Academic Policies

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Class Attendance

Students are expected to attend all required class sessions. Nonattendance is considered an absence. Students are responsible for making up any missed course work. Excessive absences or tardiness may result in a lower grade or in a faculty-initiated withdrawal from the course. Faculty members may notify a student or submit a retention alert or faculty-initiated withdrawal for students with excessive absences.

Students who are unable to attend two or more class sessions may notify the vice president of student services to explain the student’s situation. The vice president of student services will notify all faculty members concerned. Students should contact their instructors as soon as possible to explain their situations. The faculty member has the authority to excuse absences and to allow make-up work.

Faculty sponsors or coaches submit a list of students who will miss class because of a college-sponsored activity to the student’s faculty and to the vice president of student services at least three days before the first scheduled day to be gone. Students should talk with their instructors prior to any absences. The faculty member has the authority to excuse absences and to allow make-up work.

Grades and Grade Points

Incomplete

An incomplete (I) is awarded when a student, for reasons beyond the student’s control, is unable to finish the course and when the student would otherwise have had a passing grade. A student who receives an incomplete must arrange with the instructor to complete the course. The student and the instructor agree on a date for the student to complete the course. The completion date must be before the end of the next full semester (excluding summer semester) or the student may file for an extension. If the student does not complete the course by the completion date and does not file for an extension, the incomplete (I) will be changed to a failed (F) grade on the student’s transcript.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Students may elect to receive a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) rather than a letter grade for certain courses. Courses that offer an S/U grading option are identified as such in the course catalog. Students may select S/U grading when they register for the course or prior to the withdraw deadline date. Instructor permission is required for any changes after registration.

Letter grades are not awarded for S/U or pass/fail grades, therefore, courses awarded an S/U grade are not included in the student’s GPA calculation. S/U grades may count toward degree requirements, satisfactory progress requirements, and athletic or activity eligibility requirements.

In Progress

An in progress (X) is awarded when a student enrolls in an open enrollment course too late in the semester to complete the course on time or when the course is self-paced and does not have a firm completion date. An X is an indicator of progress and not a grade. It is not included in the student’s GPA calculation. It is part of the student’s permanent record and the credit hours associated with the course may count toward satisfactory progress requirements and athletic or activity eligibility.

Grade Point Averages (GPA)

There are two types of grade point averages (GPA): semester and cumulative. Following are the calculations for both. Semester hours attempted does not include hours for audited course or courses with I, W, S, U, or X.

• Semester GPA: grade points earned divided by semester hours attempted for a particular semester.
• Cumulative GPA: total grade points earned at Casper College divided by total semester hours attempted at Casper College.

Repeated Courses

If a student repeats a Casper College course, prior credit, semester hours, and grade points earned in that course will be excluded from the student’s cumulative grade point average, regardless of the number of repetitions. However, all attempts at a course are included on the student’s official transcripts. Repeated courses may or may not be financial aid eligible (See Student Financial Assistance  ).

Grade Reports

The college issues student grade reports twice a semester. The mid-term grades indicate the student’s academic progress. The information on this report is not part of the student’s permanent record. Final grades are the student’s final grades for that semester. Students may view their grades online in WebAdvisor.

Transcripts

A transcript is a record of the courses that a student has taken. Students can download unofficial transcripts from WebAdvisor at any time. Students may request official transcripts in writing from Enrollment Services. No transcripts are released until all administrative holds have been satisfied. There may be a charge for official transcripts.

Academic Standing

Good Standing and Satisfactory Progress

A student is considered to be in good academic standing if the student is making satisfactory grades. All students who have attended Casper College for one or more semesters and have attained a 2.0 or better grade point average either for that term or for their cumulative average, are considered “in good standing.”

“Satisfactory progress” is a term used with federal student financial aid recipients. See the specific definition in the Student Financial Assistance  section of this catalog.

Honors and Standings

The college uses semester or cumulative grade point averages to determine eligibility for the following honors or standings (see Grade Point Averages in this catalog).

Honor Rolls

• President’s Honor Roll: The president’s honor roll, issued at the end of each fall and spring semesters, lists the names of all degree-seeking students with 12 or more hours completed and with a current grade point average of 3.5 or better.
• Dean’s Honor Roll: Part-time degree-seeking students (taking less than 12 hours) and nondegree-seeking students (taking six or more hours) who maintain a 3.5 grade point average or higher qualify for the dean’s honor roll issued at the end of each regular semester.
• Students receiving associate degrees that have earned a minimum of 32 semester hours (semester hours attempted as defined in Grade Averages) at Casper College and who have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or better in Casper College coursework are graduated with distinction.

