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There are many policies at UCLA that have been put in place with good intentions which have not been best for students. The BAR statement is a painful reminder of one such policy – the recent fee hike. And as students scramble to choose classes in the coming weeks, desperate to find relevant classes with the right number of units, we are forcefully reminded that class registration is affected by another such policy: Expected Cumulative Progress Requirement.

ECP took effect for students entering as freshmen in 2001 and after, and for all students who transferred to UCLA in 2003. This policy imposes strict quarterly achievement standards on students, which harms their chances to participate in extracurricular and employment activities – and even more troubling, may jeopardize some students’ ability to obtain an education at UCLA.

In addition to requiring students to take at least 13 units per quarter, ECP also sets a minimum number of units that students need to have taken after every two quarters. This number of units continually increases through a student’s college career.

For example, after two quarters at UCLA, 27 units of credit must have been achieved. After four quarters, 56 units are necessary, meaning that 29 units must have been completed during that period. Thus, the number of classes that students must take every two quarters keeps increasing. Eventually, it is virtually impossible not to take four classes every quarter.

Why is this policy harmful? According to the UCLA Student Retention Center, it harms students who are seeking to enrich themselves outside of the classroom. For those of us who believe that college is designed not only to provide us with an education but also to help us grow and develop as leaders and individuals, there are numerous outside opportunities that are worth pursuing. Joining a club, whether social, political or religious, provides opportunities for leadership development, personal growth and developing networks and connections that will be useful in the future.

Additionally, taking an internship in an intriguing field is not only helpful in gaining direction, but is often vital for future employment. However, ECP makes engaging in such activities much more difficult. Because students are forced to take so many units per quarter, they often find little time for anything else.

It is certainly true that UCLA is a competitive university and academic pursuits are perhaps the most important aspect of attending school. However, stifling any other important avenues of development and expression is highly counterproductive, because these less traditional aspects of education also contribute to a student’s growth and future success.

While many students may want to pursue opportunities outside of the classroom, others may find it necessary to take jobs in order to support their families and pay for their education. This can require long hours of work even while in school. While financial aid is certainly available, the Student Retention Center has pointed out that UCLA is not a homogenous campus and many students have not only struggled to be able to attend a university like this, but they must struggle to continue attending this institution.

If students do not meet the ECP requirement, they can be placed on probation and if they fail to meet the requirement again after another two quarters, they can be dismissed from UCLA. There are few exceptions to this policy; thus, the penalty for not taking the minimum number of units is very steep. For many working and lower-income students, being forced to take this many units in addition to employment has the potential to create such intense academic difficulties that they may be forced to leave the university.

However, like any policy, this was put in place for a reason. As a new influx of students into the UC system occurs, there are more students competing for a few spots. Each student who remains at UCLA is taking the place of a potential student – which means less funding for the school. This begs the question: why have more UC campuses not been built in recent years – especially during the economic boom of the 1990s?

Another alternative to ECP would be to offer a greater variety of summer courses, so that students would not be forced to shoulder such intense burdens during the academic year. This would not only bring in revenue for the school, because students would pay to take such classes, but would help students spread their workload more evenly over the school year.

ECP is a harmful policy with far-reaching consequences for many students. However, ECP should not be understood as an isolated policy, but rather as part of a systematic series of challenges that UCLA students face as a result of regressive administrative policies. The recent fee hikes and attacks on comprehensive review are excellent examples of the continuing disregard UCLA students face from both campus administrators as well as the UC Board of Regents.

As the regents meet on campus this Wednesday, many students will protest to bring these issues to light. ECP ultimately affects you as a UCLA student, which raises the question: What do you plan to do to change it?

Bhaskar is a third-year political science student. E-mail him at sbhaskar@media.ucla.edu.