Upon arriving at Baker University, not all new students choose to stay. Such is the case with four freshmen students this year.
Vice President for Enrollment Management Louise Cummings-Simmons said four new students dropping Baker is standard.
“The reason two students left is related to family issues with a parent or grandparent being ill,” she said. “Another was a non-traditional student. She’s the parent of four children. I think she’ll eventually come back.”
Cummings-Simmons said she thinks the four students may come back to Baker at some point. She also said the number of students who dropped isn’t alarming.
“I came from a school that was about 1,250 in size,” she said. “We would typically have four to six students that would leave.”
Resident assistants may be the first to notice something is amiss with a new student. Junior Aphton Riley, a resident assistant in Irwin Hall last year, said new students participating in activities is important.
“I talk to them,” she said. “Maybe they feel like they’re not involved.”
Junior Davon Davis, a resident assistant in Gessner Hall, said communication with homesick students can help.
“I tell them I can relate to them since I’m from California,” he said.
Cummings-Simmons said when students make the decision to leave they consult Dean of Student Development John Frazier.
Amy Carlson, manager of the business office, said there might be financial ramifications for dropping, even early in the semester.
Tuition and room and board payments are both completely refundable if a student drops by the end of the first day of classes. After that, a graduated scale determines the amount of the refund up to the fortieth day. The room and board deposit is usually also refundable, Carlson said.
“They may not get a refund because they may owe the university money,” she said. “We take it off any balance that’s due.”
Carlson said yearbook, activity, health, instructional and technology fees are all non-refundable. Instructional fees for some science or music classes cannot be voided because instructors often order supplies for the number of students enrolled in a class.
Cummings-Simmons said the students need attention even after they arrive at Baker.
“I contend that the recruiting process never stops,” she said. “There are some students that have to be convinced to stay.”