Section 8: Academic Regulations

• 8.1 Faculty Advising at Allegheny College
• 8.2 Academic Honor Code
• 8.3 Academic Schedule
• 8.4 Course Schedule
• 8.5 Graduation
• 8.6 Commencement
• 8.7 The Academic Calendar
• 8.8 Student Course Load
• 8.9 Add/Drop Period
• 8.10 Student Withdrawals
• 8.11 Academic Costume

8.1 Faculty Advising at Allegheny College

Effective faculty advising reinforces and extends the education students acquire in the classroom, helping them to take advantage of curricular and co-curricular opportunities, to understand academic requirements and college policies, and to prepare for career planning and lifelong learning. Research has also demonstrated that successful advising can significantly improve student achievement, retention, and satisfaction. Put simply, advising is a vitally important professional responsibility for all full-time faculty at Allegheny College.

1. Students are expected to:

1. Recognize that they are responsible for all decisions that they make at Allegheny, that not all things are possible, and that choices carry with them consequences.
2. Know graduation requirements as they apply to their particular educational plan.
3. Meet with their advisor at least twice each semester.
4. Prepare for their meetings as directed by their advisor.
5. Recognize that their advisor is an important resource, and carefully consider advice received.
6. Monitor their progress in individual courses and towards graduation, and seek help from their advisor when they encounter difficulties.
7. Seek help from the Center for Student Success, Counseling Center, or other student services when it is warranted.

2. Faculty Advisors are expected to:

1. Encourage students to be responsible for their own education.
2. Understand Allegheny’s graduation requirements and curricular and co-curricular offerings well enough to be able to assist students with academic planning.
3. Invite students to meet with them at least twice each semester.
4. Monitor the academic progress of advisees, maintain student folders with current information, contact students who appear to be in academic trouble, and maintain the confidentiality of information about their advisees.
5. Alert personnel in the Center for Student Success about students who appear to be in academic difficulty.
6. Assist students with learning how to seek help for themselves. 

8.2 Academic Honor System

Allegheny’s Honor Code is housed in The Compass Student Handbook and Resource Guide. Specific information about how to deal with a suspected Honor Code violation (what to do, whom to contact, etc.) is available in the online Faculty Guide to the Honor Code. 

8.3 Academic Schedules

Course schedules are established by the Provost with the advice of the department chairperson. It is expected that all classes will be held at the time and place for which they are officially scheduled. Any adjustments of the established schedule should be approved by the Provost. Such notification is not necessary in the case of a faculty member wishing to meet a class no more than once or twice in his or her home. Faculty members are urged to avoid scheduling special meetings that will conflict with such activities as public lectures or music rehearsals. In the event of illness or other special circumstances preventing them from meeting a class, faculty members should inform their department chairpersons and arrange for the classes to be covered.

8.4 Course Size

No classes with an enrollment of less than six students may be taught without permission of the Provost. In the event a course is canceled for lack of sufficient enrollment, its instructor should be prepared to teach another course or take on other responsibilities. Limits should be placed on the maximum size of courses only for an excellent cause and with the approval of the department chairperson and the Provost.

It has been voted by the faculty that “permission of the instructor” may be used as a prerequisite for enrollment in a course for the following reasons:

1. to determine students’ academic qualifications for the course;
2. to explain the nature of the course and its requirements to prospective students or to provide material such as reading lists or syllabi;
3. to insure sufficient space for majors in courses required for majors.

Class lists for the current semester are available to instructors on Self-Service and are automatically updated whenever registration changes are processed. Rosters should be checked frequently against actual attendance. Non-attendance of registered students should be reported to the Center for Student Success via Academic Performance Reports (APRs) as soon as the situation comes to the instructor’s attention. Attendance by non-registered students should be reported to the Registrar’s Office.

8.5 Graduation

The faculty confers degrees on three separate occasions during the academic year: at the beginning of the Fall semester, at the beginning of the Spring semester, and at the end of the Spring semester immediately preceding the Commencement ceremony. Most graduates receive their degrees in May.

Procedure

1. After the conclusion of the drop period for the first semester, the Registrar’s Office will prepare a list of all students likely to be able to graduate at the conclusion of the second semester. This list will be sent to all faculty and department chairpersons. They will check their majors and advisee files to see if the students on the list are indeed likely to graduate and to see if any student has been inadvertently omitted. Each student on the list will be notified directly by the Registrar, and a notice will be posted on the College Website telling students that if they have not received a notification but do expect to graduate to contact the Registrar immediately. The public notice will state that students are responsible for being sure their names are on the tentative list.
    
