ATTENDANCE/WITHDRAWAL POLICY

Class Attendance

          Students are expected to be present for all class meetings of the courses for which they are registered.  Students who cease to attend class for a period of three class hours or the equivalent, or in accordance with the course syllabus have accumulated excessive absences, will be reported to the Dean of Instructional Services for Excessive Absences.  After the student has made contact with the instructor, if the absences continue, a Class Withdrawal Form will be processed and the student will be dropped from the class (es).

          There may be a valid reason for a student's absence from class.  Acceptable reasons are, but not limited to:  personal illness, death in the immediate family, religious holy days in compliance with Section 51.911 of the Texas Higher Education Code, military or legal obligations, or school trips.  It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor of an excused absence and to ask for make-up work.

For Students Enrolled in Developmental Classes

          House Bill 2182 requires that any student who does not pass all three sections of the THEA be continuously remediated while enrolled in any state supported college or university.  Students may not drop a developmental class prior to the 12^th week of the semester, however, those students passing a section (or sections) of THEA during the semester have the option of withdrawing from the class (or classes) or remaining in the class for a letter grade.  It is the responsibility of the student to officially withdraw at the registrar’s office to receive a “P”.  Those students enforceably withdrawn from a developmental class because of non-attendance  will receive a grade of “WF”.  By State law, any student not having passed all parts of the THEA must remain in at least one developmental class or be withdrawn from all classes.^[6]

MINIMUM SCHOLASTIC STANDARDS

          Students are expected to maintain a cumulative 2.00 GPA.  Students who fail to maintain this minimum standard will be placed on scholastic probation or scholastic suspension, as appropriate.  In determining whether a student will be placed on probation or suspension, all grades except a W, EW, WP, NP, P, or I , will be used in computing cumulative GPA.

Scholastic Probation

          Scholastic probation is an emphatic warning that the quality of the student’s work has not met the minimum scholastic standards, and that the quality must improve during the probationary semester in order for the student to continue at SWTJC.  A student will be placed on scholastic probation at the end of any semester if the cumulative overall GPA is less than 2.00.  When the student’s cumulative overall GPA is 2.00 or higher, that student will be removed from scholastic probation.  A student on scholastic probation may register as long as they achieve a 2.00 each semester.  This will be based on the overall GPA.

Scholastic Suspension

          Students who fail to achieve a GPA of at least 2.00 during any term while on scholastic probation will be placed on scholastic suspension.  These students will not be permitted to re-enroll until one fall or spring semester has elapsed, however, they may attend summer school.  Students may then return and continue their studies.  Students re-enrolling after a lapse due to scholastic suspension will automatically be placed on scholastic probation.  This will be based on the SWTJC GPA.

GRADE POINT AVERAGES USED AT SOUTHWEST TEXAS JUNIOR COLLEGE

Courses Used

All above GPA’s may be either term or cumulative

Cumulative - includes all semesters

Activity                                                                                                GPA Used

Probation/Suspension/Financial Aid                                              Overall

Transcripts                                                                                          SWTJC/Overall

Graduation                                                                                           College Level Course

Re-Admission Following a Scholastic Suspension

          Students who are on scholastic suspension at another college, university, or SWTJC may be admitted to SWTJC through the following procedure:

      1.       Each student must appeal admission to the Dean of Admissions and Student Services.

      2.       If denied admission by the Dean, the student may appeal to the Admissions Committee.

      3.       In case of disapproval of admission by the Committee, the student shall be informed of the right of appeal to the President of the college.

          Students are responsible for knowing their scholastic standing.  Ineligible students who register with the college will be subject to dismissal with forfeiture of all tuition and fees.

Disciplinary Probation

          A student may be placed on disciplinary probation by either the Dean of Admissions and Student Services or the Disciplinary Committee for any disciplinary reason. Any student seeking due process may appeal the action taken by the Dean of Admissions and Student Services to the Disciplinary Committee.  Any action taken by the Disciplinary Committee may be appealed to the President of the college, and a final appeal may be made to the Board of Trustees.

Disciplinary Suspension

          Recommendations to suspend a student are made by the Dean of Admissions and Student Services and forwarded to the Disciplinary Committee.  Students may be suspended by the Disciplinary  Committee.  Appeals of suspension made by the Disciplinary Committee will be forwarded to the President of the college.  Appeals from the President will be made to the Board of Trustees.

Sexual Assault

          Southwest Texas Junior College reaffirms the principle that students, faculty, and staff have a right to be free from any form of sexual offense.  Sexual offenses are unacceptable and they will not be tolerated.  They are also unlawful.

