ACADEMIC POLICIES

Grading System

The University uses a traditional grading system based on the four-point scale. Letter grades may carry plus and minus marks that are computed in the grade point average. The interpretation of letter grades is as follows:

Only courses for which grades of A to D and S are earned are granted credit, and only courses for which grades A to F are earned are awarded grade points and used in the calculation of grade point averages. The following scale is used in assigning grade points. Each credit hour earns the grade points shown.

The grade point average (gpa) is an index of academic achievement in work taken at Huntington and is computed as the average of grade points earned in courses for which grades A to F were given. Grade point averages are calculated to the nearest thousandth and are never rounded up.

Election of S/U Grades

To encourage students to explore challenging courses out-side of their majors or Core Curriculum, the University permits a student to take limited elective courses on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. Such electives taken for S/U count toward graduation requirements but are not computed in the student’s gpa. Internships and practica are graded only S/U.

A student may elect up to five hours in a given semester to be taken as S/U. Not more than 22 hours other than in January courses may be counted toward graduation. Courses counted toward Core Curriculum requirements, January term requirements, major requirements and teacher licensing requirements may not be taken S/U unless such courses are offered only on an S/U basis. Courses taken to fulfill requirements in a minor may be taken on an S/U basis. However, if a student subsequently elects a major in a discipline in which a course had been graded Satisfactory, that course (but not more than one) may be counted in the major requirements.

A student on academic probation may not petition to take any course S/U during the probationary semester.

To elect S/U in qualifying courses, the student must petition the registrar within the first ten days of the semester or the first three class days of January Term or summer session. No change in the grading type is permitted after the announced date.

Students selecting S/U grading are expected to participate in courses as though they were taking the courses normally. Professors are not advised that a student is taking S/U in a graded course, and professors submit grades as usual. The registrar transcribes grades of C- or higher as Satisfactory and lower grades as Unsatisfactory, and those become the only existing grades of record.

The Incomplete

A grade of Incomplete in regular courses is given only under the most compelling circumstances. Lack of adequate time to complete course requirements is ordinarily not sufficient cause to grant an I unless there has been serious illness or another extenuating circumstance that directly affects the completion of requirements and justifies additional time for one student that others do not have.

Instructors are encouraged to determine a grade that reflects work done in the course by the end of the term, and work not completed within the time allotted for all students should not ordinarily be included in the grade evaluation. Internships and directed studies may not conform to the academic calendar; and, therefore, instructors may request that grades be reported at a later specified date.

Requests for Incompletes are to be initiated by the student and supported by the course instructor by petitioning the dean of the University. The extension of time agreed upon by the instructor and student may be days or weeks depending on the work to be completed.

Extensions are not permitted beyond midterm of the following semester unless the student is not in residence, in which case the work must be completed by the end of the following semester. Failure to complete work by the agreed date will result in a grade of F for the course unless the Academic Concerns Committee approves an additional extension of time.

The Incomplete (I) grade is replaced in the electronic permanent record when the new grade is reported. Incomplete credit does not count toward that semester’s work until the grade is recorded by the registrar. Student athletes must be alert to implications for NAIA eligibility based on successful completion of minimum credits.

Any Incomplete carried into a semester and completed in that semester becomes a part of the cumulative record reviewed at the end of that semester. If a grade is reported which replaces an I prior to the beginning of the semester, the registrar will compute the grade index and show the work as having been completed. The Academic Concerns Committee determines any change in a student’s probationary status resulting from such grades reported before the beginning of the semester.

Repeating a Course

Students may repeat courses in which they have received an unsatisfactory grade of D, F or U. With the permission of the academic dean, they may also repeat courses in which they have received a grade of C or above.

The student registers for the course as a Repeat course and is charged tuition as with any other course. Should the student be unable to schedule a required course to be repeated before graduation, it may be necessary to arrange to take the course by tutorial instruction which will incur an additional charge.

Although both grade entries become part of the permanent record, only the Repeat course counts as credit toward graduation and is used in computing the cumulative grade point average.

Academic Recovery

Students who are readmitted with a poor academic record may qualify for Academic Recovery. Students who are granted AR have all work prior to a specified date before their readmission treated as though it had been completed on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis.

To be eligible for Academic Recovery, the student must not have been enrolled as a full-time student at Huntington for a period of at least three years before readmission and must have attained a grade point average of 2.3 or better in at least 12 hours of work completed after re-enrolling at Huntington. A student may be granted AR one time only.

