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This section explains regulations that affect students after admission. Regulations regarding admission may be found in the Admissions Requirements who matriculated to ASU section of this catalog. Please note that individual programs may have more stringent regulations and policies. Please check with your program for more specific informa
When a student registers at Georgia Regents University, he or she accepts the official academic regulations. The student is expected to follow the program outlined by his or her college and department and should do sufficient planning, in consultation with his or her faculty advisor, to avoid scheduling difficulties which may impede normal academic progress. The student should plan his or her program so as to meet the core curriculum, graduation, and major and minor requirements.
Student Rights and Responsibilties: GRU is committed to nurturing intellectual diversity on the campus. While faculty members have the responsibility to present in the classroom their understanding of current scholarship in their fields, and at appropriate times should feel free to express their personal opinions, they should create an atmosphere where students feel free to retain their own beliefs, and should treat with respect dissenting opinions which are civilly and sincerely expressed. However, faculty bear responsibility for managing the classroom and are under no obligation to ensure that all opinions are expressed or that opposing opinions receive equal class time; faculty members may determine that some opinions or subjects—which might be maintained and discussed elsewhere on campus—are inappropriate for individual classrooms. Students should not be rewarded or assessed according to whether they as individuals share their professors’ personal opinions; students should be appropriately assessed on their understanding of generally accepted theories and ideas current in the field.
In an academic community, honesty and integrity must prevail if the work done and the honors awarded are to receive their respect. The erosion of honesty is the academic community’s ultimate loss. The responsibility for the practice and preservation of honesty must be equally assumed by all of its members.
Academic Honesty
Definition: Academic honesty requires the presentation for evaluation and credit of one’s own work, not the work of others.
In general, academic honesty excludes:
- Cheating on an examination of any type: giving or receiving, offering or soliciting information on any examination. This includes the following:
- Copying from another student’s paper.
- Use of prepared materials, notes, or texts other than those specifically permitted by the instructor during the examination.
- Collaboration with another student during an examination.
- Buying, selling, stealing, soliciting, or transmitting an examination or any other material purported to be the unreleased contents of an upcoming examination, or the use of any such material.
- Substituting for another person during an examination or allowing such substitution for oneself.
- Bribery of any person to obtain examination information.
- Plagiarism is the failure to acknowledge indebtedness. It is always assumed that the written work offered for evaluation and credit is the student’s own unless otherwise acknowledged. Such acknowledgment should occur whenever one quotes another person’s actual works; whenever one appropriates another person’s ideas, opinions, or theories, even if they are paraphrased; and whenever one borrows facts, statistics, or other illustrative materials, unless the information is common knowledge.
- Collusion is collaboration with another person in the preparation or editing of notes, themes, reports, or other written work or in laboratory work offered for evaluation and credit, unless such collaboration is specifically approved in advance by the instructor.
- Credential misrepresentation is the use of false or misleading statements in order to gain admission to Georgia Regents University. It also involves the use of false or misleading statements in an effort to obtain employment or college admission elsewhere, while one is enrolled at Georgia Regents University.
Faculty Responsibility: It is the duty of the faculty to practice and preserve academic honesty and to encourage it among students. The instructor should clarify any situation peculiar to the course that may differ from the generally stated policy. He or she should furthermore endeavor to make explicit the intent and purpose of each assignment so that the student may complete the assignment without unintentionally compromising academic honesty. It is the responsibility of the faculty member to provide for appropriate supervision of examinations.
Student Responsibility: It is the duty of the student to practice and preserve academic honesty. If the student has any doubt about a situation, he or she should consult with his or her instructor.
Procedures: Upon encountering a violation of academic honesty by a student:
Unless immediate action is appropriate, the faculty member should first address the situation with the chair and then must:
- Confront the student and make the charges known.
- Discuss the matter thoroughly with the student so that each position is clearly delineated.
- Decide upon the action that is appropriate to the incident. The instructor may request informal consultation with the chair and/or dean when making this decision.
