Office of the Provost: Memorandum
To: Students on the Quarter System (except School of Law)
From: N. John DiNardo, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Subject: Key Policy Reminders for the Winter Quarter
Date: 31 December 2008
Key Reminders for Students: Winter 2008-2009
Welcome to the Winter Quarter at Drexel!
- Winter Quarter classes begin on Saturday, January 3rd for Saturday Scholars
- Winter Quarter classes begin on Monday, January 5th for all other full-time and part-time students
Please take a moment to review key policies and dates for the upcoming quarter.
NEWS
• Seniors Graduating in the Winter
• Seniors Graduating in the Spring
• Blue Line: Virtually All Electronic Resources for Students in One Location
CRITICAL DATES
• Course Add
• Course Drop
• Course Withdrawal
• Closed Section Override
• Holds
NEW POLICIES
• Class Cancellation Due to Unexpected Instructor Lateness or Absence
• Absence from Class
• Audit Option
IMPORTANT POLICY REMINDERS
• Classes During Co-op
• Final Examinations
• Add/Drop/Withdraw Form Submission After Week 6
KEY PRACTICES
• Code of Conduct and Academic Honesty Policy
• Office of Equality and Diversity
• Disability Accommodations
• Religious Observances
NEWS
Seniors Graduating in the Winter
Students planning to graduate at the conclusion of the Winter 2008-2009 quarter must complete and submit the Application for Degree form by Friday, January 9th. Indicating your graduation status will assist in ensuring that you receive an accurate bill for your final year/term at Drexel.
Seniors Graduating in the Spring
For students planning to graduate at the conclusion of the Spring 2008-2009 quarter, please submit your Application for Degree by Monday, February 16. Indicating your graduation status will assist in ensuring that you receive an accurate bill for your final year/term at Drexel.
Blue Line – Virtually All Electronic Resources for Students in One Location
Blue Line is a University website created to give students a one-stop shop for important information regarding every aspect of their Drexel University experience. The site is updated several times a week with new information and tips for making the most of your time in college. It’s a great resource for students that can be used on a daily basis to navigate the Drexel web.
The site was developed by students and continued student participation is highly encouraged. Email blueline@drexel.edu with ways the site could be improved – with the frequent updates, quality suggestions can be implemented so that all students can access useful information quickly.
To access Blue Line, visit http://www.drexel.edu/blueline.
CRITICAL DATES
• The last day to add a course via DrexelOne is Sunday, January 18th at 11:00 PM. Students whose accounts are on "hold" will not be able to add courses until the hold is removed.
Students on hold have until 5:00 PM on Friday, January 16th to resolve their hold in time to add courses. Please review the hold policy.
Please note that a student who has not registered for a course by the add deadline will not be permitted to attend that course after the end of the second week.
Special dates for accelerated courses:
- The last day to add an accelerated course (part of Term A) via DrexelOne is the close of the first week of the course session, which is Sunday, January 11th at 11:00 PM.
- The last day to add an accelerated course (part of Term B) via DrexelOne is Sunday, February 15th by 11:00 PM.
Special dates for Saturday Scholars:
- The last day for students enrolled as Saturday Scholars (part of Term A) to add a course is the close of the adjustment period, Friday, January 9th at 5:00 PM with Academic Advisor assistance or via DrexelOne by 11:00 PM.
- The last day for students enrolled as Saturday Scholars (part of Term B) to add a course is the close of the adjustment period, Friday, February 20th at 5:00 PM with Academic Advisor assistance or via DrexelOne by 11:00 PM.
Special consideration for Students enrolled in Saturday sections:
Students enrolled in Saturday classes who wish to add/drop a course may also submit a completed Add/Drop/Withdraw form to the SRC by dropping it into the after hours box. Add/Drop requests (for Saturday courses only) that are in the SRC after hours box within two days of the established deadline will be accepted effective the opening of business on Monday morning at 8:00 AM.
• The last day to drop a course via DrexelOne is Sunday, January 18th at 11:00 PM. Dropping a course will result in all evidence of it being removed from the student's transcript. Approval of the instructor is not required for students to drop a course.
Those students whose accounts are on "hold" will not be able to drop courses using DrexelOne. Students seeking to drop a course while on hold will need to coordinate an appeal with their Academic Advisor by 5:00 PM on Friday, January 16th. Please review the hold policy.
