Academic Procedures, Policies, & Regulations

Student Responsibility

Students are expected to familiarize themselves with the academic procedures and regulations described in the College Catalog and with graduation requirements in their major. They are responsible for meeting deadlines published in the academic calendar and, when questions arise about regulations, policies or procedures, are expected to seek assistance from an advisor or the appropriate College office.

Please note that while academic advisors can provide assistance in understanding degree requirements and planning semester course loads, the primary responsibility for knowing and meeting program requirements rests with each student. The College will at times officially communicate with the student using U.S. Mail, Marist Campus Mail, and Marist Email. It is the student’s responsibility to visit his or her campus mailbox and review her or his Marist email account on a regular basis.

The Academic Calendar

The Academic Calendar consists of two traditional semesters (fall and spring) of fifteen weeks each.

Marist College also offers a shortened Winter Intersession and Summer Session. Further, certain specialized programs run on a simulated-semester basis. Calendar information for these programs may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar.

Final examinations are held at the close of the semester or session. Examination schedules for fall and spring semesters are produced by the Office of the Registrar. If a course does not require a final examination, appropriate course-related activity will be substituted at the scheduled time during finals week. Classes may not meet at other times during finals week without written consent of the appropriate academic dean.

Grading System

A student receives both midterm grades and final grades. However, only the final grades will appear on the academic record.

Grading is an objective measure of a student’s mastery of a selected body of knowledge contained in a specific course. This mastery involves the elements of memory, understanding, and expression. Memory refers to retention of certain items of information. Understanding implies insight into the interpretation of these facts. This insight would include the meaning of the thing itself, its relationship with other things or data, and the ability to apply this information or data to new situations and problems. Expression is the ability to convey this assimilated knowledge to others.

In assigning a grade to a student, the instructor must function as a judge in a courtroom: examine thoroughly all the evidence involved in the case, weigh the evidence, and make a decision on the basis of this evidence. In a similar way, the basis of the instructor’s judgment is the concrete evidence the student himself provides. Formal examinations are only part of this evidence; questions asked by the student, recitation, term papers, book reports, written and oral quizzes, the student’s participation in class discussion – each sheds light on the student’s development in mastering a subject and is therefore pertinent to the instructor’s grade evaluation of the student.

Grade Appeals Policy

The individual faculty member is responsible for establishing standards, consistent with the guidelines established in the college catalogue, and for assigning grades to student work. Furthermore, faculty are required to set forth, clearly and in writing, at the beginning of a course, a description of the course requirements and the basis upon which the student’s grade will be determined. If a student feels that appropriate procedures have not been followed, or they have been graded unfairly, they should use the following appeals procedure. The student must act in a timely manner following the steps below with the goal of resolving the grade dispute. The timeline below refers to when classes are in session during the given semester.

If the student has been academically dismissed from the College and disputed grades may affect the status of the dismissal, the dismissal stands until the semester following the conclusion of the grade appeal process.

STEP ONE

The student should first meet with the faculty member who assigned the disputed grade to discuss the complaint and ask for an explanation within three weeks into the traditional semester (Fall or Spring) following the disputed grade. For instance, grades recorded in the Spring term must be appealed by the Fall and grades issued in the Fall term must be appealed by the next Spring. As a result of this informal conversation between instructor and student, the instructor will make a decision that may include determining the grade will stand, correcting an error, or changing a grade. Please note that the student may not challenge a published grading policy, only the inaccurate application of such a policy.

STEP TWO

If after consultation with the instructor, the student believes they have been graded inaccurately or unfairly, or if they do not hear back from the instructor within two weeks, they should communicate with the relevant department chair or program director. Outreach to the department chair or program director should occur within two weeks following the instructor’s decision. The department chair will investigate the basis of the complaint with the student as well as the instructor and recommend a course of action in writing to the instructor.

STEP THREE

If after investigation by the department chair the student’s concerns still remain, the student may submit a completed Grade Appeal Form along with supporting documentation to the school dean or designee within two weeks of ending discussion with the department chair. The dean or designee will communicate with the student, the instructor, the department chair, and/or any other relevant parties in investigating the complaint. The dean or designee will convey their decision, in writing and with explanation, to the student, the faculty member, and the department chair/program director.

