ACADEMIC POLICIES

It is the responsibility of the student to know the Coe College Catalog and the regulations which pertain to their academic program. Several topics frequently misunderstood are described in this Student Handbook. Complete academic information is available in the Coe Catalog.

In May of 1971 the Coe Student Senate, faculty and Instruction Committee of the Board of Trustees endorsed the "Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students" of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) as Coe College policy. The AAUP is a professional organization of college and university professors which is dedicated to promoting academic freedom and due process within colleges and universities so as to insure the integrity of the educational process.

The Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students provides a context within which Coe College students may creatively take initiatives to become liberally educated through uninhibited study and honest expressions of their own personal views. Copies are on file in the Vice President for Student Affairs office, located in upper Gage Memorial Union, and on reserve in the Library.

Academic Integrity Policy - At Coe College, we expect academic integrity of all members of our community. Academic dishonesty is the willful attempt to misrepresent one’s work, cheat, plagiarize, or impede other students’ academic progress, and it is treated with the utmost seriousness by the College. Other forms of academic dishonesty include (but are not limited to) deliberately impeding other students’ work and misuse of common academic property, in the libraries, labs, and elsewhere.

Instructors have responsibility for determining whether academic dishonesty has occurred, and to take appropriate action. Sanctions for academic dishonesty may involve failure of the assignment or the course. Repeated acts of academic dishonesty will result in suspension or dismissal. A report of academic dishonesty is filed with the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the student has the right to appeal. The report becomes a part of the student’s disciplinary record on file in the Office of Student Affairs. The entire Academic Integrity Policy is published in the Coe College Catalog.

Academic Standing - The college has minimum retention levels which increase with the number of courses attempted; for example, having attempted more than 5 courses but less than 9.9 a student must have a cumulative GPA of 1.75 to be in good academic standing. By the time a student has attempted 19 courses, and through the remainder of his/her academic work at Coe, the cumulative GPA must be 2.0.

A student who falls below the minimum level will be placed on Academic Probation and will be notified by the Dean of the Faculty. Often the student will be given an academic goal in order to raise his/her cumulative average closer to good standing.

A student who has been on Academic Probation and who fails to meet the minimum retention levels, or who fails to raise the cumulative GPA to good standing after attempting nine courses while on probation, is subject to academic dismissal.

A student who believes his/her difficulties were due to extenuating circumstances may appeal the academic dismissal. An appeal letter must be written to the Dean of the Faculty and delivered personally (or by registered mail) and the student may appear in person before the Academic Standing Committee. He/she may provide written supportive testimony from faculty or staff.

Class Attendance - Regular class attendance is essential to academic success. Individual faculty members establish their own standards for attendance. Students are encouraged to ask faculty if they are uncertain about their expectations. The college expects class attendance on the first and last day of each term as well as class days proceeding and following college holidays.

Absence from class may be permissible, if unavoidable because of illness, personal emergencies, or when a student is officially representing the college. Absences should be kept to a minimum. If representing the college requires absence from classes, a student should arrange to be excused by a professor or a college staff member in advance. All other excuses for absences must be arranged with the instructors, who may, if they wish, request the opinion of the College Health Service or the Vice President for Student Affairs.

Coe College is a community of many religious faiths, and we strive to create a climate of mutual respect, in which all persons can freely practice their religion. Students who ask to be excused from class in order to observe religious holidays that are an important part of their religious heritage (e.g., Good Friday, Yom Kippur) should have those requests honored by the faculty.

Students are responsible for speaking to their professors before the holiday(s) and for making up the work they miss. This policy shall also apply to the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. in January, which is a national holiday, and which has a significance equivalent to that of a religious holiday to some persons at Coe.

Evaluation of Credits in Transfer - When a student is admitted for work toward a degree at Coe, credit for course work transferred from another institution will be accepted if the course was approved in advance by the Coe Registrar. Grades for those credits accepted are not recorded.

Incomplete/Repeated Courses - If a course is not completed due to reasons beyond the student’s control the instructor may give an Incomplete. The student must complete course work so it can be evaluated and reported to the Registrar's Office no later than the fourth week of the next Fall or Spring Term in which the student enrolls. A student may choose to repeat a course, but the student must indicate it is being repeated at the time of registration. The grade in the repeated course will be preceded by an R (i.e. RA, RB, etc). Only the grade for the repeated course will be used in computing the GPA.

STUDENT RIGHTS
Student Notification of Rights Under FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. They are:

The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access. Students should submit to the Office of the Registrar written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The Registrar will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the Office of the Registrar, the Registrar shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the College official responsible for the records, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. FERPA was not intended to provide a process to be used to question substantive judgments which are correctly recorded. The rights of challenge are not intended to allow students to contest, for example, a grade in a course because they felt a higher grade should have been assigned. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.

The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information continued in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorized disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, collection agent, or official of the National Student Loan Clearinghouse); or a student serving on an official committee, such as an admissions, petitions, retention, honors recognition, disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.

The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

Generally, schools must have written permission from the student before releasing any information from a student’s educational record. However, the law allows schools to disclose records, without consent of the student, to the following parties:

• College employees who have a legitimate need to know
• Parents who provide evidence of student dependency status as defined by the Internal Revenue Code
• Persons who need to know in cases of health and safety emergencies
• Accrediting organizations to carry out accrediting functions
• Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student
• Federal, State and local governmental officials for purposes authorized by law
• Individuals who have lawfully obtained court orders or subpoenas
• Organizations conducting educational studies for the College
• Courts during litigation between the College and the student or parent
• Victim of crime of violence after final results of a disciplinary hearing
• Public after disciplinary proceedings determine student committed crime of violence

In many situations, complaints relative to FERPA can be resolved with the College on an informal basis. Any student who wishes to discuss a FERPA complaint may contact the Registrar, Lower Level Voorhees Hall.

To file a FERPA complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, contact the Office that administers FERPA at:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U. S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605

For additional information, refer to the Coe College Catalog.

Disciplinary Records are kept in the Vice President for Student Affairs office separately from all other information on students. These records are maintained for a period of five years after a student graduates or for a period of seven years after a non-graduate leaves the college. Information from disciplinary files is released to outside persons or agencies only under legal compulsion or with written consent from the student. Information regarding financial aid, medical records, and alumni activity is kept within the individual departments. Access is limited to the personnel in each office.

Withdrawal/Leave of Absence - A student wishing to withdraw from Coe is responsible for initiating the procedure with the Dean of Retention Services/International Student Advisor. Withdrawal during a term may have financial consideration due to the college refund policy and financial aid policies.

If a student is withdrawing with the intent of returning to Coe, he/she may wish to take a Leave of Absence. A Leave of Absence may be granted for a period of up to 36 months. With a Leave of Absence a student does not reapply for admission but must notify the Registrar of the intent to enroll 30 days in advance of that registration.