Student Status
Definition of a Student
Any person actively pursuing a course of study is considered to hold student status. For the purposes of these and other regulations, a student is further defined as one who is currently enrolled at the university or has completed the immediately preceding term and is eligible to enroll for the next term.
Duration of Student Status
In the broadest context, an individual is termed a student of Pittsburg State University from the time of admission in any status to the university until such time as formal association with the university ceases.
Undergraduate Students
Students enrolled exclusively in undergraduate courses will be considered undergraduate students.
Graduate Students
Students enrolled exclusively in graduate courses and who possess a baccalaureate degree will be considered graduate students.
In cases where a student is enrolled in both undergraduate and graduate courses and possesses a baccalaureate degree, he/she will be considered a graduate student. In cases where the student is in his/her last semester of undergraduate enrollment and does not possess a baccalaureate degree, the student will be considered an undergraduate.
Educational Equity
Pittsburg State University is committed to a policy of educational equity. Accordingly, the university admits students, grants financial aid and scholarships, conducts all educational programs, activities and employment practices without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, ancestry, or disabilities.
Access to Higher Education
In accordance with Kansas statutes and policies of the Board of Regents, the university is open to all persons who qualify according to the Pittsburg State University admission standards. These standards are defined and made available in the undergraduate and graduate section of this University Catalog.
Rights Under FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. They are:
- The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.
Students should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, written requests that identify the record they wish to inspect. The University official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the University official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
- The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.
Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading.
If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student the University will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
- The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.
A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
Upon request, the University discloses education records
without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Pittsburg State University to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
600 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
Privacy Rights of Students
The university from time to time publishes several bulletins, lists, brochures, catalogs, directories, yearbooks, annuals, guidebooks, news releases, sports information, honor rolls, etc., containing information that specifically identifies students and information about them. The university is authorized to publish, and will publish, such Directory Information, collectively or individually, unless a student within a reasonable time after the start of the semester notifies the Student Privacy Office (Registrar, 103 Russ Hall) in writing that all of the categories listed below (designated Directory Information) should not be released without prior written consent. The following information is considered Directory Information.
- Student name
- Address
- Telephone listing
- Electronic mail address
- Parents and next-of-kin information
- Date and place of birth
- Classification
- Enrollment Status
- Major and minor field of study
- Student advisor
- Dates of attendance
- Degrees, honors, and awards received
and dates awarded/conferred
- Previous educational institutions
- Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
- Weight and height of members of athletic teams
- Photograph
Dishonesty in Academic Work
Academic Misconduct
Education at the university level requires intellectual integrity and trust between faculty and students. Professors are obliged to master their subject and present as fair an account of it as possible. For their part, students are obliged to make an honest effort to fulfill both the letter and the spirit of course requirements. Academic dishonesty violates both integrity and trust. It jeopardizes the effectiveness of the educational process and the reliability of publicly reported records of achievement.
Academic dishonesty by a student is defined as unethical activity associated with course work or grades.
It includes, but is not limited to:
- Giving or receiving unauthorized aid on examinations,
- Giving or receiving unauthorized aid in the preparation of notebooks, themes, reports, papers or any other assignments,
- Submitting the same work for more than one course without the instructor's permission, and,
- Plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as using ideas or writings of another and claiming them as one's own. Copying any material directly (be it the work of other students, professors, or colleagues) or copying information from print or electronic sources (including the internet) without explicitly acknowledging the true source of the material is plagiarism. Plagiarism also includes paraphrasing another individuals' ideas or concepts without acknowledging their work, or contribution. To avoid charges of plagiarism, students should follow the citation directions provided by the instructor and/or department in which the class is offered.
Unless otherwise stated by the instructor, exams, quizzes, and out-of-class assignments are meant to be individual, rather than group, work. Hence, copying from other students’ quizzes or exams, as well as presenting as one's own work an assignment prepared wholly or in part by another is in violation of academic honesty.
The above guidelines do not preclude group study for exams, sharing of sources for research projects, or students discussing their ideas with other members of the class unless explicitly prohibited by the instructor.
Since the violation of academic honesty strikes at the heart of the educational process, it is subject to the severest sanctions, up to and including receiving an "F" or "XF" (an "XF" indicates the "F" was the result of academic dishonesty) for the entire class and dismissal from the university.
When an instructor has a reasonable good faith belief that a student has committed academic misconduct, that instructor has the sole discretion to give the student an F on the assignment/test to which the student committed academic misconduct or an F for the entire course. If such an F negatively affects the student’s final grade in the course, that student may appeal the final grade pursuant to the current Pittsburg State University Catalog’s Grade Appeal process.
When the instructor wishes to impose an “XF”, and/or more severe sanctions, he or she must first notify their department chair, dean, and the University’s Academic Honesty Committee Chairperson in writing. In addition, the same procedure applies if similar sanctions seem warranted for a student or former student who have assisted in a serious act of academic dishonesty.
University Academic Honesty Committee
The Academic Honesty Committee is convened under the auspices of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. It is composed of nine members. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee is responsible for appointing six of these members. All must be full-time members of the teaching faculty. Members chosen by the Executive Committee serve staggered two-year terms. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee shall make its appointments at the beginning of the academic year. In addition to its six faculty members, the Academic Honesty Committee shall include three student members. Two (2) students of senior status shall be appointed by the Student Government Association. An additional (1) student shall be appointed by the Graduate Student Association. The students from both organizations will be appointed annually and at the beginning of the Fall semester.
