 |
|
|
| FHSU 2005-2006 Student Handbook |
| |
Policies and Procedures
Fort Hays State University Statement on Student Rights and
Responsibilities |
| |
For additional information regarding FHSU policies visit
http://www.fhsu.edu/policies
Fort Hays State University Statement on Student Rights
and Responsibilities
PREAMBLE
Fort Hays State University exists for the transmission
of knowledge, the pursuit of truth, the development of
students and the general well being of society. Free inquiry
and free expression are indispensable to the attainment
of these goals. As members of the Fort Hays State University
academic community, students shall be encouraged to develop
the search for truth.
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets
of academic freedom. The freedom to learn depends upon
appropriate opportunities and conditions in the classroom,
on the campus and in the larger community. Students should
exercise their freedom with responsibility.
The responsibility to secure and to respect general conditions
conducive to the freedom to learn is shared by all members
of the Fort Hays State University academic community. FHSU
has a duty to develop policies and procedures which provide
and safeguard this freedom. Such policies and procedures
should be developed within the framework of general standards
and with the broadest possible participation of the members
of the academic community. The purpose of this statement
is to enumerate the essential provisions for students’ freedom
to learn.
I. Freedom of Access to Higher Education
The admission policy of FHSU is a matter of institutional
choice provided that requirements for admission are clearly
stated and upheld. Under no circumstances will a student
be barred from admission on the basis of race, creed, color,
ancestry, national origin or political philosophy. Thus,
within the limits of its facilities, FHSU is open to all
students who are qualified according to admission standards,
and its facilities and services are open to all of its
enrolled students.
II. In the Classroom
The professor in the classroom and in conference will encourage
free discussion, inquiry and expression. Student performance
will be evaluated solely on an academic basis, not on opinions
or conduct in matters not related to academic standards.
A. Protection of Freedom of Expression
Students are free to take reasoned exception to the data
or view offered in any course of study and to reserve judgment
about matter of opinion, but they are responsible for learning
the content of any course of study for which they are enrolled.
B. Protection Against Improper Academic Evaluation
Students have protection through orderly procedures against
prejudice or capricious academic evaluation. At the same
time, they are responsible for maintaining standards of
academic performance established for each course in which
they are enrolled.
III. Student Affairs
A. Freedom of Association
Students are free to organize and join associations to
promote their common interests (with the stipulation that
all campus organizations must be lawful). Such organizations
must be registered by the Student Organizations Committee
to be eligible for the allocation of student fee resources
from the Student Government Association.
B. Freedom of Inquiry and Expression
1. Students and student organizations are free to examine
and discuss all questions of interest to them and to express
opinions publicly and privately. They are always free to
support causes by orderly means that do not disrupt the
regular and essential operation of FHSU. At the same time,
it is the responsibility of the students and student organization
to make clear to the academic and larger community that
in their public expressions or demonstrations; they speak
only for themselves.
2. Students may invite and hear any person of their own
choosing. The routine procedures required by FHSU before
a guest speaker is invited to appear on campus are designed
only to ensure that there is orderly scheduling of facilities
and will not be used as a device of censorship. It is the
responsibility of those sponsoring student organizations
to make clear to the academic and larger community that
sponsorship of guest speakers does not necessarily imply
approval or endorsement of the view expressed, either by
the sponsoring group or FHSU.
C. Student Participation in Institutional Government
As constituents of the academic community, students are
to be free, individually and collectively, to express their
views on issues of institutional policy and on matters
of general interest to the student body. The student body
has clearly defined means to participate in the formulation
and application of institutional policy affecting academic
and student affairs. The role of the Student Government
Association (SGA) and both its general and specific responsibilities
are explicit, and the actions of the SGA within the areas
of its jurisdiction are reviewed only through orderly and
prescribed procedures.