- Remind the student to refer to the Student Academic Appeals and Student Academic Grievances procedures outlined below.
- Summarize the incident in writing with a brief rationale for the action taken. Materials relevant to the incident such as copies of papers or exams must be included.
- Submit this report to the Chair of the department in which the incident occurred, who will then report the matter to the Dean of that college.
If the action is less severe than a WF for the course, the faculty member must decide whether the incident shall be made part of the academic dishonesty file in the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
If the action is WF for the course the following procedure applies:
- The faculty member initiates a WF withdrawal form to accompany the report of the incident.
- The Dean shall send the withdrawal form to the Registrar and request that the Vice President for Academic Affairs enter the violation in the academic dishonesty file.
- The Dean shall (a) notify the student in writing by certified mail with return receipt of the action taken, (b) remind the student of his/her right to appeal as outlined below, and (c) inform the student that if he/she plans to appeal, the appeal must be filed within five calendar days of receipt.
- The Dean shall provide the faculty member and the dean of the college that houses the student’s major a written report of the action taken. The student’s dean may choose to put the report into the student’s file in that college.
- The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall, upon a student’s second offense requiring a WF for a course, expel the student from Georgia Regents University and direct the Registrar to enter the phrase “Ineligible to Register” on the student’s permanent record.
- The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall maintain the academic dishonesty file so that all appropriate administrators have access to the record of violations but also so that the student’s rights to limited access shall be safe-guarded.
Should the student desire to appeal the decision that a violation of academic honesty occurred, he or she may appeal that finding via the academic grievance process. A student who wishes to appeal shall submit a written grievance (as defined in stage two of the Student Academic Grievance policy) to the appropriate dean. The dean will provide copies of the written grievance to the instructor, the department chair, and the Academic Policies Committee and will ask the Academic Policies Committee to arrange a hearing in the manner set forth in this catalog under stage three of Student Academic Grievances. The grievance will proceed beginning at stage three, section A of the grievance process. In the event of a hearing, the dean shall notify all parties of the outcome.
Academic Standing and Grade Point Averages
Graduate Students: The determination of academic accomplishment is based solely upon a student’s grade point average, which is computed by dividing the number of hours attempted in which a grade of A, B, C, D, F or WF has been received into the number of quality points earned on those hours. (The Institutional and Regents’ GPAs are identical.) A GPA of 3.00 must be maintained in all courses attempted in a graduate program. For more information, consult listings of specific programs in the Graduate Programs section of this catalog.
Auditing a Course
A student who has been admitted to Georgia Regents University may be permitted to enroll in credit courses as an auditor on a non-credit basis. However, a student may not change his or her status from credit to audit or vice versa during the course. Credit may not be earned in courses taken as an auditor except by re-enrollment for credit in and completion of the course with a satisfactory grade. An auditor is assumed to be seriously interested in courses that he or she audits. Therefore, a student enrolled as an auditor is expected to attend class regularly and perform such other tasks as may be assigned by the instructor. An auditor who does not attend regularly may be dropped from the class with a grade of W.
Class Attendance
The resources of Georgia Regents University are provided for the intellectual growth and development of the students who attend. A schedule of courses is provided for the students and faculty to facilitate an orderly arrangement of the program of instruction. The fact that classes are scheduled is evidence that attendance is important and students should, therefore, maintain regular attendance if they are to attain maximum success in the pursuit of their studies.
It is recognized that the degree of class attendance may vary with the student, the professor, or the course. It is also recognized that, on occasions, it may be necessary for the student to be absent from scheduled classes or laboratories for personal reasons. On such occasions, all matters related to a student’s absences, including the making up of work missed, are to be arranged between the student and the professor. A student must not be absent from laboratory periods, announced quizzes and tests, or final examinations unless the reasons for the absences are acceptable to the concerned professors. A student should also understand that he or she is responsible for the academic consequences of any absences.
