Minnesota State University Moorhead

Academic Policies / Procedures

University academic requirements and policies are stated in the Undergraduate Bulletin. The programs of study and the requirements are also stated in the catalog. Students are encouraged to consult their academic advisors concerning academic requirements.

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academic forgiveness
academic honesty
academic probation & suspension
appeals & grievances
athletic eligibility
student absence policy
syllabi policy

academic honesty

The University expects all students to represent themselves in an honest fashion. In academic work, students are expected to present original ideas and give credit for the ideas of others. The value of a college degree depends on the integrity of the work completed by the student. When an instructor has convincing evidence of cheating or plagiarism, the following actions may be taken: assign a failing grade for the course in which the student cheated or instructors may choose to report the offense, the evidence, and their action to the Dean of their college or the Vice President for Academic Affairs. If the instructor (or any other person) feels the seriousness of the offense warrants additional action, the incident may be reported to the Student Conduct Committee through the Student Support Services Office. The Student Conduct Committee will follow procedures set out in the Student Conduct Code. After its review of the case and a fair, unbiased hearing, the Student Conduct Committee may take disciplinary action if the student is found responsible (see Student Conduct Code for details).

A student who has a course grade reduced by an instructor because of cheating or plagiarism, and who disputes the instructor’s finding, may appeal the grade, but only by using the Grade Appeal Policy, which states that the student must prove the grade was arbitrary, prejudicial, or in error.

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academic forgiveness

The Academic Forgiveness Policy at MSUM gives an undergraduate student who has been away from MSUM at least five years, a one-time opportunity to establish a new grade point average (GPA). Students who seek redress under the Academic Forgiveness Policy must meet the following conditions:

•       The student must not have been enrolled at MSUM for a minimum of five consecutive years prior to the "point of academic forgiveness."

•        Upon readmission, the student must demonstrate adequate academic ability by completing 12 undergraduate credits at MSUM with a minimum GPA of 2.0 (A grade of “C” or higher in each class).

Academic forgiveness cannot be granted if a student has earned a post-secondary degree following his/her initial MSUM attendance and applied MSUM credits toward that degree.

Students who meet the two conditions cited above should contact the Office of Academic Affairs (OW 206) for the application form. After the Academic Forgiveness application has been approved, the Registrar will make the following adjustments to the student's transcript:

•        The transcript will be separated into two sections indicating the point of forgiveness. Academic forgiveness will be indicated on the transcript.

•        No credits will be granted for any course completed at MSUM prior to the point of academic forgiveness. However, the course titles and grades from these courses will remain on the transcript.

•        Calculation of the student's grade point average will not include grades received prior to the point of academic forgiveness.

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academic probation & suspension
www.mnstate.edu/acadaff/AcadSupport/FinAid-SuspensionAppeals.htm

v Students receiving financial aid should also refer to the complete Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Fall 2006 - This policy reflects a major change inplemented by the MnSCU Board of Trustees and applies to all students, new and returning. Please read the policy carefully, as Satisfactory Academic Progress now includes a measure of the percent of credits students earn, in addition to the GPA.

Policy:

All students at MSUM are required to make and maintain satisfactory academic progress. This means there are cumulative GPA thresholds and a percent of credit completion that students must achieve.

Students are held responsible for determining their own academic status, both by monitoring the "Holds" section of the online web registration program, and by comparing their own progress to the standards listed below.

GPA:

Only MSUM courses (numbered 100 and above) are computed in the GPA. Accepted transfer credits count toward the total number of attempted credits, but transfer grades do not count in the student's GPA.

• At 1 to 26 total attempted credits, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 1.6 or higher.

• At 27-59 total attempted credits, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 1.9 or higher.

• At 60 or more total attempted credits, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

(A GPA calculator is available on the Records Office web site.)

Percent Completion:

All students must complete 66.66 percent of the MSUM credits they attempt.

Attempted credits include all MSUM courses on a student's official record, including withdrawals, repeated courses, and grades of Incomplete.

Courses taken for Audit are not counted as credits attempted or earned for Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Withdrawals, grades of F, FN, NC, Z, and Incompetes count against percent completion because they result in zero credits earned for that course.

Transfer credits are not included in the percent completion calculation, as required by MnSCU policy.

Percent completion is calculated by dividing the number of earned credits by the number of attempted credits.

Academic Probation / Academic Suspension:

Academic probabtion holds are placed after the grading period at the end of each semester. After any end-of-semester grading period in which a student's cumulative GPA or percent completion falls below the requirements, that student is placed on Academic Probation.

Students go off of academic probation only when their cumulative GPA and percent completion are raised enough to meet or exceed the minimum standards.

When a student is on academic probation there are two consequences.

1. If a student on academic probation does not meet the minimum semester requirements for GPA and percent completion, that student will be suspended. Semester requirements for students on probation are to earn a 2.0 minimum GPA, and to earn at least 66.66 percent of the credits being attempted during the semester.

