Academic Matters

Augustana Honor Code and Honor Council

The Augustana Honor Code was written and accepted by a majority of Augustana students and ratified by the faculty in the spring of 2006. The goal of the Honor Code is to set a foundation and boundary to ensure academic excellence at the college. Click here to access the entire Augustana Honor Code.

Academic Requirement for Extra-curricular Activities

To be eligible for extra-curricular activities, a student must be enrolled in 12 semester credits or more unless he/she is a senior registered for sufficient credits to graduate at the end of the current term. In addition, eligibility for the following requires that a student not be on Academic Probation:

Homecoming Co-Chair; Major All-Campus (such as Mock Political Conventions and Symposia) Chair; Observer Editor, Business Manager, all other editors, and Executive Secretary, Photography Coordinator, Business Manager; Student Government officers, representatives and executive board members; WAUG General Manager, Program Director, News Director, Sports Director or Business Manager, Production Manager, Sales Manager and any other positions designated by the organization's advisor.
Membership on the following committees: Advanced Standing and Degrees Committee; Educational Policies Committee; Student Judiciary; Student Policy Committee.
Joining any campus organization which requires participation in a new member process. Students who are not eligible to participate during the designated new member period are prohibited from participating in all activities of these groups except those which are open to the public. Once a student has earned active membership in the group, they are not required to maintain a 2.0 grade point average.

Individual organizations or groups may establish their own requirements for membership.

A student is not required to be enrolled full-time, taking twelve credits or more, to participate in credit activities such as music ensembles, theatre productions, and student radio. However, in order for a student to enroll for non-credit participation in any of the activities listed above, he or she must be registered for a minimum of 1 credit.

To participate in intramural or club sports, a student must be registered for at least 12 credits or more unless he or she is a senior graduating at the end of the term. (Registering for fewer than 12 credits can jeopardize ﬁnancial aid and athletic eligibility.) Students on academic probation may participate in intramural athletics.

In addition, to remain eligible for a club sport, a ﬁrst-year student must maintain a 1.50 cumulative grade-point average; a sophomore must maintain a 1.75 cumulative grade-point average, and a junior or senior, a 2.00 cumulative grade-point average.

It is the policy of Augustana College to determine each student's eligibility for participation in intercollegiate competition. Within the limits prescribed by law, the College reserves the right to set standards more strict than those mandated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association or by its sports-specific athletic conference. Augustana College adheres to the philosophy and is governed by the regulations of both the NCAA and the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

In order to participate in intercollegiate athletics, students must be enrolled in 12 credits or more. Students may retain their athletics eligibility during their eighth and/or final semester and enroll in less than 12 credits, provided the number of credits carried will enable them to graduate at the end of the semester. Students who register for less than 12 credits may jeopardize their financial assistance and are not eligible to practice or compete. Except for the first semester of enrollment, first-year students must have passed 12 credits of their previous semester’s work in which they were enrolled as a full-time student. However, if during the previous semester the student drops below 12 credits, he/she will be defined as a part-time student for purposes of eligibility. In addition, first-year students must maintain a minimum 1.500 cumulative grade-point after their first semester of enrollment, sophomores must maintain a minimum 1.750 cumulative grade-point average and juniors or seniors must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.000 to remain eligible. To be eligible to compete in the next season, a student-athlete must have completed a minimum of 24 credits for the second season, a minimum of 48 credits for the third season and a minimum of 72 credits for the fourth season. NOTE: Student-athletes adding or dropping classes during the semester should be alert to the impact this might have on eligibility.

Due to the complexity of NCAA rules, transfer students must be considered for eligibility on an individual basis.

For reasons of health and safety, there are certain health conditions that may have an effect on a student's participation in athletics. Of special concern is the absence or non-functioning of one of a set of paired organs. In this special situation, as part of the waiver process, the following are to be considered:

The probability of injury to the remaining organ;
The state-of-the-art in protective equipment and the capability of such equipment to prevent injury to the remaining organ. Such protective equipment must be arranged for and purchased by the student. The school assumes no liability or responsibility relative to the equipment regarding procurement, fitting, maintenance, etc.

Student Records - FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 is a federal law which states (a) that a written institutional policy must be established, and (b) that a statement of adopted procedures covering the privacy rights of students be made available. The law provides that the institution will maintain the confidentiality of student education records.

Access to Student Records

No one outside the college shall have access to any students' education records nor will the college disclose any information from such records without the written consent of students except:

to personnel within the institution;
to officials of other institutions in which students seek to enroll;
to persons or organizations providing student financial assistance;
to accrediting agencies carrying out their functions;
to persons in compliance with a Judicial order;
to persons or organizations seeking to determine eligibility for membership in honorary organizations or for special awards sanctioned by the college;
to persons or organizations conducting studies sanctioned by the college which will not permit the personal identification of students and their parents by persons other than those conducting the studies;
to government representatives seeking information in connection with the audit and evaluation of federally and state-supported educational programs;
to persons in an emergency in order to protect the health or safety of students or other persons.