Special dates for accelerated courses:
- The last day to drop an accelerated course (part of Term A) is the close of the first week of classes that is Sunday, January 11th at 11:00 PM via DrexelOne.
- The last day to drop an accelerated course (part of Term B) is the close of the first week of the course session that is Sunday, February 15th at 11:00 PM via DrexelOne.
Special dates for Saturday Scholars:
- The last day for students enrolled as Saturday Scholars (part of Term A) to drop a course is the close of the adjustment period, Friday, January 9th at 5:00 PM with Academic Advisor assistance or via DrexelOne by 11:00 PM.
- The last day for students enrolled as Saturday Scholars (part of Term B) to drop a course is the close of the adjustment period, Friday, February 20th at 5:00 PM with Academic Advisor assistance or via DrexelOne by 11:00 PM.
Special consideration for students in Saturday courses:
Students enrolled in Saturday classes who wish to add/drop a course may submit a completed Add/Drop/Withdraw form to the SRC by dropping it into the after hours box. Add/Drop requests (for Saturday courses only) that are in the SRC after hours box within two days of the established deadline will be accepted effective the opening of business on Monday morning at 8:00 AM.
Withdrawal from a course will be reflected by a "W" on the student transcript; courses from which students have withdrawn will count as attempted credits on the transcript. Thus it is important for students to explore the financial aid implications of withdrawal on their financial aid eligibility. Please review federal financial aid guidelines for Satisfactory Academic Progress at http://www.drexel.edu/financialaid/academic_progress.asp.
- The last day to withdraw from a course is the close of the sixth week of classes, which is Friday, February 13th at 5:00 PM. Approval of the instructor is required. In order to make a reasonable judgment about withdrawal, students should have information regarding performance on their first midterm by the close of the fifth week of classes.
Special dates for accelerated courses:
- The last day to withdraw from an accelerated course (part of Term A) is the close of the third week of the course that is Friday, January 23rd at 5:00 PM with Academic Advisor assistance or via DrexelOne by 11:00 PM.
- The last day to withdraw from an accelerated course (part of Term B) is the close of the third week of the session that is Friday, February 27th at 5:00 PM with Academic Advisor assistance or via DrexelOne by 11:00 PM.
Special dates for Saturday Scholars:
- The last day to withdraw from classes for Saturday Scholars (part of Term A) is the close of the third week of the course that is Friday, January 23rd at 5:00 PM with Academic Advisor assistance or via DrexelOne by 11:00 PM.
- The last day to withdraw from classes for Saturday Scholars (part of Term B) is the close of the third week of the course that is Friday, March 6th at 5:00 PM with Academic Advisor assistance or via DrexelOne by 11:00 PM.
Special consideration for Students enrolled in Saturday courses:
Students enrolled in Saturday classes who wish to withdraw from a course may submit a completed Add/Drop/Withdraw form to the SRC by dropping it into the after hours box. Withdrawal requests (for Saturday courses only) that are in the SRC after hours box within two days of the established deadline will be accepted effective the opening of business on Monday morning at 8:00 AM.
In the event that a course has reached its maximum capacity as established by the Office of the University Registrar and the department offering the course, a student must appeal to be added into the course, that is appeal to override the established maximum capacity for the course section. Authorization to add a student to a section that has exceeded maximum enrollment capacity must be secured by Thursday, January 15th.
The appeal to be overridden into a course must be advanced to the collegiate advisor/Dean's Office/Graduate Studies office. The appeal will be reviewed against established criteria for override consideration (click here to review criteria for override consideration). If the student meets the Criteria, he or she must then complete an Add/Drop/Withdraw form and obtain the instructor's signature for the course.
The instructor's signature on this form is provided as an indication that the addition of the student will not negatively impact his/her ability to achieve learning goals for the course and that the seating capacity of the room has not been exceeded. An instructor's signature is not final approval.
Once the instructor's signature is obtained, the student must return the Add/Drop/Withdraw form to his/her Advisor.
Please note that a student who has not registered for a course by the add deadline will not be permitted to attend that course after the end of the second week. Accordingly, students must resolve all "holds" on their accounts by the deadline. Please review the hold policy.
Those students whose accounts have been placed on hold are prohibited from sitting in courses for which they are not registered. Students placed on hold cannot add courses until the circumstances contributing to the hold are resolved. Those students on hold have until 5:00 PM on Friday, January 16th to resolve their holds in order to add courses by the deadline.
