Hiram College Student Athletes
Athletics is an important part of the college experience for about 50% of Hiram students. Students are not to miss class for practices. However, contests during the season may interfere with class attendance. At the beginning of the athletic season, the student athlete will bring the faculty member a list of the dates of scheduled contests, clearly marking those that interfere with class. These absences may count against the attendance requirements in some courses, though faculty should be open to reasonable accommodation for alternate attendance or makeup work as far as is practicable and fair. If contests are rescheduled or if there is post-season play, it is the student’s responsibility to notify the faculty member as soon as possible. In all cases it is the student’s responsibility to communicate with the faculty member and complete all missed work as prearranged and to minimize all other absences throughout the semester.
With regard to the 3-week intensive term, if there is conference or post-season play, faculty should give students access to course syllabi or attendance requirements prior to the start of the term. It is required that students ask faculty about their expectations for the classes they will miss and to determine whether completion of the course is possible. If not, the students should register for a different course.
Non-Discrimination Policy
Hiram College is committed to equality of opportunity and does not discriminate in its educational and admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability. The College will not tolerate harassment, prejudice, abuse, or discrimination by or of any of its students, faculty, or staff.
Communication with Others
Hiram College encourages students to speak directly with faculty regarding course content and performance. Students are also encouraged to speak with members of their family or others, particularly if the student remains dependent on others for financial support. Faculty may choose to speak with others, but generally, faculty will require a written FERPA waiver to be signed by the students before speaking with another person. FERPA waivers may be found at the Registrar’s Office in Teachout-Price, or online.
Disability Support Services for Students with Special Needs
To arrange for support services, a student must submit appropriate, current, detailed documentation to the office of Disability Services together with a completed Requests for Academic Adjustments, Auxiliary Aids, and Services form. After verification and in the spirit of federal law, the student will provide the accommodations letter from the office of Disability Services to each faculty member(s) to initiate accommodation services. Faculty are not permitted to make accommodations without the authorization of the Director of Counseling, Health, and Disability Services (CHDS). Hiram College adheres to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to provide requested services for disabled students as specified by the requirements contained in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) policy guidelines. The Director of CHDS is located in the Julia Church Health Center (330-569-5418) P.O. Box 67, Hiram OH 44234. Additional information is available online at Services for Students with Disabilities.
Academic Dishonesty
There are many forms of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, the giving or receiving of help in any form on an examination, the sale or purchase of papers and test materials, the abuse of computer privileges and regulations, the misuse or abuse of online or library resources, and any other action which debases the soundness of the educational process. Any student who violates the integrity of the academic process will be subject to punishment, including possible dismissal from the College.
Hiram College believes that the development of intellectual honesty is at the heart of a college education. The process of education is severely compromised if we cannot depend on the academic integrity of each member of the community. Moreover, the principles of academic honesty are aligned closely with the principles of good scholarship and research, principles of critical thinking and reasoning, and the standards of professional ethics. Thus, students who fail to practice academic honesty not only risk losing the trust of the academic community, they also fail to develop the most essential skills and abilities that characterize a college graduate.
Faculty members, librarians, and staff are expected to report all instances of academic dishonesty to the Associate Dean of the College, who will provide advice on appropriate action.
Grade Appeals
Academic performance is to be judged solely by individual faculty members. Grades are not subject to alteration based on the amount of effort exerted by, or past performance of, a student. Faculty are expected to provide performance criteria (such as attendance policies, deadlines, assignment expectations, etc.) as part of course syllabi or distributed assignments, but the assessment of student performance in meeting said criteria is for the individual faculty member to determine. If a student believes that criteria were ignored, or that work submitted was not included, the student should consult the “Student Academic Responsibilities and Performance” section of the current Hiram College Catalog. Therein is provided the process for grade appeals. Please note that all grade appeals reside wholly with the professor alone until the official posting of grades by the Registrar.
Credit Hour Policy
The credit hour is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week within each part of the term within a full semester. An equivalent amount of work is required for other academic activities, including independent study, internship, field experience, clinical experience, laboratory work, private instruction, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. For classes offered in a shortened format, the hours are prorated so the classes contain the same total number of hours as if the classes were scheduled for a full fifteen-week semester.
Audio and Video Recording Policy
The use of technologies for audio and video recording of lectures and other classroom activities is allowed only with the express permission of the instructor. In cases where recordings are allowed, such content is restricted to personal use only unless permission is expressly granted in writing by the instructor and by other classroom participants, including other students. Personal use is defined as use by an individual student to study or complete course assignments. When students have permission for the personal use of recordings, they must still obtain written permission from the instructor to share recordings with others.
For students who have been approved for audio and/or video recording of lectures and other classroom activities as a reasonable accommodation, applicable federal law requires instructors to permit those recordings after the accommodation letter is presented to the faculty member. Such recordings are also limited to personal use, except with the permission of the instructor and other students in the class.
Questions, concerns, or alleged violations of this policy should be referred to the Associate Academic Dean.