University Governance

AMENDMENTS TO THE UNIVERSITY SENATE CODE
Approved by SenEx 3/24/09

ARTICLE      XII.   STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY SENATE
     
Rationale:  The Retirees Committee recommends, and SenEx approved, adding two new members to the committee.  George Crawford, chair of the Retirees Committee (CRRB) states that “the Endacott  Society is the only organized program for retirees that meets regularly, offers programmed activities and attends to retiree concerns such as parking, helping keep the Retirees' Handbook current and so on. The Provost  is the administrator most directly responsible for addressing retiree rights and benefits issues. Having Mary Lee Hummert, the current liaison designee, attend meetings this year has  provided a direct, regular, human contact with the Office of Provost which is already yielding benefits to communication and "official attention" to retiree concerns.
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      Section 2.  Membership
     

“The Committee on Retirees Rights and Benefits shall be composed of two active faculty members, one of whom shall serve as chair; one retired faculty member; one active and one retired unclassified professional staff member; and one active and one retired university support staff member. All of the aforementioned shall serve  , all serving three-year overlapping terms. The committee shall also include the President of the Endacott Society or designate, and an Ex Officio, non-voting member from the Office of the Provost.”

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AMENDMENTS TO THE UNIVERSITY SENATE RULES
Recommended by the Academic Policies & Procedures Committee
Approved by SenEx 03/24/09
 Approved by University Senate 04/23/09

USRR 2.2.2 (The Grading System)
Rationale: Now that WP/WF and the W/F are not utilized when students withdraw (only W is currently valid), this language is no longer pertinent.


 2.2.2 The letters F, U (unsatisfactory), and NC (no credit) shall indicate that the quality of work was such that, to obtain credit, the student must repeat the regular work of the course., or that the student's work was not of passing quality at the time of disenrollment from the course.

USRR 2.2.3 (Incompletes)

Rationale:  The AP&P Committee was charged to recommend changes to the policy outlining the requirements for a grade of incomplete. The policy will not be applied retroactively. The changes have been reviewed and approved by the University Registrar and the Dean of Graduate Studies. See also the implementation procedures that follow the USRR text. 

Section 2.         The Grading System. . .
2.2.3 The letters W and I may be given. The letter I shall indicate incomplete work, such as may be completed without re-enrollment in the course. The letter W shall indicate withdrawal for which no credit or grade point is assigned (See section 2.2.5 for assigning the letter W).

2.2.3.1 The letter I should not be used when a definite grade can be assigned for the work done. It shall not be given for the work of a student in any course except to indicate that some part of the work has, for good reason reasons beyond the student’s control, not been done, while the rest has been satisfactorily completed. At the time an I is reported on the electronic roster, the character and amount of work needed, as well as the date required for completion and lapse grade if further work is not completed by this date, should be indicated on the "Explanation of Incomplete" card for the student's dean.

2.2.3.2 A student who has an I posted for a course must make up the work An I posted for courses must be made up in the next semester of enrollment, except when the removal of the I involves the repetition of a portion of the classroom work, in which case it shall be removed in the first semester of residence in which the course is offered.  An I not removed according to this rule shall be regarded as a grade of F, U, or NC on request of the student's dean, with the consent of the instructor, if possible, or the department chairperson if the instructor is not available, and so indicated on the permanent record.  Extensions to the time limit may be granted by the dean’s representative.  by the date determined by the instructor, in consultation with the student,  which may not exceed one calendar year, or the last day of the term of graduation, whichever comes first.   An I not removed according to this rule shall automatically convert to a grade of F or U, or the lapse grade assigned by the course instructor if the student does not complete the work within the time allowed, and shall be indicated on the student's record.

2.2.3.3 Extensions to the time limit may be granted by the dean's representative upon submission of a petition from the student containing the endorsement of the course instructor who assigned the I grade, or the department chairperson if the instructor is unavailable.  After the I grade is converted to a grade of F or U, the grade may only be changed in accordance with USRR Article II, Section 3.

2.2.3.4  2.2.3.3 An I posted for graduate courses remains unchanged on the student’s record except that, should the student subsequently complete the course work, the instructor would then change the I to a letter grade: A, B, C, D, or F.  No graduate student will be allowed to take oral comprehensive or qualifying exams if an I grade is currently listed on the student's transcript.
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2.2.7 Except for 2.2.5 and 2.2.6, a  post‑baccalaureate degree granting unit shall not be required to conform to the grading system prescribed in this section, except when it assigns a grade to a student enrolled in any other degree granting unit of the University.