At the beginning of each semester, all professors will provide a clear written statement to all their classes regarding their policies in handling absences. Professors will also be responsible for counseling with their students regarding the academic consequences of absences from their classes or laboratories. Students are obligated to adhere to the requirements of each course and each course professor.
Professors are required to monitor student attendance or ongoing participation in online courses. To assist the University in complying with federal regulations pertaining to financial aid, faculty members are also required to maintain a record of and report student non-attendance at the start of each academic term. The Vice President for Academic Affairs is responsible for informing faculty of the duration of the nonattendance verification period and appropriate reporting method at the beginning of each academic term. In accordance with this policy, a student who does not attend a class or begin participation in an online course during the non-attendance verification period will be dropped from the course by the professor unless they have contacted their professor and notified them of their reason for non-attendance. In the event a student is dropped for nonattendance during this designated time period, the effect is the same as if the student never registered for the class and the course will not appear on the student’s transcript.
Professors will be flexible enough in their attendance and grading policies to allow students a reasonable number of absences without penalty for extraordinary personal reasons or for officially representing the university. However, if the student has been absent for more than the equivalent of 10 percent of class time, regardless of cause, then the professor may withdraw the student from the class for excessive absences. A student withdrawn for excessive absence may appear before a board of review appointed by the Academic Policies Committee for reinstatement. In the event a student is reinstated, he or she is fully responsible for making up all work missed while the case was pending.
It is important to note that the instructor may—or may not—withdraw a student from class based upon attendance. In any case, a student should not assume that the instructor has initiated the withdrawal form. A student not withdrawn from a course who stops attending class (or who never attends class) is subject to receiving a grade of WF or F for the course.
Course Schedule Adjustment
To change course registration, the student must initiate a Schedule Adjustment form, which can be downloaded from the Registrar’s Office homepage (http://www.gru.edu/registrar_va/forms/schadj.pdf). Students are strongly advised to consult with their academic advisor before dropping and/or adding courses. The last day a student may enroll in a class is given in the university calendar as the last day of schedule adjustment.
Course Repeat Policy
Any student may repeat a course taken at Georgia Regents University. No student may receive additional hours of credit for a repeated course in which the student has already earned credit, with the exception of such courses as WELL activity courses, “Selected Topics” courses, and other courses specifically designed for repetition. Such courses are labeled in the “Course Descriptions” section of the catalog with a phrase such as “may be repeated for credit.” However, if a student fails a repeated course in which he or she had already earned credit, the student will lose any credit previously earned.
If an undergraduate course (numbered 1000 through 4999) is repeated, only the last grade received is used in the calculation of the Institutional Grade Point Average (IGPA). See Academic Standing and Grade Point Averages.
Course Substitution
Each student is responsible for following the requirements of his or her selected program as specified in the catalog and in accordance with the regulations of the catalog. Variations in course requirements are permitted only upon petition and the written approval of the chairman of the department responsible for the required course and the appropriate dean. The approved change to the program of study will be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar, and entered in the JagTrax system as an exception. Exceptions are specific to the declared major/concentration and do not transfer to a new program if a change is made. Variations from course requirements are approved only under exceptional circumstances and only in cases where courses of the same academic value and type can be substituted.
Curriculum Changes
The academic programs of Georgia Regents University are offered through the Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, the James M. Hull College of Business, the College of Education, and the College of Science and Mathematics. These units, including the appropriate departments, furnish the basic organization of the faculty and provide the framework for the generation and maintenance of quality education in the variety of courses and programs listed in this bulletin. The Academic Policies Committee serves as the major source for recommendations to the faculty on policies in these areas. The faculty reserves the right to make changes in curricula, and in rules, at any time when in its judgment such changes are in the best interest of the student and Georgia Regents University. Recommendations for such changes can originate with any one of a number of key faculty committees.
Discipline
Georgia Regents University has defined the relationships and appropriate behavior of students as members of the university community through the document Student Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook. The document is available to all members of the university community through the Office of the Dean of Students.
