Academic integrity is a highly valued principle that undergirds all facets of academic life at Graceland University. Adherence to principles of honesty is a requisite for preparing students as competent responsible persons. Students admitted to the university are expected to uphold standards of academic integrity, i.e. the avoidance of fraud, plagiarism and cheating in any form.

1. FRAUD. Fraud is the act of deceit or misrepresentation. The following list describes ways to avoid the most common forms of fraud.
   1. Altering, falsifying or misrepresenting an academic document alter or falsify or misrepresent an academic document.
   2. Helping someone else alter, falsify or misrepresent an academic document.
   3. Communicating false information by any means: oral, written, electronic or nonverbal.
   4. Forging a signature.
2. PLAGIARISM. Plagiarism is representing someone else’s work as your own. The following list describes ways to avoid the most common forms of plagiarism.
   1. Submit papers that consist substantially of your own work. Do not buy, borrow or use complete, or nearly complete, papers from any source, electronic or otherwise.
   2. Set off all direct quotations within quotation marks or within the text in a block quote form. To fail to indicate direct quotations by one of these two methods is to commit plagiarism even if the failure is accidental and even if you give the source of the quotation. In a speech you must also indicate the beginning, ending and source of all direct quotations to the audience.
   3. If you derive an idea from another source, cite the source unless the idea is common knowledge, that is, unless people familiar with the subject you are discussing are aware of the idea.
   4. Cite the source of paraphrased material and avoid excessive paraphrasing. Too much paraphrasing minimizes your contribution.
   5. Use the citation style required by your professor for attribution.
   6. Do not use your own work from previous papers or projects on a current paper or project without the express permission of your instructor.
3. CHEATING. The following list describes ways to avoid the most common forms of cheating.
   1. Do not give assistance to another person, or use unauthorized notes, books, etc., when an examination or assignment is supposed to be your own work.
   2. Do not receive assistance from another person, or use unauthorized notes, books, etc., when an examination or assignment is supposed to be your own work.
   3. Do not falsify research results or violate codes for the treatment of human or animal subjects.
   4. Do not violate the policies of proctors, preceptors or supervisors.
   5. Do not use an electronic copy of another person’s work as the starting point of your own work without the instructor’s permission.
   6. On collaborative works, include the names of all participants on any copies that are submitted for evaluation.

All employees are to comply with and enforce this policy, any questions and concerns should be directed to Academic Affairs. An instructor may assign a grade of “F” for the course in cases of fraud, plagiarism and/or cheating. When an “F” grade is assigned, the student may not drop the course. All cases of fraud, plagiarism and/or cheating will be reported to the respective dean or department chair, Program Director and the Vice President for Academic Affairs/Dean of Faculty (VPAA). The VPAA may impose additional consequences including sanctions or dismissal from a program or from Graceland University. The student may appeal the imposition of sanctions by the VPAA to the President.

A student may appeal either of the following:

1. Failing final course grade
2. Program dismissal.

Students are responsible for meeting the standards of academic performance established for each course in which they are enrolled. The establishment of the criteria for grades and the evaluation of student academic performance are responsibilities of the course faculty. Grade appeal is available only for the review of allegedly capricious grading and not for review of the faculty’s evaluation of the student’s academic performance.

An appeal is initiated by submitting a typed statement to the Chair of the appropriate graduate committee, no later than seven (7) working days after documentation of the failing final course grade or recommendation for dismissal.

The typed appeal statement submitted by the student must include the following:

1. A statement of the issue;
2. Specific steps that have already been taken to resolve the issue with the course faculty, course coordinator and/or Specialty Track/Program Coordinator.
3. Evidence supporting why the student believes the decision made was inconsistent with existing university policy, school policy, or course policy, was arbitrary, or lacked sufficient evidence.