D. Student Publications
Student publications and the student press are a valuable
aid in establishing and maintaining an atmosphere of free
and responsible discussion and of intellectual exploration
of the campus. They are a means of bringing student concerns
to the attention of the faculty and administration and
of formulating student opinion on various issues on the
campus and the world at large.
In the delegation of editorial responsibility to students,
FHSU must provide sufficient editorial freedom and financial
autonomy for the student publications to maintain their
integrity of purpose as vehicles for free inquiry and expression
in the academic community.
Institutional authorities, in consultation with students
and faculty, have a responsibility to provide written clarification
of the role of student publications, the standards to be
used in their evaluation and the limitations on external
control of their operation. At the same time, the editorial
freedom of student editors and managers entails corollary
responsibilities to be governed by the canons of responsible
journalism, such as the avoidance of libel, attacks on
personal integrity and the techniques of harassment and
innuendo.
IV. Off-Campus Freedom of Students
A. Exercise of Rights of Citizenship
College students are both citizens and members of the academic
community. As citizens, students shall enjoy the same freedom
of speech, peaceful assembly and right of petition that
other citizens enjoy, and as members of the academic community,
they are subject to the obligations that accrue to them
by virtue of this membership. Faculty members and administrative
officials will ensure that institutional powers are not
employed to inhibit such intellectual and personal development
of students as is often promoted by their exercise of the
rights of citizenship both on and off campus.
V. Policy Statement on the Use of Controversial Material
in Instruction, including the Use of Sexually Explicit
Materials in Instruction
Students are entitled to an atmosphere conducive to learning
and to even-handed treatment in all aspects of the teacher-student
relationship. Faculty members may not refuse to enroll
or teach students on the grounds of their beliefs or the
possible uses to which they may put the knowledge to be
gained in a course. Students should not be forced by the
authority inherent in the instructional role to make particular
personal choices as to political action or their own social
behavior. Evaluation of students and the award of credit
must be based on academic performance professionally judged
and not on matters irrelevant to that performance, whether
personality, race, religion, degree of political activism,
or personal beliefs.
It is the mastery teachers have of their subjects and their
own entitles them to their classrooms and to freedom in
the presentation of their subjects. Thus, it is important
for an instructor persistenly to intrude material that
has no relation to the subject, or to fail to present the
subject matter of the course as announced to the students
and as approved by the faculty in their collective responsibility
for the curriculum.
|
| |
| ACADEMIC
POLICIES/PROCEDURES |
ACADEMIC APPEALS
A procedure to resolve academic disputes is available through
the FHSU Academic Appeals Committee. The Committee hears
appeals from students who believe they have a serious and
compelling reason for an exception to University Academic
Policy that is not addressed by other procedures.
The student must file a written appeal within the semester/term
in which there is an issue or within a reasonable time after
the end of the semester/term if the issue arises at the end
of the semester/term.
Any student may use the appeal procedure. Forms and descriptions
of the Academic Appeals Committee procedures are available
in the Office of the Registrar.
ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY AND PROCEDURES
Policy
Membership in the FHSU learning community imposes upon the
student a variety of commitments, obligations and responsibilities.
It is the policy of FHSU to impose sanctions on students who
misrepresent their academic work. These sanctions will be selected
by appropriate classroom instructors or other designated persons
consistent with the seriousness of the violation and related
considerations.
Examples of academic dishonesty include but are not limited
to: (1) Plagiarism, taking someone else’s intellectual
work and presenting it as one’s own (which covers published
and unpublished sources). Using another’s term paper
as one’s own, handing in a paper purchased from an individual
or agency, submitting papers from living group, club or organization
files, or using another’s computer program or document
are all examples of plagiarism. Standards of attribution and
acknowledgment of literary indebtedness are set by each discipline.
