Southeast Missouri State University would give students a fresh start and wipe out bad grades under a plan being pitched to the Board of Regents, who are scheduled to meet at 1:30 p.m. Friday in the University Center Ballroom.

Dr. Dale Nitzschke, Southeast's president, and the Faculty Senate have recommended the board approve the "Academic Fresh Start" policy.

The policy would apply to undergraduate students who had previously completed 30 semester hours or less at any college and been away from school for at least three years.

"This is important to some of our non-traditional students," said Dr. Ken Dobbins, Southeast's executive vice president.

Some students started their college career with failing grades. They drop out and later return to school. But past bad grades make it difficult to boost their grade point average even when they do acceptable work.

This policy would let them request that the slate be wiped clean in terms of calculating their grade point averages.

Dobbins said such students deserve a second chance. "They are more mature. They know what they want to do in life."

Students wouldn't be able to pick and choose the grades they didn't want counted in figuring the grade point average. All of the past grades would have to be ignored, even good ones, Dobbins said.

Typically, the bad grades would be in entry-level courses and not courses in the student's major field of study.

It is proposed that a student could only make the request once.

The student must complete a minimum of 12 semester hours of graded courses and have at least a 2.0 grade point average before he or she can request an "Academic Fresh Start."

The student must submit a written request to the registrar's office.

Dobbins said the policy won't eliminate bad grades from students' transcripts. Those will remain even if the students are granted a "fresh start."