Prior to fall 1993, students at California's College of the Canyons had until the 11th or 12th week of a 17 or 18 week semester to drop or withdraw from a course. In spring 1993, the state Academic Senate recommended that the drop deadline be changed to the 8th week. Students were notified of the new withdrawal deadline on the college calendar, in the schedule of classes, and by faculty. A study was conducted to examine student behavior from fall 1989 to fall 1993 to determine any noticeable changes after the new withdrawal deadline. Findings included the following: (1) in fall 1993, students withdrew from 2,683 courses, compared to an average of 4,090 for the four previous fall semesters; (2) withdrawals declined by nearly 32% from fall 1992; (3) 12,811 courses, or 72.3%, were passed in fall 1993, the highest number in the 5 years studied; and (4) fall 1993 also had the highest number and percentage of failed courses of the study period with 2,222. Recommendations include continuing to monitor course grades and withdrawals; encouraging faculty to make appointments with students who are doing less than C+ work, since research has shown student who are in most need of assistance are least likely to ask for help; and encouraging faculty to examine their course timelines to see if they are providing students with an indication of satisfactory or unsatisfactory work prior to the drop deadline. (Includes information on the drop deadline and a letter supporting the study.) (KP)