GENERAL ACADEMIC POLICIES

PLACEMENT TESTING

All students who apply for matriculation into a degree or certificate program may be required to take placement tests in English and mathematics. Any non-degree-seeking student who wishes to take an English or mathematics course must take the placement test prior to registering. Students who have successfully transferred an acceptable college course in English and/or completed four years of English with an average of 80 or higher, and/or an acceptable college course in mathematics from another college will not be required to take that portion of the exam.

RULES AND REGULATIONS

As an enrolled Cayuga student, you are expected to follow College rules and regulations as well as all local, state and federal laws. Incidents of misconduct and violation of the Student Code of Conduct are reported to the Director of the Centers for Student Engagement and Academic Advisement, convener of the Faculty/Student Judicial Review Committee. If you are found in violation, you may be subject to disciplinary action ranging from admonition to expulsion.

STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT AND STUDENT HANDBOOK

Student conduct procedures, the student code of conduct, and a complete list of possible sanctions are detailed in the student handbook. Additionally, a separate handbook (Right to Know) relating to Cayuga’s drug and alcohol policy, prevention of sexual harassment, and campus safety and crime statistics is distributed annually to each student.

Besides being familiar with the Student Code of Conduct, each student should be aware of the following rules:

  1. According to New York State law, firearms are not permitted on campus or in any College building. Also, any instrument to be used as a weapon and explosives of any kind are not permitted on campus.
  2. Use, distribution or possession of illegal substances is not permitted on campus. Such use, distribution or possession is a violation of college regulations and is subject to action by the College.
  3. The use, possession and distribution of alcoholic beverages is not permitted on any and all locations operated by Cayuga Community College for employees, students, and its visitors, except for an occasion expressly sponsored by the President’s Office. The policy regarding such events is available in the Student Handbook.
  4. Cayuga Community College is a tobacco-free campus. Tobacco use of any kind is prohibited anywhere on campus or college property.

The College may initiate disciplinary proceedings for off-campus incidents involving violations of the Student Code of Conduct when the violation is committed while participating in a College sanctioned or sponsored activity, the violation adversely affects the educational or service function of the college, or the violation adversely affects the individual’s suitability as a member of the College community.

In determining whether to exercise off-campus jurisdiction in such cases, the Director of the Centers for Student Engagement and Academic Advisement will consider the seriousness of the alleged offense, the risk of harm involved, and/or whether the off-campus conduct is part of a series of actions which occurred both on and off campus.

LATE REGISTRATION

Students may change their schedules during the drop/add late registration period. However, the missed classes that occurred before the student added the course may, at the discretion of the instructor, count as absences in the student’s attendance record for that course.

DROPPING AND ADDING COURSES

Students may drop and add courses through their MyCayuga account until the day before a class begins. If you want to add or drop a course after the course has started, you must do so through the Registrar’s Office or by seeing your advisor. During the drop and add period, students can make adjustments to their schedule without receiving a withdrawal (W) on their academic record. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for detailed registration deadlines.

WAITLIST

Students can add themselves to a course waitlist if the section is full. Students are notified if a seat becomes available via their college email and have twenty-four hours to register. After the twenty-four-hour time period has passed, the next student on the waitlist is notified of the availability. The waitlist process expires the day a course begins and students should work with their advisors during the drop/add period if they were unable to complete their schedule of classes.

WITHDRAWAL FROM THE COLLEGE

If you want to withdraw from the College, you must obtain a formal withdrawal form from the Centers for Student Engagement and Academic Advisement, complete and return the form to the Registrar’s Office. Unless this procedure is followed, your withdrawal will not be official, and you will not qualify for a refund if the withdrawal is done during the refund period for that particular semester. A withdrawal after the refund period has ended will result in a W grade for each course in which you were enrolled.

COURSE WITHDRAWAL POLICY

Students may withdraw from a course up until the 60% mark of the course and receive a “W” on their transcript. The student must initiate the withdrawal procedure through the Registrar’s Office before 5:00 p.m. on the date of the 60% mark of the course. Please refer to the College Calendar for the specific date of the last day for students to initiate a withdrawal from a course for each term.