Faculty are encouraged to include disciplinary or class-specific
definitions in course syllabi. Students should consult with
their department or with recognized handbooks in their field
if in doubt. (2) Cheating is unacceptable in any form. Examples
include consultation of books, library materials or notes during
tests without the instructor’s permission; use of crib
sheets or hidden notes; intentional observation of another
students test; receipt of a copy of an exam or questions
or answers from an exam to be given or in progress; substitution
of another person for the student on an exam or another graded
activity; deliberate falsification of lab results; submission
of falsified data alteration of exams or other academic exercises;
and collaboration on projects where collaboration is forbidden.
(3) Falsification, forgery or alteration of any documents
pertaining
to assignments and examinations. (4) Students who (cooperate
or in other ways promote) participate in promoting cheating
or plagiarism by others (or who take credit for the work
of others) will also be in violation of this policy.
Students participating in any violation of this policy must
accept the consequences of their actions. Classroom instructors
and/or university review/appeals committees and administrators
will assess the sanctions for violation of this policy. The
seriousness of the violation will dictate the severity of the
sanction imposed. Academic sanctions may include but not be
limited to any of the following:
• Verbal or written warning
• Lowering of grade for assignment/ activity
• Lowering of term grade
• Failure of class assignment
Administrative sanctions may include but not be limited to
either of the following:
• Suspension from the university
• Dismissal from the university
Procedures
The university guarantees students the provision of due process.
Students are first expected, however, to avail themselves
of the university’s established tradition of informal
appeal. Steps 1-4 describe the informal process. Steps 5-7
describe
the procedures designed to implement a formal appeal at the
graduate/undergraduate levels.
Step 1: The faculty member decides whether or not a violation
of the Academic Honesty Policy has occurred.
Step 2: The faculty member informs the student and the department
chair that an alleged violation of the Academic Honesty Policy
has occurred. It is the faculty member’s obligation
to select or devise an academic sanction consistent with
the severity
of the violation.
Step 3: The faculty member informs the student of the academic
sanction and the process of appeal. If the sanction involves
a lowering of a term grade, the faculty mem-ber informs the
Registrar of the change.
Step 4: If the student disagrees with the faculty member’s
allegation and/or recommended sanction the student pursues
the university’s longstanding tradition of informal
appeal by consulting with the fac-ulty member, and, if the
student
still disa-grees, by appealing to the department chair.
Step 5: If after the informal appeal, the student still disagrees
with the faculty member’s allegation or recommended
sanction, the student may appeal in writing to the academic
department
no later than the end of the first week of the following
semester. The department chair will provide the student with
formal (a)
departmental appeal procedures for undergraduates and special
students or (b) departmental graduate appeal procedures for
graduate students. (See specific written departmental appeal
process.)
Step 6:
a) Graduate students:
If a graduate student disagrees with the allegation(s) or
recommended sanction in the informal procedure, the graduate
student may
formally appeal through the Graduate School’s graduate
student appeals procedures. This appeal procedure begins
with a written appeal to the department chair no later than
the
first week of the following semester. The written appeal
should state the specific reasons for the formal appeal to
the department.
b) Undergraduate/special students:
If the student is an undergraduate or special student and
disagrees with the allegation or recommended sanction, the
student may
appeal in writing to the Provost no later than 15 working
days following the decision.
Step 7: For undergraduate and special students, an administrative
hearing panel will be formed by the Provost to hear the undergraduate
or special student appeal. The administrative hearing panel
will consist of an academic administrator, assistant vice
president for student affairs (assigned to work with student
judicial
affairs), four faculty members and a student. The administrative
hearing panel procedures for undergraduate and special students
are available in the Provost’s Office.
Withdrawing Courses
The following withdrawal policy applies to all students officially
enrolled at FHSU. Students receiving financial aid have additional
responsibilities. Please refer to “Financial Aid Policy
and Procedures” in the current FHSU Schedule of Classes
for details.
Students may withdraw full-semester courses up to the end
of the 10th week of classes. Students withdrawing through
the
fifth week will not receive any notation on their transcripts.