If AR is granted, a complete record of all work taken, all grades received and the grade average at the time of the action remains on the student transcript. The transcript will include a notation of the Academic Recovery action indicating the date the action was granted.

All work completed prior to the requested Academic Recovery date will be calculated as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading and will no longer be included in the computation of grade point average. Work for which a grade of C- or higher was earned will be assigned a mark of S and may be counted toward completion of degree requirements. Course work for which a grade of less than C- was earned will be assigned a mark of U and will not count as earned hours and will not count toward any degree requirement.

Since all credits earned with a grade of less than C- are lost when AR is granted, students should carefully consider whether it is in their best interest to apply for Academic Recovery. A student wishing to request AR will submit a written request to the University registrar.

Correspondence Courses and Transient Study

Students who wish to take courses in residence at another institution while maintaining their academic standing at Huntington may register for courses as transient students at the other institution provided they have received prior permission from Huntington’s registrar who will provide written approval of courses eligible for transfer (see section on Transfer Students). This applies to January and summer courses as well as regular semesters.

Students who wish to take courses by correspondence from another institution must obtain prior approval from the registrar. No more than eight credits in correspondence courses may be counted toward a degree, and correspondence may not be used to complete Core Curriculum or teacher licensing requirements or courses to be counted toward the major, except by demonstrating in a petition to the Academic Concerns Committee that required courses cannot be taken as regular course offerings. Grades earned for correspondence courses are not included in the student’s grade point average.

Internships and Practica

Experiential learning opportunities place students in off-campus learning environments in which students apply class-room learning to a career field. Internship experiences are available to students who have achieved mastery of the theoretical foundations and basic skills of a career or profession and are culminating experiences in students’ career preparation. A practicum experience places a student in a practice learning situation and is exploratory rather than culminating.

Prior approval is required if students wish to earn college credit through experiential learning. Students may earn two to four credits for an internship experience and one to three credits for a practicum experience. The application process may be initiated through the students’ advisors or through the Enterprise Resource Center. Experiential learning opportunities are normally graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. Regular tuition rates apply for internships, practica and job shadow experiences during the academic year.

Summer internship and practicum credit hours are available to students at a discounted rate of 1/3 of regular summer tuition, and students are encouraged to register for the experience during the summer term in which they participate in the internship or practicum.

Students are allowed to register for summer internships and practica in the fall term immediately following the experience with advance approval of the faculty advisor and the Enterprise Resource Center. Internships and practica of this nature should require some work carrying over into the fall term, whether it is the final oral or written debriefing with the faculty advisor or another requirement of the project.

For experiences that do not occur during the summer, students must register for credit for the experience in the term of participation in the experience. Students whose internship or practicum experience overlaps two terms must register during one of the terms which the experience overlaps.

Grade Reports and Transcripts

Final semester grades are submitted by the instructor to the Office of the Registrar and are made available to the student and the advisor by that office. Students may access their grades via the Internet at myinfo.huntington.edu. Students who do not have access to the Internet at the time final grades are available may request paper copies of their grades in writing at the Office of the Registrar. Final grades are released to the student only by the registrar.

At midterm, unofficial grades of D and F only are submitted by instructors and provided to students as indicators of unsatisfactory progress in those courses. Midterm grades are not printed on the transcript and are not included in gpa calculations. Students are encouraged to meet with professors to discuss their work and to learn what may be required to per-form satisfactorily.

Students in good standing who have met all financial obligations may obtain without charge unofficial student copies of their complete transcripts from the Office of the Registrar, which will be stamped as Issued to Student. Students may also print their own unofficial academic records for personal use from the Internet at myinfo.huntington.edu. Requested official copies bearing the seal and signature of the registrar are sent directly to the designated employer, agency or graduate school only at the written request of the student. Federal law requires that the request be signed in writing and dated by the student.

Grievance Procedure for Academic Matters

In any university, disagreements will sometimes arise about grading and other academic matters. Huntington University wishes to resolve these matters in a respectful manner consistent with biblical principles.

In nearly all circumstances, the student should first seek to resolve the disagreement directly with the faculty member. If all possible means to resolve it directly with the faculty member have been exhausted, the student may resolve the disagreement using the following process. All complaints will be kept confidential to the extent permitted by law. No adverse action will be taken against the student filing the complaint.

