There is a push coming from the staff and faculty to figure out a solution to decrease the amount of students who withdraw from courses here at Sinclair.On August 15, all full-time faculty attended the fall conference, which recaps the previous year at Sinclair. Steven Johnson, Sinclair president, hosted the event, much of which was focused on reducing the number of student withdrawing from classes.
Charles Richardson, assistant professor of marketing, was one of the faculty members who attended the conference; it is here that he had the idea for the oath.
He asked the students in his class to take an oath to talk to him before they withdraw.
“I am trying to get that communication going between me and them to make sure we are all on the same page,” Richardson said.
He said he is willing to help these students out, and let them know that withdrawing is not the only option they have.
“I want to see them walk across that stage at the end of two or three years… that’s my goal; I want to see that,” Richardson said.
He said many students worry about being alone in dealing with their issues. He emphasized that they are not alone and that Sinclair’s staff and faculty are here to help students.
“As an instructor you need to be flexible with students. Richardson said. ”If you tell me up front what’s going on, I am more likely to work with you.”
Richardson made his class stand, raise their right hands and promise to not withdraw without first speaking with him to see if there is something he can do to help.
“He [Richardson] made us hold our hands up… made us promise that we wouldn’t leave,” said Christian Waver, a visual arts major.
Waver said that he has never had to withdraw from a class before; he said that doing an oath wouldn’t really effect his decision to withdraw.
Cheryl Wheeler, a visual communications major, has withdrawn from a class before.
“I think its effective for some people. I think there are a lot of people who aren’t dedicated to the classes that they’re taking,” Wheeler said.
“Because he opened himself up it made it more like ‘ok I know I’m not in it alone, now I have somebody,” said Angie Alexander, visual communications major, in response to Richardson’s oath.
“I think having an open line of communication makes a student feel a little more secure; you don’t feel like your going to be singled out,” Alexander said. “I think it makes it easier for a student to ask for assistance instead of just bailing.”
Waver said, “It wasn’t a whole ‘you aren’t allowed to withdraw and you promised’… it was don’t say anything and just drop it.”
Waver said that if she had had a teacher like Richardson she wouldn’t have dropped the class she withdrew from.
“I want to make the point, we’re in it together,” Richardson said.