2: Empower Yourself- College Policies

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Empower Yourself: Understanding College Policies as a Key to Student Success

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
“When I first came to Moraine Valley, a misconception I believed to be true was that we as students had little to no rights. However, after I experienced a class instructional concern during my second semester, I become more aware of the support and options I had and learned how to advocate for myself through the Code of Conduct Office. I learned that as a student, I was in control of my academic career, and I had the power to set my own course. Through discussions with my mentor in the Multicultural Student Affairs Office, I learned just how beneficial and important being your own advocate can truly be.” —Jarrin Comer

CHAPTER GOALS

As a result of engaging in this chapter, you will:

Learn policies that could impact your grade point average
Learn policies that affect your financial aid
Determine what policies impact your ability to enroll in courses
Explore policies that benefit you when experiencing personal difficulties
Understand your rights as a student

THE VALUE OF KNOWING COLLEGE POLICIES

As a new student, you may be excited about being in college, anticipating the fun and new opportunities on the horizon. One of the goals of the College 101 course is to help you navigate the college environment and learn about the rules and policies that govern the institution that is a new part of your life.

There are several key policies you need to keep in mind. These policies can affect your grade point average (GPA), your financial aid award, and even your ability to remain enrolled at the college. There also are policies that could help you if you find yourself experiencing personal difficulties that affect your grades or your ability to complete classes successfully. Finally, there are policies that explain your rights as a student if you believe an instructor or college staff has treated you unfairly.

We will begin our discussion with policies that impact your GPA and your finances. First, it is important to understand how your GPA is calculated. There is information in the college catalog that explains how this is done.

CALCULATION OF GRADE POINT AVERAGE

The college uses the grade point average (GPA) as a measure of academic quality and academic progress. However, each student must be aware of the following distinctions used by the college in the reporting and calculation of the GPA.

Points to consider:

When you check your GPA on the student portal, you will see the semester grade report or official transcript GPA. This official GPA does not include developmental coursework.
For the purposes of the semester grade report, official transcript, honors at graduation, and the President’s and Dean’s Lists, the GPA calculation will not include developmental courses.
For the purposes of financial aid, Standards of Academic Progress, military educational benefits, and Illinois Veteran Grants, the GPA calculation will include developmental courses.
There are several GPA calculators available online. Navigate to a browser and type “GPA calculator” into a search engine to find one of these tools and practice calculating your GPA.

See example below regarding GPA.

Example Calculation (Semester Grade Report)
* Since developmental and remedial courses are not included in the GPA calculation, the “grade point value” and “credit hours” are zero. Thus, dividing 28 grade points by 13 credit hours gives a GPA of 2.154.

DROPPING AND WITHDRAWING FROM COURSES

Now that you understand how to calculate your GPA, we can move on to discuss college policies that may impact your GPA. It is extremely important that you understand the difference between dropping a course and withdrawing from a course in terms of how it may affect your financial aid award or your academic status. We will begin with a discussion on dropping a course. The college calls this the Tuition Refund policy for credit courses.

Institutional Drop Policy

It is important that you attend your in-person classes or sign in and engage in your online classes during the first week. If you do not engage (by messaging or emailing your instructor or submitting at least one assignment), Moraine Valley Community College has the right to institutionally drop you as a student for non-attendance.

Students who are reported as non-attending during the first week will be institutionally dropped from their classes. Institutionally dropped courses will not be reflected on your final transcript, and full refunds for these courses will be issued. Students who are receiving financial aid should check with the financial aid office to see how their aid would be impacted by courses being institutionally dropped. Students may also meet with an academic advisor to discuss adding a late-start course to their schedule to make up for dropped hours.

If you are institutionally dropped from your classes by mistake, please contact your professor immediately and follow up with Registration at (708) 974-2110 or Email: Registration [registration @morainevalley.edu] for assistance.

Dropping a Course for Tuition Refund

When you drop a course by the tuition refund deadline, you will receive a full refund, and there will be no indication on your official transcript that you were ever registered for the course. You will receive an email from the college, sent to your Moraine Valley student email account, stating the deadline to receive a 100 percent refund for all your courses. Each deadline may be different depending on the length of each course.

Keep these points in mind:

It is your responsibility to drop a course by the tuition refund deadline if you want all your money back.
It is important to keep track of when your late-start classes are beginning, so you do not miss the refund deadline.
If you do not attend class in the first week, you may be institutionally dropped. If you are dropping a course by choice, it is your responsibility to drop your course through MVConnect or by contacting the Registration Office in Building S, Room S103, (708) 974-2110.
It may be useful to note the tuition refund deadline for each course in your digital or paper calendar.
A student is entitled to a full refund of tuition and fees for any class that is cancelled by the college.

Jackson's Story—Part 1

Jackson started attending Moraine Valley in the spring semester right after graduating early from high school. Like many students, while he knew college was important, he did not know what career he wanted to pursue. He enrolled in 17 credits of general education courses. School had always come easy for him, so he thought he could handle taking six classes. It turns out, after he had already registered, during the first week of the semester, he also had the opportunity to dramatically increase his work hours from 15 to 30 per week. Jackson welcomed the extra work hours to help him pay for books and transportation expenses. He reasoned that, because he was not physically in school as many hours as he had been in high school, he would have the time to work those extra hours. By the fourth week of the semester, he already was exhausted trying to stay on top of his schoolwork while working so many hours. He even began missing assignments.