The students of Georgia Regents University have established a precedent of exemplary behavior as members of the university and civic communities. Individuals and groups are expected to observe the tradition of decorum and behave in no way which would precipitate physical, social, or emotional hazards to other members of the university community. Improper behavior is at once a breach of tradition and inconsistent with the aims and objectives of the university. Such behavior subjects the student to disciplinary probation, suspension, expulsion, or other appropriate disciplinary measures.
Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Annual Notification
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights are:
- The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access. Students should submit to the registrar written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The University official 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 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 is inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University 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 contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is defined as a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Regents; or a person 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 University to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
The following information will be considered public directory information and may be released without student consent; however, a student may restrict the release of this information by annually notifying the registrar in writing by the last day of fall registration (or the initial registration if other than fall) that he/she does not want the information released.
Public directory information includes:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
- E-mail address
- Photograph
- Program of study
- Dates of attendance
- Enrollment status
- Grade level
- Honors and Awards
- Degree Awarded
Grade Changes
Any grade changes must be accomplished in the semester immediately following the semester in which the grade was originally reported.
Graduation Application and Graduation Exercises
Application for Graduation: The application must be completed and filed with the registrar no later than the mid-term date of the semester preceding the final semester of course work. Students must be approved formally for graduation by the faculty.
Graduation Exercises: Degrees are conferred formally at the close of the spring semester (in May). Graduation applications are due in the Office of the Registrar by midterm of the semester prior to the last semester of scheduled coursework. Students who complete all requirements for the degree by the end of spring semester receive degrees in May. Students who complete all requirements for the degree by the end of the summer term or fall semester receive degrees at the end of the term completed. These students will receive instructions concerning ceremony participation when their graduation applications are submitted to the Office of the Registrar. Degree candidates are encouraged to attend graduation exercises. However, if they are unable to do so, they are required to notify the Office of the Registrar in writing.
Student Academic Appeals
An academic appeal is a request for review of an administrative decision made with respect to an individual student which bears upon his/her student career. The appeals procedure does not apply to issues which have broad application to the university as a whole or to constituent groupings within the university. However, appeals can be made in matters such as admission, transfer of credit, probation, suspension, dismissal, and other similar matters. A supervisor’s decision in an appeal can itself be appealed, but there is no appeal of the President’s decisions except in cases where it is reasonably alleged that a decision against the student was based on discrimination with respect to race, sex, age, handicap, religion, or national origin.
A student may file an appeal whenever he or she can reasonably claim that an administrative decision affecting his or her program of study was not justified by the procedures and/or guidelines established to govern that decision. It is not necessary that the student allege discrimination or other wrongdoing on the part of the administrator.
The student should submit the appeal in writing to the immediate supervisor of the administrator responsible for the decision he or she questions. It is the student’s responsibility to gather the evidence necessary to support his or her case and to include that evidence when submitting the written appeal. In preparing the appeal, the student should keep in mind that the primary issue is whether the administrative decision was justified by the procedures and/or guidelines established to govern that decision.
The supervisor to whom the appeal is made may choose to appoint and be advised by a consultative board composed of students and/or faculty and/or administrators of the supervisor’s own choosing, and may also choose to charge such a board with hearing oral arguments and/or with making inquiries into specified matters of fact. However, if a student has alleged discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, handicap, religion, or national origin, a consultative board must be appointed and must include at least one student and at least one faculty member who is not an administrator. In no case will the supervisor be bound by the advice of the board.
Student Academic Grievances
The following grievance procedure primarily applies to a student’s alleged violations of his or her rights by his or her instructor. However, if a student’s problem is related to admission, transfer of credit, probation, suspension, or dismissal, he or she may wish to enter an academic appeal, as described in the previous section of this manual. If the student’s problem is with an administrator’s decision regarding a matter between the student and the instructor, the student should use the academic appeals process unless he or she can reasonably claim that the administrator’s decision constitutes a violation of his or her rights. In the latter case, the student may choose to use the academic grievance procedure, adapting it to his or her case so as to begin with the administrator and his or her supervisor rather than the instructor and his or her chair and dean (as outlined below). The Academic Policies Committee is the final arbiter of whether such a grievance against an administrator should be resolved instead through the appeals process. If the student’s problem is related to a non‑academic issue, the student should refer to the Student Conduct Code.
