Accidents

When an accident of any kind involving students or visitors occurs on campus, the Health Services nurse and the Vice President for Student Services should be notified immediately.

In the case of accidents or other medical emergencies College personnel should not, under any circumstances, make any statements causing those involved to believe that the College will pay for necessary medical treatment.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

It is the intent of NPCC to work toward full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and to make their facilities accessible to students, staff and visitors and to make the various instructional programs accessible to all people, or to provide reasonable accommodations according to the law. It is the policy of NPCC that no individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, and advantages or accommodations at the College.

Cellular Telephones Issued to Employees
Policy Number: 11.800

Eligibility and Approval

Cellular telephones and services may be provided to certain National Park Community College employees to conduct activities incident to their College employment that either cannot be conducted on a landline telephone or for which it would be inefficient to use a landline telephone. Requests for cellular telephones must be approved by the employee’s supervisor (who will determine need), the Purchasing Officer/Buyer and the Vice President for Financial Affairs. Cellular telephones distributed to staff members are the property of the College. Cellular telephones will be returned to the College if the employee discontinues employment at the College. Final paychecks may be withheld pending return of cellular telephones.

Policy

The Internal Revenue Service has taken a position that the use of cell phones and data phone devices by employees for commingled business and personal purposes must be taxed as a fringe benefit by the employer. Consequently, National Park Community College (NPCC) will begin taxing college-issued cell phone devices effective January 1, 2008.

Procedure

• All college employees will be given an opportunity to retain or return their college-issued cell device. Those who return the device will not be taxed while those who retain them will be taxed at their current personal tax rate.
• NPCC will standardize on one cell phone with the brand to be designated periodically by the college. An employee wishing to have features other than those offered in the available programs must have approval of his or her supervisor and the Vice President for Financial Affairs.
• The college will tax the benefit monthly over two pay periods.
• NPCC will provide the cell phone devices at the college’s cost.
• Employees exceeding the standard minute plan will be billed monthly for the overage unless the overage is proven to be business calls.
• Employees who do not wish to be taxed may return their device and purchase one privately with their own personal funds and be reimbursed by the College for business calls only up to a reasonable maximum limit. Spam, personal messages, and personal text messages will not be reimbursed. Only legitimate business calls and business emails may be reimbursed.
• Employees required to have a cell phone such as on-call personnel, etc. may sign a statement indicating they will not use the phone for personal calls and therefore, will not be taxed. Violation of this agreement would require the employee to be taxed.

Supervisors will be required to review the monthly statements to insure violations do not occur.

• This policy will:
  • Place the responsibility on the supervisor to review monthly billings to assure no policy violations occur;
  • Bring NPCC in compliance with recent IRS rulings concerning the use of cell phone devices as they relate to taxable fringe benefits.

Damage, Loss, or Theft

Handsets or other equipment that is damaged in the course of business should be brought to the campus Purchasing Officer/Buyer, who will contact the vendor for replacement or repair. Lost or stolen cellular equipment should be immediately reported to the employee’s supervisor, to Campus Security and to the Purchasing Officer/Buyer so that the service can be cancelled. All costs incurred for replacement or repair will be the responsibility of the employee’s department.

Employer Liability

Employers can be liable for problems or incidents created by an employee’s use of cellular telephones while driving if a company provides the cellular telephones, or if cellular telephone use is necessary or encouraged as part of their job. Employees are to exercise caution and good judgment while using cellular telephones while driving. Failure to do so could result in the loss of use of College cellular telephones.

Computing and Telecommunications

National Park Community College’s computing and telecommunications networks, computing equipment and computing resources are owned by the College and are provided primarily to support the academic and administrative functions of the College. Federal and state laws, and College policies and procedures govern the use of these resources. Additional rules and regulations may be adopted by various divisions/departments to meet specific administrative or academic needs. Any adopted requirements must be in compliance with applicable federal and state laws, and this policy.

To assure that everyone uses these facilities in an ethical and professional manner, students must abide by the Student Computer/Network Acceptable Use policy. A copy of this policy in its entirety is available via the college’s web site, at the Help Desk in the Computer Resource Center, and in the NPCC Student Handbook. Any violation of this policy may result in the revocation or suspension of access privileges by the Department of computer Services with review by the appropriate academic or administrative authority

Student Computer/Network Acceptable Use Policy

Introduction

National Park Community College 's computing and telecommunications networks, computing equipment and computing resources are owned by the College and are provided primarily to support the academic and administrative functions of the College. Federal and state laws, and College policies and procedures govern the use of these resources. Additional rules and regulations may be adopted by various divisions/departments to meet specific administrative or academic needs. Any adopted requirements must be in compliance with applicable federal and state laws, and this policy.