Within the graduate programs, student requests for exceptions to academic policies are reviewed and acted upon by the appropriate committees within the school. Decisions by the school committee are final. Examples of issues appropriate for student petitions for exception to academic policy may include, but are not limited to:

1. Reactivation following a “stop-out” or inactive status of less than one calendar year.
2. Readmission following dismissal or inactive status of longer then one calendar year.
3. Exceptions to graduate program or specialty track requirements due to extraordinary circumstances.
4. Change in, or addition of a specialty track or emphasis.
5. Exceptions to academic policy related to registration – e.g. adding/dropping after deadline, repeat courses, pass/fail, etc.

Students should contact their Program Consultant for assistance with filing a petition for exception to academic policy.

Students not participating in an online course before the census date (last day to add/drop a course) may be administratively withdrawn with or without penalty.

1. Unless special arrangements have been made between the student and instructor, a student enrolled in an online course who does not begin completion of course assignments during the first week of the course, will be referred to the Program Consultant or Registrar for administrative withdrawal.
2. Students enrolled in any online course must demonstrate an ongoing presence in their online course. If a student who has been previously participating in course assignments ceases all participation for two consecutive weeks (unless special arrangements have been made between student and instructor), that student may be referred by the instructor to Program Consultant or Registrar for counseling and withdrawal.

Students not returning to Graceland for the next semester or term are required to officially initiate the withdrawal process. Graduate students must formally notify their Program Consultant of the intent to withdraw and initiate the withdrawal process.

When a student is accepted into a graduate program, they are automatically scheduled for courses in the program. In order to avoid additional fees related to dropping registered courses, students must inform their Program Consultant in writing of their intention to withdraw prior to the start date of the term.

A student who is registered and pursuing classes at Graceland University may elect to Stop Out for one trimester without being officially withdrawn from the University, unless he/she plans to attend another institution during a trimester (fall, spring, or summer), or he/she is leaving Graceland University for medical reasons. A student who stops out during a trimester is eligible for a stop out through the next trimester. For documented military, official church mission, and foreign aid service reasons, a student may stop out for a period greater than one trimester. Students may convey to their Program Consultant in person, writing, or by telephone that he/she wishes to stop out for a trimester.

Courses for which the student is registered in future terms will remain in the system. The student’s financial aid packaging methodology will remain the same. The student will otherwise not be considered withdrawn. The student will be reported to the U.S. Department of Education as Not Enrolled during the term of the Stop Out. A student enrolled in a locked-in tuition program or cohort model may have additional continuous enrollment obligations. An international student will not maintain his/her immigration status if he/she chooses to stop out.

If the student begins the Stop Out during the trimester, the following conditions also apply. Charges will be pro-rated following the standard refund policy which may result in a balance due. Financial Aid Services will calculate the Return of Title IV funds. Graceland loan offices will advise the student of the amount he/she has borrowed and his/her responsibility to repay the loans. Any grace period for a loan will go into effect and could be exhausted before the student returns. Current courses for which the student is enrolled will be recorded as follows: when the Stop Out is effective before the last day to drop classes for the session, classes will be dropped from the student’s record; after the last day to drop classes, but before the last day to withdraw from classes, “W” grades will be recorded; and after the last day to withdraw from classes, the appropriate grade will be recorded.

Non-degree seeking students interested in graduate and/or continuing education courses may inquire with Program Consultants regarding availability of classes. Students may request a Visiting Student Application form. Fees and rates vary depending on program.

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, academic information about a student is not released unless written authorization is given by the student. However, the university may use its discretion to release directory information unless the student specifically requests otherwise. The following is designated as directory information: name, local and home address, local and home telephone number, email address, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards earned, most recent previous school attended, and photograph.

The complete policy on Privacy, Disclosure, and Access to Student Records is available below.

Graceland University Policy and Procedure

SUBJECT:  Privacy, Disclosure and Access to Student Records.

PURPOSE:   To comply with the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and to delineate Graceland University’s (Graceland) policy for disclosure of, and access to, educational records.

DEFINITIONS:

Directory Information:  Graceland designates the following as directory information: name, local and home address, local and home telephone number, e-mail address, date and place of birth, major field of study, class level, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards earned, most recent previous school attended, and photograph. Graceland may disclose any of the above directory information without prior consent, unless notified in writing by the student to the contrary prior to the start of classes each period of enrollment. Such writing should be delivered to the Office of Residence Life.