If the student wishes to initiate a grievance, he or she must follow the student academic grievance procedure as outlined below, keeping in mind the following principles:
- As outlined in Stage One below, except when the complaint is of the most egregious nature or is related to intellectual diversity, the student must start with a sincere attempt to settle the dispute in an informal manner with the instructor. In general, administrators can initially hear the student’s concerns and refer him or her to this document, but they will not discuss any specific grievance until the appropriate procedural steps have been taken. The Dean of Students or designee may serve an advisory role for the most egregious incidents or those involving intellectual diversity by hearing specific grievances and facilitating the procedures outlined below.
- Within the guidelines of the institution, faculty have authority and responsibility for course content, classroom procedure, and grading, except insofar as it can be shown that a decision was arbitrary or capricious, or based on discrimination with respect to race, religion, sex, handicap, age, or national origin.
- In order for a student to prepare his or her case, keep in mind that when he or she presents the facts, the burden of proof is on him or her, not on the instructor.
- Students who have legitimate grievances which cannot be resolved at the departmental level are encouraged to pursue their cases and follow the procedures outlined below. However, frivolous or mendacious complaints are discouraged. Students and faculty are further advised that adherence to the full truth represents the best service to their cases, and indeed that misstated or overstated claims by the principals or their witnesses about the misdeeds of others may lead to civil penalties.
Administrators shall not discuss the details of a specific grievance with a student who has not followed the procedure outlined herein, and any representative of a student must follow the same procedure. Public statements about a case shall be withheld by the parties involved, by the board of review, and by all participants in the hearings until the final decision has been communicated to the parties to the grievance. If and when an official statement is made of the result of the procedures outlined below, it shall be made through the office of the appropriate dean. Access to the written record of the hearing, and to all other records, findings, and recommendations of the board of review and any administrators involved in appeals shall be limited to authorized personnel.
In the following document, the term “faculty” shall be construed to mean those persons defined as “faculty” by the Bylaws and Policies of the Board of Regents, the Statutes of the University and those persons appointed by the President to administrative positions at the institution. Further, the term “days” denotes normal working days on which university classes meet. Weekends, holidays, final exam periods, and breaks between and within semesters are not to be counted in calculating these time lines. It should be understood that, at each level in the academic chain of command above the instructor, e.g. the department chair, dean of the college, vice president for academic affairs, and president of the institution, the administrator may designate an appropriate representative. Once a student has initiated a written grievance procedure, all responses along this chain of command must be in writing.
- Stage One: The Informal Procedure. Unless the complaint is of the most egregious nature or is related to intellectual diversity, the student must make a sincere attempt to settle a dispute in an informal manner with the instructor. If the student is still not satisfied with the instructor’s decision, the student may then discuss the matter with the instructor’s department chair. Should the dispute involve an issue of intellectual diversity, the student may choose to discuss the issue with the department chair instead of with the instructor. If the problem remains unresolved, the student may then discuss the matter with the instructor’s dean.
For the most egregious incidents or those involving intellectual diversity, the student may feel uncomfortable speaking to the instructor about the matter. In these cases, the student may elect to have initial discussions of the matter with the instructor’s immediate supervisor. Prior to meeting with academic personnel, the student may contact the Dean of Students or designee who may be able to assist in informal resolution with the academic unit but is otherwise not a party to the grievance process.
- Stage Two: The Written Grievance. If the student has exhausted the procedures outlined in section I above, he/she may continue as follows:
- The student shall submit the grievance in writing to the instructor involved. This document, hereinafter referred to as the written grievance, shall include, but not be limited to, all supporting documentation and a statement of the specific relief sought by the student. The written grievance must be submitted to the instructor no later than midterm of the semester following the actions which gave rise to the grievance.
