Truman Policies

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Truman State University recognizes the worth and dignity of all persons, and the University does not discriminate on any basis not related to the applicable educational requirements of students or the applicable job requirements of employees. The commitment to the consideration only of bona fide qualifications, and the avoidance of improper discriminatory practices, includes, but is not limited to, the forms of discrimination prohibited by law. Therefore, the University observes and complies fully with federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, or handicap in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities. The President of the University is designated by the Board of Governors to coordinate the University’s compliance with the applicable statutes and regulations, and he or she is authorized to delegate assignments to one or more other persons to assure compliance.

Discriminatory practices based on reasons not expressly stated in the policy, such as sexual orientation, veteran status, disability, marital status, and bankruptcy, which are not related to educational or job requirements, are prohibited by the University’s non-discrimination policy even though such reasons are not specifically named in the policy. Any person having inquiries concerning the University’s compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, is directed to contact Sally Detweiler, at 102 McClain Hall on the University campus, telephone 660-785-6049. Sally Detweiler has been designated by the President of the University to coordinate the institution’s efforts to comply with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504. Any person may also contact the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U. S. Department of Education, regarding the institution’s compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title IX, or Section 504.

The University complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and thereby treats student educational records in a confidential manner. The University discloses information from a student’s educational record only with the student’s written consent, except as permitted by law. Permitted disclosures include University personnel who have a legitimate educational interest, officials of other institutions in which a student seeks enrollment, federal and state educational authorities under certain circumstances, officials connected with a student’s request for or receipt of financial aid, parents of a dependent student, persons named in a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena, and appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency.

Students are expected to do their own academic work. Any student involved in cheating on a paper, an examination or in any other form of academic dishonesty will be subject to disciplinary action, including suspension or expulsion from the class, the student’s academic program, or the University.

It is the responsibility of faculty members 1) to inspire in their students an appreciation of and a desire for honesty in academic work; 2) to discourage dishonesty and to protect the honest student; and 3) to take appropriate action in instances of dishonesty. Such action may include the reduction or elimination of a dishonest student’s score for an affected test or project, the lowering of a grade for the affected class (including the assignment of an “F” grade), or the expulsion of a student from the affected class.

Serious cases of academic dishonesty are reported by the faculty member to his or her Department Chair and to his or her Dean, who may take additional disciplinary action against the dishonest student, including suspension or expulsion from classes in the School. The Dean reports the dishonesty to the Provost, who may also report it to the Dean of Student Affairs. The Dean may also report the dishonesty to the School in which the dishonest student is enrolled as a major; the Dean of this School may suspend or expel the student from the academic program in the major. The Dean of Students may also suspend or expel the student from the University as outlined in the Student Conduct Code for incidents of academic dishonesty.

Disciplinary action by a faculty member for academic dishonesty may be appealed to the Dean of the faculty member’s School. Disciplinary action decisions by an academic Dean may be appealed to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for review and final decision. Disciplinary action by the Dean of Student Affairs for academic dishonesty may be appealed through the same process as other disciplinary actions by the Dean of Student Affairs for student misconduct.

In order to provide the best possible environment for personal and intellectual growth, the University has established regulations to guide student conduct, a summary of which may be found in the Student Handbook. Because residence hall life is unique, additional guidelines exist to ensure the safety and comfort of on-campus students. These regulations are detailed in The Residence Life Handbook available at http://reslife.truman.edu/information/handbook/index.asp.

The Office of Citizenship and Community Standards is charged with the administration of the Student Conduct Code. The Student Conduct Code creates an expectation of behavior that the University views as acceptable and appropriate for students and student organizations. The University recognizes the significance of students’ rights. Those rights include freedom of expression, autonomy, procedural protection, and the respect for personal integrity of all members of the community and their property. By ensuring those individual rights, the University fosters an environment conducive to students’ success and well-being. By doing so, students respect the dignity, rights, and property of the University and its members.