Regulatory Limitations

The College may monitor access to the equipment and networking structures and systems for the following purposes:

1. To ensure the security and operating performance of its systems and networks.
2. To enforce College policies.
3. The right to limit access when federal or state laws or College policies are violated or where College contractual obligations or College operations may be impeded.

The College may authorize confidential passwords or other secure entry identification; however, student s have no expectation of privacy in the material sent or received by them over the College computing systems or networks. While general content review will not be undertaken, monitoring of this material may occur for the reasons specified above.

All material posted to or sent over College computing and other telecommunications equipment, systems or networks must be accurate and must correctly identify the creator (E-mail, etc. account owners must be identifiable).

User Rights

Access to computing supported by NPCC is granted contingent on that access not be misused. If that access is misused, it can be withdrawn at any time. Further action may be taken as a result of serious offenses.

Privacy and Privilege

All Users must respect the privacy and usage privileges of others, both on the NPCC campus and at all sites reachable by NPCC's external network connections.

Users will not intentionally seek information on account passwords. Nor will they obtain copies of other User's passwords. Users will not modify files, data, or passwords belonging to other Users. Users will not develop, download, or execute programs for these purposes.

Users must preserve and protect the privacy, dignity, well-being, and informed consent of all participants.

NPCC Computer Resource Center Lab Rules

• Immediately notify the Lab Manager/Instructor of any problems.
• Do not share your user account or password with anyone including a friend, family member, or other individual. Each account is assigned to a single individual, who is responsible for all computer usage under that account.
• All users must log off after they have finished with the computer. This is to protect your account and our computing system from mischievous users. Users not logging off will have their account disabled until they contact the Help Desk.
• Do not wastefully print. Be familiar with the NPCC Computer Resource Center Printing Policy.
• Do not attempt to bypass security restrictions in ANY way.
• Do not behave in a manner that affects the ability of others to study.
• Do not bring food or drinks into the lab.
• Do not view pornographic or other offensive material which, when viewed by others in the lab, would be disruptive or constitute sexual harassment in violation of NPCC policy. If it is required for a class that you view material which could be offensive to others, you may provide the Computer Lab Supervisor with a written request from the instructor and proper arrangements will be made.
• Do not download or install any software to the local workstation. You may only download to a floppy disk or pen drive.
• Do not edit, add, or delete material from the C: drive.
• Do not change the default settings on applications or the workstation.
• Recreational use of computers during busy times is not permitted. For example, non-course related internet surfing, non-course related email, or listening to music. Students doing course work have priority in using the computers. Other users may be asked to log off when the lab is near capacity.
• Do not copy any College software. Site licenses must be maintained accurately.
• Do not participate in Chat sessions, nor download Chat software. Chatting is allowed ONLY in instructor-directed formal classroom instruction.
• Do not use the NPCC computer labs for commercial gain, private profit, or other resource consuming activities such as playing online games, downloading games or music, “MUD”, chatting, spamming, chain letters, or any other mass mailings.
• Children are only allowed in the lab if accompanied by an adult. If the child disrupts the ability of other to study, you will be asked to leave.
• Do abide by all federal, state, local laws, and College policies.

NPCC Computer Resource Center Printing Policy

NPCC recognizes that student s need to print in the course of doing academic work. The College also recognizes its responsibility to discourage waste and to recover some of the cost of printing on campus. Accordingly, all student s will be given an allotment of free printing each semester and charged for printing above that amount. Print quotas may be allocated based on a student 's course enrollment. Unused print quotas do not carry over to the next semester. The cost of printing will vary based on whether it is a black and white print or a color print. The current cost for printing is $0.05 per page for black and white prints and $0.25 per page for color prints. All costs are subject to change as needed. There will be no refunds for print credits not used.

• The printers in the labs are intended to serve the individual printing needs of users.
• The printers are not a replacement for photocopy machines. Users who need multiple copies (more than 2) of a document should print a master copy and then photocopy it. The NPCC Library offers photocopying services.
• All student s will be allotted a specific number of pages they are allowed to print. The print quota is maintained by the network and users will be notified when they are near the printing limit. Print quotas are subject to change as needed. Students will be allowed to purchase additional printing services if they reach their quota. You are responsible for your own account. In order to prevent someone else from stealing your print credits, Log Off any lab computer when you are finished working.
• Any and all PowerPoint presentations MUST be printed in either “OUTLINE” mode or “HANDOUTS” (6 slides per page) mode. PowerPoint presentations are usually lengthy and require a large amount of network and printing resources to print. Please be patient in printing as these documents usually take longer to print. PowerPoint presentations are usually for the student 's reference and not a requirement for classroom lecture.
• All non- student users will be allowed to purchase printing services. There will be a predetermined cost per page for printing. Printing services may be purchased in $5 increments in the Business Office and the receipt brought to the Help Desk in the Computer Center . The user will then have the ability to print until they have reached their quota. At that time they may again purchase additional printing services. There will be no refunds for print credits not used.

