The Board of Regents has ruled that the academic calendar shall be followed as published and that any deviation from this calendar for reasons other than natural disasters must have prior approval of the Board of Regents.
The University Calendar Committee, composed of the Dean of Educational Services, four faculty members of the University Senate, and four student members of the University Senate, is charged with the responsibility of preparing the academic calendar within guidelines set for all Regents' institutions by the Council of Chief Academic Officers. The calendar for the school year following the ensuing year is submitted to the University Council for approval.
Academic calendars are published in various University catalogs and bulletins and are available through the Office of Admissions and the Kansas Union Bookstore.
State law (K.S.A. 72-116) provides that any graduate of an accredited high school in the State of Kansas who has not previously attended a college be admitted to any of the institutions under the Board of Regents. Only in the areas of visual arts, architecture, and architectural engineering, where physical space is essential to each student, may an applicant who otherwise meets the criteria of this statute be denied admission.
For applicants not within the provisions of K.S.A. 72-116, i.e., those who are not graduates of Kansas high schools and all those who have already attended a college, admission criteria are set by the faculties of the several schools within the guidelines issued by the Faculty Senate (Rules and Regulations of the Faculty Senate, 2.4.1-2.4.5).
The coordination and administration of all aspects of admission to the University is the responsibility of the Dean of Educational Services, under the general supervision of the Vice Chancellors for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs.
Registration is directed by the Office of Student Records and takes place before the beginning of classwork in each semester. Arrangements for the academic advising of students are made by the respective deans; advising may take place outside the formal period set for registration and enrollment.
The University seeks to provide sufficient advice and assistance to insure that the student's schedule fulfills his or her personal interests and needs, is consistent with University and faculty regulations, and advances the student toward his or her educational goals and toward graduation.
Good advising is an important aid to the student's education. The adviser should encourage the student to consider both long-range plans and immediate goals. It should be recognized (even by advisers in specialized fields) that most freshmen are undecided about their choice of major, and that many who make an early choice change their objectives before they are graduated. These facts should be called to the attention of students who show an inclination to choose courses which would prevent or make difficult any shifting to other fields. Students should be encouraged to plan their programs in the first two years so that they will be well prepared for whatever they may choose to study later.
Normally all faculty members are expected to take part in the process of enrollment. Each faculty member is responsible for learning about the course offerings and regulations of the appropriate department or school, as well as the general regulations of the University. Departmental chairpersons will assist the faculty member in acquiring such information.
On the first day of classes the Office of Student Records distributes rosters listing students approved for enrollment in each course. Faculty members are expected to notify the Office of Student Records of discrepancies between a roster and attendance. If a student's name does not appear on a roster and if, after a reasonable length of time, a notice adding the name to the roster does not appear, the student should not be permitted to attend. The Office of Student Records should be notified of any student on the roster who fails to appear.
After the close of regular enrollment, a student may change enrollment only with the approval of the department representative and the dean concerned. Notices of approved changes are sent to the faculty members involved.
There is no all-University policy regarding attendance in class or the reporting of absences by the faculty. The various schools, however, are allowed to establish their own regulations regarding class attendance. These regulations are announced to the faculty by the deans of the respective schools, and absence reports that are made should be in accordance with such current regulations.
Despite the absence of an all-University policy, it should be recognized that continued absence from class may indicate that a student has left the campus, and the possibility should be brought promptly to the attention of the Office of Student Records. Accordingly, a faculty member should file a Student Performance Report with the appropriate dean whenever a student has ceased to attend a class; by a rule of thumb, a report is in order whenever a student has been absent without explanation a consecutive number of times greater than the number of hours credit in the course. This suggestion does not in any way contravene the right of a faculty member or dean to establish more strict regulations.
The University does not require a student to produce a written excuse for illness.
No official notification is automatically provided to instructors when a student is hospitalized in Watkins Memorial Hospital. When the student is discharged from the hospital, the student is provided a written notice indicating duration of stay. It is the student's responsibility to share this information, as appropriate, with instructors.
