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To receive the proper credit for a course, the student must be officially registered for the course in the Office of Records and Registration and the student’s name must be listed on the official class roster. A student who attends a class without officially being registered will not receive a grade for the course. Any student who fails to comply with the official registration rules and regulations will not be allowed to petition for course credit.

ACCURATE ADDRESS INFORMATION

It is a student’s responsibility to make certain that accurate address information is on file at all times. You may update your address at the Office of the Registrar in person, by letter or by faxing the information to (334) 834-0336. Different addresses can be maintained in your electronic file. However, you must provide specific address data and instructions to ensure accuracy of this information. The most commonly used addresses are:

LOCAL: This is your address in the Montgomery area. Semester

specific mailings are sent to this address (e.g., bills, registration information and financial disbursement).

PERMANENT HOME: This is the address to which semester grade

reports and bills will be sent. In some cases this may be the same as the local

address.

HOUSING (Local): This is the residence hall address if you are living

on campus.

PARENT/GUARDIAN: Specific mailings are sent to this address.

 

STUDENT LOAD

The minimum credit hour load for a full-time undergraduate student is 12 hours per semester. A student who registers for less than the minimum load stated above is classified for academic purposes as a part-time student.

Normal Load – 15 to 18 semester hours of credit.

Maximum Load (for dean’s list students or others with special permission from

their dean) 20 semester hours of credit.

Students on Academic Probation – not more than 13 semester hours of credit

during the regular academic year and not more than six semester hours of credit during the summer term.

 

CLASSIFICATION OF STUDENTS

Student classification requires satisfactory performance on basic skills

and subject knowledge examinations as are deemed appropriate by the University as well as the successful completion of a required number of semester hours. To advance from freshman to sophomore, from sophomore to junior, and from junior to senior, a student must demonstrate satisfactory performance on all required examinations and have successfully completed the following number of hours:

Freshman – Fewer than 32 Semester Hours

Sophomore – 32 Semester Hours

Junior – 63 Semester Hours

Senior – 93 Semester Hours

 

EXAMINATIONS, GRADES AND GRADE POINTS

Final examinations are held at the end of each semester. Students are

graded on the basis of the following guidelines:

 

A 4 grade points per semester hour Excellent

B 3 grade points per semester hour Good

C 2 grade points per semester hour Satisfactory

D 1 grade point per semester hour Minimum Passing

F No grade points Failure

I No grade points Incomplete

The following symbols are substitutes for grades but are not grades themselves:

W Withdrawal in good standing

IP In progress (see below)

AU Audit

An “I” (incomplete) grade is assigned in instances in which a student is likely to pass the course upon completion of requirements to change the “I” grade.

To yield credit for a course for which a grade of “I” has been assigned, course requirements must be completed by the end of the next semester of enrollment, not to exceed two calendar years. When reporting the “I” grade, faculty will include the alternate grade that the student has earned, factoring in all of the course requirements, e.g., I (B) (C) (D) or (F). If the student does not complete assignments to remove the “I” grade during the next semester of enrollment, the alternate grade will be the final grade.

Students receiving veteran benefits are required to adhere to the regulations of the Veterans Administration in addition to those requirements set by the University for all students.

 

GRADE POINT AVERAGE

The ASU grade point average may be computed by dividing the total number of quality hours into the total number

of quality points.

WITHDRAWAL FROM A COURSE

A student may withdraw without penalty from a course prior to midterm. The deadline date for withdrawing from a course (usually the Tuesday after midterm week) is stipulated in the academic calendar.

When a student, as a result of emergency circumstances, is forced to withdraw from a course after the established withdrawal date for the term, the student may petition, in writing, the dean of the school in which the course is

offered for approval to withdraw from a course. A student may not withdraw from a course after the deadline if he or she is failing. The dean will contact the student’s instructor to determine the student’s scholastic standing at the time of the request to withdraw.