Education records:  any record (in handwriting, print, film, tapes, video, or other medium) maintained by Graceland or an agent of Graceland, which is directly related to a student, except the following:

• A personal record in any form (including paper, electronic mail, and voice mail forms) kept by a non-faculty staff member if it is kept in the sole possession of the maker of the record and is not accessible or revealed to any other person except a temporary substitute or permanent replacement for the maker of the record;
• An employment record of a student whose employment is not contingent on the fact that he or she is a student, provided the record is used only in relation to the student’s employment;
• Records maintained by Health Services if the records are used only for treatment of a student and made available only to those persons providing the treatment;
• Alumni records which contain information about a student after he or she is no longer in attendance at the University and which do not relate to the person as a student.

Graceland Official: A person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, support staff or student worker position; person elected to the Board of Trustees; a person employed by or retained by Graceland to perform a special task, such as an attorney or auditor; employees or students appointed to official Graceland committees.

Designated Records Custodians: The following positions are the designated record custodians and only those custodians should release the types of data listed in the first column:

POLICY:

Access of Education Records

In accordance with Section 99.7 of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations to provide annual notification of students’ FERPA rights, Graceland University includes such notification in the student handbook.

Student’s inspection of education records: Students may inspect and review their education records upon request to the appropriate record custodian. Students may be required to complete a written request identifying as precisely as possible the record or records he or she wishes to inspect. The record custodian will make the needed arrangements for access as promptly as possible and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. Graceland will provide the copy as expeditiously as possible, but no later than 45 days from the receipt of the request. When a record contains information about more than one student, the student may inspect and review only the records which relate to him/her. If multiple students are referenced within a record, the record custodian will redact names and any identifying phrases.

Right of refusal to inspect records: Graceland reserves the right to refuse to permit a student to inspect the following records:

• The financial statement of the student’s parents.
• Letters and statements of recommendation for which the student has waived his or her right of access, or which were placed in file before January 1, 1975.
• Records connected with an application to attend Graceland if the application was denied.
• Those records which are excluded from the FERPA definition of educational records.

Right to deny transcripts and copies of records:  Graceland reserves the right to deny transcripts or copies of records not required to be made available by the FERPA in any of the following situations:

• The student has an unpaid or delinquent financial obligation to Graceland.
• There is an unresolved disciplinary action against the student.

Fee for copies: The standard fee for copies will apply for any records made available in accordance with this policy.

Disclosure of Education Records

Directory information may be disclosed without prior consent of the student unless Graceland is notified in writing to the contrary prior to the start of classes.

Graceland will disclose information from a student’s educational records only with written consent of the student, except the following:

• To Graceland officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the records. A Graceland official has a legitimate educational interest if the official is:
  1. Performing a task that is specified in his or her position description or by a contract agreement.
  2. Performing a task related to the student’s education.
  3. Performing a task related to the discipline of a student.

• To officials of another school, upon request, in which the student seeks or intends to enroll.
• To certain officials of the U.S. Department of Education, the Comptroller General, and state and local educational authorities, in connection with certain state or federally supported education programs.
• In connection with a student’s request for or receipt of financial aid, as necessary to determine the eligibility, amount or conditions of the financial aid, or to enforce the terms and conditions of the aid.
• If required by a state law requiring disclosure that was adopted before November 19, 1974.
• To organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of Graceland.
• To accrediting organizations to carry out their functions.
• To parents of a student, if the student is claimed as a dependent for income tax purposes.
• To comply with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena.
• To appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency.
• To an alleged victim of any crime of violence: the results of any Graceland disciplinary proceeding against the alleged perpetrator of that crime with respect to that crime.

Record of requests for disclosure:  Graceland will maintain a record of all requests for and/or disclosure of non-directory information from a student’s education records, other than a Graceland official with a legitimate educational interest. The record will indicate the name of the party making the request, any additional party to whom it may be redisclosed, and the legitimate interest the party had in requesting or obtaining the information. The record may be reviewed by the student, and/or parents of the student if the parents claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.

