Attendance Policies and Classroom Standards
Students are expected to attend all class meetings scheduled in the classes for which they are registered. Absence does not excuse the student from responsibility for class work or assignments missed. Excessive absence or lateness might negatively affect the student’s grade. Students missing class for religious reasons should inform the instructor prior to the absence and will be allowed to make up work assigned during the absence, consistent with the College’s religious observance policy.
Individual instructors determine class attendance policy and inform their students, in writing, about this policy at the beginning of the academic term.
As a public, comprehensive, learner-centered institution, SUNY Ulster is committed to establishing the best learning environment for all students. As part of this goal, principles of suitable classroom behavior include the following:
- Students are responsible for arriving to class on time and remaining in class for the entire period. Arriving late or leaving early is disruptive to the instructor and other students. Instructors may have specific policies regarding penalties for tardiness and/or early departure.
- Students are responsible for complying with attendance requirements. Excessive absences contribute to poor student performance. When students are absent from class, they are responsible for any missed lecture material, assignments, and handouts. Instructors may have specific policies regarding academic penalties for excessive absences.
- Students should come to class prepared. They should have the required textbooks and completed assignments, be prepared for exams and quizzes, and engage in active participation in class discussions where appropriate. Failure to prepare adequately not only puts students in jeopardy with regard to their successful course completion, but also affects the progress of the entire class. Instructors may have other specific policies regarding preparation for class.
Removal for Cause
- Classroom behavior should not interfere with the learning process. Inappropriate behavior during class includes not being respectful of the instructor and other students. Examples of unacceptable behavior include leaving one’s seat, carrying on non-course-related conversations, using a cell phone in class, having notifications sound, using foul language and/or violating any policy regarding harassment or bullying. Policies regarding drugs and alcohol, harassment and assault, and the carrying of weapons can be found in this Catalog, as well as the Student Handbook. Instructors have the right to have a student removed from class and to request a Withdraw for Cause, should they feel that a student’s actions continue to be disruptive following adequate warning and are in the opinion of the instructor in violation of the Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook.
Student Absence Due to Religious Beliefs
No person shall be refused admission as a student of the College, or expelled from or the College, for the reason that the student is unable to, because of religious beliefs, attend classes or participate in any examination, study, or work requirements on a particular day or days specified in the State Education Law. Any student of the College who is unable, because of religious beliefs, to attend classes on a particular day or days, shall be excused from any examination or any study or work requirements on that day.
It shall be the responsibility of the College’s faculty and administrative officials to make available to each student who is absent from school because of religious beliefs, an equivalent opportunity to register for classes or make up any examination, study, or work requirements which the student may have missed because of such absence on any particular day or days. No fees of any kind shall be charged for making available to the said student such equivalent opportunity.
If registration, classes, examinations, study, or work requirements are held on Friday afternoon after 4 P.M. or on Saturday, similar or makeup classes, examinations, study, or work requirements shall be made available to students who are not able to attend due to religious beliefs, on other days where it is possible and practicable to do so. No special fees shall be charged to the student for these classes, examinations, study, or work requirements held on other days.
In effectuating the provision of this section, it shall be the duty of the College’s faculty and administrative officials to exercise the fullest measure of good faith. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student making use of the provisions of this section. Any student who is aggrieved by the alleged failure of any faculty or administrative officials to comply in good faith with the provisions of this section shall be entitled to maintain an action or proceeding in the Supreme Court of Ulster County for the enforcement of the student’s rights under this section.
Withdrawal for Cause
A student may be removed from class at any time by the Assistant Dean for Student Services acting at her/his own behest or at the request of an instructor or other College official who asserts that the student’s behavior is in violation of the Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook. A student removed for cause is entitled to a hearing process described here. If the removal is upheld by the hearing process and takes place before the end of the tenth week, the student receives a grade of W; beyond that time, the student receives a grade of F. A student may also be removed from class by the Vice President of Administration if all financial obligations are not satisfied.
Academic Appeals Procedure
Disagreements between students and instructors are usually resolved on an informal basis. However, the College provides formal avenues for appeals against an instructor. These formal procedures are not intended to replace informal channels, and every attempt should be made to explore the informal avenues before escalation to more formalized procedures.
Reasonable efforts will be made to expedite the process. Time frames are specified to accommodate this procedure.
These procedures in no way reduce the traditional responsibility and authority of faculty members in establishing academic standards and procedures for their courses.
A. Informal Level
1. The student who wishes to appeal a classroom situation or grade must take his or her appeal to the instructor within seven business days of the occurrence of the incident, or receipt of the disputed grade. The student and the instructor will
attempt to resolve the issue in a mutually acceptable manner.