If the student registers and decides not to attend class, or stops attending classes, the course must be officially dropped through the Registrar’s Office or a grade of “F” may be recorded by the instructor.

If the student improperly adds a course and does not process a drop/add form through the Registrar’s Office, no credit will be allowed and he or she will not receive a grade for the course.

WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY

A student who wishes to withdraw from the University must file an official notice with the Office of Records and Registration. One of the following methods may be used:

(1) Completion of the official Withdrawal from the University form

in the Office of Records and Registration.

(2) Submission of a letter to the Office of Records and Registration

indicating the request to be withdrawn, via mail or fax.

 

Requests for withdrawal from the University must be received in the Office of Records and Registration by the last day of classes of the semester from which the student wishes to be withdrawn. Students who officially withdraw will receive “W” grade designations for the term of withdrawal.

 

HONORS PROGRAM

Alabama State University offers an honors program that is designed to challenge the academically strong and talented student. The objectives of the program are:

 

1. to provide opportunities for capable students to pursue outstanding and independent academic achievement.

2. to offer opportunities for capable students to expand the breadth and depth of their educational experience beyond the standard curriculum.

3. to encourage accelerated students to develop their maximum potential.

 

Interested students are invited to inquire about the program in the Office of Academic Affairs, Room 118, Councill Hall.

 

AIR FORCE ROTC

Alabama State University was approved by the Department of theAir Force in April 1971 to offer the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AFROTC) program. The nationwide AFROTC program is the major source of Air Force officer procurement. The purpose of AFROTC Detachment 019 at Alabama State University is to offer educational experiences and train students for officership, leadership and management in the U. S. Air Force. To accomplish this purpose, the Division of Aerospace Studies offers two-year and four-year programs leading to a commission in the U.S. Air Force. Through cross-town enrollment agreements, this program is available to students of Auburn University at Montgomery, Troy University in Montgomery, Huntingdon College and Faulkner University. For more information, contact the AFROTC Department, located in Room 115, Paterson Hall.

 

ACADEMIC RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As members of the Alabama State University community, students have certain rights and responsibilities in the academic area of the University. Faculty and students as members of the University community have shared

responsibility for creating an academic atmosphere of mutual respect and consideration of individual dignity.

The University subscribes to the following basic principles of academic freedom for students.

 

1. On matters of opinion, students are free to disagree with other students and with instructors and to reserve judgment. Each instructor in the University is obligated to encourage free discussion, inquiry and expression and to differentiate between fact and opinion (whether his or her own or that of others). Each instructor is obligated to administer his or her classroom,so that the students will express themselves without fear of embarrassment, intimidation or reprisal by the instructor or other students.

 

2. Students are to be evaluated in courses solely on the basis of their performance in meeting appropriate academic criteria and not on opinions or conduct in matters unrelated to academic,standards. They are free to share in the evaluation of the teaching effectiveness of their instructors.

 

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

An important goal of ASU is to prepare students as effective and productive professionals and citizens in society. Through an academic environment conducive to free and open discourse, inquiry and expression,

this goal can be achieved. Academic dishonesty is a serious offense which is against the important principle of scholarship. Furthermore, academic,dishonesty works against the development of students’ intellectual abilities; it

will not be tolerated by the University. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to the following:

1. Plagiarism: Intentionally or knowingly using sources of another in an academic exercise without proper identification of the source(s).

2. Cheating: Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise; helping or attempting to help a student commit an act of dishonesty,including buying, selling or transmitting a copy of any examination or test before it shall have been administered; allowing another

to copy information during an examination or other academic exercise.

3. Fabrication: Intentional falsification or invention of information

or citation in an academic exercise.

 

PROCEDURES IN A CASE OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

The procedures in cases involving allegations of academic dishonesty

are described below:

1. In the event an instructor believes that a student has violated theUniversity’s policies on academic dishonesty, the instructor shall so inform the student immediately.

