2003-04 Greenville College Catalog

Academic Information

All forms of academic dishonesty, which include cheating and plagiarism, are inappropriate on our campus. Cheating and plagiarism are variations on a theme: both involve offering the work of another as one's own. Students cheat and/or plagiarize when they:

• Give or receive aid from another student or another person during a test, quiz, or homework assignment when they were told to work alone.

• Use notes or books when taking a quiz or test (either in a class or on-line) unless an instructor has given permission to use them.

• Copy all or part of another student’s work—an exam, worksheet, homework assignment, essay, speech, musical composition, web production, etc.—and submit it as their own work.

• Copy all or part of any published or copyrighted source such as a book, periodical article, or musical composition and submit it as their own work.

• “Cut and paste” information from a digital source such as a CD-ROM or web page and submit it as their own work.

• Steal ideas or conceptual frameworks from another source and submit them as their own without giving proper credit to the source.

• Submit other people’s work as their own (e.g. a roommate’s term paper or one purchased over the Internet).

• Ask someone else to complete a writing project for them and revise and edit the work in such a way that they are not really the one responsible for the final document. (Please note: GC’s faculty often encourage students to share their work in progress with others, in fact, the College even pays writing tutors to help students think through revising an assignment. This is simply a good habit for any scholar that we fully endorse. What we do not want students to do is let another person take over and complete an academic task that is their own responsibility.)

This list is not exhaustive, but should give a clear idea of what constitutes academic dishonesty. In general terms, academic dishonesty occurs when people knowingly or unknowingly take credit for words or ideas that are not their own in work that is produced for a class, presentation, publication, or other public domain. All forms of cheating and plagiarism involve intellectual theft, and thou shalt not steal!

Students are responsible to use appropriate quotation marks whenever they use words from another source. They must cite sources for ideas that originated with others. They are responsible to learn the specific documentation methods required in their chosen academic disciplines. Whenever they are in doubt about how to cite sources or use others’ writings in their own, they should ask a professor.

At GC, academic dishonesty has severe consequences. If instructors discover any instance of cheating or plagiarism, they are well within their rights to assign a failing grade for that assignment or for the course. Furthermore, they must report the student to the department head and the Office of Academic Affairs. This office will forward the information to the appropriate deans. If a second instance of academic dishonesty occurs, the student will normally receive a failing grade for the course, and the case will be forwarded to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for review and possible further disciplinary action. A student may be expelled from the institution for repeated or extreme violations of academic integrity. Appeals can be handled through the normal judicial process.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
Greenville College accords all the rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to students who are enrolled. No one shall have access to, nor does the institution disclose any information from students’ education records without the written consent of the student. Exceptions include personnel within the institution with direct educational interest, to persons or organizations providing students’ financial aid, to accrediting agencies carrying out their accreditation function, to persons in compliance with a judicial order, and to persons in an emergency in order to protect the health or safety of students or other persons. All these exceptions are permitted under the Act. Within the Greenville College community, only those members, individually or collectively, acting in the students’ direct educational interest are allowed access to student educational records. These members include personnel in the Office of Student Development and academic personnel within the limitation of their “need to know” as determined by the Registrar.

At its discretion, Greenville College may provide “directory information” in accordance with the provisions of the Act. The College construes the following information to be “directory information”: parents’ names and addresses, the student’s name, campus and home addresses, telephone numbers, date and place of birth, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, denominational or religious preference, the most recent previous school attended, and for members of athletic teams, height, weight and position played. The College also considers photographs (non-captioned) to be Directory Information. As such, release of photographs also is permitted.

Students may restrict the release of their directory information to third parties by annually submitting a signed and dated statement to the Registrar’s Office. Otherwise, all photographs and information listed above are considered as “directory information” according to federal law. Non-directory information, notably grade records, are released to third parties only on written request of the student, or otherwise required by law (e.g., subpoena).

The law provides students the right to inspect and review information contained in their education records, to challenge the contents of their education records, to have a hearing if the outcome of the challenge is unsatisfactory, and to submit explanatory statements for inclusion in their files if they feel the hearing panel’s decisions are unacceptable. The Registrar’s Office at Greenville College has been designated by the institution to coordinate the inspection and review of procedures for student education records, which include admissions, personal, and academic files. Students wishing to review their education records must give a written request to the Registrar listing the item or items of interest. Only records covered in the Act are made available within 45 days of the request. Education records do not include student health records, employment records, alumni records, or records of instructional, administrative, and educational personnel that are the sole possession of the maker and are not accessible or revealed to any individual except a temporary substitute. Physicians of the student’s choosing, however, may review health records.

Students may not inspect and review the following as outlined by the Act: financial information submitted by their parents; confidential letters and recommendations associated with admissions, employment or job placement, or honors to which they have waived their rights of inspection and review; or education records containing information about more than one student, in which case the institution permits access only to that part of the record which pertains to the inquiring student.

