Page 35 of Boston College 2003-2004 Catalog by Boston College University

THE UNIVERSITY: POLICIES AND PROCEDURES A board chosen by the chairperson of the Committee on Academic Integrity from the full Committee will be assigned to each case, with one of the faculty members as chairperson of the review board. The associate dean will serve as a non-voting administrative resource, and will maintain the Committees record of notifications and relevant materials. The faculty member bringing the accusation and the student will be notified that the case is under review by the Academic Integrity Committee. The student will be given an opportunity to respond to the faculty members notification letter in writing. The board at its discretion may interview any individual with knowledge pertinent to the case. The board will decide a case by simple majority vote, and the associate dean will convey its findings as to responsibility and recommended sanction to the faculty member and the student. The associate dean will compile a complete file of each case, to be kept confidential in the Deans office. Files on students found not responsible will be destroyed immediately. Penalties for students found responsible for violations will depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and the students previous record of such violations. Penalties will be appropriate to the offense, and may include university probation, suspension, or permanent expulsion. The files of only those cases that result in one of these three penalties will become part of a students academic record and only such offenses will be reportable to graduate and professional schools. Cases in which the student is deemed responsible for the offense but in which the penalty is less than academic probation, suspension, or expulsion are kept in a confidential file in the Deans office until the student graduates. Appeal of the boards decision may be made by written request to the Dean of the school not later than ten days following notice of the boards decision, and the Deans decision will be final. ACADEMIC REGULATIONS Academic Regulations are effective from September of the academic year printed on the cover and binding of this Catalog except where a different date is explicitly stated. If, after a student has withdrawn from Boston College, there have been changes in the Academic Regulations, and if the student is subsequently readmitted to Boston College, the Academic Regulations in effect at the time of return apply. Academic Grievances Any student who believes he or she has been treated unfairly in academic matters should consult with the chairperson of the undergraduate/graduate department or his/her associate dean to discuss the situation and to obtain information about relevant grievance procedures. Academic Record A record of each students academic work is prepared and maintained permanently by the Office of Student Services. While cumulative averages for academic majors are made available to undergraduate students who are currently enrolled, these averages are not maintained as part of a students academic record. The students semester averages and final overall cumulative average appear on the academic record. No cumulative average is maintained for students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Note: Students in Lynch School of Education Graduate Programs and the Connell Graduate School of Nursing who entered their degree program prior to June 1994 will not have a cumulative average maintained. Acceleration Undergraduate After being in residence for at least three semesters, and at least two full semesters prior to the proposed date of graduation, full-time undergraduate students may apply to the Associate Dean to accelerate their degree program by one or two semesters. Students must present a minimum cumulative average of 3.2; they will be considered for approval only for exceptional reasons. In accordance with University policies governing accelerated programs of study, the following will also be applicable: Summer courses intended for acceleration must be taken at Boston College and must be authorized in advance by an associate dean. Overload courses taken for acceleration will carry an extra tuition charge. This includes a fifth course taken during senior year. No additional fee will be assessed for extra courses taken for enrichment purposes only. Students transferring into Boston College with first semester sophomore status or above are not eligible to accelerate their program of study. A transfer students date of graduation is determined by the number of courses accepted in transfer and the number of Boston College semesters these courses satisfy. Students may not accelerate the date of graduation stated in the admission offer. Exceptions may be granted by academic deans for students who have attended only one school prior to Boston College and have lost status because of differences in academic systems. Any loss of status incurred or worsened by poor grades or withdrawals may not be regained. Attendance Students are expected to attend classes regularly, take tests, and submit papers and other work at the times specified by the professor on the course syllabus. Students who are absent repeatedly from class or practica will be evaluated by faculty responsible for the course to ascertain their ability to achieve the course objectives and to continue in the course. Professors may include, as part of the semesters grades, marks for the quality and quantity of the students participation in class. Professors will announce, reasonably well in advance, tests and examinations based on material covered in class lectures and discussions, as well as other assigned material. A student who is absent from class on the day of a previously announced examination including the final examination is not entitled, as a matter of right, to make up what was missed. The professor involved is free to decide whether a make-up will be allowed. A student who is absent from class is responsible for obtaining knowledge of what happened in class, especially information about announced tests, papers, or other assignments. In cases of prolonged absence the student or a family member should communicate with the students associate dean as soon as the prospect of extended absence becomes clear. The academic arrangements for the students return to classes should be made with the Associate Deans office as soon as the students health and other circumstances permit. Absences for Religious Reasons Any student who is unable, because of his/her religious beliefs, to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirement on a particular day shall be excused from any such examination, or study or work requirement, and shall be provided with an opportunity to makeup such examination, study or work requirement that may have been missed because of such absence on any particular day. However, such makeup examination or work The Boston College Catalog 2003-2004 33

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