2. Students on academic probation cannot pre-register for the next semester's classes. Overrides to allow pre-registraion can be obtained by meeting certain conditions. Probationary students are notified of these conditions by letter and mass e-mail.

Students who are suspended for the first time may not return to MSUM for one semester (not including summer term). Second suspensions last one calendar year. Third and subsequent suspensions last for two calandar years. Students who are suspended may appeal their status to the Suspension Appeals Committee. Forms, information, and deadlines for the suspensiona appeal process are available in the Office of Academic Affairs, Owens 206, and on the Academic Affairs web site, under Academic Support Programs.

Students are responsible for checking on their a cademic and hold status each semester. Students who are placed on academic probation and suspension are notified by letter from the Office of Academic Affairs. Students are responsible for keeping their local and permanent addresses updated in their computerized records.

Procedure:

Students are put on probation each semester that their cumulative GPA or percent completion remains or falls below the required standards. Probation holds are placed at the end of each semester after the grading period.

At the end of each semester, final grades are recorded. Semester requirements for students on probation are to earn a 2.0 minimum GPA, and to earn at least 66.66 percent of the credits being attempted during the semester. Students on academic probation who did not fulfill the requirements are suspended and registration holds are released for probationiary students who did fulfill the requirements.

Students on probation who successfully completed their semester requirements but sitll have cumulative totals go above the minimums are removed from probation.

Students can be on academic probation more than one semester, because it often requires more than one semster to raise the cumulative GPA/percent completion to the necessary level.

If a probationiary student's cumulative GPA or percent completion is raised above the minimums during a semester due to a grade change, withdrawal, etc., that student should contact the Office of Academic Affairs to check on their status. Probationiary status is checked by the University only after the end-of-semester grading periods, so students must notify Academic Affairs of changes occuring at other times.

*Because Multidisciplinary Studies (MDS) courses yield credits but no grade points, Corrick Center students are not placed on academic probation under this policy until after they have completed 12 graded (non-Corrick Center) credits. Prior to completing these 12 graded credits, Corrick Center students are required to complete 67% of their non-graded credits, and have a 2.0 in graded courses. Corrick Center students who fail to meet this standard will be placed on probation through the Office of Academic Affairs and will be notified of their status by letter. A complete explanation of satisfactory academic progress rules for Corrick Center students is available at www.mnstate.edu/acadaff/AcadSupport/CorrickCtrAcadProbation.htm

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appeals & grievances
academic policy appeal
grade appeal
academic affairs

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Student Grievances
MnSCU 3.8, 3.8.1
www.mnscu.edu/board/policy/308.html

General Statement of Policy. A student has the right to seek a remedy for a dispute or disagreement through a designated complaint or grievance procedure. Each college and university shall establish procedures, in consultation with student representatives and others, for handling complaints and grievances. These procedures shall not substitute for other grievance procedures specific in board, college, or university policies or procedures, regulations or negotiated agreements. Students are encouraged to use available informal resolution procedures before filing a complaint or grievance. Retaliation is prohibited.

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Harassing behavior related to race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, or membership or activity in a local commission as defined by law is prohibited by policies of MnSCU. A complaint about such behavior occurring in the classroom or another academic setting should be presented to the Affirmative Action Officer or University Judicial Officer in accordance with MnSCU 1B.1 Nondiscrimination in Employment and Education Opportunity.

Student complaints about other matters taking place in the classroom or another academic setting should follow the procedure under University Policies.

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Academic Policy Appeal

Academic Appeals can be filed to seek waiver of a graduation or liberal studies requirement, retroactively withdraw from a course (after the withdrawal deadline has passed), and other similar situations. Students can pick up the Academic Appeal Form in the Office of Academic Affairs, OW 206 or online at www.mnstate.edu/acadaff/AcadSupport/AcadAppealsform.pdf. Students complete the appeal form, obtain their faculty advisor's statement and signature, and return it to the Academic Affairs office. The Committee on Academic Appeals reviews the appeal and approves or denies the appeal. Students who are not satisfied with the decision of the Academic Appeals Committee may appeal to the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, whose decision is final.

When filing an appeal to substitute a course taken at another campus, the course description and syllabus from that course should be attached to the appeal form.

When filing an appeal to retroactively withdraw from a course, students must explain why they missed the deadline, and they must include additional documentation, which is appropriate to the circumstances of the individual appeal (for example, a physician or psychiatrist's statement, a note from a parent or guardian verifying information, etc.). Appeals to retroactively withdraw from a class are not put on the agenda until the Instructor of the course returns an information sheet regarding the student's attendance and performance in the class.

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Grade Appeal

Students seeking to appeal a grade assigned for a course should consult first with the instructor of the course. If a resolution is not reached, the dean of the college that offered the course should be consulted.

A. A student has a right to expect thoughtful and clearly defined approaches to course grading, but it must be recognized that varied standards and individual approaches to grading are valid. Course grading method should be thoroughly explained to students at the beginning of the semester and must appear on the course syllabus.