(Adapted from: “A Guide to Postsecondary Institutions for Implementation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974,” American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, 1990.)

Academic Enrichment Center
The Academic Enrichment Center offers academic support services to all students on the Greenville College campus. The services are based on the premise that all students benefit from some type of academic support and that those students who are successful in college are those who have learned to take charge of their own learning and utilize available resources to attain their academic goals. The purpose of the Academic Enrichment Center is to supplement the classroom experience and to serve as a resource to both student and faculty by offering the following:

Peer Tutoring for General Education Courses
Writing Lab Tutors
Academic Counseling
Study Skills
Reading Assessment
Accountability
Limited Services for Students with Disabilities
Off-Campus Study Opportunities

Services for Students with Disabilities
Greenville College is committed to providing the best college education possible. The Academic Enrichment Center (AEC) strives to provide strong academic support services for all students who require specialized accommodations. This includes students with physical and learning disabilities. The AEC makes accommodations based on the student’s individual needs to the best of the Colleges’ resources. The AEC will work in partnership with the student to further his or her educational goal. This includes all students in the undergraduate and graduate programs.

The AEC can provide the following accommodations for students with special needs:

• Extended time for tests
• Readers for tests
• Note takers
• Advocacy
• Assistance in obtaining books on tape
• Tutoring
• Some assisted technology devices for the visually impaired

A student who requires these accommodations needs to have official documentation on file with the Academic Enrichment Center. This documentation may be a letter from a physician or professional on letterhead, a report from the student’s last psychological evaluation from high school, a high school Individual Educational Plan, or other sources. A list of accommodations that the student has used in the past would be helpful in planning for the student’s educational needs.

Grading System
The letter system of grading is used with the following descriptions:

A—Superior scholarship

B—Scholarship distinctly above the average

C—Satisfactory achievement

D—Passing quality

F—Failure

I—A temporary grade indicating that work is incomplete at the end of the term, that the cause of the delay was out of the control of the student, and that the instructor and the student have arrived at a plan for work to be completed. Upon recommendation of the instructor, incomplete work at the end of the term will be recorded as an “I.” A written plan of completion must be submitted to the Records Office at that time. The grade may be changed to any other grade by the end of the following semester. Unless the instructor submits another grade, a grade of F will automatically be assigned. The Registrar must approve extensions beyond the close of the following semester.

W—Students withdrawing from a course after the first two weeks but during the first ten weeks are given a “W” grade regardless of the quality of their work. No grade is given for withdrawing during the first two weeks. A grade of “F” will be given if a student withdraws after the tenth week of a course. For more information, see the later section to withdraw from a course.

Pass/Fail Courses
Some courses such as student teaching and some practica are available to students on a satisfactory (pass)/unsatisfactory (fail) basis of evaluation. Satisfactory means a grade equivalent of C- academic performance or better was earned. Credits earned with an evaluation of satisfactory contribute toward graduation and are recorded as S on the transcript. A grade of unsatisfactory is recorded as U, and does not count toward graduation. In either case, the credits are not included in the GPA.

Students may elect to take a course pass/fail. This option may be used in only one course per year, and the course may not be a General Education requirement or part of the student's major. To take a course on this basis, a form must be filled out in the Records Office during the first two weeks of the semester.

Quality Points
For the purpose of determining scholastic standing and awarding honors, the following number of quality points for the grade indicated is recorded:

Grade Point Average
Grade point average (GPA) is a measure of academic achievement and is the quotient of quality points divided by “GPA credit.” GPA credit is all credit attempted at Greenville including courses marked F but excluding pass/fail courses, courses marked W. If a student retakes a course, only the course in which the highest grade was earned will be counted towards the GPA. “Degree credit” includes credit accepted in transfer as well as earned at Greenville with a passing grade.

The College GPA is computed only on courses taken in residence at Greenville. When a course is repeated, the highest grade is used in determining grade point average. GPA is affected only when both the original and the repeated course are taken at Greenville.

Classification of Students
Students who have earned:
FRESHMAN: 0-29.5 credits
SOPHOMORE: 30-59.5 credits
JUNIOR: 60-92.5 credits
SENIOR: 93 or more credits
GUEST/SPECIAL: Any student not on a regular course of study leading to a degree
FULL-TIME: Any student taking at least 12 credits per semester
PART-TIME: Any student carrying less than 12 credits per semester

Class Absences
Students at Greenville College are expected to comply with the attendance policy established for each course. Instructors are responsible for clearly communicating the attendance policy in each course, and may consider attendance in evaluating students' performance, or as a source of information for use in counseling individual students.

Graduation Application Procedures
Degrees are awarded and diplomas are distributed three times during the year: May, August, and December. All students wishing to earn a degree from Greenville College must complete a graduation application. Applications are available from the Records Office, and are due by October 15 prior to graduating.