Users are not permitted to print the following:

• Material offensive to others
• Material for business related purposes or financial gain
• Any other material needing multiple copies (more than 2 copies)
• Users are not to interfere with the operation of any lab printer. Including loading paper, removing paper jams, or using the printer console.
• This includes removing pages from the printer while it is still printing. This is to insure that the pages for any user's print job are not shuffled or misplaced. Periodically, the lab assistant will remove print jobs that have not been picked up from the printer and place in the holding tray at the Help Desk. At the end of the day, any print outs not picked up will be discarded.
• Users are not permitted to use the manual feed tray.

Therefore you may not print labels, envelopes, or anything requiring special paper.

Drug-Free Campus

National Park Community College is committed to maintaining a drug-free campus environment for students and employees. The Board of Trustees opposes the unlawful manufacture, distribution, possession or use of a controlled substance by any employee or student.

The President or his designee shall direct a drug-free awareness program to inform students and employees of the dangers of drug abuse, the availability of drug counseling, rehabilitation, student and employee assistance programs, and the penalties for drug abuse violations.

The College adheres to Public Law 101-226, as mandated by the United States Department of Education. (PL 101-226 is on file in the Office of the Vice President for Student Services)

Fire

In the event of fire any person may sound the fire alarm. A student should notify the nearest faculty or staff member to ensure that the Piney Fire Department is called promptly.

Staff members and students should know where fire extinguishers are located and are asked to use them if possible.

Everyone should evacuate the building and move to safety. The person reporting the fire should remain available to give the location to the proper authority and explain any necessary details.

Lab Safety

The health and safety of NPCC students is of primary concern whether on campus or attending high school sponsored activities. Policies, procedures, and guidelines pertaining to health and safety must be followed for the protection of all. Students are required to adhere to all safety procedures and utilize safety and protective equipment in all lab settings. Eye protection will be worn while operating machinery. Appropriate attire is required in shop areas.

In the event of an accident or minor medical requirements, first aid supplies are available in each lab area, administration, student services and the student center.

These procedures will be followed:

1. At the occurrence of an accident, the student will notify the instructor or responsible staff member immediately;
2. For the safety of all, minor cuts or abrasions must be given proper medical attention;
3. An accident report must be completed and turned in to the administration office.

Safety instruction is included in all lab areas. Students are to observe all policies and regulations pertaining to safety throughout the campus. If it is necessary to transport a student to a medical facility and an ambulance is not required, the student will be taken by designated NPCC personnel.

Reporting Criminal Violations

Upon receiving a signed allegation of a criminal violation, the President or a designee will notify the proper law enforcement officials. Students, faculty, or staff members wishing to report a criminal violation that they feel has occurred on the NPCC campus or at a NPCC sponsored activity shall put the allegation in writing, sign the statement, and present this statement to the Office of the President or a designee should the President not be available.

Inclement Weather

National Park Community College will continue to address inclement weather situations similarly to past practices and consistent with the Governor’s Policy Directive and the NPCC Board policy. The general policy is that NPCC does not close due to inclement weather if at all avoidable. However, the obligation to provide services to the citizens of the area must be balanced with the risk of danger to students and employees.

The President or the Vice President for Instruction will determine when the inclement weather policy is implemented based on area weather conditions. Local media, listed below, will be used to notify students and employees of policy implementation. The state policy provisions regarding late arrival and leave time will apply to NPCC employees.

In the event of early morning severe inclement weather conditions in the NPCC area, the President or Vice President for Instruction will determine whether to cancel classes or delay their start and will publicly announce between 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. if possible. If there is a delayed start, classes will begin at 10 a.m. with the classes as regularly scheduled at 10 a.m. The decision to declare the inclement weather policy into effect for evening classes will be made by mid-afternoon and announced between 3:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. if possible. Announcements affecting Saturday classes will be made between 7:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. when possible. Please announce the time schedule and stations to your classes.

