The Student Government Association received plans from Eric Pani, vice president of Academic Affairs, concerning a new fee that would charge a $50 to students who drop too many classes too often.

“Each student that drops a course reduces revenue for the University.  Students with excessive drops hurts themselves and the university,” said Pani. He also said the University is looking at ways to limit drops without charges.

The fee, which is still in the initial planning stages and is not final, will charge students after they have dropped more than two classes in two years.

Pani said the fee is to encourage students not to drop classes and to help the university handle the revenue it loses when a student drops a course. The fee would not affect students who drop a class within the first five days.

Pani also said that another reason for the fee is to encourage students to graduate within six years.

“I think the idea of a policy is a good idea because there’s been a decline in academic integrity over the years,” said Erin Foster, a sophomore in pre-med biology. Foster thinks the policy will discourage students from dropping classes, so that they have to “pull their weight” and pass the class. Some senators addressed their concerns about students, which may have special circumstances, being charged for trying to lighten their load so as not to fail a class. SGA President Brooke Dugas said she thinks the University would be more than willing to work with students, who may have special circumstances.

Pani added that the University will terminate most second eight-week courses, but some programs, like nursing, will keep them.

“We are eliminating most second eight-week courses in the fall because we found that they did not provide the positive results we had hoped they would,” Pani said, adding the pass rate was lower for those courses.