Faculty members may occasionally receive official explanations of absences for such causes as illness, field trips, competition. Such explanations may be helpful in assessing reasons for the absences but are not considered to be excuses from assigned work.
A student who is enrolled full-time may visit a class on a regular basis after gaining permission from the instructor. A student not enrolled full-time may visit a class on a regular basis after gaining permission from the instructor and making payment of the University incidental fee. Exception: There is no charge for attendance on a space-available basis for persons over 60 years of age. In any case, no credit will be awarded, no grade will be given, and no permanent record will be maintained.
By the regulations of the University Senate (1.3.3),
The University Senate Committee on the Calendar sets aside a period at the end of each semester for final examinations. For each semester the committee works out a schedule of final examinations which is included in the Official Timetable of Classes (published prior to the beginning of the semester); separate printed copies are also distributed well before the examination period.
The regulations of the University Senate (1.3.2) state that:
Any exceptions to the above paragraph must be approved by the Calendar Committee. Petitions to the committee must be submitted at least three weeks in advance. Students' academic best interests shall be the criteria for the Calendar Committee's decisions on petitions.
Infractions of these rules are regarded seriously by the Calendar Committee, SenEx, and the administration.
All final examinations are scheduled to last for 2 hours and 50 minutes, no matter how many hours a week the class has met during the semester. The exception to this general rule is that all final examinations in a summer session are given in the last meeting or meetings of courses.
The School of Law is authorized to set its own schedule of final examinations, with the understanding that it may not cause conflicts in the individual schedules of students from other schools who have enrolled in courses in law.
A faculty member is responsible for the adequate supervision of final examinations in courses.
By the same regulations (1.4),
The regulations of the University Senate prescribe that the letters A, B, C, D, I, F (and S and U for certain approved courses) shall be used to indicate grades in all schools except the School of Law, the College of Health Sciences, and the Graduate School. Each of these schools publishes its grading system in its catalog. The regulations (2.2) define the letter grades as follows:
The grade of I should not be used when a definite grade can be assigned for the work done. It shall not be given for the work of a student in any course except to indicate that some part of the work has, for good reason, not been done, while the rest has been satisfactorily completed. When an I is reported, the character and amount of work needed to remove it should be indicated on the "Explanation of Incomplete" card for the student's dean.
An I must be made up in the next semester of enrollment, except when the removal of an I involves the repetition of a portion of the classroom work, in which case it shall be removed in the first semester of residence in which the course is offered. An I not removed according to this rule shall be regarded as a grade of F, W, U or NC on request of the student's dean, with the consent of the instructor, if possible, or the department chairperson if the instructor is not available, and so indicated on the permanent record.
Any school may use the letter P to represent satisfactory progress during one semester of work for which a grade will be given only upon the completion of the course or project in a subsequent semester.
The University withdrawal period is divided into three time segments:
Should a student desire not to complete the work of a course, the following options are available.
During Period 1, a student may by notice to his or her dean, cancel his or her enrollment in a course and have the course deleted from his or her record.
For Periods 2 and 3, each school shall develop its own withdrawal policy. Separate policies for each time period may be developed or the same policy may apply for Periods 2 and 3. A student may drop his or her enrollment in accordance with policy established by the school in which the course is offered. Nothing contained in this section shall prohibit the adoption of more restrictive policies regarding termination of a student's work in a course by a school, provided that at the time of enrollment such policies are made clearly known to all students in the courses affected and adhere to the three specified time periods. When a student withdraws from a course, he or she is subject to the rules of the school in which the course is offered.
The withdrawal of a student from the University shall be reported by the dean to the Dean of Educational Services for posting to the permanent record after consultation with the appropriate personnel dean.
...Credit/No Credit option may be chosen by the student at his or her dean's office during the third and fourth weeks of the semester or during the second week of the summer session.
The student shall not select this option in courses in his or her declared major and shall have the choice of only one option per semester. After the close of the option period, the student cannot alter his or her option.
The grade of CR (credit) will be received for grades of A, B, and C. The grade of NC (no credit) will be received for grades D and F.