In an effort to inform students, staff, and faculty of any college closing due to inclement weather, the following radio and TV stations will be notified:

Radio

• Hot Springs: KLAZ 105.9 FM , KXOW 1420 AM, KQUS 97.5 FM
• Hot Springs Village: KVRE 92.9 FM

Television

• Little Rock KATV Channel 7
• KTHV Channel 11
• KARK Channel 4

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment of students is illegal in accordance with section 703 of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and/or Title IX of the Elementary/ Secondary Act of 1972.

The College is committed to providing an environment of study and work free from sexual harassment. Sexual harassment of students is prohibited in and out of the classroom and in the evaluation of students' academic performance.

Unwelcome sexual advances toward any student should be reported to the Vice President for Student Services. Counselors, instructors, and any other employees who know of such situations are instructed to help students get such complaints to the Human Relations Coordinator, if assistance is needed. The student should follow the procedural guidelines established in the NPCC Sexual Harassment Policy.

Sexual Offender Registration

As of November 2002, anyone who wishes to inquire about a registered sex offender in Garland County may come by the Vice President for Student Services’ office on the third floor of the Gerald Fisher Campus Center (Room 327) between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Your request will be reviewed, and if necessary referred to the appropriate agency.

Stalking

The State of Arkansas has established that stalking is a crime under Act 379, effective March 8, 1993, (available in the Vice President for Student Services' Office). The law against stalking encompasses such courses of conduct as harassment (physical, written, telephone, telegraph, or any other form of written communication), terroristic threatening, following a person, insults, taunts, or challenging a person in a manner likely to provoke a violent or disorderly response.

Student Right to Know and Campus Security Act Report

A prospective or currently enrolled student has the right to request graduation or completion and/or job placement rates of National Park Community College students as well as the annual Campus Security Report. These documents are available in the Registrar’s Office, located on the 3rd floor of the Fisher Campus Center.

Graduation Rates

Click here to view the graduation rates for 2004 - 2007.

Statistics

No arrests have occurred as a result of crimes committed on campus for the past year. (July 1, 2006 - July 31, 2007).

Reporting Crimes

Criminal acts on campus should be reported immediately to the Vice President for Student Services, other administrators, or evening security officer.

Security

At least one administrator is on campus at all times, an evening security officer is on duty, and we are located one block from headquarters of Troop K of the Arkansas State Police.

Security Awareness Programs

Information in the form of publications, video programs, and crime awareness seminars will be provided students and staff throughout the year.

Legal Sanctions

Students arrested for crimes committed on campus are subject to criminal penalties under local, state, and federal law.

College Sanctions for Violation

Any arrest on campus may subject the student to appropriate disciplinary action up to and including suspension from college.

Criminal Offenses - On Campus

In accordance with Title IV Federal Financial Aid requirements and the US Department of Education requirements, NPCC provides the following information to prospective and current students and to the campus community:

Title IX Compliance

Students, their parents, and employees of NPCC are hereby notified that the College does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational activities and employment practices. Any person having inquiries concerning NPCC compliance with Title IX is directed to contact the Vice President for Student Services Office on the third floor of the Gerald Fisher Campus Center or by telephoning (501) 760-4203.

Tobacco-Free Campus

Use of tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco, is prohibited in all buildings on the NPCC campus. Use of tobacco products is permitted outside NPCC buildings.

Tornado Alert

An alert will be given on campus to indicate that a tornado warning has been issued for Garland County by the National Weather Bureau. In case of a tornado alert, students and staff should take cover in a lower level corridor, basement area free of glass exposure to the outside, or in spaces on the southwest side of a building below ground level.

The following suggested areas of cover are recommended: Campus Center - 1st floor in Bookstore and student activity room; Math and Science Building - lower level Art Department; Library - rest rooms; Liberal Arts Building - lower level south side of the building; Faculty Offices - rest rooms; Health Sciences Building - lower level, south side; Gymnasium - hallways, away from windows. Computer Center - lower level, south side classrooms away from windows.

All personnel should keep away from windows and, if possible, seek the protection of a table or desk. The greatest hazard of a tornado is flying glass and debris. If a person is unable to secure the protection of a building and is caught outdoors, a depression in the ground such as a gully, culvert, or deep ditch is better protection than nothing at all. Regardless, if caught outside during a storm, lie flat on the ground to reduce the hazard of being hit by flying objects.

Academic Honesty

Academic integrity is a vital element of any learning community. NPCC faculty hold themselves to the highest standards in this regard, and expect their students to do the same. Students who compromise the integrity of academic inquiry are subject to disciplinary action on the part of the college. A violation of academic honesty may include (but is not limited to) the following:

• Cheating on written examinations, quizzes or other written work.
• Plagiarism - the use of another's intellectual property (thought, writing, etc.) without proper reference/citation, whether directly quoted or paraphrased.
• Giving or receiving unauthorized assistance during a test.
• Falsification, forgery, or alteration of academic records.
• Obtaining or attempting to obtain copies of a non-circulating examination.