Between the sixth week and the end of the tenth week students
who withdraw receive a notation on the transcript of withdrawal
passing (WP) or withdrawal failing (WF). NO WITHDRAWALS WILL
BE ALLOWED AFTER THE 10th WEEK OF CLASSES.
FHSU requires the following procedure: To withdraw from a
class, the student should obtain a “Withdrawal” form from
the Registrar’s Office and complete all of the information
requested on the form. The student should then consult with
the advisor for approval of the “Withdrawal” and
obtain the advisor’s dated signature. The student should
then obtain the dated signature of the instructor of the course
from which he/she wishes to withdraw. The instructor also needs
to indicate the last date of attendance and mark either “WP” or “WF” if
between the sixth and tenth week of classes. The instructor
may not refuse the signature for the withdrawal except in those
circumstances where university-owned equipment must first be
returned, payment made for breakage, etc. The requirement of
obtaining the instructor’s signature provides an opportunity
for counseling with the student and may prevent unnecessary
withdrawal. After the instructor’s signature has been
obtained, the student should take the “Withdrawal” to
the Registrar’s Office. A withdrawal becomes official
for the student on the date presented to the Regis-trar’s
Office. One copy will be retained by the Registrar’s
Office for immediate official record of the student; the second
copy will be mailed to the instructor through the department
chair’s office as a check for authenticity and for
class roster records; and the validated third copy is retained
by
the student as proof of the transaction.
Signatures that
are not accepted by the instructor will void the transaction.
For more information concerning the ADD/WITHDRAWAL Policy,
please see the FHSU Schedule of Classes for the current semester.
DEAN’S HONOR ROLL
All undergraduate students, including those enrolled in Virtual
College classes and those enrolled in a second undergraduate
degree program, are eligible for the Dean’s Honor Roll
distinction subject to enrollment and successful completion
of 12 or more undergraduate credit hours (excluding pass/no
credit hours and incomplete) with a GPA for that academic term
of at least 3.60. Second undergraduate degree candidates should
have declared a second major and have a degree summary on file
in the Registrar’s Office.
GRADES
Mid-term grades serve as a tool for you and your faculty
advisor to assess your progress. Mid-term semester grades
are available
from your faculty advisor approximately four days after mid-
semester. Check the university calendar (in the front of
this handbook and in the Schedule of Classes) for that date.
Following the end of each semester, final grade reports are
available through Student Web Services (SWS), www.fhsu.edu/sws.
In addition to listing the grade received for each class
taken during the semester, the grade report may include other
notations.
The following chart lists each grade and notation, its definition,
and where appropriate, the point value assigned to the grade.
Grade Definition Grade Points
A Superior Achievement 4
B Good Achievement 3
C Average Achievement 2
D Minimum Passing Ach. 1
U Unsatisfactory Ach. 0
P Pass (D or above)*
NC No Credit* (not used in calculating GPA)
CR Credit
AUD Audit**
I Incomplete (assigned at the discretion of the instructor
when work is otherwise of passing quality but incomplete,
usually for reasons beyond the student’s control)
W Withdrawal from a class up to six weeks before the end
of the semester or three weeks before the end of summer term.
WF Withdrawal Failing (not used in calculating GPA)
WP Withdrawal Passing
WC Cancellation (non-payment of fees)
* To learn about taking a course Pass/No Credit, please consult
the University Catalog.
** To learn about auditing a class, please consult the University
Catalog.
The grade point average (GPA) is calculated by dividing the
total number of points earned by the total number of credit
hours in which grade points were recorded.
If a student feels that a grade on the final report is inaccurate
or unfair, he/she may appeal the grade through the university’s
prescribed appeal process. That process is described in greater
detail in the “Policies and Procedures” section
of this handbook and also in the University Catalog.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT GRADE APPEALS PROCESS
Membership in the FHSU learning community imposes upon the
student a variety of commitments, obligations and responsibilities
(i.e., preparation for class, attendance, completion of reading
assignments, participation in the governance of student affairs,
etc.). One of these responsibilities includes the appropriate
and prescribed use of the grade appeals process.
