The Faculty Senate, in a wise academic move for the university, is investigating the course retake policy.

As it stands, students can retake any course and their grade will be replaced by the most recent attempt. There is also no limit to the number of times a student can retake a course.

Yes, this might sound great to students, especially those who may have slacked off freshman year and will be more likely to attend that 8 a.m. class now.

But for a university that is striving to hold itself to the highest of academic standards, this policy is too lenient and allows students too much freedom.

Other comparable universities have more strict retake policies. SMU, for example, only allows students to retake a course if the student’s grade is a D or lower, and after the course is completed, the two grades are averaged.

In comparison, TCU’s policy looks weak and ineffective. It allows students to take courses with a less-serious attitude, because if they do badly, they can just retake the course and replace the grade.

Even though the current policy allows students to work toward a higher GPA, that GPA will be respected more if it comes from a reputable school with a high standard of academia.

With the recent switch to the plus/minus grading system coupled with the addition of new areas of study on campus, TCU is making a push to be an even more respected institution.

The implementation of a more strict course-retake policy would only add to this push and would send a message to employers and other universities that TCU is serious about academics.