can and cannot be penalized.

English professor said in an email to the Minnesota Daily she does not have an attendance policy, but she does take attendance every class. Not attending classes regularly can be the main reason why students are struggling academically, but requiring students to be in the classroom does not necessarily help their learning, Tandy-Treiber said.

Tandy-Treiber said she provides in-class assignments that count toward her students’ grades, so they have an incentive to attend class, however, not each in-class assignment needs to be completed to earn full credit in the course.

Tandy-Treiber said although she takes attendance, she does not penalize students for missing class.

“There are all sorts of reasons they might do so, and ultimately, as I tell them, they are adults and responsible for their own choices,” she said.

Professor Scott Memmel said he chooses to not take attendance for his classes. “I view students as adults, they do pay for me to be there, and they can make that decision to come to class on their own,” Memmel said.

Memmel said attendance policies are not wholly inclusive and might disproportionately affect non-traditional students including parents, disabled students or those without a reliable means of transportation.

Though Memmel assigns in-class activities, he allows students to make up for missing days when those assignments take place, and ultimately, there are alternative means of getting content to students that are not solely based on attending class.

However, Memmel said mandatory attendance can be necessary for small courses where lack of participation may undermine learning, and routinely missing classes can negatively affect students’ academic success.

Jillian Sexton is a second-year student who responded in the Minnesota Daily’s survey on attendance policy.

“I think it’s up to the student’s decision,” Sexton said. “We are adults who are capable of discerning the right choices for our education.”