1.        Grievance procedure for grades

a.    Students who wish to appeal the final grade for a course on the grounds that it was assigned arbitrarily or capriciously must first seek conciliation directly with the professor. If a satisfactory agreement cannot be reached through informal discussion, the student may seek to resolve the dispute through the following process.

b.     A written appeal to the vice president and dean of the University must be made within three weeks of the formal posting of semester grades by the registrar. The dean may grant exceptions to accept appeals after this length of time in the case of compelling extenuating circumstances.

c.    The student must provide the following information in support of the appeal. Appeals will not be processed until all materials have been provided to the vice president and dean of the University. The burden is on the student to show that the grade is arbitrary and capricious in light of the evidence.

i.         A written explanation of the basis for challenging the grade

ii.        Copies of all relevant graded assignments and examinations

iii.      A copy of the course syllabus as distributed to the class.

d.    The dean may ask the professor to provide similar documentation when necessary.

e.    The dean will examine the evidence provided to determine whether the grade was arbitrarily or capriciously assigned.

i.      If the determination is that the grade was not arbitrarily or capricious, the dean will sustain the professional judgment of the faculty member and the grade will stand. The dean will communicate this decision to the faculty member, division chair and the student.

ii.     In the event that the grade assignment is deter-mined to have been arbitrary or capricious, the dean will recommend that the faculty member change the grade. The new grade will be deter-mined by the faculty member, the dean and the faculty member’s division chair or appointed division member.

f.      Any appeal of the dean’s decision will be referred to a panel consisting of three members of Academic Concerns Committee. The panel’s decision is final and not subject to further appeal.

2.        Grievances about Other Academic Concerns

a.    Students who have concerns about other academic matters involving a faculty member should, in most cases, first seek conciliation with the faculty member.

b.     If student and faculty member cannot reach agreement or if the nature of the appeal is such that the student does not feel free to take the matter directly to the faculty member, the student should approach either the chair of the division or the vice president and dean of the University. In order for the University to evaluate and respond to the concern, the student must submit
a brief written statement that describes the concern. Supporting materials and documentation, if any, should be included with the written statement.

c.     The chair of division and the dean will coordinate efforts to address and to decide the resolution of the student’s concern.

d.    Either the student or faculty member may appeal this decision by presenting his or her case to the Academic Concerns Committee. The decision of the Committee is final and not subject to further appeal.

Accommodation Policy

In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990, Huntington University will make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. The director of the Learning Center is the advocate and coordinator of services for students with disabilities at Huntington University. Students with psychiatric, learning, orthopedic or sensory conditions, which substantially limit one or more major life areas, may require accommodations to be successful on campus and should call the Learning Center (260-359-4290) for further information.

Student Records and Privacy

When a student is enrolled at an institution of higher learning, a substantial amount of personal information and educational data is collected, maintained, used and disseminated. Students are encouraged to review the information available to them on the Internet at myinfo.huntington.edu. Huntington University recognizes and desires to protect the rights of privacy of the student over the age of 18, providing access to his or her educational data and the right to challenge the contents of his or her records for inaccurate or misleading information.

In general only those persons directly involved in the educational process have access to the student’s records unless the student gives written permission to release the information. Parents of dependent children have access to academic and disciplinary information.

Some information has been designated as directory information by the University. The University may release directory information to outside parties without the student’s prior consent. Directory information includes the following: name, identification number, address, home telephone number, date and place of birth, major fields of study, classification, participation in recognized activities and sports, photograph, dates of attendance, full-time and part-time status and degrees and awards received. Students may request that directory information not be disclosed by completing a request in the Office of the Registrar. The University maintains a complete policy statement in accord with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, published in the Student Handbook and obtainable from the Office of the Registrar.

Classification of Students

Full-time undergraduate students who are pursuing a degree are designated as regular students and classified as freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors according to the following:

Full-time students are those enrolled for at least 12 hours in a given semester, and part-time students are those enrolled for less than 12 hours.

First-time freshmen are students who have not previously been regularly admitted students in a recognized institution of higher learning during a regular term.

Unclassified students are those whose transfer of credits is incomplete or pending.

Special students are those enrolled as auditors or visitors or taking a credit course but not planning to complete a recognized program of study. A special student application does not require full admission.

Post-graduate students are those who have already completed a recognized baccalaureate degree and are enrolled in undergraduate courses.

Graduate students are those enrolled in the Graduate School of Christian Ministries or the Master of Education program who have completed a recognized baccalaureate degree. Full-time graduate students are those enrolled for at least six hours in a given semester, and half-time graduate students are those enrolled for at least four hours. Special graduate students are those who do not meet regular admission requirements or who do not wish to take graduate
courses for credit.