Penalties for breaches of academic integrity may include receiving an F for the assignment in question, receiving an F for the course, and/or dismissal from the course. In extreme cases, the administration reserves the right to suspend the student from all studies at the college.

General Education Objectives

Students enrolling in a college need to prepare themselves to be well-informed and responsible citizens for a complex and culturally diverse world. It is the intent of National Park Community College to provide general education that will enhance common knowledge, intellectual concepts, and attitudes that every educated person should possess regardless of their career paths.

The College will ensure that the general education offered is consistent with its missions and designed to ensure breadth of knowledge and to promote intellectual inquiry. The College also recognizes the importance of general education related studies as integral components of technical education.

The College will strive through general education to lead the student to:

• Write and speak clearly, concisely, and coherently;
• Reason and think logically and clearly;
• Understand world cultures, past, and present;
• Apply mathematics to solve problems.

Student Outcomes Assessment

Systematic assessment of student learning is an integral element of the College's academic programs. National Park Community College students participate in a variety of assessments throughout their course of study. These multiple assessments are a required part of the educational experience. Information collected in the assessment process is used to identify relative strengths and weaknesses in academic programs or courses, thus facilitating systematic improvement of teaching and learning at the College. Data collected from assessment activities is kept confidential and will not affect the student's academic standing in regular course work.

Attendance & Class Work

Regular attendance is a critical element in student success. Therefore, students are expected to attend all regularly scheduled class sessions and to complete all assigned class work. Instructors will provide written attendance policies that outline how attendance may affect students' final grades.

Except for extreme circumstances, students are not permitted to be absent from scheduled tests without prior approval of the instructor. Make-up arrangement with an instructor are the responsibility of the student.

If a student is judged to be absent excessively, the instructor will report this immediately to the Counseling Center for a follow-up action. The Counseling Center will arrange a counseling session with the student and instructor. Every effort will be made by faculty and staff to help the student with any academic difficulty.

Throughout this process, it is recognized that the instructor is the judge of the final grade a student receives in any course.

The College reserves the right to withdraw a student for excessive absenteeism. Excessive absenteeism may also result in academic probation or suspension and loss of financial aid.

Work Ethics

Technical faculty at NPCC agree with the industrial community that a strong work ethics is as important to student success as academic and skills attainment. Students will receive a mid-term and final grade in Work Ethics. Students who do not maintain a "C" average in Work Ethics for the semester will not be allowed to participate in the mentor/internship program.

Grading System

The College adheres to the following system of course grades:

Grade-Point Average

Each letter grade awarded to a student for a course is assigned a point value as noted above. A student may determine the grade points for each course by multiplying the number of points the grade is worth times the number of credit hours the course carries.

Thus, a "B" letter grade (worth 3 points) in a three-credit hour course is worth 9 points, and an "A" (worth 4 points) in the same three-credit hour course is worth 12 points.

The grade-point average is found by adding the total point values for all courses and dividing by the total number of credit hours attempted during the same period of time.

Cumulative Grade-Point Average

1. The phrase "cumulative grade-point average" is uniformly interpreted in include only credits actually earned at the College at which the student is currently enrolled. Course work transferred from another accredited institution will be honored as appropriate, but such work will not affect the student's cumulative NPCC grade-point average.
2. The evaluation of incoming transfer credits and transcripts is based on norms listed in the catalog and may result in an administrative decision to admit a transfer student on probation. Probational admission is used for admission classification purposes only and does not affect the cumulative grade-point average (CGPA) of student work complete at this College.
3. Transfer students may repeat a course completed at another institution provided the following conditions are :
   • All transcript information and grades are part of the student's permanent academic record.
   • Any course successfully completed at another accredited institution and voluntarily repeated will not result in the accumulation of any additional credit for the student, but the grade for the repeated course will affect the student's GPA earned at this College.
   • If a student voluntarily repeats a course which was previously passed at another accredited college, the student shall be allowed to count the passed course as transfer credit even if the student fails the repeated course at this College.

Academic Standards and Satisfactory Progress

A 2.00 cumulative grade-point average is required for successful completion of all degree and certificate programs. This level of performance is considered satisfactory progress while undertaking any academic program.

Any student who falls below a total 2.00 NPCC grade-point average after the first semester will be placed on academic probation by the Vice President of Student Services for the next semester.

Students must regain a 2.00 NPCC grade-point average to be removed from probation. At the end of two semesters on probation, if improvement has not been shown, students will automatically be restricted to a maximum of two courses for the next semester.