Correction Of Education Records

Student’s right to request correction of records: Students have the right to request corrections of records they believe are inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of their privacy rights. Following are the procedures for the correction of records:

A student’s request to amend a record must be directed to the designated record custodian (see the record custodian listing above). The student must identify the part of the record to be changed and specify why the information is inaccurate, misleading or in violation of the student’s privacy or other rights. If the record custodian agrees with the request, the record will be changed.

If the record custodian believes that the information presented does not merit a change, the student will be notified of that decision and advised of the hearing process. If a hearing is requested the following steps will be followed:

1. A written request for a hearing must be submitted by the student to the record custodian who will arrange for a hearing and notify the student in a timely manner of the date, place and time of the hearing.
2. The hearing will be conducted by an unbiased hearing officer who may be an official of Graceland. The student will be afforded a full and fair opportunity to present evidence relevant to the issues raised in the original request to amend the student’s education records. The student may be assisted by one or more individuals, including an attorney.
3. The hearing officer will prepare a written decision based solely on the evidence presented at the hearing. The documentation will include a summary of the evidence presented and the reasons for the decision.
4. If the hearing officer decides that the information contested is inaccurate, misleading or in violation of the student’s right of privacy, the record will be changed.
5. If the hearing officer decides that the information contested is not inaccurate, misleading or in violation of the student’s right of privacy, the record will not be changed. The student will then be notified of his or her right to place a statement in the record commenting on the challenged information and/or a statement setting forth reasons for disagreeing with the decision. The statement will be maintained as part of the student’s education records as long as the contested portion is maintained. If Graceland discloses the contested portion of the record, it must also disclose the student’s statement.

PROCEDURE:
In accordance with FERPA, academic information about a student will not be released unless written authorization is given by the student. However, Graceland officials may use discretion to release directory information (defined above) unless the student specifically requests otherwise following the process set forth above.

Approved: January 23, 2019

In order to be eligible to receive Title IV federal aid, a student must be making satisfactory academic progress. Please note that satisfactory academic progress may be different from certain standards set by the school for your specific program.

The Graceland University Graduate Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards for financial aid apply to all graduate students who want to establish or maintain financial aid eligibility. The standards apply to the student’s entire academic record during their time enrolled in the graduate program whether or not the student received financial aid for previous terms of enrollment.

Eligibility and Evaluation

To qualify for financial aid, graduate students must progress according to the following standards. All financial aid recipients will be evaluated by two measurements: quantitative and qualitative. All graduate students must meet or exceed the minimum requirements for both measurements in order to remain eligible for financial aid.

• The quantitative measure is the pace in which it will take the student to complete their program. All graduate students must obtain a 75% pace of completion or higher. The pace of completion standard is determined by the scheduled length of completion for the graduate student’s program (this varies by program) divided by the maximum timeframe of 133% defined by Graceland University for all Graduate Students. The pace of completion is calculated for each student by taking total credits completed (successfully completed with passing grades) divided by the total credits attempted. (Please see the section below, Attempted Credits, for clarification of what credits are considered attempted). A student will become ineligible to receive financial aid once it becomes evident that the student is unable to complete the program requirements without exceeding the maximum timeframe rather than waiting until they have exceeded the maximum timeframe.
• The qualitative measurement is the cumulative GPA of the student during their enrollment at Graceland during their graduate program. Transferred credits will not be used in the calculation of cumulative GPA. All graduate students must receive a minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher at each evaluation. (For information on how GPA is figured, refer to System of Grading Policy.)

The academic progress of financial aid recipients will be evaluated at the end of each payment period (semester or trimester).

Attempted Credits

Attempted credits include the following: successfully completed courses, non-passing credits (including F’s, withdrawals, incompletes, and audit grades), repeated courses, and transfer credits. Transfer credits refer to all credits accepted towards the completion of the student’s program (for more information in regards to accepted transfer credits refer to the Transfer Student Policy).