The instructor will not be informed when a student has chosen this option, and will assign a conventional letter grade, which will then be converted by the Dean of Educational Services to CR or NC as appropriate.
Courses graded CR or NC will not count in computing grade-point average. Courses graded CR will be included in the total hours counted toward graduation; courses graded NC will not count as hours earned.
When it would not be appropriate to grade a course according to the grading system established above, a school may authorize the use of grades S and U in designated courses. A course to be graded S or U shall be identified prior to the beginning of the course by publication in the Official Timetable of Classes.
Approval to offer a course with the S and U grading system precludes the use of grades A, B, C, D, or F. The grade of S shall indicate the student did satisfactory work and these hours will count towards graduation. The U grade shall indicate the student's work was unsatisfactory and these hours will not count toward graduation. Grades of S and U will not count in computing the grade-point average.
A dean of a school may request permission of the University Council to use a grading system other than those herein provided for a specified trial period.
The grade of + shall indicate that credit was awarded on the basis of an examination or other appropriate experience or training, rather than as a result of the student completing the regular work of the course.
The university does not recommend any single system of equating the letter grade to numerical brackets, any single formula for grading on a curve, or any single set of grading standards. A faculty member is expected to take the initiative in learning the methods and rules of the department and school. By the regulations of the University Senate (2.1.2),
Before the end of the first six weeks of classes, a faculty member should give sufficient individual work and enough tests to enable identification of freshman and sophomore students whose work or attendance is unsatisfactory. Each instructor is asked to report such students to the academic dean, using the Student Performance Report form, at any time the instructor believes the students would benefit from further assistance. This report does not become a part of the permanent records of the University.
At the end of each semester, the faculty member will be furnished duplicate grade sheets for all classes. The faculty member must indicate a grade for each student, sign the grade sheets, and return one copy to the Office of Student Records within a specified time. The faculty member should deposit the other copy of the grade sheet with the department. Faculty should remember that tardiness in reporting grades inconveniences many students. By the regulations of the University Senate (2.3.1),
By the regulations of the University Senate (2.3.2).
At any time in the semester a student should be able to discuss progress in class with the instructor. The University assumes that an instructor will be available for a reasonable number of appropriate hours to consult with students.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prohibits the posting of students' grades by name or by student identification number without the written consent of the students. Therefore, those who wish to post grades may prefer to make some alternative arrangements.
Many students submit self-addressed postcards with their examination papers. This implies a request that the faculty member write the student's grade on the postcard and mail it at the earliest convenient moment. This practice promotes good student relations and tends to relieve the students of worry.
Federal law and University policy protect student educational records from improper disclosure to individuals who do not have a "legitimate educational interest" in viewing the records. In order to inspect a student's records, a faculty or staff member must demonstrate a need to review the records in order to fulfill an assigned educational or administrative responsibility. Employment by the University does not in itself justify access to student records. Unless specifically restricted by a student, certain information is considered "Directory" or public information and may be released by the University without the student's consent. Directory information includes:
Students also have the right to inspect and challenge the content of most of their educational records. A student must place the request in writing to the custodian of the record who has up to 45 days to comply with the request. Certain records and documents are not accessible to the students.
The guidelines for controlling and accessing student records are contained in the University's Student Records Policy: Policy and Procedural Guide to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act as approved by the Chancellor. The Student Affairs office will periodically mail copies of the policy to all members of the faculty and staff. Additional copies may be obtained or questions answered by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs or the General Counsel's Office.
Faculty and staff members are expected to adhere to the policy and assist the University in providing proper protection for student records.
By the regulations of the University Senate (2.6),
Every instructor shall make clear, at the beginning of each course, his or her rules for the preparation of classroom assignment, collateral reading, notebooks, or other outside work, in order that his or her students may not, through ignorance, subject themselves to the charge of academic misconduct.
The regulations also define the correct modes of treating academic misconduct on the part of a student or an instructor. The following sanctions may be imposed upon a student or an instructor: admonition, warning, or censure. In addition, a student may be subjected to: reduction of grade, disciplinary probation, suspension, or expulsion. An instructor may also be recommended for suspension or dismissal for academic misconduct.
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