2. The Registrar’s Office will maintain the list of probable May graduates. Faculty and students should report any changes in a student’s likely graduation date.
    
3. After the second semester Drop deadline, the Registrar will send to all faculty, as part of the agenda for a regular faculty meeting, the list of students to be tentatively approved for graduation. The only students appearing on this list will be those registered to complete all degree requirements by the end of the second semester; students needing additional courses, even if they plan to take them in the summer, will be omitted. The Faculty will review, and perhaps amend, this list; it will then become the tentatively approved roster.
    
4. At the first and last faculty meetings of the Fall semester and at the final faculty meeting of the academic year, the Registrar will present to the faculty for their review and approval a list of all students meeting graduation requirements. Students approved for graduation are eligible to receive a diploma unless they have not settled their accounts satisfactorily with the Bursar’s Office; these students are graduates of the College but will not be provided with a diploma or transcripts until they have settled their accounts.
5. At the same faculty meetings at which graduates are approved, the Registrar will also present to the faculty a list of students who were on the “tentatively approved roster” (see #3 above) but are not eligible to receive their degrees for one or more of the following reasons:

1. Incomplete in one or more required courses. At the faculty meeting at which the faculty are informed that the student has not met requirements for a May graduation, the Registrar will request “power to act” to confer the degree if the student completes the Incomplete(s) within sixty calendar days of the date of the faculty vote. If the Incomplete is not completed until after that date, the student will be considered for a subsequent graduation date and presented to the faculty for their approval at that time. Students with outstanding Incomplete(s) as of faculty votes for September and January graduations will be considered for a subsequent graduation date and presented to the faculty for their approval at that time.
2. Transfer credit pending. If a student has informed us that s/he is taking or has taken courses that will complete all of his/her remaining requirements by the official degree conferral date, then, at the faculty meeting at which the faculty are informed that the student has not met requirements, the Registrar will request “power to act.” If such power is granted, the Registrar will confer the degree provided that, within sixty calendar days of the date of the faculty vote, an official transcript showing that all needed courses were completed by the end of the term in which the degree is to be conferred is received by the College. If the documentation is not received by that deadline, or if the courses fail to meet Allegheny’s criteria for transfer credit or to satisfy all outstanding Allegheny requirements, then the student will be considered for a subsequent graduation date and presented to the faculty for their approval at that time.
3. Documentation from a cooperating 3-2 institution not complete. At the faculty meeting at which the faculty are informed that the student has not met requirements, the Registrar will request “power to act” to confer the degree if the College receives, within sixty calendar days of the date of the faculty vote, documentation that all required work at the partner institution has been completed by the end of the term in which the Allegheny degree is to be conferred. If the documentation is not received until after that date, or if the student has not successfully completed all requirements at the partner institution until after that date, the student will be considered for a subsequent graduation date and presented to the faculty for their approval at that time.
4. Failing or withdrawing from one or more courses needed for graduation. The student must take additional course(s), and an additional faculty vote will be required after the student completes all graduation requirements. This rule applies even if the student takes the necessary course(s) during the immediately following summer.
5. Failing to meet a required grade point average (cumulative, major, or minor). The student must take additional course(s) to improve his/her GPA, and an additional faculty vote will be required after the student brings the GPA(s) up to the required standard.

(Revised 19 February 2016, 26 April 2018, 4 October 2018)

8.6 Commencement

Formal Commencement exercises are held once each year in May. All faculty are expected to participate in Commencement unless excused in advance by the Provost; faculty members are responsible for procuring appropriate academic costume.

Student Participation in Commencement  

Students are permitted only one opportunity to participate in the annual Commencement exercise in May, that being the year in which their name appears on the Commencement program. Students should be aware that participation in the Commencement exercise is not equivalent to graduation from the College and that, if they “walk” before their graduation requirements have been completed, they will not be permitted to walk again when they do graduate. The Commencement program will state that all degrees are awarded “subject to the completion of all requirements.” Latin Honors will be announced at the ceremony only for graduates and for co-op students who have completed their Allegheny coursework; other students who graduate afterwards and are eligible to receive Latin Honors at that time will have the appropriate honor noted on the diploma and transcript.