FERPA Amendment of 2011

As of January 3, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education's FERPA regulations expand the circumstances under which your education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records - including your Social Security Number, grades, or other private information - may be accessed without your consent. First, the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local education authorities ("Federal and State Authorities") may allow access to your records and PII without your consent to any third party designated by a Federal or State Authority to evaluate a federal- or state-supported education program. The evaluation may relate to any program that is "principally engaged in the provision of education," such as early childgood education and job training, as well as any program that is administered by an education agency or institution. Second, Federal and State Authorities may allow access to your education records and PII without your consent to researchers performing certain types of studies, in certain cases even when we object to or do not request such research. Federal and State Authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises from the entities that they authorize to receive your PII, but the Authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities. In addition, in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, State Authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and share without your consent PII from your education records, and they may track your participation in education and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information about you that they obtain from other Federal or State data sources, including workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, military service, and migrant student records systems.

College Officials and Student Records Maintained on Augustana's Campus

Within the Augustana community, only those members, individually or collectively, acting in students' legitimate educational interest will be allowed access to student education records. A school official has a legitimate educational interest when the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her responsibility on behalf of the college, such as when the official is performing a task that is specifically noted in the job description or by a contract agreement or other official appointment; performing a task related to a student's education; performing a task related to the discipline of a student; or providing a service or benefit relating to the student or student's family, such as health care, counseling, job placement or financial aid. The final determination of legitimate educational interest will be made by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Compliance Officer (the Dean of Students) or deputized agent (in most cases these determinations will be made by the College Registrar.)

College officials are defined as:

A person employed by the college in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position, including instructors, advisors, Campus Safety-Police and Residential Life staff;
College employees who are part of the student's success team, including academic advisors, coaches, residential life staff, financial officers and academic personnel;
Individuals or entities volunteering on behalf of the college, or with whom the college has contracted to provide a service, instead of using college personnel (e.g., an attorney, auditor, or vendor; the Illinois State Department of Higher Education; the National Student Clearinghouse), and who are under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and maintenance of personally identifiable information from education records;
Individuals serving on the Board of Trustees; and
Students conducting college business where a legitimate educational need to know has been vetted and identified (e.g., serving on official committees, student employees, assisting another school official in performing job-related duties).

The Dean of Students Office, in addition to Residential Life and the Office of Campus Safety-Police, has access to student schedules for security and emergency purposes. Separate education records are maintained in each of the offices listed below and personnel within those offices may be identified as college officials as noted above.

Academic Records & Supporting Documents Registrar, Founders Hall.
Admissions Records, Vice President of Enrollment, Founders Hall East.
Disciplinary Records, Dean of Students, Founders Hall.
Financial Aid Records, Vice President of Enrollment, Founders Hall East.
Student Media Information, Director of Public Relations, Founders Hall.
Student-Athlete Media Information, Director of Sports Information, Carver Center.
Student-Athlete Sports Medicine & Health Records, Head Athletic Trainer, Carver Center.
Student- Athlete Recruitment Information, Athletic Director, Carver Center.
Career Planning & Placement Records CORE Center, Olin Center.
Student Accounts Receivable Records Controller, Business Office, Sorensen Hall.
Student Personnel Records for all Students Dean of Students, Founders Hall.

It is college policy to destroy records in accordance with the college record retention policy.

Directory Information

At its discretion, the college may provide directory information in accordance with provisions of the Act. The following student information has been designated public and may be disclosed by the college for any purpose, at its discretion: student name, local and home address, mailbox and telephone numbers; parents' or guardians' names, addresses and telephone numbers; place of birth; enrollment status; dates of attendance; major field of study; faculty advisor's name; academic classification; previous institution(s) attended, and awards, honors and degrees conferred (including dates); past and present participation in officially recognized sports and activities; and physical factors (height and weight of athletes).

Students are required to report and keep current their local and home addresses. Changes in residence hall addresses are automatically kept current by the Residential Life Office. Off-campus students must provide local address information as a condition of living off campus. Failure to provide accurate and current off-campus address information can result in disciplinary action or restriction from registration.

Students may withhold from public access any of the above information by notifying the Dean of Students Office in writing at any time during the year. Because the college directory and possibly a few other college publications are published at the beginning of each school year, the college cannot limit access to information contained in those documents. However, subsequent publications will honor requests for non-disclosure.

Requests for non-disclosure must be renewed each academic year. Failure on the part of any student to request in writing that information be withheld will indicate approval for disclosure.

