By Signe Skinion and Marc Chase

A campus policy allowing students suspended from SIUC because of low academic scores to remain living on campus was eliminated Wednesday because the policy had not been approved by the SIU Board of Trustees, University officials say.

Ed Jones, director of University Housing, said campus administrators acted prematurely in creating the policy, which began this semester and allowed students suspended for academic reasons to live in the dorms while taking classes at John A. Logan Community College, located in Carterville. Jones said the policy only pertained to students who were attempting reinstatement in the SIUC academic program.

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A memo Jones gave to the Daily Egyptian Wednesday states, However, the practice was not officially approved by the University and John A. Logan College. As a result, exceptions will not be given these (suspended) students.

Jones said the six or seven students that are now taking advantage of the policy will be allowed to stay in the dorms until the University can help them find alternative living quarters.

We will do everything possible to help the students affected by this change to find off-campus housing, Jones said. And we will not penalize them for a miscommunication that we (Housing) caused.

Larry Juhlin, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, said the University is sorry for the inconvenience that eliminating the policy will cause to some students.

We got ahead of ourselves to make it a policy, Juhlin said. It’s been an unfortunate instance of miscommunication. We will hold the students harmless, and we will help them as best we can.

Members of the SIU Board of Trustees were unavailable for comment on the policy elimination Wednesday.