ACADEMIC POLICY AND INFORMATION
Birmingham-Southern College Catalog 2016-2017
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be redeemed by contract. A student who has earned a grade of “C-” or below in a course
may redeem the course under the following conditions:
(1) A course may be redeemed only by repeating the same course at Birmingham-
Southern College.
(2) No credit will be granted for the first time the course was taken, and the first course
will be listed on the student’s transcript as “redeemed.” The grade from the first course
will appear on the transcript but will not be used to compute the student’s grade point
average.
(3) A student may redeem a course a second time, but in such a case both the second and
third grade will be used to compute the student’s grade point average.
(4) A student receiving a grade of “C-” or below in a first-year explorations in
scholarship seminar may redeem the unit from the regular curriculum. The course chosen
to redeem the unit must be approved by the faculty member whose course is being
redeemed, the student’s advisor, and the chair of the department of the faculty member
whose course is being redeemed. In the case of redemption, no credit will be granted for
the original course. It will remain listed on the transcript as “redeemed.” If redeemed, the
grade for the original course will appear on the transcript but will not be used to compute
the student’s grade point average. The first-year explorations in scholarship seminar
requirement will be satisfied by virtue of enrollment regardless of the grade earned.
Grade Appeal Policy
Birmingham-Southern College supports the academic freedom of faculty members in
assigning students a final grade. If a student believes an error has been made in the
calculation or recording of a final grade, he or she should immediately alert the professor.
Beyond such errors, formal appeals of final grades are granted only when there is
clear
and convincing
evidence that the final grade was “arbitrary and capricious, irrational,” or
“made in bad faith” [Susan M. V. New York Law School, 556 N.E. 2nd 1104, 1107
(1990), 76 N.Y. 2nd 241, 557 N.Y.S. 2nd 297]. Students should understand that an
allegation that a final grade was arbitrary and capricious, irrational or made in bad faith is
a
serious
charge and should not be made unadvisedly.
If a student wishes to appeal a final grade, he or she must contact the professor no later
than 30 calendar days after the beginning of the next regular term. If this consultation
fails to resolve the issue, the student may contact the appropriate department chair, who
will then contact the professor concerned. If the complaint remains unsettled, the student
may contact the appropriate area chair next. If the matter is then still unresolved, the
student may file a written appeal with the Provost on a form provided by the Provost’s
Office.