DOCUMENTED COURSE WITHDRAWAL PROCEDURE

After the 60% mark of the semester, a student may not withdraw from a course unless, in the judgment of the course instructor, he or she has a serious, documented reason for doing so.

If the student has a serious reason to seek course withdrawal after the 60% mark of the course (such as illness or death in the family), he or she should discuss course withdrawal with the course instructor. The student must provide documentation in the form of a Documented Late Course Withdrawal Form, available from the Registrar’s Office, along with supporting documentation, such as a health care provider’s verification of student illness (physical or psychological) or of major illness of an immediate family member; copy of obituary, listing relationship of deceased to student; letter from student’s employer; or written statement explaining extenuating circumstances. This form and documentation must be submitted to the course instructor for review. If in the judgment of the instructor the student’s request for late withdrawal is valid, the instructor at his or her discretion may then issue the student a “W” for the course. The faculty will bring the Documented Late Course Withdrawal Form and the appropriate documentation to the Registrar’s Office, where it will be kept on file, by the Documented Course Withdrawal Deadline, as described in the following paragraph.

No later than the last day of classes for the semester, the student must have all necessary paperwork complete for a documented course withdrawal. That is, the student must acquire the necessary documentation previously; he or she must have the necessary forms signed by the instructor; and the paperwork must be in the Registrar’s Office before 5:00 p.m. on the last day of class. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for the specific date of the last day of classes for each term.
Late withdrawals can have serious impacts on the financial aid of students and the finances of the institution. Therefore, the use of late withdrawals should be limited. Students are cautioned to speak with the Financial Aid Office before withdrawing from a course, as withdrawing may compromise their financial aid.

PLAGIARISM POLICY

WITHDRAWAL RESULTING IN A GRADE OF “F”

In cases of plagiarism or academic dishonesty, an instructor may apply a failing grade which preempts a student’s right to withdraw from the course. To apply the failing grade, the instructor should have indicated the potential consequence of plagiarism or academic dishonesty on the course outline, defined or given examples of same on the course outline, and ensured distribution of the course outline to all students in the class. There must be solid evidence of the alleged plagiarism or academic dishonesty if a failing grade is to be assigned under these circumstances. The decision to assign a failing grade under these circumstances must be made in consultation with the appropriate division chair. Students may challenge such a grade only through the academic grievance process.

CANCELLATION OF CLASSES

If the registration in any course is insufficient, the course may be canceled at the discretion of the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs.

INDIVIDUAL / INDEPENDENT STUDY

Under special circumstances it is possible to complete a course through individual or independent study. Details are available from division chairs.

AUDITING COURSES

The intention to register for an audit or change from credit status to audit status must be given to the Registrar’s Office by the 10th class day of a 15-week course. Credit is not granted for audited courses.

To audit a course, the following guidelines apply:

  • Students who wish to audit a course after late registration must have the instructor’s permission.
  • There are no requirements for audit other than attendance.
  • Students must meet college attendance requirements or the audit will be changed to W.
  • Students must pay regular tuition for an audit.
  • On a space-available basis, senior citizens (age 60 or older) with valid identification may audit credit courses at no tuition charge; certain fees may apply.

DEFINITION OF FULL-TIME STATUS

Fall, spring or summer: Full-time status is defined as 12 or more credit hours of study per semester. Permission of the division chair is required to exceed 15 credit hours per semester. January intersession: Permission to exceed 6 credit hours is required from the division chair.

A credit hour is equivalent to 750 minutes of instruction. A laboratory credit hour is equivalent to 1,500 to 2,250 minutes of instruction.

CLASSROOM VISITS

Cayuga students other than those registered for a scheduled classroom course are permitted to visit that classroom under the following conditions.

  • With the instructor’s approval, a Cayuga student who is registered in another section of a course may attend the alternative section for up to three class meetings. Attending more than three class meetings will require the written approval of the instructor and the appropriate division chair.
  • With the instructor’s approval, a registered Cayuga student who is not enrolled in a particular classroom course may attend one class meeting of the course. Any additional visits will require the written approval of the instructor and appropriate division chair.