Once Jackson’s work hours increased, what could he have done to increase his academic success? One option would have been to drop some courses for a full tuition refund since he learned of the work increase during the first week of class. As shared during orientation, trying to maintain a good GPA while carrying a full course load and working nearly full time is almost impossible.

Below is a review of the official withdrawal policy. Note the differences between dropping a course and withdrawing from one.

Official Withdrawal

After the prescribed period for tuition refund, students may withdraw from courses in person during regular office hours by visiting the Registration Office in Building S, Room S103, calling (708) 974-2110, or by accessing their academic record through MVConnect at morainevalley.edu. You will receive an email from the college, sent to your Moraine Valley student email account, stating the withdrawal deadline date. Deadlines are determined by the length of each course.

Keep these points in mind:

If you have any holds on your record, you are not permitted to withdraw from courses online.
The deadline dates will apply regardless of any hold(s) you may have that prevent you from withdrawing online.
Once a student has withdrawn from a course, the student will no longer be allowed to attend class. All withdrawals are final.
Once a student has withdrawn, a grade of “W” will appear on the official transcript. This grade does not affect the student’s GPA.
A student who does not officially withdraw may receive a grade of “F.” This grade will become a part of the student’s permanent record.
The student remains responsible for all tuition and fees related to the course.
If your instructor is using Canvas for the course, you may want to use the “what if” feature found on the top right area of the Grades page before deciding to withdraw from the class. You can input potential future points to see if you are still able to pass the class.
Financial aid recipients should check with the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawal.

Prior to withdrawing from a course and after talking to your instructor, we highly recommend that you talk to a counselor in the Counseling and Career Development Center. A counselor can go over all the possible implications of this action with you, so you are empowered to make an informed decision.

Jackson's Story—Part 2

Unfortunately, Jackson lost his dependable mode of transportation when he totaled his car during spring break. While he was physically okay, he needed to find another way to get to school for a while until he was able to replace his car. Without his car, Jackson began to miss classes, especially his 8 a.m. class, as he tried to find other ways to get to school. Shortly before the withdrawal deadline, Jackson realized that his grades were not where he wanted them to be, and he was failing his 8 a.m. class with no hope of bringing his grade up to even a “C.”

Once he determined he was failing one of his classes, what was the best option for Jackson? Since he had time to withdraw before the withdrawal deadline, it would have been best for him to withdraw. A “W” is always better than an “F” on a report card. Often, withdrawing from one course allows students to focus more fully on the other courses in which they are enrolled.

Repeat Course Policy

There are times when, after careful consideration, you feel it is best for you to drop or withdraw from a course. After doing so, you may want to repeat the course because you need to complete it for your major or program of study.

The repeat course policy indicates that students may attempt a college-level course twice (including withdrawals) and a developmental course three times (including withdrawals). In accordance with this policy, a student may be denied enrollment in a class based on lack of academic progress and/or proof of an ability to benefit from the course.

If you need to take a college-level course a third time, or a developmental course a fourth time, an exception could be made to the repeat policy. You would have to visit a counselor in the Counseling and Career Development Center to seek approval for your final attempt.

Please keep the following in mind:

If during your final attempt, you do not complete the course successfully, you may not be allowed to enroll in the course at Moraine Valley again. You may have to enroll in the course at another college or university.
When you repeat a course, the most recent grade (the repeated course grade) is calculated in your cumulative GPA and displayed on your official transcript. The grades from your previous attempts at the course will be on your transcript as well, but only the repeated grade will be calculated in your cumulative GPA.
If you are planning to transfer, your new institution may average all grades for a repeated course, so you need to check with that institution for their policy.

2.1: Policies that could help improve your GPA
This page outlines two policies at Moraine Valley Community College designed to enhance student GPAs: the Forgiveness Policy, which lets students remove “F” grades after succeeding in later courses, and the Starfish program, which fosters academic support through improved communication between faculty and students. Additionally, it shares Jackson's experiences in juggling work and studies, indicating that course withdrawal may be a strategic choice to protect overall GPA.
2.2: Policies that could impact your ability to register and attend classes
This page provides an overview of Moraine Valley's academic policies, covering standards for academic progress, integrity, and student conduct. It explains the Standards of Academic Progress (SOAP), detailing consequences for falling below a 2.0 GPA, the Code of Academic Integrity's policies against cheating and plagiarism, and the Code of Student Conduct that outlines expected behaviors. A student's narrative illustrates the challenges faced and the available options for academic improvement.
2.3: Policies that could help you when experiencing personal difficulties
This page describes support policies at MVCC for students dealing with personal challenges that affect their education. It explains the procedure for requesting Incomplete Grades or Administrative Withdrawals due to serious circumstances like illness or financial hardship. Documentation is required for such requests. A case study featuring a student named James illustrates how counseling helps him manage anxiety and health issues while exploring these academic options.
2.4: Policies that support your rights as a student
This page details the rights and responsibilities of students at MVCC, including the Student Complaint and Hearing Process for addressing discrimination. It highlights differences between academic and non-academic complaints, stresses the importance of integrity in filing, and covers privacy rights under FERPA, academic accommodations for disabled students, and Title IX protections against sex discrimination. It also provides resources for support and reporting issues.
2.5: Chapter Summary
This page emphasizes the importance of understanding college policies to avoid academic and financial pitfalls. It discusses key concepts like GPA distinctions, course withdrawal processes, and student rights. The roles of various campus offices, such as counseling and financial aid, are outlined. A quiz is included to reinforce learning about these policies and available resources.

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As a result of engaging in this chapter, you will:

Institutional Drop Policy

Dropping a Course for Tuition Refund