Any student who falls below a total 1.00 NPCC grade-point average after two semesters will be automatically suspended for the next semester. Upon re-admittance, the student will be restricted to no more than two courses. These courses will be determined after a conference with a counselor or academic advisor. Transfer students are subject to the same probationary requirements. Although all course work and grades earned at another institution will be recorded on the NPCC transcript, the total NPCC grade-point average will be determined only by grades earned while attending NPCC.

Academic Honors

The college provides four opportunities for honoring student academic achievement:

1. The Dean's List,
2. The President's List,
3. Who's Who in American Junior College, and
4. induction into Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Phi Beta Lambda, or National Vocational Technical Honor Society.

Students who achieve academic excellence are included on the President's List or Dean's List each semester. Candidates must have completed all courses and earned a minimum of six semester credit hours of college-level coursework for the current semester and a minimum of twelve semester credit hours of college-level coursework cumulatively (including the current semester).

The President's List indicates highest academic achievement. Students with both semester and cumulative grade point averages from 3.60 to 4.0 qualify for this honor.

The Dean's List indicates high academic achievement. Students with a grade point average of 3.25 to 3.59 and a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25 are honored, as are students with a semester grade point average of 3.60 or greater whose cumulative grade point average is in the 3.25 to 3.59 range.

Eligibility for either list excludes the use of any pre-college courses in reading, writing, math, and study skills.

Students are selected for Who's Who in American Junior Colleges by a vote of the faculty. Full-time sophomore students with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and who exhibit outstanding abilities in scholarship, leadership, and citizenship are eligible for this honor.

Students invited to join the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society are required to have a 3.5 GPA in a minimum of twelve (12) or more college level semester credit hours completed at NPCC as well as other criteria.

Graduation/Degree Requirements

To be eligible for any associate degree at National Park Community College, a student must successfully complete at least 18 semester hours with the College regardless of transfer credits. Each additional associate degree will require another 18 semester hours with the College and the satisfactory completion of all required courses. Students must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher for graduation.

Students may meet the graduation requirements listed in the catalog in effect at the time they enter the institution, or those listed in any later catalog. Exceptions to this policy include requirements from a catalog more than three years old, or changes in a program or curriculum mandated by external accrediting agencies.

Adding A Course

Classes may be added through the first four days of the semester (prorated for summer session). For evening classes which meet only once a week, the second class meeting will be the last opportunity to enroll. Students may register for Honors Study projects when all of the requirements listed in the Honors Study section of the Academic Programs section of this catalog have been met.

Dropping A Course

Students are expected to successfully complete the courses for which they register. If a class change becomes necessary, the student must file an official drop form with the Counseling Center. The date this form is approved by the Registrar's Office is the date used to determine eligibility for a refund or financial aid. Those who qualify for a tuition waiver (see Admissions Section or Financial Assistance Section) are not eligible for a refund at any time.

A class may be dropped up to the deadline specified in the official College calendar each semester.

Whenever a student stops attending class, or is absent excessively, and does not complete the necessary paperwork to drop the class officially, an "F" (failing) grade will be recorded by the instructor.

Withdrawing from College

The College recognizes that there are circumstances in which a student must withdraw from the College. Students are urged to discuss withdrawal with a counselor or academic advisor to determine if an alternate action may be available.

If a student does find it necessary to withdraw, it is important that the proper withdrawal procedures be followed completely. Ceasing attendance or stopping payment on a check for tuition does not cancel registration or drop a course.

• Complete proper withdrawal form with Counselor.
• Notify instructors.
• Clear all financial obligations to the College by obtaining signatures from the College Library, Financial Aid Office, and Business Office on the official withdrawal form.
• Veterans must notify Veteran's Counselor in the Counseling Center.
• Failure to complete all of the above procedures will constitute improper withdrawal and will result in failing grades being placed on the student's permanent academic transcript.

Administrative Withdrawal/Drop Policy

The College administration reserves the right to drop a student from a course or program for sufficient cause, such as flagrant disruptiveness, excessive absences, unsafe practice in clinical/lab assignments, documented plagiarism, etc. when the Vice President for Instruction and the Vice President for Student Services agree that it is necessary. Prior to any such administrative action, the student will be notified in writing that action is pending and given the opportunity for an academic hearing. Faculty members may recommend to the Vice President for Instruction in writing that a student be administratively dropped from a class for any of the aforementioned reasons.