STEP FOUR

If the student provides unequivocal evidence that there were procedural errors in the decision made by the dean, or new evidence has emerged, they may appeal by submitting a written report and supporting materials within two weeks of the dean’s decision to the assistant provost for student success. The assistant provost for student success will review the facts of the case with the student, the dean, the department chair/program director, and the faculty member and send their final decision in writing to the same parties. Please note that to ensure procedures are fair and standardized, the assistant provost for student success does not meet with any of the parties but may request additional information in writing. In certain cases, the assistant provost for student success may appoint an ad hoc faculty panel to examine the case and render a final decision.

All decisions at each stage of the process must be rendered within two weeks of the written appeal.

Academic Review

Academic Review of all undergraduate students who fall below the 2.00 minimum semester or cumulative average required for continuation at Marist College is conducted at the conclusion of the fall and spring semesters. Course work taken during a winter or summer semester may be reviewed to monitor progress. If a student’s cumulative grade point average drops below a 2.00 during one of these semesters, they will be placed on an academic sanction. The Center for Advising & Academic Services (CAAS) carefully reviews student records, and files supplementary information for each student.

Academic Standing - At the end of each semester, final grades are reviewed to determine the academic standing of each Marist student. A student is considered to be in good academic standing if they are matriculated, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher and a semester grade point average of 2.00 or higher, and is considered to be making satisfactory progress toward a degree. Students failing to meet these standards are subject to warning, academic probation, or academic dismissal.

Academic Probation - Students who do not meet the minimum academic requirements of the College may be placed on academic probation. Students on probation are required to meet any and all stipulations outlined in their probationary contracts through the Center for Advising & Academic Services (CAAS). Under certain circumstances, a student may be granted more than a single semester of academic probation. A student granted a second consecutive semester of probation is not eligible for organized extracurricular activities including, but not limited to, varsity athletics. It should be noted that individual clubs and organizations maintain the right to have higher academic standards for membership and participation. Students on academic probation are sometimes restricted to 12 academic credits; may be placed in a developmental course; and are required to work closely with their academic advisor(s) and CAAS.

Academic Dismissal - Students who fail to meet the minimum academic standards of the College during any semester may be academically dismissed. Every Marist student has one opportunity to appeal a first-time academic dismissal. If an appeal is not granted, or a student does not appeal, a student may apply for a one-time reinstatement to Marist College (see the Reinstatement site for more information). A student who is dismissed, reinstated then dismissed a second time cannot return to Marist. Note that disciplinary dismissal or probation is a separate entity and these procedures are described in the Marist College Student Handbook. Below are the specifics on how to appeal. Students must abide by the mandatory time and date deadline set by the Center for Advising & Academic Services (CAAS). Any appeals received after the appeal deadline will not be accepted.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Appeals of Academic Dismissals

How do I appeal my dismissal? Is there a form?

While there is no standard form, a student’s appeal is a letter addressed to the Academic Standards Committee. The letter should be well written, typed, and should contain the following elements:

• A clear elaboration of the circumstances that contributed to poor academic performance.
• Official documentation that verifies their statement (i.e. medical notes, faculty recommendations, proof of hour’s worked, legal documents, etc.).
• If the student was on Academic Probation prior to their dismissal, they should describe their compliance with the last probationary contract.
• A description of the steps they would take to improve their academic standing if given a chance to return to Marist.
• A student’s letter should be signed and it should contain contact information so they could be notified once the Committee decides.
• Please note that late appeals will not be considered and in such cases the initial dismissal will stand.

How long should my appeal letter be?

There is no recommended length for an academic appeal and therefore it can be as long or as short as necessary to fully describe and document circumstances. Keep in mind that each letter is read completely, so only include relevant information. It is highly recommended the letter be proofread.

Can I appeal to the Committee in person?

No. In order to be sure that each student has an equal and independent chance for reinstatement, the Committee utilizes a standardized process of document collection and analysis.

What percentage of appeals are granted?

Appeals are decided based upon the merit of each case and not the volume of cases. Therefore, there is no set pattern to the ratio of appeals requested to appeals granted. As stated above, every student has an equal and independent chance for reinstatement.

I am going to be away during the time the Committee is deliberating. Can you leave a message with my parent/guardian regarding the outcome of my appeal in my absence?

No. Given the limits set by the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA), notice of a student’s academic standing cannot be given to anyone but the student.