Students must submit an application even if they are not participating in graduation ceremonies. Students who have been linked socially to the graduating class but who have not met all requirements may participate (“walk”) in the commencement ceremony if the following conditions are met:

1. The student must file a graduation application indicating how all requirements will be met by the close of the following Fall semester.
2. The student must have at least a 2.0 GPA at commencement.
3. No grade of incomplete from a prior semester may be carried at commencement.
4. Applications must be received by the Registrar by October 15 prior to graduation weekend.
5. GOAL students must have completed all coursework of Terms I and II by April 1 of the commencement year.

Students approved for such special participation in commencement will be given diplomas only upon the completion of all requirements. To be eligible for academic honors at commencement, students must have completed all requirements. Academic honors for others will be reflected on the transcript when requirements are completed at the next regularly scheduled date for conferal of degrees.

The application deadline for December graduation is October 15. There is no winter commencement ceremony; all requirements must be completed by the end of the Fall semester. Students wishing to participate in a ceremony should wait for the following May graduation.

Earning a Second Degree
Greenville College offers three undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), and a Bachelor of Music Education (B.M.E.). Students occasionally wish to earn more than one of these degrees. In order to earn two degrees, the following requirements must be met:

1. All of the regular requirements for the degree must be met.
2. The major for the second degree must be from a different department or the requirements for the second major must be substantially different and lead to a different degree.
3. At least 16 credits must be earned beyond the minimum needed to receive one degree (for a total of 142 credits).

Note that earning multiple degrees is not the same thing as having multiple majors. Students having multiple majors in programs that lead to a single degree (e.g., Bachelor of Arts) would not receive multiple degrees. For example, a student majoring in both English and Religion would not be earning two degrees, as both of those majors lead to a B.A. The only time that multiple majors can lead to multiple degrees is when all three criteria above are met. The earning of multiple degrees, therefore, is based on different (and generally more extensive) requirements than those that lead to the completion of multiple majors.

Some examples:

(A) A student wishes to double major in Psychology and Management. The Psychology major leads to the B.A. degree. The student may take the Management major that leads to a B.S. degree. If the student receives 126 hours (the minimum to receive one of the degrees) and fulfills the requirements for eah major, plus an additional 16 hours (142 total), he/she may receive both a B.A. and a B.S.
(B) A student may wish to earn a B.S. degree with a major in Accounting and a B.A. degree with a major in Management. These are two separate degrees. Again, if the total credit hours are sufficient (126 + 16) and the requirements for both majors have been fulfilled, the student can receive both degrees.
(C) A student wishes to earn both a B.A. degree and a B.S. degree with a major in Management. This is not acceptable, because the degrees are not in different majors.
(D) A student wishes to triple major in Mathematics, Biology, and Chemistry. The student would still earn only a single degree, even if that student earned 142 or more hours, because all three degree programs lead to a single degree, B.A.
(E) A student completed the requirements for majors in Art and Digital Media. Art leads to a B.A. degree, and Digital Media leads to a B.S. degree. Though the student completed all the requirements for both majors, he/she only completed 135 hours of coursework. The student is not eligible for both B.A. and B.S. degrees because the required number of hours (142) was not completed. Both majors will be listed on the transcript, but both degrees will not. The student must choose which of the two degrees to be listed on the official academic record.

Career Services Center
The Office of Career Services provides comprehensive services to help students and alumni gain self-knowledge and develop a better understanding of the world of work in order to implement career goals. Career counseling is available to assist students with life/career issues such as choice of major, career alternatives, career transitions, and preparation for the job search. Orientation sessions are offered to help acquaint students with all the services provided. Workshops are offered each semester on resume writing, interviewing skills, and job search strategies. In the Career Services Resource Center, students can obtain information about occupations, career fields, resume writing, job search strategies, interviewing techniques, graduate schools, labor market trends, employer information, and job openings. Full-time, part-time, co-op, internship, and summer employment opportunities are coordinated and posted by the office. Students interested in exploring career related interests, and in gaining professional work experience, can participate in the resume referral program for co-op, internship, and full-time positions. The Office coordinates job fair activities to assist students in obtaining professional employment. In addition, the Office coordinates on-campus recruiting and interviewing with a wide variety of employers. The Office also coordinates the Illinois Board of Higher Education Cooperative Education Program Grant. Important information and links are available on the College web page at www.greenville.edu/learningresources/career. The Office is located in the Ruby E. Dare Library.

Transcripts
Upon the written request of a student, the Registrar’s Office will issue an official transcript of credits. The first transcript is issued without cost while a fee of $1.00 must accompany each succeeding request for currently enrolled students or $5.00 for former students. Students with an unpaid account or note with the College, or any other college authorized agency including local banks, will not be furnished a transcript of credit or receive a diploma until the account or note has been paid in full.

Transcript requests along with appropriate payment may be sent to:

Records Office
Greenville College
315 E. College Avenue
Greenville, IL 62246-0159

Alternatively, a faxed (618-664-9775) request will be accepted with adequate credit card information for charges.
Fax to

Last updated: June 19, 2003