Despite student resistance to the recently changed two week drop deadline, the policy, which was instituted in the fall of 2004, is here to stay.

After the decision to move the drop deadline up from nine weeks to two was announced in February 2004, many student groups lobbied the administration to reconsider the change. The Student Assembly began a letter-writing campaign, encouraging parents and students to contact Provost Mary Ann Swain and voice their opposition.

“The Provost is the one who made the decision for the campus,” said Donald Blake, associate dean of Harpur College. “So the change would have to be made in her office.”

But the administration has not wavered and no changes to the policy have been discussed recently.

“I can say with a 100 percent certainty that nothing is happening,” Blake said. “I know some students complained when we first made the change, but [the policy] is rolling along.”

Blake added that after the policy was enacted the drop rate decreased by 25 percent.

“It was the point of the policy to get students to pick classes and stick with them,” he said.

Although most students have made their peace with the new policy, some are still hoping for a return to the old deadline.

“For the old deadline, after you took a test, you could drop [the class] if you did poorly,” said junior Nehal Shah. “Two weeks is a very short time. At least make it four weeks, after one test.”

Jane Norenberg, a freshman, did not attend BU when the change was made, but said the new drop deadline makes sense.

“If I want a class and someone drops it nine weeks later I can’t have it,” Norenberg said. “If they don’t want it they should drop it, let other people get a piece of the action.”

While the drop deadline is not going to change in the near future, Blake said there has been a proposal made to Provost Swain to put the add and drop deadlines on the same day.

The deadline to add classes is Sunday, Feb. 5, two days after the drop deadline, which falls on Friday, Feb. 3.

“There is some feeling that the small separation between add and drop deadlines is not very helpful,” Blake said. “[Students] can’t petition [or] find faculty over the weekend. It could be that we [will] have the drop deadline and add deadline all on Friday or Sunday. That way we won’t tease students.”

Blake added that a group of administrators raised this question, but Provost Swain has yet to comment.

“I’m not sure when she’s getting around to it,” he said. “I think she wants to get more information.”