Tuition Waiver

• Persons 60 years of age and older may take college courses tuition-free when enrolling for credit.
• Families of Policemen and Firemen who suffered fatal injuries or became permanently and totally disabled due to performance of a hazardous duty, may attend college credit courses tuition free.
• Public school faculty and staff who live within commuting distance of the College may have tuition and fees waived for one course per semester.

Auditing A Course

Students auditing a course will be wait-listed until the first day of class and then will be registered on a space-available basis.

Students auditing a course pay all tuition and fees associated with the course. Since no grade is assigned for this audit (visitor) status, it will not transfer to another college or university, it will not qualify a student for Pell Grant or Veteran's benefits, and it will not be listed on the college's transcript or count toward full-time status.

A registered student may change from an audit status to a grade status only during the specified period of late registration. Once instruction begins, no student may change from a grade basis to an audit status.

Repeating A Course

If a student chooses to repeat a course, both grades earned for the course will be reported on the student's transcript. However, only the repeat grade shall be used in determining the grade-point average.

Students who fail and/or drop a course may repeat the course up to three times. If a fourth attempt is necessary, the student has two options:

1. Complete the course at another accredited college or university; or
2. Sit out one calendar year and then seek permission from the Vice President for Instruction before re-enrolling in the course.

Students who plan to transfer to a four year college or university should be aware that some institutions may average both the original and the subsequent grades for determining transfer eligibility. Students should check with that college or the Counseling Center prior to enrolling for a course on a repeat basis.

As long as a student is making satisfactory academic progress as defined above, repeating a course will not adversely affect financial aid eligibility. Independent study may not be used to repeat a failed course.

The Veterans Administration will pay for given course only once. Repeating and accepting benefits for a course already passed and for which benefits have already been received will result in an overpayment and may be considered by the V.A. to be a deliberate attempt to defraud the Federal Government; repayment may be required.

The Division of Health Sciences has a policy that if a student is required to withdraw from a course due to unsafe clinical behavior, he or she may not reapply to repeat that course.

Incomplete Grades

1. An incomplete "X" grade may be requested by a student and given by an instructor only if a minimum of 75 percent of all semester class work, especially where laboratory work is involved, has been satisfactorily completed in the judgment of the instructor, whose decision is final. Consequently, an "X" grade may not be assigned at mid-semester.
2. The student must have a passing grade in the judgment of the instructor when the request is made and before approval can be given.
3. In requesting an "X" grade, a student automatically waives the right to request or to receive a withdrawal "W" grade or an "AU" audit grade at a later date.
4. A student should not register again for the same course.
5. To complete the necessary class work, the student and instructor must sign a written contract defining the work that must be completed to finish the course. Both the student and instructor will retain a copy of the signed contract.
6. The resolution of incomplete academic work is to be negotiated with the instructor but may not exceed a time limit of the mid-semester date the following semester. At the end of this dead line, based on the judgment of the instructor whose decision is final, a change of grade will be issued by the instructor to the Registrar's Office.
7. The same instructor who assigned the "X" must contract with the student to affect a grade change.
8. It is the student's responsibility to arrange with the instructor for completion of all unfinished work, once an instructor has agreed to assign an "X" grade at the end of the semester.

Grade Report Procedures

At the end of each semester, some College instructors post unofficial grades. This is usually done in the instructor's office area.

Official grade reports are mailed to the student after the semester ends. It is important that students inform the Registrar's Office of name and address changes for mailing purposes.

Transcripts and Records

Each student who completes a college course has an official transcript on file in the Office of the Registrar. This is the student's official college record. Any student who feels a grade has been recorded in error has until the end of the following semester, excluding summer sessions to notify the Registrar's Office. Any exceptions to this procedure will require a joint decision by the Vice President for Instruction and the Vice President for Student Services.

Students who have attended another college or university shall have an official copy of their transcript(s) forwarded to the Registrar for evaluation and recording.

The Registrar's Office should be notified immediately of any name changes and address changes.

Official copies of a student's NPCC transcript will be forwarded to other colleges and universities upon the receipt of a signed request by the student. All financial obligations to the College must be met before transcripts are released by the Registrar. Each transcript is $2.00.

Student records are private and may not be released to any individual, organization, group, or institution without prior written consent of the student. Access to student records is protected by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Buckley Amendment). Information concerning access and the procedure for challenging the content of student records may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar. Vice President for Student Services

Academic Appeals

The College maintains an Academic Appeals Committee, appointed each year by the President. Committee membership includes both faculty and students. The committee reviews cases that cannot be satisfactorily resolved in the normal student-instructor classroom relationship, as well as cases in which college policy or procedure creates conflicts which cannot be resolved through informal means.