- If agreement is not reached within five days of the receipt of the written grievance by the instructor, the student may appeal the instructor’s decision to the department chair. The student shall so advise the chair within five days of receiving that decision.
- The department chair shall respond to the written grievance within five days of receiving it. The student may choose to appeal the chair’s response by submitting a copy of the grievance to the dean of the appropriate college. The appeal must be made within five days of the student’s having received the response. No appeal may be initiated after the fifth day following the student’s receipt of the chair’s response. As an alternative to a formal hearing (see Stage 3), if the student is not satisfied with the solution, the student is encouraged to refer the matter to the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee. Georgia Regents University has chosen mediation as its ADR process. Mediation involves the use of a neutral third party who seeks to aid the disputants in their effort to reach a mutually satisfying resolution. A student choosing the ADR process should submit a written grievance to the Dean of Students, rather than to the academic dean. Upon completion of the ADR process, if no formal resolution has been reached, the student may then move on to Stage 3 by submitting a written grievance to the appropriate academic dean within five days.
- Stage Three: The Formal Hearing. If agreement is not reached within five days of the submission of the written grievance to the dean, the dean or either party may ask the Academic Policies Committee to arrange a hearing before a formal board of review.
- The person submitting this request to the Academic Policies Committee shall transmit with it a copy of the written grievance and any other documents or exhibits which he/she considers pertinent.
- Within five days of receiving the request to arrange a hearing, the Academic Policies committee shall act upon that request. In the case of a grievance against an administrator, the committee shall first determine whether the problem should more appropriately be resolved through the academic appeals process or whether the academic grievance process is the appropriate context. In the latter case, the committee shall then determine how to adapt the procedures of the academic grievance process to this particular situation. It shall then appoint a board of review, hereinafter referred to as the board, in the following manner:
- The board shall consist of five to seven members, including faculty members, at least one student, and the Dean of Students or his/her designate. One of the faculty members shall be designated by the Academic Policies Committee to serve as the chair of the board.
- The Academic Policies Committee shall consult with the parties to assure that its selection of a chair is acceptable to both parties. Each party shall also be permitted to strike from one to three other proposed members from the board. When a party strikes a proposed member, the committee will name another in his/her place; such substitutions may also be struck by either party if that party has not already exhausted his/her three strikes.
- No party to the dispute shall be a member of the board.
- Immediately upon acceptance of the appointment by the chair of the board, the chair of the Academic Policies Committee shall deliver to him/her the written grievance and all other documents and/or exhibits received by the committee in the context of the grievance.
- Within five days of the appointment of the board, the chair shall convene a preliminary closed session of the board for the following purposes:
- To determine the day and hour of the hearing. The hearing must begin within 10 days of the preliminary session.
- To distribute to the board all prior communications and documents pertinent to the grievance, including copies of the written grievance.
After the preliminary meeting of the board, the chair shall:
- Continue attempts at arbitration at any appropriate point in these proceedings.
- Prepare an agenda for the hearing and arrange for a meeting place.
- Engage the assistance of the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs in utilizing the services of a confidential secretary or other appropriate means to obtain a verbatim written record of the proceedings.
- Give written notice to both parties at least five days before convening the hearing. In so doing, the chair shall advise the parties of their procedural rights, which shall include the right of due process and specifically the right to:
- Have present a non‑participating advisor. The faculty member may have present either a member of the legal profession or a full time Georgia Regents University faculty member. The student may have present any one individual and may choose to replace that individual with another at any point during the hearing.
- Call for supporting witnesses.
- Inquire into all written and oral testimony, depositions, and exhibits of evidence.
- Know the identity of all witnesses and the authors of all written testimony and have the opportunity to confront all such persons by cross‑examination or by affidavit.
- Endeavor to rebut all evidence.
- Interpret and summarize their individual positions, particularly in relation to wider issues of academic rights and responsibilities.