Policy

Students who meet all of the following criteria are eligible to participate in the annual May Commencement exercise:

1. Students must not have participated in a previous Commencement ceremony nor had their names published in a previous Commencement program.
2. Only current students and graduates may participate in Commencement. Students must not have voluntarily withdrawn nor been dismissed or suspended from the College at the time of the Commencement ceremony.
3. Students must belong to one of the categories below:
   1. Graduates. This includes students who have graduated since the previous Commencement as well as students who complete their graduation requirements during the Spring semester immediately preceding Commencement.
   2. Anticipated graduates. Students whose anticipated graduation date falls within the nine months following the Commencement date may elect to participate in the ceremony, though their degrees and Latin Honors (if applicable) will not be conferred until all graduation requirements have been met, nor will Latin Honors be announced at Commencement for anticipated graduates.
   3. Co-op students. Students participating in approved cooperative (3-1; 3-2; 3-3) programs who are making satisfactory progress in their post-Allegheny programs are permitted to participate in Commencement exercises with the rest of their entering class. Appropriate documentation (transcripts and/or proof of enrollment) must be submitted to the Allegheny Registrar’s Office to verify that the student is making satisfactory progress. The Allegheny degree will not be conferred until the terms of agreement for the cooperative program have been completed satisfactorily.
4. Students must comply with all published procedures and deadlines related to participation in the Commencement exercise.

Petitions to “Walk”

Students who do not meet the above criteria for participation in Commencement in a given year may petition to be allowed to participate. Such requests must be submitted in writing to the Academic Awards and Standards Committee and must include the written endorsement of the student’s academic advisor. The responsibility lies with the student to make a compelling case for why an exception to the College policy should be made. The decision of the Academic Standards Committee in these matters is final. In its periodic reports to the Faculty, the Academic Standards Committee will include data on the number of petitions and their disposition.

This policy is under the purview of the Academic Awards and Standards Committee. Changes are subject to a vote of the Faculty.

(19 February 2015)

8.7 The Academic Calendar

1. Each semester will contain exactly 70 class days, 14 on each weekday, (Monday through Friday).

2. There will be 4 days allotted for final examinations. The final examination period will be preceded by one study day.

A typical exam schedule is:

It is unlikely that a student will have three examinations scheduled on the same day or two at the same time. However, this is a possibility and faculty should be aware of it and be prepared to make allowances.

3. The following guidelines are used to determine the Academic Calendar for a given year:

FALL CALENDAR GUIDELINES

1. Matriculation will be on a Saturday falling between 8/21 and 8/27 inclusive.
2. The first day of classes will be the Tuesday after Matriculation.
3. Fall Break will be Columbus Day and the Tuesday immediately following.
4. The Fall programming day (“Gator Day”) will be the first Tuesday after after November 1.
5. There will be no classes the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of Thanksgiving week.
6. The last day of Fall classes will be a Tuesday falling between 12/7 and 12/13 inclusive.
7. Finals will begin on the Thursday following the last day of classes. Finals will be held on Thursday, Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. 

SPRING CALENDAR GUIDELINES

1. Classes will begin on a Monday falling between 1/12 and 1/18 inclusive unless Martin Luther King Day falls during that week, in which case classes will begin on Tuesday.
2. Classes will not meet on Martin Luther King Day.
3. Spring Break will begin on the seventh Saturday after classes start.
4. The last day of Spring classes will be on the Monday immediately preceding the 16th Tuesday after the beginning of classes and will normally fall between 4/26 and 5/3 inclusive.
5. The Spring programming day (“Gator Day”) will be the Tuesday following the last day of classes.
6. Finals will begin on the Thursday following the last day of classes. Finals will be held on Thursday, Friday, Monday, and Tuesday.
7. Commencement will be on the Saturday following finals and will normally fall between 5/8 and 5/15 inclusive.