The Vice President of the Faculty Senate will serve as the Academic Honesty Committee Chairperson. If the Vice President of the Faculty Senate is excluded because of possible bias, the President of the Faculty Senate will appoint a temporary chair. The Academic Honesty Committee Chairperson is responsible for advising the Vice President for Academic Affairs on cases involving alleged student academic dishonesty.
The committee may impose one or more of the following sanction:
- The imposition of a grade of “XF”
- The addition of a permanent note on the student’s transcript indicating his/her participation in a serious act of academic dishonesty (such as taking an exam for another student)
- Disciplinary probation
- Suspension
- Expulsion from the university
The decision made by the Academic Honesty Committee may be appealed to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
The following procedures shall be adhered to:
Step 1: The instructor charging a student with academic dishonesty shall submit a written request for hearing to the Chairperson of the Academic Honesty Committee, giving full detail of the alleged act of academic dishonesty and send copies of the request to their department chair and dean. The Chairperson of the Academic Honesty Committee will then convene the committee and inform its members of the details of the incident. The aforementioned request shall be forwarded by the Chairperson of the Academic Honesty Committee to the student charged with academic dishonesty. The committee shall then schedule a hearing to be held within fifteen (15) class days from the time of the instructor’s request.
Step 2: The instructor, and student charged with academic dishonesty, will be notified of the time and date of the said hearing at least five (5) class days before the hearing is to be held. The instructor, and student charged with academic dishonesty may seek advice concerning the hearing from any person such as a faculty member or department chairperson. The instructor and each student may also be accompanied to the hearings by an advisor. The student, at their own cost, has the right to provide a Transcriptionist at their hearing. Note: The university attorney has the right to be present at any Academic Honesty Committee hearing.
The two parties, the instructor and student charged with academic dishonesty, may each request removal of any one member of the committee. This request shall be presented to the chairperson of the committee in writing at least two (2) class days prior to the time of the hearing. After the request for removal has been made the chairperson will notify the individual and the respective individual will be removed from the hearing.
Step 3: The Academic Honesty Committee will conduct an appropriate hearing and may gather additional evidence pertaining to the issue.
During the hearing, the instructor, student charged with academic dishonesty, and witnesses with direct first hand knowledge of the incident shall have the opportunity to testify (within the guidelines and time frames established by the committee). Hearings are evaluations by members of the university community and are not legal proceedings. Cross-examination is the prerogative of the instructor, the student charged with academic dishonesty, and the committee. For future reference, the hearing shall be audio tape recorded (Committee deliberations on sanctions shall not be recorded). During the entire process the proceedings of the committee shall be closed and confidential, unless the matter becomes the subject of litigation.
Step 4: Within five (5) class days of the conclusion of the hearing, the committee will render a written opinion concerning its findings, as well as a written verdict which the Vice President for Academic Affairs will impose.
Step 5: Upon notification of the imposed sanction, the student will have five (5) class days to appeal to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. This appeal must be in a written format and must provide detail for the reason of the appeal.
Step 6: Once the Vice President for Academic Affairs receives the appeal, he/she will have 8 class days to review the hearing and, in consultation with the President, render a decision. The Vice President for Academic Affairs may uphold, or overturn the Academic Honesty Committee’s sanction or propose an alternate penalty which the student may accept.
Removal of Sanctions
After two (2) years have elapsed, the student may present a written request for removal of the imposed sanctions to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. If the request is not granted, the student may present up to 4 more requests for removal but in no case can the student present more than 1 request per academic year.
If the request is granted, the student will be returned to good standing with the university and /or have the notification of the disciplinary action removed from their transcript, provided that no other sanction for academic dishonesty has been imposed in the interim. It shall be at the Vice President for Academic Affairs discretion to determine what fairness requires.
Financial Obligations
Pittsburg State University adopted the following practices concerning any student who has an outstanding obligation to the university. (1) The student will not be permitted to enroll for a new semester if he has an outstanding obligation due the university for a previous semester. (2) The student may not obtain a transcript nor have a transcript sent to any party if he has an outstanding obligation due the university. Students wishing to appeal a financial obligation decision may do so as outlined in the Office of Academic Affairs Memorandum 81-10.
Instructional Rights and Responsibilities of Students
Students have the right to know the goals, objectives, regulations, and grading practices of the course in which they enroll at the beginning of the course.
Students shall be free to take reasoned exception to the data or the views offered in any course of study but they are responsible for learning the content of any course in which they are enrolled.
Students have protection through orderly procedure against improper academic evaluation. Procedures for exercising the right of appeal are defined by the institution and made available to all members of the academic community through departmental chairpersons.
Class Attendance and Absence
Class Attendance
Students at Pittsburg State University are expected to attend class regularly and participate fully in the activities of that class under the guidance of a university instructor. The instructor is responsible for setting and communicating to the students the attendance requirements for each class.
Class Absence
Students are responsible for clearing their absences with each instructor. The Office of Campus Life and Auxiliary Services will notify instructors of unusual circumstances of health or family problems if absences are in excess of three days.
If, in the judgment of the instructor, a student has been excessively absent from class, the instructor may report this to the Office of the Registrar, who shall withdraw the student from class and shall notify the student. An instructor may withdraw a student from a class at any time during the semester. If a student is withdrawn beginning with the 12th week of class, the student shall receive a grade of F.
Absence Due to Military Leave
Students are expected to schedule military training duty at times other than those that conflict with academic work.
In the event students must attend military reserve training duty during a semester or summer session, they must receive special permission to be absent prior to completing enrollment and from each instructor whose class will be missed. Instructors are not expected to give approval if they do not wish to do so. However, if absence from classes is granted, the instructor may make appropriate assignments in lieu of the class work. |