Students are expected to first avail themselves of the university’s
established tradition of informal appeals which may involve
one or more consultations with the instructor(s) involved.
The reciprocal obligations which bind the members of the university
learning community to one another require that all grade disputes
must be initially addressed and discussed at this level. Failure
to recognize this obligation to the instructor(s) on the part
of the student must bring into question the appellant’s
commitment to the learning community and seriously prejudice
further petitions for a resolution of the problem. If a grade
dispute is not informally resolved at this level through consultation
with the instructor, the department chair, or the college dean,
the student is obliged to consult next with the appropriate
department chair who will inform the student in writing of
formal departmental appeal procedures and the student’s
entitlement to formal university-level appeal procedures
and options.
|
| |
| OTHER UNIVERSITY POLICIES/PROCEDURES |
ETHICAL USE OF COMPUTING RESOURCES POLICY
Introduction
FHSU provides computing resources and worldwide network access
to its faculty, staff and students for legitimate administrative,
educational and research efforts. As a member of the FHSU electronic
community it is your responsibility to use computing resources
ethically and responsibly. Access to FHSU computing resources
is a privilege and should be treated as such. There are limitations
on the amount of privacy that can be expected for individuals.
Complaints or exceptional circumstances may result in investigation;
therefore, do not assume complete privacy of e-mail or other
computing resources. The Electronic Communications Act of 1986
provides no protection for employees using company online systems.
Responsibilities
In making appropriate use of the FHSU computing resources,
each user must accept the responsibility for his/her behavior
and:
•
Protect his/her user IDs from unauthorized use, recognizing
that each individual is responsible for all activities on his/her
user IDs.
•
Access only files and data that he/she owns, he/she has been
given authorization for or that are publicly available.
•
Use only legal versions of copyrighted software in compliance
with vendor license requirements.
•
Be considerate in his/her use of shared resources. Refrain
from monopolizing systems, overloading networks with excessive
data (spamming), wasting computer time, connect time, disk
space, printer paper and toner, manuals and other computing
resources.
•
Be aware that e-mail is public and is evidence. Be very cautious
about what is put into an e-mail message because it may be
retrieved and used in a court of law. In light of this it is
good practice to delete messages regularly.
Individuals Will Not...
In making appropriate use of computing resources, individuals
will NOT:
•
Use another person’s files or data without permission.
•
Use computer programs to decode passwords or access control
information.
•
Engage in any activity that might be harmful to systems or
to any information stored thereon, such as creating or propagating
viruses, disrupting services, spamming or damaging files.
•
Make or use illegal copies of copyrighted software, store such
copies on FHSU systems or transmit them over FHSU networks.
•
Use e-mail or message services to harass, intimidate, threaten
or otherwise annoy another person by use of bigoted content
which poses an imminent threat to the life or safety of the
person or persons receiving the communication.
•
Disclose his/her passwords or use another person’s user
ID or password.
•
Use the FHSU systems for commercial use or personal gain, for
example, performing work for profit or advertising in a manner
not authorized by FHSU.
•
Install or operate computer games on university-owned machines
for purposes other than academic instruction.
•
Post Web pages that contain material that is illegal or promotes
illegal activity (i.e. gambling, obscenity, sexual harassment).
•
Mask the identity of an account or machine. This includes sending
mail that appears to come from someone else.
Consequences of Misuse
Misuse of FHSU computing resources is unacceptable, and users
will be held accountable for their conduct. The staff of the
FHSU Computing and Telecommunication Center handles student
infractions in an informal manner. Those that cannot be resolved
in an informal manner will be referred to the Office of Student
Affairs for disciplinary processing. Furthermore, student infractions
that are considered serious in nature may be reported directly
to the Office of Student Affairs. Students found to have committed
infractions of this policy may lose FHSU computing privileges,
and additional sanctions may be imposed. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