Designations of Honors

Each year in the Honors Convocation the challenge is given to students, faculty and administration to strive for excellence in academic and scholarly performances. The Honors Convocation provides a public opportunity to recognize those who have excelled in the previous semester and college career.

Dean’s List honors designation is made at the end of each semester to those students who are classified as regular students and who have been enrolled full-time with a load of 12 hours or more in graded courses earning at least 42 grade points with a semester gpa of at least 3.50.

Alpha Chi Honor Society selection is limited to juniors and seniors who rank in the upper ten percent of their classes and who are elected to the Indiana Beta Chapter of the national honor society by the faculty.

Graduation honors are accorded students receiving baccalaureate degrees with appropriate cumulative gpa’s. At least 60 hours must have been completed at Huntington with the minimum gpa, and the student’s combined overall record at Huntington and previous institutions must also be above the minimum grade index. In the traditional undergraduate program, a bachelor's degree is conferred cum laude upon students with a cumulative gpa of 3.50, conferred magna cum laude upon students with a cumulative gpa of 3.70 and summa cum laude upon students with a cumulative gpa of 3.85. Students graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the EXCEL Program with a cumulative gpa of 3.70 will be graduated with honor. Honors are calculated for July graduates upon completion of all requirements and are not noted on the Commencement bulletin.

Academic Probation

A student who fails to meet minimum scholastic standards is placed on academic probation. The grade point average (gpa) is the average grade points per credit hour computed by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of semester hours attempted at Huntington, not including Incompletes, courses graded S/U, courses replaced with a Repeat course or courses withdrawn with a W before the end of the tenth week of the semester.

At the end of any semester in which a student fails to meet the minimum cumulative gpa required for good standing, the student is placed on academic probation by the Academic Concerns Committee. The student will be on academic probation for the following semester that he or she is in attendance at Huntington University.

Minimum Grade Point Average for Range of Semester Hours Attempted

1.70      Less than 26 hours attempted

1.80      26 but less than 42 hours

1.90      42 but less than 58 hours

2.00      58 or more hours

Semester hours attempted for minimum gpa include all hours in courses attempted at Huntington as well as those attempted at other institutions, whether or not such courses were transferable.

Any student whose cumulative or semester gpa falls below a 1.0 will be required to withdraw from the University or placed on probation even though the cumulative average is satisfactory. Any conditionally admitted student whose gpa falls below 1.0 will be dismissed from further attendance.

Special students may be refused permission to re-enroll for any semester based on past poor scholastic achievement and are not eligible for probation.

Academic Support Contracts and Conditions of Academic Probation

Students on academic probation are permitted to continue their enrollment under the conditions outlined in the academic support contracts developed with the probationary students by the director of learning assistance. Conditions designated in the contract include a reduction of course load to not more than 12 to 13 hours and limitations on participation in co-curricular activities. Additional conditions may include, but are not limited to, reduction or elimination of non-university activities, required study assistance, limits on work commitments, mandatory counseling, arranging for alternative housing, required class attendance and any other measures recommended by the director of learning assistance or the Academic Concerns Committee to ensure concentration on the academic program. Students are automatically registered for SS 102 Guided Studies Program when they are placed
on academic probation. Students on academic probation are accountable to the director of learning assistance and the Academic Concerns Committee and are expected to abide by any restrictions established by those individuals as a condition of attendance. Students admitted on probation are subject to the same requirements.

Students admitted, placed or continued on academic probation must contact the director of learning assistance before the first day of the semester to make arrangements to meet individually with the director before the second full week of classes to develop and sign the academic support contract. The terms of the academic support contract are required conditions for continued attendance for probationary students, and students are expected to honor them. Failure to contact the director before classes begin or to follow through on any requirements placed on probationary students may result in the students’ immediate dismissal from the University.

Students on academic probation may not participate in public performances or intercollegiate contests of any kind, nor may student athletes attend practices. Students on probation may not be candidates for positions of honor, such as the Homecoming Court, may not hold office or any other responsible position in organizations, be a member of Student Senate or the Student Activities Board, be a member of a Campus Ministries leadership team, be editors or business managers of student publications, be cheerleaders or student managers of athletic teams, participate in theatrical productions in either technical or performance roles, participate in University broadcasting or forensic activities or participate in University musical performances unless exceptions are specifically designated in the academic support contract. The Academic Concerns Committee has final authority over the conditions placed on students on academic probation.