Citizenship and Community Standards is committed to resolving allegations of misconduct under the Student Conduct Code in a manner consistent with its principles of fairness, honesty, and integrity. Citizenship and Community Standards acknowledges the importance of balancing the interests of the individual student or student organization and the community at large, as well as protecting the integrity of the institution and its values. To that end, the Office of Citizenship and Community Standards is dedicated to creating and promoting a purposeful, inclusive, caring, responsible, just, and celebrative community of learners at Truman. The Office is committed to developing responsible citizens and leaders through investment in students’ holistic learning, ethical growth, and character development.

A variety of resources and information including the Student Conduct Code, directions for reporting student or student organization misconduct, a misconduct referral form, and a sanctioning guide are available on the http://conduct.truman.edu website. The Office of Citizenship and Community Standards is located in Student Union Building 3100 (Student Affairs Office). Phone: (660) 785-4111. Facsimile (660) 785-5403. E-mail: stuaff@truman.edu.

The learning process is hindered for many students by the misuse, mutilation, and abuse of library materials. As a result of this concern for student learning, anyone apprehended in the mutilation or theft of library materials will be prosecuted under the applicable law and/or made subject to University discipline through standard disciplinary channels.

Students are expected to keep local and permanent addresses current with the University at all times during their enrollment. Each semester, students are required to update or verify their local address and telephone number. Local address and telephone number changes may be made through the student’s TruView account or in the Registrar’s Office. Permanent address changes for currently enrolled students should be made in the Registrar’s Office, McClain Hall 104. Students are responsible for all information sent to their mailing address from University offices and personnel conducting University business.

A student is expected to be present at all classes. Regular class attendance is necessary in order for a student to achieve the desired standard of academic achievement. Irregular attendance normally results in lower levels of achievement. Students are therefore expected to contact instructors as soon as possible when an absence occurs.

It is University policy that each instructor determines and communicates the attendance requirements for the class. Only the instructor can excuse missed classes or assignments. When a conflict arises, a student is expected to resolve his or her situation first with the instructor, and if that fails, with the instructor’s Department Chair and then the Dean. If unresolved issues remain, an Attendance Policy Appeals Committee exists to hear appeals.

An appeal of the instructor’s attendance policy will not be sustained unless there is clear and convincing evidence that it was applied in an unreasonable manner or is in violation of widely held ethical or legal principles.

GUIDELINES AND PRINCIPLES:

1. The University entrusts the faculty with the responsibility of determining how absences will affect student grades, recognizing that the instructor is in the best position to judge which educational activities are most critical in achieving the course’s outcome objectives. The instructor is also best suited to determine what alternate means, if any, may most closely approximate those objectives if the student is unable to participate in the original educational activity/assignment.
2. University faculty must strive to ensure that all students in a given class are evaluated equitably.
3. University faculty are encouraged, whenever possible, to accommodate students who must miss class for important reasons. These reasons may include family and personal emergencies, special religious observances, representing the University at an on- or off-campus event, and extraordinary opportunities that lie beyond the classroom.
4. University faculty should make an attendance policy available to students in a written format within the first week of the class. The policy should be reasonably clear and help students understand how absences might affect their learning and grades. Not every eventuality can be foreseen, and the individual instructor may need to make a judgment in an individual case beyond the details outlined in this policy.
5. Students are encouraged to consult with faculty about absences, in advance if possible, to resolve scheduling conflicts.
6. The University community recognizes that on occasion, an Attendance Policy Appeals Committee may be called upon to review and settle disputes that result from either an inconsistent application of an instructor’s policy, or from the policy itself. Such an appeal should occur only after the student first seeks a satisfactory outcome with the instructor, and, if that fails, with the instructor’s Department Chair and then the Dean.
7. Also, before any meeting with the Department Chair, Dean, or the Attendance Policy Appeals Committee, the faculty member will be asked to provide a copy of the attendance policy in question as well as documentation of the student’s attendance in the course. The faculty member will be allowed to provide input at all levels of discussion.
8. If the dispute is not resolved with the instructor, the student may initiate an appeal at the departmental level no later than fourteen calendar days after the first day of class of the following semester, spring or fall. If the grievance is not resolved at the departmental level, an appeal may be submitted to the Dean of the School of the instructor no later than fourteen calendar days after receiving written notification of the Department’s decision. After receiving written notification from the School, the student may appeal to the Attendance Policy Appeals Committee within fourteen calendar days. Once final grades have been issued, a student who intends to file a grade appeal where attendance is involved needs to file grade and attendance issues together as a single appeal according to the procedures in the grade appeal policy.