Honor Societies

• Alpha Mu Gamma: This is the National Collegiate Foreign Language Honor Society, which recognizes achievement in foreign language study and encourages interest in foreign languages, literature, and linguistic attainment.
• Phi Rho Pi: This national organization recognizes excellence in forensics competition and is open to any student who is interested in competitive speaking.
• Phi Theta Kappa: An invitation to join Phi Theta Kappa, a national two-year college honorary scholastic fraternity, is dependent upon meeting several qualifications. The student must:
  • have a Casper College cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher at the time of initiation;
  • have completed at least 12 credit hours of Casper College coursework; and
  • be enrolled in Casper College for at least six (6) credit in the semester in which he or she becomes eligible for membership and in which they are initiated.

Academic Probation and Suspension

Academic probation is used to alert students who are not making academic progress. The college places students on academic probation when:

1. The student does not meet the minimum qualifications for admission (see Qualifications for Admission) or
2. The student does not meet the minimum grade standard to be considered in good standing (see Good Standing and Satisfactory Progress)

The college removes students from academic probation who attain a semester grade point average that meets or exceeds the minimum requirements to be considered in good standing. Students who fail to achieve good standing after one semester on academic probationary are subject to academic suspension.

The college issues an academic suspension when a student fails to achieve good standing after one semester on academic probation or it may be issued for an act of academic dishonesty. Students on academic suspension may not register for academic courses for at least a semester unless they receive an approved petition for exception.

Financial aid probation and suspension is issued in accordance with the rules and regulations governing the specific form of aid received and are determined separately from academic probation and suspension.

Corrective Measures

Corrective measures come in the following forms:

1. Current semester problems. A student experiencing difficulty with any course may withdraw from the course or the college (see Schedule Changes ), change from taking a course for credit to auditing a course (see Auditing Courses ), or request an incomplete or in progress (see Incomplete and In Progress).
2. Academic standing. Academic standing is based on either semester grade point average or cumulative grade point average (see Academic Standing), thus allowing redemption in one semester regardless of past record and avoiding penalty for one below par semester in an otherwise satisfactory record.
3. Graduation. Upon request, some courses may be excluded from the student’s cumulative grade point average calculation used for graduation, as long as all of the graduation requirements are met (see Graduation Requirements ).
4. Academic Forgiveness. A degree-seeking student currently attending Casper College may petition the registrar to remove up to two semester, in their entirety, from the calculation of the student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA) and degree credits. The registrar will approve the petition if the student has completed 24 semester hours of college level courses with a 2.5 GPA after the last semester listed on in the forgiveness petition. This is a one-time-only option.

Disciplinary Probation, Suspension and Expulsion

Disciplinary probation, suspension, and expulsion procedures are addressed in the Student Handbook. Only the president is empowered by the college Board of Trustees to expel students for disciplinary reasons. However, a judicial hearing body is responsible for making an expulsion recommendation to the president.

Cheating and Plagiarism

Casper College demands intellectual honesty. Plagiarism or any form of academic dishonesty may result in the offender’s failing the course in which the offense was committed (See Casper College Student Code of Conduct).

Student Conduct

Students are expected to observe the college’s conduct standards as outlined under Student Conduct and Judicial Code in the Student Handbook. Students residing in campus housing are subject to the conduct standards described in the Residence Hall Handbook, the Terms and Conditions for Occupancy, and other published materials pertaining to campus housing facilities. Students accepted into limited enrollment programs may be responsible for maintaining standards outlined in program handbooks or similar statements.

Students participating in campus activities and intercollegiate sports programs are subject to the standards of conduct adopted by the campus team/activity and any regulation prescribed by conference, regional and/or national organizations responsible for the sanctioning of the sport, activity, or event.

It is the student’s responsibility to become familiar with  all conduct standards; have knowledge of the policies, procedures, and information specified in official college publications; and provide accurate and updated personal, demographic, and educational information to the college.

All standards for student conduct must support the general standard outlined by the Board of Trustees: “The Casper College Board of Trustees requires students to show both within and without Casper College such respect for law, order, morality, personal honor, and the rights of others as is demanded of responsible citizens. Conduct not meeting these standards may constitute sufficient cause for removal from Casper College.”

Student Complaints

Students who believe that the college or its employees have treated them unfairly or inequitably may use the student grievance procedure, located in the Casper College Policies and Procedures Manual and in the Student Handbook, to resolve any issues. Students may review the procedure by contacting the vice president for Student Services. Students may not grieve any disciplinary actions taken in accordance with campus conduct and judicial standards.