It is each undergraduate's responsibility to know and to follow the academic regulations and procedures of the University. Complete information is included in the General Bulletin. Below are excerpts from the General Bulletin plus pertinent supplementary information.
All students are expected to adhere to the standards of academic honesty consistent with the University Statement on Ethics (see Handbook). Any work submitted by a student must represent his or her own efforts. Any student engaging in cheating, plagiarism, or any other acts of academic dishonesty will be subject to disciplinary action.
If a faculty member suspects that an undergraduate student has presented the work of another as his or her own, or is otherwise guilty of academic dishonesty, the faculty member shall so advise the student and the departmental chair and consult with the Dean of Undergraduate Studies about the basis for those suspicions and appropriate disciplinary action. If the faculty member and dean agree that the evidence is not adequate to support a complaint, the matter will be dropped and the student will be so notified. If they do not agree to drop the matter, the following procedures will be followed:
If the infraction is a first offense, the dean and the faculty member may agree to leave the disposition of the matter to the faculty member. The student and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies will be notified in writing and a confidential record of the event and action shall be put on file in the Office of Undergraduate Studies.
Alternatively, following consultation with the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, under any of the following circumstances the faculty member will transmit a report of the infraction to the Dean of Student Affairs or his/her designate for judicial action:
In the event of any of the circumstances listed above, the Dean of Student Affairs will convene a University Judicial Board to hear the case as promptly as is feasible and fair. When hearing a case dealing with an academic infraction the University Judicial Board shall consist of a representative of the Office of Undergraduate Studies, a representative of the Office of Student Affairs, and one student and one faculty member qualified to serve as a result of their participation in the Judicial Board training program. Should the Board find there was insufficient evidence to support the charge, the faculty member will be so informed and asked to evaluate the student's performance for the assignment in question by his/her normal grading practices. If the Board upholds the complaint of the faculty member, the panel will transmit notification of its finding and action to both the faculty member and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies for implementation. The action taken by the Judicial Board may include recommendations for a grade made to the faculty member and the imposition of additional disciplinary sanctions, as outlined in the Student Service Guide. In addition, the University is required to report to the funding agency the identity and misconduct of anyone, including a student, found guilty of falsification, fabrication or plagiarism in the performance of research that is receiving support from federal sources
The records of all students are in the Office of Undergraduate Studies, Baker 102. Students may review their files in that office by appointment. A student must sign a request and present his/her I.D. card at the time of the appointment.
Students may request exceptions to collegiate regulations by petition to the Office of Undergraduate Studies. Please be reminded that ignorance of regulations that are published in the University General Bulletin, the Schedule of Courses, or this Handbook is not justification for an exception. Petition forms are available in Baker 102. Petitions are referred to the appropriate committee of the University Undergraduate Faculty.
For continuing students, registration for the Fall Semester begins in April, and registration for the Spring Semester begins in November. Students registered before the billing cutoff dates (generally mid-July for fall registration, and early December for spring registration) will be billed by mail for tuition and fees. After the cutoff dates, students must be cleared through the Office of Student Accounts Receivable prior to registration. Complete registration instructions and regulations appear in the official Schedule of Classes, published by the University Registrar.
After the original schedule has been submitted to the Registrar, course changes may be made during the first two weeks of classes in the Fall and Spring Semesters; the appropriate form (Drop/Add) must be used. Students who have declared a major should consult their major advisers about schedule changes. Schedule changes for students who have not declared a major must be approved and signed by a freshman adviser or dean. Changes in class sections do not require an adviser's signature.
Classification as a full-time student requires enrollment for 12 or more semester hours. Eligibility for campus housing, many forms of financial aid, and for participation on intercollegiate, varsity sports teams requires full-time status. Students registering for fewer than 12 semester hours are classified as part-time and charged tuition on the basis of the number of semester hours being taken.
The normal full-time load is 14-18 semester hours. Continuing students may carry 19-21 hours if they have a cumulative average of 3.2 or better. To register for 22 or 23 hours a minimum average of 3.5 is required. Any schedule of more than 18 hours requires dean's approval. Graduating seniors will be approved for overloads if they need such a schedule in order to graduate at the end of the semester in question.
Art: Students may take studio courses for credit at The Cleveland Institute of Art only with authorization from Professor Timothy Shuckerow, CWRU Director of Art Studios, 115 Wickenden Bldg.