2. If the student and instructor are unable to resolve the issue, the student will contact the appropriate Department Chairperson within seven business days. A meeting will be set up between the student, instructor, and the appropriate Department
Chairperson to discuss the appeal and attempt to resolve the issue in a mutually acceptable manner. If the faculty member who is involved directly with the classroom situation or grade is the Department Chairperson, then the informal level will be bypassed and the process will move directly to the formal level.
B. Formal Level
1. If the appeal remains unresolved after the student meets with the appropriate Department Chair, the student will contact the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty concerning their appeal within seven business days
of the meeting with the Department Chair. The student will then be asked to prepare a written appeal within seven business days. The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty will immediately forward copies of the student’s written appeal to the faculty member, who will respond in writing to the appeal. The faculty member must respond to the student’s appeal within seven business days of receipt.
2. The Academic Appeals Committee will meet within seven business days of receiving all written documents and review the documents. The Academic Appeals Committee will be a subcommittee of the Academic Standards Committee and
consist of three members in addition to the chairperson. Two members will be tenured faculty and one may be non-tenured with a minimum of three years full-time teaching experience.
3. After reviewing the documents, the Committee will invite the student, instructor, and Department Chairperson to be present at a meeting, which will be held within seven business days of receipt of the documents to consider the appeal addressed in the written documents. The student and the faculty member may elect to have an ally of their choice present at the meeting.
Allies will be limited to SUNY Ulster faculty, staff, and students. The allies are present to witness the meeting and provide moral support; they are expected to neither speak for, nor coach, the parties involved in the dispute. Only faculty who have no prior
involvement with the student or instructor concerning this appeal may sit on the Committee to review this particular appeal. The Chairperson of the Academic Appeals Committee is a nonvoting member who will facilitate the meeting.
The Committee’s written recommendation, along with all pertinent material, will be forwarded to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty. A member of the Committee will be designated to deliver these documents and to be available to answer any questions that the Vice President may raise concerning the Committee’s recommendation. All members of the Academic Appeals Committee will receive a copy of the recommendation sent to the Vice President.
The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty will review the Committee’s recommendation along with the documents of the student and the faculty member. Within seven business days of receipt, the Vice President will render a
decision and report their findings in writing to the student, the faculty member, and the Department Chairperson. The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty will send copies of their final decision to the Academic Appeals Committee, the student, the faculty member, and the Department Chairperson. The rendering of the decision by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty is the final step in the Academic Appeals Process of the College.
Student Code of Conduct
Please access Board of Trustees Policy 6.3.2. Student Code of Conduct for reference to the policy and the procedure.
Other Student Rights and Responsibilities
It is the policy of SUNY Ulster to provide equal opportunity, free of discrimination, for its students and employees. Accordingly, the College will apply the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to all of its operations.
ADA extends comprehensive federal civil rights protection to persons with disabilities. Protection is provided in the areas of employment, public accommodations, government services, and telecommunications.
SUNY Ulster, as a recipient of federal funding, has been prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disability since 1973, under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The Act provides that “…no otherwise handicapped individual shall, solely by reason of his/her handicap, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Compliance with this act requires SUNY Ulster to assure that the same educational programs and services offered to other students be available to students with disabilities.
ADA reinforces nondiscriminatory policies for students by requiring that the College make appropriate academic adjustments, provide auxiliary assistance, and remove architectural barriers. It further extends the policies to nondiscrimination in employment and promotion.
A complete copy of SUNY Ulster’s ADA Policy may be found in the SUNY Ulster Board of Trustees Policy Manual Section Three.
Federal law prohibits release of a transcript to a third party. FERPA is designed to protect the privacy of education records, to establish the rights of students to inspect and review their education records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings. Students also have the right to file complaints with the Family Protection and Regulations Office in Washington, D.C., concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the act.
Copies of SUNY Ulster’s complete policy statement regarding FERPA are available on the College Portal and in the Registrar’s Office. Questions concerning FERPA may be referred to the Registrar or the Assistant Dean of Student Services.
The College is allowed to provide directory information to outside parties unless the student requests this information be restricted from disclosure. Directory information is as follows: name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, major field of study, dates of attendance, enrollment status, degrees and awards received, date and place of birth, most recent previous school attended, photographs, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and height and weight of athletes.
Institutions are forbidden to provide student ID number, Social Security number, race, ethnicity, nationality, or gender as directory information.
FERPA applies to students who have reached the age of 18 or attend a post-secondary institution. If a student wishes a parent, guardian, or other individual to have access to educational records, he or she must complete a release form at the Registrar’s Office, indicating to whom the permission is being granted, and for how long.
Solomon Amendment
The Solomon Amendment requires institutions to cooperate with the recruiting efforts of United States armed forces. SUNY Ulster is required by the federal government to provide the following information to the armed forces at the beginning of every fall and spring semester: name, address, telephone number, age or date of birth, class level, academic major, place of birth, degrees received, and most recent educational institution attended.
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