If a student is not meeting the minimum requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress, they will be notified by email from their Student Financial Services Advisor that they are not meeting SAP.

Developmental Studies (Remedial Coursework): Undergraduate students may receive financial aid for a maximum of 30 semester hours of developmental coursework as long as the courses are required as a result of placement testing, the student is in an eligible program of study, and SAP requirements continue to be met. Developmental Studies are figured in the total of completed and attempted hours as well as part of the student’s cumulative GPA.

Academic Forgiveness: In the event that a student has been granted Academic Forgiveness, this does not exclude their previous academic record when figure hours completed, hours earned, or cumulative GPA as it pertains to satisfactory academic progress.

Financial Aid Warning Period

Students in the Graduate Programs are not eligible for a Financial Aid Warning Period.

Financial Aid Appeal

If a student is no longer eligible to receive financial aid and must appeal due to not meeting the satisfactory academic progress standards, the student will be notified by email from their Student Financial Services Advisor that they must complete a SAP Appeal and be approved in order to be granted a Financial Aid Probation period.

Appeals for Financial Aid Probation must be submitted in writing or by email to their Student Financial Services Advisor, no later than two weeks from receipt of the Advising Form.

The appeal must contain the following information:

1. A statement by the student that outlines the circumstances that the student believes contributed to their lack of academic progress.
2. The steps that the student plans to make to remedy their current academic situation.
3. An Advising Form will be emailed to the student. This form will outline the progress required to regain SAP eligibility. The student will sign and return this form.

A student may be placed on Financial Aid Probation if a SAP Appeal has been approved by Student Financial Services. Financial Aid Probation allows a student to receive financial aid for one payment period. A student can only receive financial aid for a subsequent payment period if that student is now making SAP. It is possible for a student to receive more than one Financial Aid Probation during their academic career as long as they are not consecutive with another Financial Aid Probation. Financial Aid Probation typically is only for one payment period. On a case-by-case basis, the student’s academic plan could be approved to extend longer in order for the student to regain SAP eligibility.

After a student’s SAP Appeal has been reviewed, the student will be contacted by the Student Financial Services Office Manager who will explain the outcome of their appeal. The Office Manager will explain if the student is being granted a Financial Aid Probation and/or what the student needs to do moving forward to meet the satisfactory academic progress standards.

Graceland University uses Brightspace as the platform for online and hybrid classes. The technical requirements for effective use of the Brightspace platform may be found at this link: https://community.brightspace.com/s/article/Brightspace-Platform-Requirements

No official statement of the record of any student will be released until all fees, dues, loans, fines, and tuition assessed by the university or any department have been settled. The Registrar’s Office will issue transcripts as soon as possible upon written request by the person whose record is to be sent. Transcripts should be requested at least two weeks in advance of the date required. Copies are furnished at a charge of ten dollars each.

Learn more about Requesting Official Transcripts below.

Requesting Official Transcripts

Official transcripts are issued by the Registrar’s Office and bear the university seal and Registrar’s signature. Official transcripts cannot be processed if the student has any outstanding financial obligations to the university. Enrolled students can obtain an unofficial transcript through My Graceland.

ON-LINE

Graceland University has authorized the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to provide transcript ordering via the internet. Please log into the NSC secure website for complete transcript ordering instructions.

The site conveniently walks you through placing your order, including delivery options and fees. To ensure confidentiality and to comply with federal regulations when ordering official transcripts, you will be presented with the Consent to Release form. Please print the form, sign and fax, mail, or scan and email it to the Clearinghouse to ensure timely processing of your order. In addition to the convenience of credit card payment, the online service provides email notifications as orders are received and processed by the Registrar’s Office. Your card will only be charged after your order has been completed. You can also track your order online using your email address and order number.

The online service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you need help or have questions, contact NSC via email at transcripts@studentclearinghouse.org, phone 703-742-7791, or fax 703-742-4238. If web connection problems, send email to: service@sch.org.