Students' Rights Concerning Education Records

Annually, all students will be informed that Augustana provides students with the following rights concerning their education records:

the right to inspect and review information contained in education records. Inspection does not include taking photographs or making copies of records;
the right to response from the college to reasonable requests for explanations and interpretations of those records;
the right to challenge the contents of his or her education records;
the right to a hearing if the outcome of the challenge is unsatisfactory;
the right to submit an explanatory statement for inclusion in the education record if the outcome of the hearing is unsatisfactory;
the right to prevent disclosure, with certain exceptions, of personally identifiable information;
the right to secure a copy of the institutional policy, which includes the location of all education records;
the right to file complaints with the Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Augustana College to comply with the Act.

Procedures for Granting Students Access to Their Records

The Dean of Students, Room 104, Founders Hall, has been designated by the college to coordinate the inspection and review procedures for all student education records on campus. Students wishing to review their education records must make a written request to the Dean of Students listing the item/s of interest. Requests will be honored within a reasonable time, and an appointment will be scheduled no longer than 45 days after the request has been made. Meetings will be scheduled for a duration of no longer than 45 minutes, they will be supervised and will take place on campus. Students are not permitted to bring in cell phones, cameras or video recording devices to the inspection meeting and are not allowed to make copies or take photos of the records. To obtain copies please see release of records, academic record policies and transcript requests.

Records Not Available to Students

The following are not education records and are not accessible to students:

records of instructional, supervisory, administrative and educational personnel which are the sole possession of the maker and are not accessible or revealed to any individual except a temporary substitute;
employment records;
alumni records;
student health and counseling records (can be personally reviewed by physician or other appropriate professional of the students' choosing);

Student files, maintained by Information Technology Services, differ from student education records in that they are maintained as a central "pool" of data, but are not kept for any end or function in themselves. These files contain only information useful in assisting other offices to perform their legitimate functions. Restricted student information is released from these files only to, or with the consent of, administrative departments with general responsibility for the information or request in question. 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 in which they have waived their rights of inspection or review;
education records containing information about more than one student, in which case the college will provide access only to the part of the record which pertains to the inquiring student;
confidential letters and recommendations placed in their files prior to January 1, 1975, provided those letters were collected under established policies of confidentiality and were used only for the purposes for which they were collected.

Hearing Procedures to Challenge Information in Education Records

Students who believe their education records contain information that is inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of their privacy or other rights may discuss their issues informally with the Dean of Students within three terms. If the decisions concerning such information are in agreement with the students' requests, the appropriate records will be amended. If not, the students will be notified within a reasonable period of time that the records will not be amended, and they will be informed by the Dean of Students of their right to a formal hearing.

Student requests for a formal hearing must be made in writing to the Dean of the College, who, within a reasonable period of time after receiving such a request, will inform students of the date, place and the time of the hearing. Students may present evidence relevant to the issues raised and may be assisted or represented at the hearings by one or more persons of their choice, including attorneys, at the students' expense. The hearing panel which will adjudicate such challenges will consist of the Dean of the College, Chair of the Faculty Senate, Associate Dean of the College, and Dean of Students.

Decisions of the hearing panel will be final, will be based solely on the evidence presented at the hearing, will consist of written statements summarizing the evidence and stating the reasons for the decisions, and will be delivered to all parties concerned. The education records will be corrected or amended in accordance with the decisions of the hearing panel, if the decisions are in favor of the students. If the decisions are unsatisfactory to the students, these students may place with the education records their own statements commenting on the information in the records, or setting forth any reasons for disagreeing with the decisions of the hearing panel. The statements will be placed in the education records, maintained as part of the students' records, and released whenever the records in question are disclosed.

Students who believe the adjudication of their challenges was unfair or not in keeping with the provisions of the Act may request assistance in writing from the President of the College. Further, students who believe their rights have been abridged may file complaints with The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office (FERPA), Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Washington, D.C. 20201, concerning the alleged failures of Augustana College to comply with the Act.

Revisions and clarification of this policy will be published as experience with the law and Augustana's policy warrants. Copies of a detailed policy statement concerning Augustana student records and release of information about students are available in the Dean of Students Office, Room 104, Founders Hall.

Hometown News Releases

As part of the college media relations program, the Director of Public Relations prepares and distributes news releases on the achievements and activities of Augustana students to their hometown newspapers. Hometown news releases report accomplishments such as the receipt of scholarships and awards, making the Dean's List, election to honorary societies, participation in campus organizations and graduation. The press coverage that results is a source of pride for students' families and is an effective part of institutional public relations efforts. Coverage is not paid for and news organizations choose whether the information is published.

Students are always welcome to visit or call the Director of Public Relations, Office of Communication and Marketing, second floor of Founders Hall, campus phone 7783, for more information.

Photos and Use of Names

Students, staff, faculty or administrators who do not wish the college to use their names or images on behalf of the institution, such as in the alumni magazine, general news releases, admissions brochures or the internet, will need to sign a photo opt-out form annually and return it to the Office of Communication and Marketing. The form is shared at the start of each academic year. For more information, please visit or call the Office of Communication and Marketing, second floor of Founders Hall.

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