[Advice to the Registrar's Office 6/10/2004]
A question arose with respect to a student who took a course and received the grade NP. The same student took the same course and received a D. The Dean's Office believed that the student is not repeating the course more than once (requiring approval of the appropriate dean under Davis Division Regulation A540, F (3)) since a grade of NP was received. However, the Registrar's Office believed that, should the student wish to take the course again, it would be the 3rd attempt requiring approval of the appropriate dean.
CERJ agrees with the Registrar's Office. According to DDR A540 (F) (1), a course may be repeated if the student receives an NP grade. That implies, for purposes of the regulation, that the course has been taken (otherwise it would not refer to repeating it). The Dean's Office interpretation seems to imply that a course taken with an NP grade somehow does not count or was not a real attempt. There is no rationale for that.
So, in this case, the student has attempted the course once, receiving an NP, and once, receiving a D. To take it again is clearly a third attempt. Then DDR A540 (F) (3) kicks in: it needs decanal approval.