Music: Permits may be obtained at the Music Department in Haydn Hall to enroll for credit in Applied Music. Charges for private lessons will be covered by the full tuition rate for music and music education majors only. All other students will pay an additional fee.
Credit earned for the first semester of a beginning foreign language will appear on the transcript but will not count towards the total hours required for the degree unless the second semester of the same language is completed as well.
No credit will be granted for completion of any course in foreign language or mathematics that repeats the course level completed in high school. Freshmen who have questions regarding their eligibility to receive credit for foreign language or mathematics courses should see Dean Randall A. Williams.
Students may earn degree credit on the basis of advanced examinations taken while in secondary school; examinations eligible for credit and/or advanced placement include, but are not limited to: College Board Advanced Placement Examinations and International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examinations. Determination of the criteria for granting credit and/or placement is made by the appropriate department. In assigning credit or granting advanced placement for credentials from outside the United States, the University is guided by the placement recommendations and grade equivalencies approved by the National Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials.
Departments within each academic unit offering undergraduate programs may choose to offer students the opportunity to earn course credit in specific courses by proficiency examination. To qualify for proficiency examination credit for a course, the student's examination performance must demonstrate knowledge and skills at a level no lower than that of an average student who successfully completes the course. Upon notification from the academic department, the Office of Undergraduate Studies will direct the Office of the Registrar to post credit for the course on the transcript. The grade will be recorded as PR, and will not be included in a student's grade point average. NOTE: Any student who receives proficiency credit for a course through a proficiency examination administered during a semester when the student is not registered for a full-time schedule (12 or more semester hours) at Case Western Reserve University is charged a fee equal to one-third of the present tuition charge for the course. No fee is charged if the student does not receive credit from the examination.
Students are expected to attend classes regularly. Each instructor is free to determine the extent to which absences affect the final grades of students but should make the policy regarding attendance known at the start of the course. Instructors should report excessive absences to the Office of Undergraduate Studies. Instructors who judge a student's absences from class to be excessive may drop the student from the course with a grade of F. Instructors taking such action must notify the student's dean in writing. Students unable to attend classes because of illness should notify their instructors and make the appropriate arrangements directly with the instructor. The University Health Service and the Office of Undergraduate Studies do not provide medical excuses for class absence. Information concerning the policy of the Health Service and the Office of Undergraduate Studies is available in both the Office of Undergraduate Studies and the University Health Service.
Final examinations normally are required in all courses and must be given during the final examination period at the time assigned by the Registrar; they may not be given during the final week of classes or on Reading Days. Any exception must be approved by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. No student will be required to take more than two final examinations on a single day. A student who has three final examinations scheduled for a single day should go to the Office of Undergraduate Studies and obtain the assistance of the Dean in arranging to take one of those examinations on an alternative day during the final examination period. Similarly, a student with conflicting examinations should seek the assistance of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies in arranging to have the time of one examination changed.
A student must explain immediately and in writing to the Dean an absence from a final examination. If the explanation is acceptable, the Dean will authorize the assignment of the grade Incomplete and the administration of a make-up examination by the instructor. In the event of an unexcused absence from a final examination, the instructor should assign the student a final grade that assumes a grade of zero on the final examination and is consistent with the grading policy established for the course.
With dean's approval, a student may withdraw from a course with a grade of W through the end of the eleventh week of the semester. After that date a student is not permitted to withdraw from a course unless, in the judgment of the dean, there are extenuating circumstances justifying a grade of W. Failure to attend class, or notification of only the instructor, does not constitute withdrawal from a course. Notice of withdrawal from a course must be signed by the student's dean and taken to the registrar on the appropriate form.
To withdraw from the University during a semester or session, a student must complete in the Office of Undergraduate Studies an official withdrawal form. If unable to complete the withdrawal in person, the student must send written notification to the Office of Undergraduate Studies. If the withdrawal is necessary for reasons of health, a statement from the student's physician to the University Health Service may be required as a condition of readmission. Grades of WD will be assigned in all courses in which a student is registered at the time of withdrawal, providing a student follows the procedures stated above. Failure to attend classes, or notification of instructors only, does not constitute withdrawal from the University A student who ceases to attend or otherwise participate in courses without officially withdrawing will be assigned the grade F for each course in which he or she is enrolled.
Students who do not plan to return for the following semester are asked to notify the Office of Undergraduate Studies (Baker 102) in person or in writing.
Office of Undergraduate Studies, 102 Baker Building, Ext. 2928