SUMMER CALENDAR GUIDELINES

1. The “Summer Semester” will last from the Monday following Commencement until the Friday preceding Matriculation. This would be for administrative purposes only, and no classes would be taught for that entire period. “Sessions” will be taught within the Summer Semester as follows:
2. Summer Term I
   1. Classes will begin the Monday immediately following Commencement.
   2. There will be no classes on Memorial Day, unless this is impractical, as in the case of a travel seminar.
   3. The last day of classes will be the fourth Monday after the start of the session.
   4. As appropriate, time for final examinations shall be built into this schedule by course instructors.
3. Summer Term II
   1. Classes will begin the Tuesday following the last day of Summer Term I
   2. There will be no classes on Independence Day. If Independence Day falls on a weekend, there will be no classes the following Monday. If Independence Day falls on a Tuesday there will be no classes the immediately preceding Monday. If Independence Day falls on a Thursday there will be no classes the immediately following Friday.
   3. The last day of classes will be the 35th business day inclusive after the start of the session, but not counting the holidays as per (ii) above.
   4. As appropriate, time for final examinations shall be built into this schedule by course instructors.
4. Summer Enrichment Sessions
   1. These terms will float within the “Summer Semester” and will usually last for two weeks.
   2. Students who have matriculated at Allegheny College are ineligible to register for classes during Summer Enrichment Sessions.

See Appendix I for the Academic Calendars.

“MODULE” (7-WEEK) COURSE GUIDELINES

Each of the Fall and Spring semesters will have two “module” (7-week) sessions, Module A and Module B. Module A courses will cover the first seven weeks of the semester, from the first day of the semester to the last day of the seventh week. Module B courses will cover the second seven weeks of the semester, from the first day of the eighth week to the last day of the semester. Module courses will be denoted by an A or B preceding the section designation, e.g., CHEM*119*A0. Module A courses will be immediately followed by a one-week period for final examinations. Module B courses will make use of the end-of-semester final examination period.

“SHORT” COURSE GUIDELINES

Each of the Fall and Spring semesters may contain floating “short” courses. These are special topics whose duration is less than a half semester (7 week module) and that are not a recurring part of the curriculum. Typical uses for short courses are courses offered in conjunction with the campus visit of a scholar with exceptional expertise or experience. The dates for these courses must be contained within the inclusive dates of the Fall or Spring semester, as appropriate. Short courses will be denoted by an S preceding the section designation, e.g., POLSC*190*S0.

(Revised 9 December 2011, 13 May 2016, 7 December 2017, 26 April 2018, 10 May 2019, 12 March 2020, 24 February 2022)

8.8 Student Course Loads

The usual academic load is 16 semester hours in each semester and 32 semester hours for the year. Students may take up to 20 semester hours per semester without special permission. Students must take at least 12 credits in a semester to be considered full time. 

8.9 Add/Drop Period

Students may add and drop Fall or Spring 14-week courses through the first two weeks of the semester. Students may add and drop Fall or Spring 7-week courses through the first two weeks of the module in which the course is offered. Students may add and drop Fall or Spring “short” (less than 7-week) courses through the first week of the period in which the course is offered, as posted on Self-Service, or the last day of the posted period of the course, whichever is sooner. Students may add and drop Summer semester courses through the first business day of each of the summer terms.

To add or drop any class, students must adjust their schedules in Self-Service (if it is open to do so) by the deadlines published in the on-line Academic Calendar. Students intending to add a course after classes begin must secure the written permission of the instructor and notify their advisor; those wishing to drop a class must notify both the instructor and advisor. Students should be aware that, after a class starts, instructors will become increasingly reluctant to admit additional students. Courses dropped will not appear on the official transcript but will appear, as appropriate, on the academic record maintained by the College.

If students wish to take a course on the Credit/No Credit basis, they must inform the Registrar by the end of the second week of classes for fourteen-week courses or, for seven-week modules only, by the end of the second week of the course. The Credit/No Credit Form is located on the Registration Forms Online page on the Registrar’s website. Students are cautioned that some courses may not be taken using this option and that no more than four credits per semester (16 credits total for the degree) may be taken on the Credit/No Credit basis. Courses not eligible for the Credit/No Credit system so are indicated in the College Academic Bulletin.

Students who withdraw from the College between the conclusion of the second week of the semester and the last day of classes will receive the grade of “WC” for all courses for which they are registered. This will not affect the grade point average.

(Revised 26 April 2018)

8.10 Student Withdrawals 

Student Withdrawal Policies are housed in the Academic Bulletin.

Withdrawal From Course

Withdrawing From a Course in Course Registration.

Withdrawal from All Classes

Leaves of Absence and Withdrawal From the College.

8.11 Academic Costume

Members of the faculty are asked to provide themselves with academic costume for Commencement, Matriculation and other occasions when it is required. Members not owning costumes may arrange to rent them through the Bookstore at least four weeks in advance of the event. Costumes may also be purchased through the Bookstore at cost plus shipping.