For several years, undergraduate students at Stony Brook University have voiced dissatisfaction with the institution's course retake policy. In response, two political science majors have successfully campaigned for a change to make the policy more lenient.
Under the existing policy, if a student retakes a class multiple times, each grade contributes to their GPA. This means that failing and then excelling in the same class results in an average grade of C. "This has been a longstanding issue for Undergraduate Student Government administration. It wasn’t a very forgiving retake policy that supported and recognized student growth and success," stated Sarah Elbaroudy, vice president of university affairs for the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and co-leader of this initiative. She added, "It can be very difficult to bounce back after a bad semester."
The new policy, set to take effect in summer 2025, will only include the highest grade in GPA calculations if a student retakes and improves their performance in a class. Luca Rallis, assistant to the vice president of university affairs at USG, explained their strategy: "I think the reason we figured out how to get it passed was we talked in the language of the administration; we worked really hard to connect this to retention."
Elbaroudy and Rallis argued that the current policy negatively impacts student mental health and academic success while increasing pressure on students. Over the summer, Elbaroudy examined other universities' policies within both SUNY schools and peers in the Association of American Universities as benchmarks.
Their proposal included limiting retakes to classes where initial grades did not meet degree requirements while ensuring original grades remain visible on transcripts but are excluded from GPA calculations. Carl Lejuez, executive vice president and provost praised their efforts: "I am pleased that this new, more compassionate policy will be implemented...This change reflects shared governance at its best."
Brenda Anderson, president of Stony Brook University Senate also commended their work: "I want to thank Sarah Elbaroudy and Luca Rallis for developing a thoughtful and appropriate course retake policy that the Undergraduate Council could support."
Elbaroudy is pursuing double majors in political science and sociology with aspirations towards higher education administration. She received recognition with an Outstanding Advocacy Award from SUNY Student Assembly’s fall conference.
Rallis co-founded High Peak Consulting Group before graduating high school; he serves as executive director of policy & government relations for SUNY Student Assembly alongside his studies toward lobbying & government relations careers upon graduation next May.
Reflecting on her unexpected achievement regarding these changes within three months’ time frame alone - which she described as ambitious - Elbaroudy remarked positively about Stony Brook’s relationship with its students: “It only reflects positively on Stony Brook’s relationship with students.”