B. In a course grade appeal, only arbitrariness, prejudice, and/or error will be considered as legitimate basis for an appeal.

• Arbitrariness: The grade awarded represents such a substantial departure from accepted academic norms as to demonstrate that the instructor did not actually exercise professional judgment.

• Prejudice: The grade awarded was motivated by ill will and is not indicative of the student’s academic performance.

• Error: The instructor made a mistake in fact or failed to give students adequate notice of grading policies.

If a student believes that discrimination or harassment was a factor in the determination of the course grade awarded, a complaint should be filed with the Affirmative Action Officer under MnSCU policy, 1B.1 Nondiscrimination in Employment and Education Opportunity.

C. A student may appeal a grade reduced for academic dishonesty through the Course Grade Appeal Policy.

D. The Course Grade Appeal process must be initiated by the student prior to the close of week six of the following semester. If the student moves to the formal process that must be done before the end of the semester in which the appeal was initiated. In cases where an incomplete was originally assigned, an appeal must be made within six weeks of the date of the final grade posted by the Registrar’s office and available to the student on the web. In this latter situation, if the student moves to the formal process, that must be done during the first ten weeks of the next academic year term.

E. Normally, the Course Grade Appeal process will be completed during the semester in which the appeal is filed.

F. The Course Grade Appeal Process is available from Academic Affairs, OW 206E, 218.477.2292.

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Academic affairs

This general procedure is applicable only to those administrative actions for which no special grievance procedure has been established. Special procedures have been established for certain academic, student conduct, discrimination/harassment, and employment related matters. Students desiring to appeal actions or procedures of University administrative offices must meet with the following officials, continuing up the hierarchy as necessary to resolve the issues.

1.      Department Chair of the discipline in which the problem arose;

2.      Dean of that college discipline;

3.      Vice President for Academic Affairs;

4.      President.

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athletic eligibility

Participation in intercollegiate athletics at MSUM requires student athletes to meet certain academic and eligibility requirements that are established by membership in conference and national associations. These requirements include specific rules that change frequently. Students intending to participate should contact the Compliance Coordinator or head coach to get necessary information.

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student absence policy

Students are expected to attend all class meetings unless they are ill or officially excused as the result of participation in a university function. However, faculty members may or may not take roll in their classes, and they may or may not lower the marks of students for the sole reason of unexcused absences. If a faculty member has a practice of penalizing for nonattendance, he or she must:

(a) announce the policy regarding the penalty for nonattendance in writing during the first week of class,

(b) not penalize the student for nonattendance unless the student is absent without official excuse for more class periods during the term than the number of periods the class meets each week (or more than two class periods during a summer session),

(c) maintain accurate attendance records, and

(d) submit in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs the explicit class attendance policy statement.

As a point of clarification, if a student has an unexcused absence for a class session during which an examination or other graded exercise is scheduled and the student has more unexcused absences than the number of times the class meets each week, this policy permits the faculty member to reduce the student’s grade for the sole reason of the unexcused absences and for failure to complete the graded assignment.

In cases of individual absence due to jury duty or other legal obligations, the student must notify his or her faculty instructors prior to the absence. Each faculty member will determine the work to be made up and any effect on the course grade. The MSUM Bulletin has more information on military withdrawal or refer questions to the Records Office.

In the case of individual absence due to health or other emergency, the student must notify his or her faculty instructor as soon as feasible. Each faculty member will determine the appropriateness of the absence, all work to be made up, and any effect on the course grade.

When an official university activity conflicts with scheduled classes, students participating in the official activity will be regarded as excused. Within the limits of feasibility, an excused absence assures a student the right to make up the missed class requirement(s). The nature, time, and place of the make-up work are at the discretion of the instructor. Official university events are those that are approved by the appropriate dean, athletic director, or vice president. At least two weeks prior to the activity, lists of participating students should be distributed to those affected faculty members by the faculty member or organization advisor who will be overseeing the university activity. In the case of conflict about the appropriateness of an absence or the feasibility of the student making up missed work, the faculty members involved should confer directly; the student should not be expected to mediate the conflict. In cases where the faculty members involved cannot agree to a solution, the dean(s) of the respective colleges can be called upon to mediate.

Students wishing to appeal academic decisions or policies further may do so by appealing in writing to the Academic Appeals Committee (OW 206).

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syllabi policy

All students enrolled in a MSUM course shall be provided a course syllabus during the first week of class. For courses offered in a condensed format, the time frame for distribution will be adjusted accordingly. The required course syllabus elements follow; optional elements appear in italics.

1.      Course Number, Title

2.      Instructor Contact Information

3.      Course Description

4.      Required Texts/Readings

5.      Conceptual Framework

6.      Course Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes

7.      Instructional Strategies

8.      Course Requirements

9.      Evaluation Standards/Course Grading Policy

10. Course Outline

11. Other (any additonal information)

12. Attendance Policy

13. Academic Honesty

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