The period of academic probation begins on the first official day of classes of the students’ next term following the semester for which the assessments of academic performance are made and continues through the full semester of attendance. Disciplinary probation may go into effect at any point in the term.

Students on academic probation are consequently subject to the restrictions designated in the academic support contract and ineligible for various activities effective with the first official day of classes of the next semester they are in attendance. At the end of each semester, the Academic Concerns Committee reviews all completed work to date and the recommendation of the director of learning assistance to determine whether students may be removed from probation or be asked to withdraw from the University.

Students are neither placed on probation nor removed from probation on the basis of a record achieved while carrying less than eight semester hours except that students who fail to achieve a 1.0 may be placed on probation or advised to with-draw. Neither a record achieved in January Term nor summer session is the basis in and of itself for placing students on or releasing students from probation; grades achieved in such sessions are included in the cumulative record reviewed at the end of the subsequent semester. Grades earned at another institution are not considered when releasing students from probation.

Any students who are on probation for poor scholarship and who fail to earn the required minimum gpa at the end of the subsequent semester of attendance are not permitted to re-enroll except that students who achieve a C semester average may be allowed to petition to continue for an additional semester. The Academic Concerns Committee must be persuaded that there is reasonable expectation of success and that reasonable progress is being made toward the completion of the degree objective. The Committee may require a higher semester average than C for continued enrollment on probation.

Students denied permission to continue because of poor scholarship may apply for readmission on academic probation after one or two semesters provided the students’ records give evidence of ability to succeed. Students who were initially admitted on limited load or who have performed unsatisfactorily in their first year and have been subsequently dismissed are not likely to be readmitted. Students applying for readmission must demonstrate a reasonable expectation of success in their written appeal to the academic dean before readmission by the admissions counselor can be considered. Students twice dismissed will not be given consideration for readmission.

Disciplinary Probation

The Office of the Vice President for Student Development may place students on disciplinary probation for misconduct and disregard of the established social rules and regulations. Disciplinary probation may go into effect at any point in the term.  Procedures and appeal processes are described in the Student Handbook.

Disciplinary probation precludes students’ participation in co-curricular activities and may include restriction to the campus or suspension from classes. If the misconduct persists or if disciplinary probation occurs during two consecutive semesters, or more than twice during the four years of attendance, dismissal from the University will result. Dismissed students may not be readmitted until sufficient time has elapsed since their dismissal and the vice president for student development has approved a petition for readmission which demonstrates reasonable expectation for conformance to community standards of the University.

Eligibility for Activities on Disciplinary Probation

Students on disciplinary or social probation may not participate in public performances or intercollegiate contests of any kind, nor may a student athlete attend practices. Students on disciplinary probation may not be candidates for positions of honor, such as the Homecoming Court, may not hold office or any other responsible position in organizations, be a member of Student Senate or the Student Activities Board, be a member of a Campus Ministries leadership team, be editors or business managers of student publications, be cheerleaders or student managers of athletic teams, participate in theatrical productions in either technical or performance roles, participate in University broadcasting or forensic activities or participate in University musical performances unless exceptions are specifically designated by the Office of the Vice President for Student Development. Disciplinary probation may also preclude off-campus involvement in the wider community, e.g. student teaching, PRIME Experience, volunteer service activities through the Joe Mertz Center and any other activities designated by the Office of the Vice President for Student Development.

Academic Honesty

The academic community places high value on intellectual honesty. Representation of work as one’s own but taken from another source by plagiarism or cheating is a serious offense, the penalty for which will result in failure for the paper or exam and may result in failure for the course and possible dismissal from the University. In addition to academic sanctions that may be imposed, students may also be placed on disciplinary probation as a consequence of cheating.

Plagiarism is the use of the ideas, information or wording of another without proper acknowledgement, leaving the false impression that the material is original with the student. Students will be held responsible for knowing the difference between legitimate and illegitimate use of source material.

Dismissal from University

If students are persistent in behavior contrary to the standards of the University or placed on disciplinary probation during two consecutive semesters or more than twice while enrolled, or is sufficiently disruptive and, in the judgment of the University, threatening to the general welfare of the campus community, the University reserves the right to dismiss the students and to require the immediate vacating of University housing and the campus. Such action to dismiss students is taken only by the president or his official designee. The students concede the right of the University to take such actions when necessary by their acceptance of admission.