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Compassion vs. GPA

A user on the Syracuse.com Boards claiming to be Brandon Gilbeaux's Dad has posted some interesting info on the reason for his suspension from the school and therefore the football team:
At the beginning of the semester Brandon was put on a one semester trial where he had some academic requirements to achieve, He was well on his way to meeting the requirements when his uncle who was a prominent cardiologist in the Washington area and his cousin died in a plane crash. Needless to say Brandon and his family were and still are devastated from such a loss. He wanted to leave school at that time and remain home to be with his family but it was decided he should return to school and finish the semester. He got an incomplete in a class that he needed to meet his conditions of his school. His school decided not to let him complete the incomplete grade thus suspending him for the semester. Without the incomplete he still has over a 2.0 GPA which at over 90% of universities he would still be eliglble. No one will mistake Brandon as a Rhodes Scholar but he was and is making significant progress towards his degree and is eligible by NCAA standards. We are not blaming the university for anything and wish the Syracuse family nothing but success in the future.
The uncle in question seems to be Dr. Hector Collison, who died along with his son in a plane crash on March 15th. The poster goes on to explain just where Gilbeaux stood before the suspension:
The thing is, once his summer school grades and the incomplete is tallied in a week or two, he will be suspended with a culmative GPA of 2.4. He will have 87 credit hours and the standard is 90 after three years. If he was well under the 2.0 standard and only had say 60 hours I would not be on this board defending him or any other student.
For his part,the poster says that Coach Robinson made some effort but unfortunately the situation wasn't the kind of thing Brandon could just snap out of:
Coach Robinson called me and a little after the plane crash and helped encourage Brandon to return to school, he did reluctantly because of his closeness to my nephew. I would like to tell you he returned to school with zeal. He did not, it took him some time to gather his thoughts. He ended up with 3 C's and an incomplete.
It's an interesting case. On one hand, should the university have taken a step back and looked at the big picture of what had happened to Gilbeaux and granted him some slack? Or should they have expected him to have been on pace before the incident and therefore not find himself in this position regardless? Either way, it sounds like Gilbeaux and his family are working to get back on track, however one can do so after a family tragedy like that.

However if you're looking for a reason why it might have been nice of SU to have a bit more compassion in the situation, I leave you with the poster's final note, which also mentions that even if it were to regain eligibility, the bridge back to SU football may have already been burned:
I understand the university position but when a kid is actually eligible and is on target to graduate with his class then I'm batting for my child. We see all the time people of priviledge get the benefit of doubt. We are not one of those people. My family has come from humble beginnings and all of my brothers have graduated from college and professional school. What harm would it had cause for him to at least have the oppotunity to complete the incomplete and if he did not meet that required standard then he goes away. I,m not bashing anyone but D.C. is not where I want my son to have a lot of idle time. The last two Christmases he was home he was robbed at gun point at a mall and in front of his grandmother's house of his jackets. He has options because he has not completely tanked academically. Once he gets his release you will see the other institution he will go to.
Here's to hoping Brandon gets back in a football uniform soon, even if it's not for SU.