Students are entitled to full due process before this committee, and a student who feels that there are circumstances in a situation which warrant an academic appeals hearing may petition the Academic Appeals Committee to review the facts pertaining to the situation.

Students should contact the Vice President for Student Services for an explanation of the process and/or forms to begin the appeal.

Academic Clemency

Act 1000 of 1991 describes academic clemency as a second opportunity for undergraduate students who performed poorly at some point in their studies and who wish to return to college after having gained a new appreciation of the benefits of higher education.

Institutional Policy at National Park Community College is in compliance with Act 1000 and guidelines adopted by the State Board of Higher Education.

• Academic clemency may be granted by the Registrar to returning students who have not been enrolled in any college or university for two calendar years, and who now demonstrate the commitment to succeed academically.
• Students may request clemency for course work at NPCC for one semester only.
• The original grades for the requested clemency semester will remain on the student's transcript. However, the GPA will be 0.00 for that semester regardless of the grades earned. No credits for the requested semester will count toward graduation requirements. Courses passed during that semester need not be repeated; however, a sufficient number of additional credits must be earned to meet graduation requirements. The student's transcript is a comprehensive academic record. Notation will be placed on the transcript to show that academic clemency has been granted. This information cannot be removed and will become part of the student's permanent record.
• Since the student's GPA will have to be recalculated by the Registrar from the time that academic clemency is granted, there is a $25 fee.
• Students seeking academic clemency must submit a written request and have a review conference with the Registrar. The request, signed by both parties, will become part of the student's permanent record.
• Under State Board of Higher Education guidelines, no post-secondary institution is required to honor academic clemency granted by another institution. However, students who receive academic clemency at NPCC and plan to transfer should be allowed to petition for academic clemency under the provisions established by the receiving institution.
• In the case of transfer students to NPCC, the college will honor academic clemency allowed by any accredited college/university for admission purposes. In the interest of consistent application of policy, the Registrar will treat the academic clemency as if it had been granted at NPCC for graduation purposes.

College-Level Examination Program

The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) permits students to earn college credit by examination. Although the CLEP tests are standardized on a national level, each college or university sets its own standards for acceptance of CLEP scores. Students are encouraged to make use of the CLEP tests in order to receive credit for those courses and academic areas in which they already have knowledge.

Successful completion of CLEP tests and scores which meet the College CLEP policy will result in records of the credit earned being placed on the student's transcript.

National Park Community College uses the following priorities for awarding college credit to students:

1. A student must earn nine-semester credit hours at National Park Community College before petitioning for CLEP credits to be posted on a transcript.
2. A student may earn a maximum of 30 CLEP credit hours toward an associate degree at National Park Community College.
3. No grade is awarded for CLEP credit, and CLEP credit is not calculated in a student's grade-point average.
4. CLEP credit shall be entered on a student's transcript as "Credit by CLEP Examination" with credit recorded in lieu of grade.
5. CLEP Credit earned at other colleges and universities shall be accepted without challenge.
6. The College makes no charge transcripting CLEP scores. There is, however, a charge required by the test publisher for taking the test.

National Park Community College is a CLEP testing center, and CLEP tests are given to any interested person on regularly scheduled dates. However, the process of applying to take a CLEP exam may take several weeks. Call the Counseling Center to obtain more information regarding CLEP test dates.

The following table contains CLEP general and subject exams, scores required for earning credit, and National Park Community College course equivalents:

Honors Study Program

The Honors Study Program allows academically outstanding students to pursue specialized areas of study beyond the general course offerings. In a tutorial setting, instructor and student will intensively explore a jointly agreed upon topic. Both instructor and student should benefit from this advanced and personalized intellectual experience.

1. Students must have completed at least 30 college-level credits of course work, 12 of which must be completed at National Park Community College with a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.5.
2. Written permission for the project must first be given by the respective Division Chairperson:
   • Laura Davis - Mathematics/Sciences
   • Roger Fox - Communications/Arts
   • Van Davis - Social Sciences
   • Debbie Burks - Business Administration
   • Dr. LaJuana Mooney - Health Sciences
   • Linda Castaldi - Nursing
   • Bob Kissire - Technical Programs
3. Honors Study will be conducted only by full-time faculty.
4. If a course is offered on the schedule during the semester it is requested by a student as an Honors Study, it may not be offered as an Honors Study course.
5. A copy of the student's academic proposal, signed by the Division Chairperson, instructor, and student, shall be given to the Vice President for Instruction in conjunction with the registration process.
6. Registration for Honors Study must be completed after regular registration during late registration and before the add/drop date.
7. Honors Study must be taken on a grade basis.
8. No more than six Honors Study credits may be applied to degree requirements in a given program.