- Be informed of the findings and recommendations of the board. The chair shall be deemed to have satisfied this requirement if he/she calls the attention of the parties to section III(D)4 of this document.
The hearing shall be held in closed session. The chair shall distribute copies of the agenda to the parties, the board members, and any witnesses who may have been called. The chair shall supervise the proceedings and shall rule on any unusual or special elements with respect to procedures of the board after giving due notice to disputing parties or their representatives of their procedural rights. The parties involved must present their own cases even though counsel may be present during the formal hearing. Normally, the presentations shall include a lucid statement of the case, a presentation of the case by affidavits, testimony and/or exhibits, and a summary which includes a statement of the specific relief sought from the board. The board shall try to complete the agenda for the hearing in one session. If this is not possible, the term “hearing” as used throughout this document shall apply collectively to all sessions taken together. The board shall in any case see to it that all sessions of the hearing have been concluded within five days of the first session of the hearing. Stage Four: Deliberations of the Board and its Report
- Within five days of the conclusion of the hearing, the chair shall see to it that copies of a written verbatim record of the hearing are distributed to the members of the board, to the two parties, and to the appropriate dean.
- Within five days of the distribution of the written verbatim record, the board may choose to meet more than once, but in no case may the deliberations continue past the tenth day following the distribution of the written verbatim record. The board shall confine its deliberations to the case presented.
- Within five days of reaching a decision, the board shall issue to the appropriate dean a written report giving its findings and recommendations.
Stage Five: The Dean’s Decision
- If the board has found that the instructor made an arbitrary or capricious decision against the student, or one based on discrimination with regard to race, religion, sex, handicap, age, or national origin, and if the board has recommended appropriate relief, the dean may order that relief. Such relief may include, but is not limited to, a change in a disputed course grade. If the board has made a recommendation on a basis other than a finding that the instructor made an arbitrary or capricious decision against the student, or one based on discrimination with regard to race, religion, sex, handicap, age, or national origin, the dean may order that the recommendation shall be followed.
- Within five days of receiving the board’s findings and recommendations, the dean shall forward the following by registered mail to each of the parties involved:
- A copy of the board’s findings and recommendations.
- The dean’s decision with regard to any relief sought by the parties and/or recommended by the board.
- Notification to both parties of the right to appeal before the dean takes action. The dean shall be deemed to have satisfied this requirement if he/she calls the attention of the parties to section VI of this document.
If no party makes a written appeal within five days of having been notified by the dean of his/her decision, that decision shall be considered final and the dean shall see to its implementation. Stage Six: The Appeals Process
- It is particularly emphasized that senior administrators are not to be contacted about the details of a grievance except in the context of an appeal. Neither of the parties is to take his/her case to senior administrators until after the procedures set forth above have come to their conclusion. This rule applies equally to any representative of the parties.
- Neither the faculty grievance procedure nor any other procedure may be invoked as a substitute for the appeals process set forth below.
- Appeal to the Vice President for Academic Affairs
- If either party wishes to appeal the decision of the dean, he/she must do so in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs within five days of receiving notification from the dean. The appeal shall include, but is not limited to, the following:
- Copies of the written grievance, of the findings and recommendations of the board, of the written verbatim record of the hearing, and of the dean’s letter notifying the parties of his/her decision.
- An explanation of the reason for the appeal.
- A specific statement of the relief which the appellant is seeking from the vice president.
In the case of an appeal by the student, if the vice president finds that the instructor made an arbitrary or capricious decision against the student, or one based on discrimination with regard to race, religion, sex, handicap, age, or national origin, he/she may order relief for the student, including but not limited to a change in a disputed course grade. Within five days of receiving the written appeal, the vice president shall forward his/her decision to the appropriate dean, to the two parties, and to the chairs of the board and the Academic Policies Committee. In communicating this decision, the vice president shall advise the two parties of the right to appeal to the president before the vice president’s decision takes effect. The vice president shall be deemed to have satisfied this requirement if he/she calls the attention of the parties to sections VI(D) and VI(E) of this document. If no party makes a written appeal within five days of having been notified by the vice president of his/her decision, that decision shall be considered final and the vice president shall communicate it to the appropriate dean, who shall see to its implementation. Appeal to the President
- If either party wishes to appeal the decision of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, he/she must do so in writing to the president of the university within five days of being notified of the vice president’s decision.
