DCB Student Handbook 2023-2024

15 | P a g e D C B S t u d e n t H a n d b o o k Academic Regulations and Policies The student handbook is not intended to replace the college catalog as a source of information for academic affairs. However, it does reiterate and expand upon the information presented in the catalog. Students should use the catalog and the Student Handbook, when seeking information about academic or other college policies. The catalog and the Student Handbook are available at the Student Services Office and on the college website. Academic Advisor Full-time students are assigned a professional advisor who assists with registration and course selection. Advisors can also counsel students concerning academic progress, study habits and other matters that impact academic success. Advisors may also refer students to other offices or services. Students have the responsibility to select and register for courses that will meet their program requirements. Students are encouraged to seek consultation and advice from their advisor when selecting courses. Academic Forgiveness A former student who has not completed a Certificate of Completion, Certificate, Diploma, or Associate Degree and has not attended Dakota College for four or more years, may request to exclude from GPA calculations all grades earned in selected full quarters or semesters completed prior to the four-year interval. Such courses and grades will remain on students’ academic record, but grades will be excluded from GPA calculations. Excluded courses cannot be used to satisfy any academic requirements. Academic forgiveness may affect eligibility for federal financial aid. Prior academic standing of a student will not change because of Academic forgiveness. A student may exercise this option only once by submitting the academic forgiveness form to the Registrar’s office. If approved credits, honor points, and grades will be excluded from grade point average calculations, but courses and grades will remain on the student’s record. The student will be notified of the results; this process may take up to four weeks. Academic Honesty/Dishonesty The academic community is operated on the basis of honesty, integrity and fair play. Occasionally, this trust is violated when cheating occurs, either inadvertently or deliberately. This Code will serve as the guideline for cases where cheating, plagiarism or other academic improprieties have occurred. 1. The primary responsibility of the students, faculty and administration is to create an atmosphere where the honesty of individuals will not be questioned. a. Faculty members are responsible for providing guidelines concerning cheating and plagiarism at the beginning of each course, and should use precautionary measures and security in cases where cheating is likely to occur. b. Students are responsible for submitting their own work. Students who cooperate on oral or written examinations or work without authorization share the responsibility for violation of academic principles and the students are subject to disciplinary action even when one of the students is not enrolled in the course where the violation occurred. 2. The faculty member and the administration are respon- sible for procedural fairness to the accused student or students in accordance with the following procedure: a. Faculty members who suspect that prohibited academic conduct has occurred in their class have an initial responsibility for informing the student or students involved of their suspicion and the grounds thereof, for allowing them a fair opportunity to refute them, and for making an impartial judgment as to whether or not any prohibited academic conduct occurred only upon the basis of substantial evidence. b. Faculty members have the prerogative of determin- ing the penalty for prohibited academic conduct in their classes. Faculty members may fail the student for the particular assignment, test, or course involved, or they may recommend that the student drop the course in question, or these penalties may be varied with the gravity of the offense and the circumstances of the particular case. c. In addition, to the prerogative above, or if the student is not enrolled in his or her course, the faculty member may recommend a disciplinary sanction to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The Associate Dean may impose academic warning or probation or may recommend suspension or expulsion to the All College Student Conduct Committee. d. If a person not currently enrolled at DCB is involved in prohibited academic conduct, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs shall be informed of the violation. 3. A student who has received a penalty or a disciplinary sanction for prohibited academic conduct may appeal the decision. a. The student must consult with the instructor, and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, in sequence, to resolve the conflict. b. Then, the student may request a hearing by the Academic Standards Committee.