"Being on hold" during the adjustment period is not considered an acceptable reason for a late or retroactive add.
To resolve a financial hold, students are encouraged to visit the Student Resource Center in Main Building, Room 222.
NEW POLICIES
Class Cancellation Due to Instructor Lateness or Absence
IMPORTANT POLICY REMINDERS
The Classes During Co-op policy affords students on co-op the privilege of taking one course (up to four (4) credits face to face) at no charge. Registration for the Winter term opens December 22nd and continues until the end of the add/drop period. It is important to understand the guidelines that apply to the policy so that you do not incur additional charges to your bill.
For more information on the policy and guidelines, please reference the Classes During Co-op policy and contact your academic advisor.
During finals week, no student is obligated to take more than two finals on any given day. The Final Examination policy states that students may appeal to the Office of the Provost for accommodation at least three (3) days before the examination date. Students may download the appeal form and submit it to the Office of Academic Advising, Retention and Diversity in Main 308.
- For the Winter 2008-2009 term, courses instructors for those courses with the lowest course number will be asked to give a special exam.
Please take a moment to review the Final Examinations policy.
Add/Drop/Withdraw Form Submission After Week 6
All Add/Drop/Withdraw submissions after Week 6 must be completed by the student's advisor. All forms after Week 6 should be sent by the advisor to the Office of Academic Advising, Retention, and Diversity in Main 308.
The Office of the Provost will communicate any new or revised policies separately. These will appear in a special section of the policy website at http://www.drexel.edu/provost/policies.
KEY PRACTICES
Code of Conduct and Academic Honesty Policy
Undergraduate Students
We encourage students to review and abide by the University policy on Academic Honesty. The Academic Honesty policy is written in support of the University's strong commitment to high academic standards and integrity and has been endorsed by the Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA). The Academic Affairs Committee of the USGA has authored a Statement of Honor, which furthers these ideals; the Statement of Honor was approved by the USGA on August 4, 2006.As members of the Drexel University undergraduate student body, we seek to uphold a learning environment that embraces preeminent standards of education, integrity, and community. We strive to conduct ourselves in a manner that is beyond reproach, adhering to the University's Code of Conduct and Academic Honesty policies. Devoted to the principles of mutual respect, equality, and honor, we assume an obligation to serve one another.
Graduate Students
As a Drexel University graduate student and aware of the University’s mission, I commit myself to excellence in research, teaching, and service. In furtherance of that aim and because I understand that my actions affect all members of the Drexel community and my profession, I pledge to conduct myself with the highest integrity, honor, and respect in all my endeavors.
Office of Equality and Diversity
The mission of the Office of Equality and Diversity is to promote, support, and sustain a living, learning and working environment of diversity, equality, fairness, inclusion, and respect. The Office of Equality and Diversity is responsible for ensuring equality of opportunity and compliance with University policies and federal, state and local laws prohibiting discrimination based upon race, color, religion, gender (sex), marital status, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability and veteran status. University policy and the City of Philadelphia also prohibit discrimination based upon sexual orientation, identity and expression. The Office of Equality and Diversity investigates and attempts to resolve complaints of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
Students, faculty and staff with questions about or complaints concerning discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation should contact Michele M. Rovinsky, J.D., Executive Director of Equality and Diversity at 215-895-1403 or mrovinsky@drexel.edu. The Equality and Diversity website can be found at www.drexel.edu/oed.
It is the University's policy to provide a learning environment that provides all students with the opportunity to realize their full potential. To this end, the goal of the Office of Disability Services (ODS) is to assist students with disabilities in becoming self-sufficient, independent, and successful members of the University's community and to provide students with disabilities with equal opportunity of access to University courses, programs, facilities, services, and activities.
Students seeking reasonable accommodations for their disabilities must first register with ODS. The staff of ODS will work closely with students to review medical documentation, assess their individual needs, and link them with the services necessary to ensure them the opportunity to participate fully in college life. The Office of Disability Services website can be found at http://www.drexel.edu/ods.
The University is committed to promoting an environment that supports cultural and spiritual diversity.
It is essential that students contact their instructors at the beginning of the term for religious observance accommodation requests.
For more information, please review the Office of the Provost Statement on Religious Observances.