Policies and Procedures
Classroom Learning Expectations
Cell Phones
Cell phone use on campus is allowed but should never be disruptive to others. Please silence your cell phone whenever possible. Refer to your course syllabus with regard to your instructor’s rules on cell phone use in class.
Class Attendance & Participation
Regular attendance, as specified by the instructor, is expected of all students. Attendance in online courses is demonstrated through contributing to course discussions and/or assignments. Extended absence/non-participation (due to illness or injury) should be reported to your instructor (and/or to the Vice President for Student Services) immediately. Students who register for a class but fail to commence attendance will be administratively withdrawn following the census for that particular term. The student remains liable for tuition and charges incurred upon registration.
Classroom Behavior & Civility
Being a Genesee student requires appropriate adult behavior and respect for others. Instructors can set classroom rules of conduct, require adherence to standards of civility appropriate to learning, and have the right to remove anyone for disruption or obstruction of those standards, or for violation of any law or College policy. Please refer to the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.
Course Withdrawal
Faculty do not withdraw students for non-attendance. It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw, in writing, from a course prior to the withdrawal deadlines.
Plagiarism & Cheating
Cheating is obtaining or intentionally giving unauthorized information to create an unfair advantage in an examination, assignment, or classroom situation. Plagiarism is the act of presenting and claiming words, ideas, data, programming code or creations of others as one’s own. Plagiarism may be intentional – as in a false claim of authorship (including AI generated work) – or unintentional – as in a failure to document information sources using MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), Chicago or other style sheets or manuals adopted by faculty at the College. Presenting ideas in the exact or near exact wording as found in source material constitutes plagiarism, as does patching together paraphrased statements without in-text citation. The purchasing or sharing of papers or projects between students or the re-use of papers or projects submitted for more than one assignment or class also constitutes plagiarism. Disciplinary action may include a failing grade on an assignment or test, a failing grade for the course, suspension or expulsion from the college, as described in the Code of Conduct.
Smoking
All Genesee Community College buildings are designated smoke-free.
Time Expectations
For every hour in class, successful college-level work requires about two hours for out-of-class work: reading, writing, research, labs, discussion, field work, etc. In time demands, a 15-credit load would be about equivalent to working a full-time job—for Summer and Winter semesters, this is doubled due to the shortened academic term.
Repeating Courses
Students may repeat a course for which credit has been received with a grade of A- or lower. If a higher grade is earned upon repeating a course, only the higher of the two grades will be computed to determine a cumulative grade point average (GPA), although both grades will be recorded on transcripts. A student may not repeat a course for which he or she has already received an “A” grade.
No course may be repeated solely in order to increase the number of credits earned in courses where the credit hours have been changed. The course will only be counted once toward graduation requirements and computation of total hours earned.
Full-time students who elect to repeat a course for which credit has already been received should register for 12 credit hours relevant to their degree program in addition to the repeated course in order to remain eligible for TAP awards. Full-time students who register for remedial courses should also register for at least six credits of non-remedial credit courses. However, during the first term of funding, a full-time student need only register for at least three credits of non-remedial credit courses. Students at community colleges are eligible for a total of six semesters of TAP funding.
Student Academic Appeals
Students having a complaint concerning an academic matter (for example, a course grade, graduation requirements, transfer credit) may grieve the complaint as follows. (Academic probation status appeals use a separate appeals process.)
Before the appeal process begins the student must discuss the complaint with the faculty or staff member whose action prompted the complaint. If the complaint is not resolved at this point, the student must then discuss the complaint with the appropriate academic director or supervising dean. When a complaint is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, (s)he may appeal to the Academic Standards Committee of the Academic Senate for a decision on the complaint (The appeals chair will verify that these discussions have taken place or facilitate them.)
- The student must initiate contact with the Academic Standards Committee by submitting a Request to Appeal form either electronically via the Genesee Community College website or by U.S. mail addressed to: Office of the Associate Vice President for Student Success, ATTN.: Academic Standards Committee. The form can be found at http://faculty.aotai-tech.com/senate/appeal.htm, or a copy may be obtained from the Office of the Associate Vice President for Student Success. A copy of the appeal form will be forwarded to the Academic Standards Committee Appeals Chair, the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the course instructor. There is a fifteen day statute of limitations to initiate contact with the Academic Standards Committee on all student academic appeal issues. This statute of limitations period begins on the first day of the next full semester (Fall or Spring) following the post date of the disputed grade. Exceptions to this statute of limitations may be made on a case by case basis. This decision will be made by the appeals chair.
- The student will be contacted by the Academic Standards Appeals Chair and the appeal process will begin. Copies of the appeal procedure details are available in the Office of the Vice President of Student and Enrollment Services.
- Decisions of the Academic Standards Committee may be appealed by the student to the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. The decision by the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs will be final.
How to File a Complaint with the New York State Dept. of Education
Section 494 C (j) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, provides that a student, faculty member, or any other person who believes he or she has been aggrieved by an institution of higher education has the right to file a written complaint.
In New York State, a complaint may be filed by any person with reason to believe that an institution has acted contrary to its published standards or that conditions at the institution appear to jeopardize the quality of the institution’s instructional programs or the general welfare of its students. Any person who believes he or she has been aggrieved by an institution on or after May 4, 1994, may file a written complaint with the New York State Department of Education within three years of the alleged incident, after first trying to resolve the complaint directly with the institution by following the internal procedures provided by the institution. Genesee Community College has developed complaint procedures that are on file in the Office of the Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services. To receive information on these procedures, or to receive advice on filing a formal complaint, please contact the Office of the Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services.
Online Learning Complaint
Genesee Community College desires to resolve student grievances, complaints and concerns in an expeditious, fair and amicable manner. Students residing outside of the State of New York while attending GCC who desire to resolve a grievance should follow the College’s student grievance procedure in the Student Handbook.
However, if an issue cannot be resolved internally, you can contact the New York State Department of Education. The Office of College and University Evaluation handles only those complaints that concern educational programs or practices of degree-granting institutions that are subject to the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, with the exceptions noted below.
- The Office does not handle anonymous complaints.
- The Office does not intervene in matters concerning an individual’s grades or examination results, as these are the prerogative of the college’s faculty.
- The Office does not handle complaints concerning actions that occurred more than five years ago.
- The Office does not intervene in matters that are or have been in litigation.
This statement is in compliance with U. S. Department of Education’s Program Integrity Regulations related to State Authorization.