2. If the evidence sustains the instructor’s original position, the instructor may impose an academic penalty up to including assignment of a failing grade for the course.

3. If the instructor assigns a failing grade, he or she shall notify and give in writing the reason for the failing grade to the department chair and the dean of the college, school or division in which the

course is offered.

4. The dean shall report the offense to the vice president for Academic Affairs and the vice president for Student Affairs.

5. Should the vice president for Academic Affairs deem the case of dishonesty warrants more serious action, the dean, with the concurrence of the vice president for Academic Affairs, may refer the matter to the vice president for Student Affairs for referral to the assistant vice president for Student Affairs for investigation and

to determine if the charges have merit. (See Article V, Procedures and Student Rights Relating to the Adjudication of Student Misconduct) The student may appeal the instructor’s decision of a failing grade in accordance with the policy set forth in this handbook under “Academic Appeals Procedure.”

 

ACADEMIC SANCTIONS

When a student’s academic performance does not meet the minimum standards of the course, the instructor of the course shall assign to him or her a failing grade for the course. Students who fail to meet certain academic standards

as set fort in the ASU Undergraduate Catalog may be placed on academic probation, suspended from the University for a defined period or permanently denied permission to continue as an ASU student. (Students should consult the

ASU Undergraduate Catalog for specific standards).

 

ACADEMIC APPEALS PROCEDURE

If a student feels that the final grade assigned to him or her for work in any course is unfair for any reason, these procedures should be followed:

1. Seeking a satisfactory explanation for the grade earned, the student should consult with the instructor of the course.

2. If the student feels that his or her grievance still exists after conferring with the instructor, he or she may present the complaint in writing to the chair of the department in which the course is offered (or the dean of the college/school, if the instructor is the chair). Such appeal must be presented within 30 days (excluding

Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) after the beginning of the next semester. A student who is not enrolled in the summer term must appeal within the first 30 days of the fall semester if the disputed

grade came in the preceding spring semester. A student who fails to file an appeal within the 30 day period forfeits the right to any appeal. In cases of appeal, the department chair (or dean of the college/school) shall consider the matter in consultation with the instructor and the student and seek to exercise his or her influence

toward mediation.

3. If the department chair or the dean fail to mediate the dispute, the dean shall appoint a committee consisting of the chair of the department, who shall chair the committee, two faculty members (other than the one involved in the dispute) of the department offering the course and two student participants chosen from the honor societies. If the instructor in dispute is the chair of the department, the two faculty members will come from outside of the department and the dean of the college or school will serve as chair of the committee. If the instructor

in dispute is the dean of the college/school, the vice president for Academic Affairs will appoint the committee, and the faculty members will come from outside the college/school.

After consideration of evidence presented by the student and by the instructor the committee shall announce a decision which shall be binding unless a notice of appeal to the vice president for Academic Affairs is given within five class days of the decision of the student being notified. This decision shall be made by mid-semester only on procedural grounds. The student has a right to appeal the decision of the vice president for Academic Affairs to the University president by submitting a written notice within three class days following the

decision of the vice president.

 

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS OF FACULTY AND STAFF MEMBERS

Students have a right to expect faculty and staff members to be reasonably accessible for conferences, advisement and the University services. Faculty andstaff responses to students are expected to be courteous, respectful, caring and helpful. A student who feels mistreated by a faculty or staff member in his or her capacity as a University employee should first register the complaint with the head of the department in which the offending person works. If the student wishes to pursue the matter beyond the level of the department, the normal administrative channel should be followed up to the office of the vice president of the area in which the employee works. Students shall file the complaint in writing with the vice president of that particular division. The vice president may conduct an inquiry into the matter, depending upon the gravity and/or the frequency of such charges against the faculty or staff member. Depending upon the gravity of the vice president’s findings, the matter may be handled under specific provisions found in the Faculty Handbook or Non Academic Staff Handbook, whichever is applicable.