DeKALB | Most students finish their class work within the normal semester. Some, however, may need extra time to finish a course.

As a result, these students receive an “I” as a grade. This means the course is incomplete. Students who filed an incomplete during the spring or summer 2006 semesters still have some time to finish their work, the deadline being Nov. 3.

The technicalities of an

incomplete grade

According to the 2006-2007 undergraduate online catalogue, an incomplete grade is assigned at the discretion of the instructor when illness, a death in the immediate family or any other unusual and unforeseeable circumstance prevents completion of the course requirements by the end of the semester. Also, an incomplete is assigned only when it’s possible for a student to receive a passing grade by completing the remaining work.

When a student gets an incomplete, the work must be finished no later than by the end of the tenth week of the next fall or spring semester unless otherwise specified by the instructor. All incomplete grades, whether cleared by an instructor or not, must be completed within a year of when the grade was assigned. If an incomplete is not completed during the required time limit, it will automatically be changed to an F.

Handing out incomplete grades

“A total of 259 undergrads received at least one incomplete grade for spring 2006,” said Sheri Kallembach, acting director of registration and records.

NIU teachers give out incomplete grades in rare cases. For a student to receive one, it has to be for an extreme circumstance.

“I deal with them on a case by case basis,” said Van Amos, program coordinator for the Center for Black Studies.

The 259 students who received incomplete grades in the spring accounted for about 1.4 percent of enrolled undergraduates.

“In the [First Year Composition Program], we strictly follow NIU’s policy,” said associate English professor Michael Day. “We do not allow incompletes except in cases of documented illness, injury or other emergency circumstances.”

Day also said that for a student to keep up with the work in the following semester, the student must be willing to work. It also depends on how much work needs to be done and what other classes and commitments the student has, among other things.

Jermaine Pigee is a Campus Reporter for the Northern Star.