          Sexual assaults include rape, sexual battery, corruption of a minor, gross sexual imposition and public indecency.

          Any student or employee who believes a sexual offense has occurred is strongly encouraged to report the matter promptly and to preserve any evidence intact.

          Resident students should also report any sexual offenses to the most readily available hall director or resident assistant.

          Complaints involving sexual abuse will be reported to the police who will take action pursuant to civil law.  Victims should contact the police regardless of whether they intend to press charges.  It is important that reporting the incident does not obligate the victims to press charges.  Going to the hospital does not mean that the victim will have to press charges.

          Victims should consider seeking support from a relative, resident assistant, good friend or counselor.

          Complaints of sexual offense will be responded to promptly and equitably.  The right to confidentiality of all members of the college community will be respected in so far as possible.  Retaliation against individuals bringing complaints of sexual assault is specifically prohibited.

          A victim who wishes to file an informal or formal complaint of sexual assault against a student should notify the Dean of Student Services, who will usually conduct the investigation and any hearing.

          Possible sanctions for students found guilty of sexual offenses include those cited in the sanctions portion of the student conduct code in the student handbook.

Medical Probation

          A student may be placed on medical probation by the Dean of Admissions and Student Services or the Health Committee.  Any action of the Dean of Admissions and Student Services or Health Committee may be appealed to the President of the college, and a final appeal may be made to the Board of Trustees.

Medical Suspension

          Recommendations to suspend a student are made by the Dean of Admissions and Student Services and forwarded to the Health Committee.  Students may be suspended by the Health Committee only.  Appeals of suspension made by the Health Committee will be forwarded to the President of the college.  Appeals of the President's decision may be forwarded to the Board of Trustees.

COMPUTER ETHICS POLICY

      Southwest Texas Junior College has adopted a College Code of Computer Ethics that is published in the college policy manual.  Violations of the code are treated like any other ethical violation as outlined in the Student Handbook and applicable faculty and staff handbooks.  The code is based upon information borrowed, with permission, from Iowa State University and EDUCOM, a non-profit consortium of colleges and universities committed to the use and management of information technology in higher education.  An overview of the code is presented in this catalog.  Complete copies of the code are available from the college administration.

Overview

          The College Code of Computer Ethics recognizes that respect for intellectual labor and creativity is crucial to educational activities at the college.  Work produced by individuals with the help of computers should be respected for the:  (a) right to acknowledgment (of author), (b) right to privacy, and (c) right to determine the form, manner and terms of publication and distribution.  Because electronic information is so easy to reproduce, it is especially important to be careful to adhere to copyright laws and avoid plagiarism.  It is also important to only use computer facilities and access files with the owner's permission.  College computing facilities are a valuable resource and should be used appropriately for educational purposes.  Southwest Texas Junior College policies regarding the use of facilities and the ethics of personal behavior apply to the use of all forms of electronic communication.  Certain types of communications are expressly forbidden including the random mailing of messages, sending obscene, harassing, or threatening material, or the use of the facilities for commercial or political purposes.

CHANGES AND WITHDRAWALS

Adding, Dropping

          Courses may be added, changed, or dropped in the Registrar's Office.  Consult academic calendar for date regulations.  Late registration, drops and adds will be allowed for only two days following regular registration.  Evening students will be allowed only to drop and add classes, but not register late, up to two days following their first evening class meeting.  A student who officially withdraws from a class during the first twelve weeks of the semester will receive a W for that class.  A grade of WP or WF, as determined by the instructor of each course, is given if a student withdraws from any individual course after the twelfth week of the semester and prior to final exams week.

Withdrawals from the College

          Students wishing to withdraw from the college for the remainder of a semester must complete an Exit Questionnaire at the Registrar's Office.  Students who do not follow this procedure will receive an F in all courses registered for that semester.  Merely discontinuing class attendance does not constitute a drop or withdrawal.  Students should clear all outstanding charges due the institution to avoid holds on official records.

          Withdrawals from the college before the end of the twelfth week of the semester will show a W for each subject on the student's record.  If the student withdraws from the college during the thirteenth through the fifteenth week (prior to final exam week), they will be graded with a WP or WF in each course.

Time Limitation on Appeals for Grade Changes

          The college has established a time limitation for a student to appeal for a grade change.  An incorrectly assigned grade may be appealed by a student up to the end of one academic year following the incorrect award.

