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The Academic Standards Committee is the committee of the faculty responsible for the application and formulation of college policies relating to academic standards and academic integrity. The Committee also reviews students’ petitions requesting exceptions to the College’s academic policies or addressing other questions relating to academic issues. It is also the disciplinary body for alleged violations of academic integrity by CMC students.
Members of the ASC include at least 7 faculty members, the Dean of Students, the Registrar, the Associate Dean of the Faculty, and the Dean of the Faculty (non-voting member). Administrators and faculty with pertinent information for the issues at hand may be invited to meetings. The chair is one of the faculty members and is appointed by the Dean of the Faculty.
Petitioning the Academic Standards Committee
Students should first consult with the Registrar regarding any matter of academic policy, since the Registrar is responsible for interpreting and enforcing those policies. Students who question the Registrar’s interpretation of specific regulations may petition the ASC to review the matter. Students may petition the ASC regarding academic issues including requests for exceptions to the College’s academic policies, when mitigating circumstances warrant an exception.
Petition instructions are available from the Registrar’s Office or on the Registrar’s web page. Petitions should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office by noon two (2) business days prior to the ASC meeting. To be eligible for consideration, petitions must be complete and should include the following:
- A brief description of the action sought by the petitioner;
- Justification of the petitioner’s position;
- Any documentation relevant to the petition (e.g. medical statements, documentation of evidence, letters from treating psychologists, etc.).
Note that character references or letters of support are not relevant and will not be reviewed by the ASC; no such letters should be part of the petition.
Appeals of ASC Petition Decisions (other than academic integrity appeals)
Students may appeal in writing the ASC decision regarding their petition. To be eligible for consideration, an appeal must include the following:
- The decision the student is appealing and what action is sought;
- Rationale and support for why the decision should be modified;
- Any documentation relevant to the appeal (e.g. medical statement, documentation of evidence, etc.).
Generally, the ASC will only reconsider a decision in light of new information which was not available to the ASC or the student at the time that the original petition was considered. Students may not submit as “new information” any information the student chose not to include in the original petition. As noted above, character references or letters of support are not relevant to appeals and will not be reviewed by the ASC. An appeal must be submitted within 30 days of the original ASC decision. The ASC will review the appeal at its next scheduled meeting, provided the appeal is received by noon two days in advance. A schedule of meeting dates is available from the Registrar’s Office. The ASC may expedite appeals directly to the Dean of the Faculty only in exceptionally exigent cases when the college is in recess and the full committee will not convene for a substantial period of time.
If the ASC does not find justification to alter its original decision, the appeal will be referred to the Dean of the Faculty. The Dean will review the appeal statement and the materials reviewed by the ASC resulting in the original decision and make a final decision regarding the appeal. The Dean of the Faculty may dismiss an appeal, refer the matter back to the ASC for reconsideration, or take other discretionary action. The Dean’s decision on all appeals is final; no further appeals are possible.
Deadlines and Statutes of Limitation
See this year’s academic calendar for specific deadlines during the academic year. The ASC maintains a 1-year statute of limitation on grade challenges and grade changes. There is no statute of limitation in cases of academic dishonesty.
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