- At the same time, the appellant shall give notice of the appeal to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who shall thereupon forward to the president the materials listed above in section VI(C)1.
- In the case of an appeal by the student, if the president finds that the instructor made an arbitrary or capricious decision against the student, or one based on discrimination with regard to race, religion, sex, handicap, age, or national origin, he/she may order relief for the student, including but not limited to a change in a disputed course grade.
- The president shall communicate his/her decision to the two parties, the chairs of the board and the Academic Policies Committee, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the appropriate dean.
- If either party wishes to appeal the president’s decision to the Board of Regents, he/she shall so advise the president in writing within five days of receiving that decision. If no party so advises the president within those five days, the decision shall be considered final and the president shall communicate this to the appropriate dean, who shall see to its implementation.
Final disposition of the case shall be made in accordance with Article XIII of the bylaws of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia: Any student or employee in the University System aggrieved by a final decision of the president of an institution may apply to the Board of Regents for a review of the decision. The Board’s review shall be limited to the record from the institutional appeal process. Nothing in this policy shall be construed to extend to any employee or student substantive or procedural rights not required by federal or state law. This policy shall not be construed to extend to employees or students any expectation of employment, admission, or additional due process rights. Each application for review shall be submitted in writing to the Board’s Office of Legal Affairs within a period of twenty days following the decision of the president. It shall state the decision complained of and the redress desired. A hearing before the Board (or a Committee of or appointed by the Board) is not a matter of right but is within the sound discretion of the Board. Appeals brought by students shall be governed by Policy 4.7.1 of The Policy Manual of the Board of Regents. Appeals brought by employees shall be governed by Policy 8.2.21 of The Policy Manual of The Board of Regents. The Board may at its discretion refer a matter for mediation, arbitration, or evaluation of settlement options. If an application for review is granted, the Board, a Committee of the Board, a Committee appointed by the Board, or a hearing officer appointed by the Board shall investigate the matter thoroughly and report its findings and recommendations to the Board. The decision of the Board shall be final and binding for all purposes.
Under current Board of Regents procedures, action by the president on grade appeals is the final and binding administrative decision; however, in making a policy decision to reject routine grade appeals, the Board of Regents did not intend to bar the receipt of grade complaints grounded upon alleged invidious discriminatory motivations, such as improper considerations of race, gender, national origin, religion, age, or handicap.
Unit of Credit
Wherever this catalog uses the term “hours” it is referring to “semester hours” as understood within the semester system. Georgia Regents University is organized on this system. Each of the two semesters in the regular academic year covers a period of approximately 16 weeks, which includes 15 weeks of instruction. The summer session is 11 weeks, with some courses being offered in one of two half sessions. Each half session has 23 class days. The “semester hour”is the unit of credit in any course. It represents a recitation period of one fifty-minute period a week for a semester. A course meeting 150 minutes a week for 15 weeks would thus give credit of 3 hours when completed satisfactorily. For credit purposes, 2 to 3 laboratory or activity hours are usually counted as the equivalent of one recitation class period. Also see Course Repeat Policy.
Withdrawal from a Course
The responsibility for initiating a withdrawal resides with the student. A student who registers for a course and stops attending class (or never attends class) is not automatically withdrawn by the instructor and is subject to receiving a grade of WF or F for the course. Forms for initiating a withdrawal may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar (Office of Veterans’ Affairs). A student is strongly advised to consult with his or her advisor before withdrawing from a course. A student must obtain the signature of the instructor to officially withdraw from a course. An instructor may withdraw a student for excessive absences. (See Class Attendance for attendance policies.) The official date of withdrawal is the date the Withdrawal Form is received in the Office of the Registrar.
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