By Deborah M. Greene

'I didn't know I was able to talk to anyone when I needed help,' That's something we hear a lot from freshman and sophomore students, after they've come to our attention" reports Anne M. Monterio, assistant dean for students at the College of Engineering.

To help students get help before their situation is desperate, the College established the Committee on Scholastic Standing (CSS). The CSS, which operates under Dean Monterio, reviews the status of engineering students whose enrollment is withheld because of low grades.

The College took a careful look at the CSS review process in academic year 1993-1994, and concluded that it was cumbersome and, judging from the fact that it was seeing the same students over and over again, inefficient.

"We incorporated Total Quality Management guidelines to help us refine the new procedure," said Lisa Payton, assistant to Michael G. Parsons, Engineering associate dean for undergraduate education. "We looked at the process as it existed to see how to serve our customers better, how to provide an appropriate support structure for Engineering students who are in scholastic trouble ' " (Total Quality Management is a methodology designed to tackle problems by drawing upon the creativity, knowledge and teamwork of staff who work the most closely with the issue at hand. The U-M has a University-wide approach called M-Quality.)

The CSS decided that any review should begin from a broad view of the student's status. Is he or she attending part-time or full-time? Does the student have demanding financial or family obligations? Is poor health a factor?

Once the student's situation has been assessed, the Committee and student draw up a contract that specifies what the student will do if readmitted. The contract approach was also used before, Monterio said, but it did not reflect a broad, team approach, nor did it include active follow-up to the scholastic review.

The follow-up begins with immediate notification of faculty advisers. "I make it a top priority to communicate immediately by e-mail with the students' faculty advisers to make sure that everyone is in complete agreement and walking in the same direction" Monterio says.

The U-M Engineering Honor Code, a 79-year-old, peer-enforced rule of ethics, place all student Engineers "on his/her honor" at all times, 'including at exams and quizzes, which typically are not proctored. This culture of self-reliance had meant that even when it came to compliance, with their CSS contract, readmitted students tended to be on their own.

But the Code wasn't meant to isolate students. "I give the students my e-mail address, and invite them to let me know how they're doing" Dean Monterio says. "Every day, I receive four or five messages from students, updates on their progress. And I always respond. They want to know that the Committee and the College maintain an active interest in their progress."

The new system is in its first operational year, but how does it look so far?

"Prior to this, we would have about 170 students sitting out one or two semesters because of low academic achievement" Monterio replies. "Some need the break from school to stop the downward trend, to have a chance to get their lives in order. But with our new approach, the count looks more like four to six students per semester."