Students Entering Military Service

          Students who have been called to active duty during the semester will be given credit for the courses if they:   (1) covered the essential phase of the work,  (2) attended at least one-half of the semester, and (3) made satisfactory progress and received authorization from the Dean of Instructional Services.

Access and Privacy of Records

          The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 grants students four rights:

                    1)         Right of access to their educational records.

2)         Colleges must seek a student's consent before records are released to third parties.

    3)         Students have the right to challenge any inaccurate, misleading or inappropriate information in their educational records.

    4)         Colleges are required to inform students of these access and privacy rights guaranteed by FERPA.

        Under this act, certain protected classes of information cannot be released to any third party without the specific written release from the eligible student.  Protected classes under FERPA include any information concerning a particular student’s grades, grade point average, social security number, courses, and other “protected student records maintained by the college.

          FERPA, however, is not a total block on release of student information.  The act also provides for the release of “Directory Information” which does not fall under the protected classification.  The only time that “Directory Information” may not be released under FERPA occurs when a student has specifically requested in writing that they want no information released without their written consent.  A student may do this by submitting this written request to admissions/records personnel.  Otherwise, the following “directory information” is allowed to be released:

          1.       Student’s name

2.           Student’s address

3.           Student’s telephone

4.           Student’s date of birth

5.           Student’s major field of study

6.           Student’s dates of attendance

7.           Student’s degrees, certificates and awards

          8.       Student’s most recent educational agency or institution.

Classification of Students

          A student who has completed 0-24 semester hours of work, exclusive of Physical Education (KINE) is classified as a freshman.  A student who has completed 25 or more semester hours but not more than 60, exclusive of KINE, is classified as a sophomore.  Any student taking 12 semester hours will be considered to be a full-time student.

          Students normally carry a minimum of five college courses per semester in addition to the required physical education.  Students with inadequate scores on placement examinations may be placed in special English, Math and Reading sections and limited to 17 semester hours.  Students are expected to spend an average of two hours preparation for each hour of recitation.

          Refer to chart outlining “Grade Point Averages used at SWTJC” previously listed.

          In calculating the GPA under the above system, a student with 12 hours of A's and 3 hours of F's would have 48 grade points divided by 15 semester hours, thus a GPA of 3.20 for the semester hours attempted.  Under this system a student must have at least a 2.00 for the C average required for graduation.  Courses for which the student receives a W, WP, P, or NP, will not be included in determining semester hours attempted for GPA calculation purposes.  A GPA below 2.00 is less than a C average.  In order for students to graduate from SWTJC, they must have a minimum of two grade points for each semester hour of work based on the College Level GPA.

EXAMINATIONS

          A final examination on each course is given at the end of each semester.  Other examinations are given at the discretion of the instructor.   A student who must be absent from a final examination should petition the Dean of Instructional Services for permission to postpone the examination.  Postponed examinations must be taken within six weeks from the beginning of the following semester.  A student absent without permission from the final examination is graded F.  Faculty members may administer the final examination to a student at any time during the semester after the twelfth class day, at their own discretion.  This would be done in the case of an outstanding student who has completed the requirements of the course in a very short time.

          Southwest Texas Junior College discourages auditing of college courses.  However, day or evening students who desire to audit a course may be permitted to do so at the discretion of the Dean of Instructional Services, provided that space is available for them in the desired class.  Audit students will be required to pay the regular tuition and fees.  No more than one course may be audited in any one semester.  Under no circumstances can credit be given at any time for college work done as an audit.

          Honor Graduates:  Students satisfying the requirements for the A.A. and A.A.S. degree with the following GPA will graduate as follows:

                                                          3.90 to 4.00 GPA     ---    Summa Cum Laude

                                                          3.70 to 3.89 GPA     ---    Magna Cum Laude

                                                          3.60 to 3.69 GPA     ---    Cum Laude       

          If students repeat a course for which they have credit, the best grade received is the permanent grade for the course.  The previous grade must stay on the permanent record, but, is not included in determining the GPA.

Honor Roll

          The Dean's Honor Roll is composed of those students who are enrolled for 12 or more semester hours of work, excluding all developmental hours, and who make a GPA of 3.60 or better on their semester grades.  The Dean's Honor Roll is published as soon as possible after the close of the fall or spring semesters.

          The President's Honor Roll is composed of those students who are enrolled for 12 or more semester hours of work, excluding all developmental hours, and who make a GPA of 4.0 on their semester grades.  The President's Honor Roll is published as soon as possible after the close of the fall or spring semesters.