Each currently enrolled student is provided with an e-mail address that is considered their official campus e-mail address during their enrollment at Truman. Students are expected to check this e-mail address regularly or ensure that their campus e-mail is forwarded to a reliable address that is checked regularly. Students are responsible for all information sent to their official campus e-mail address from the University.

Code of Policies of the Board of Governors, section 16.030.

Truman endorses the following statement of policy to prevent the use of illicit drugs and the abuse of alcohol by students and employees. “The unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession or use of a controlled substance is prohibited on all property owned or operated by the University, herein referred to as the University campus. The manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession, or use of intoxicating liquor is also prohibited on the University campus, except for those times, places, and purposes approved by the President of the University. The presence of persons under the influence of unlawful drugs or intoxicating liquor, regardless of where the use or consumption of such drugs or liquor may have occurred, is also prohibited on the University campus. Any employee who violates this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, and any student who violates this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from the University. As a condition of their employment, due to the University’s receipt of federal grants, employees of the University, both full-time and part-time, 1) must abide by the prohibition against controlled substances, and 2) must notify the University, no later than five days after their conviction, of any criminal drug statute conviction for a violation occurring on the campus.”

DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM

1. Code of Policies of the Board of Governors (Sec. 8.050 and Sec. 16.030, Code of Policies): The following acts are prohibited and any student found to have committed, to have attempted to commit, or to have willfully aided or abetted these acts of misconduct is subject to disciplinary sanctions. Public intoxication on University premises or use, possession or distribution of alcoholic beverages on University premises, when such use, possession or distribution is prohibited by law or  University regulations. Use, possession or distribution of narcotic or other controlled substances, except as expressly permitted by law.
2. Applicable Legal Sanctions: Illicit drug purchase, possession and use is a crime under state and federal law. The Kirksville City Code and Missouri law prohibit a variety of alcohol related conduct, including the purchase or possession of alcohol by one under 21 years of age. Violations of law are punishable by fines, imprisonment or both.
3. Health Risks: Numerous health risks are associated with the use of illicit drugs or the abuse of alcohol. Repeated use of either drugs or alcohol can lead to dependence. Use of illicit drugs and abuse of alcohol causes a substantial number of health problems and can be fatal. Contact the Student Health Center in the McKinney Center (785-4182) for a complete description of the health risks associated with use of illicit drugs and alcohol abuse.
4. Available University Services: Students and employees seeking additional information about the effects of drug or alcohol use or seeking assistance for alcohol or drug related problems should contact the Student Health Center (785-4182) or University Counseling Services (785-4014) for referral information.
5. Sanctions: Disciplinary sanctions will be imposed on students and employees for violations of the University policy governing illicit drugs and alcohol. Sanctions may range from referral for rehabilitation to expulsion, termination of employment and referral for prosecution.
6. Further information: For further information about drug and alcohol issues or to receive a more complete description of the health risks associated with drug use and alcohol abuse and the relevant legal sanctions, contact the Student Health Center in the McKinney Center (785-4182).

Code of Policies of the Board of Governors, section 15.010.

The University is committed to the advancement of knowledge, to freedom of thought and inquiry, and to the personal, social, and intellectual development of its students. The University has a professional and ethical responsibility to provide a healthy living, learning, and working environment and a climate of academic freedom for all its members - students, faculty, and staff. To foster educational development and promote true academic freedom, the University requires an environment in which no person is intimidated, exploited, or coerced. These goals cannot be attained where sexual harassment exists. This policy is designed to promote behavior that supports personal and social development in an environment that fosters academic performance and intellectual growth. Its purpose is to ensure the academic freedom of everyone while protecting the rights of all.

Any student who believes he or she has been harassed by a member of the faculty or staff, or by another student, may obtain assistance by contacting Counseling Services, the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs, or the EEO/Gender Equity Office.