 

Procedures for Changing an Incomplete (“I”) Grade:

    1. Upon recording an I, the instructor will stipulate outstanding work and date required for completion.  The instructor will also register the grade the student would receive if the work were not completed in the time allotted.
    2. Upon submission, the student will be notified of stipulated outstanding work, date required for completion, and procedures for completion. The student will also be notified of the grade that will be given for work completed to date if the remaining work is not completed in the time allotted.
    3. Student should be instructed to not re-enroll in the course.
    4. Instructor will submit a change of grade if work is completed, or a grade other than an F should be posted to the transcript, before the date required for completion.  This may be submitted online for a period of one year.
    5. Six weeks prior to lapse deadline, students with outstanding Incomplete grades and the appropriate faculty member will be reminded/notified electronically through Online Advising Tool, Academic Notices.
    6. All undergraduate grades will lapse at deadline (grade submission deadline for term).
    7. Extensions will be reviewed by the Dean’s representative or administrative process determined by the College or school.

     

     

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    USRR 2.2.5 (Withdrawal Periods) 
    Rationale:   The Academic Policies and Procedures Committee (AP&P) was charged to recommend policies and deadlines for dropping classes that do not meet on the regular university schedule (distance learning, continuing education with rolling start dates, independent study and other by appointment courses, other seminars and internships). 

    2.2.5 The University fall and spring semesters each consist of seventy-five instructional days. The withdrawal period is divided into three instructional-day time segments:
    . . .


    NOTE: The three time periods of instructional days for any course that has fewer or more instructional days than a normal semester shall be calculated on the basis of a percentage that the instructional days of the course in question represent relative to a normal semester of 75 instructional days.  For example, course of five weeks duration with a total of 25 instructional days represents one-third the length of a normal semester. Thus, Period 1 would include the first five (5) instructional days of the course, Period 2 would begin with the 6th and continue through the 20th instructional day and Period 3 would begin with the 21st instructional day and continue through the last day of the class.  KUCE (KU Continuing Education) courses allow 6 months for completion.  Thus, Period 1 would include the first 1.5 months from the date of enrollment.  Period 2 would end 4.5 months from the date of enrollment.  Period 3 would continue from the day after the last day of Period 2 until the course completion deadline.  No student may withdraw from a KUCE course after an extension has been granted or after the student has completed 75 % of the required course work.

    USRR 2.3.1 (change of grade for academic misconduct)
    Rationale: With on-line grades the University Registrar has added a reason code of academic misconduct to reflect these changes both when made by staff and for faculty to use if changing the grade themselves.  These reasons are provided on the reports that are sent to the Departments/Schools/College so they can follow-up if the appropriate procedures have not been initiated.  If we do not add this reason, there would be no way to accurately reflect why the grades are being changed when academic misconduct sanctions are applied.

    Section 3. Change of Grade
    2.3.1     Unless the provisions of 2.3.2 obtain, no change in a grade shall be made after it is filed with the University Registrar except upon the written request of the faculty member in charge of the course. The Registrar shall notify the chairperson of the department in which the course is given, with a copy to the originating faculty member.   Such a change may be made only if (1) the original grade resulted from an error, or (2) the original letter was I or P., or (3) due to sanctions imposed in the case of academic misconduct. In either any of these cases, the this change of letter shall not include the change to a W. For purposes of this provision, a written request includes an electronic request through online processes developed by the Registrar.
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    USRR 2.3.5 (grade appeals)
    Rationale:  Students periodically ask what the recourse is for other types of appeals after reading this section.  Adding this reference may assist them in their research.

    2.3.5     A student may initiate a grade appeal of a final course grade if he or she believes that there has been an improper application of the grading procedure announced for the course by the instructor.  Students who have other grievances should see Article V.
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    USRR 2.4.2
    Rationale:  Students no longer elect the repeat policy (it is automatic) therefore the language is now outdated.

    2.4.2 A grade point average is the quotient obtained by dividing the number of grade points earned by the number of hours attempted (i.e., those for which grades of A, B, C, D, or F are recorded).

    2.4.2.1 In computing grade point averages all hours attempted (i.e., grade A, B, C, D, or F) shall be included, except for cases in which a student chooses to repeats a class that resulted in a D or F and followed the procedure as outlined in 2.2.9.1. In this instance, the second grade earned shall be included, replacing the original grade earned, for up to five (5) courses.

    USRR 2.8.1 (academic forgiveness)
    Rationale:   

    • Updates the language to reflect the changes made to include KU Continuing Education coursework as resident coursework. 
    • Adds language to clarify issues that students have argued should allow them to receive forgiveness (one had a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0 for several semesters but immediately prior to leaving KU raised it to a 2.0 and felt forgiveness should still apply; one argued that the term GPA should be used because it didn’t specify cumulative which is how we commonly refer to the overall GPA; several students have thought that terms from other institutions should be forgiven at KU because it did not specify KU terms in 2.8.3.
    • Removes required confirmation to schools.  Schools forward the forms to the University Registrar and the processed information displays on the system.  Other similar processes do not require confirmation.

    Section 8.         Academic Forgiveness
    2.8.1 An undergraduate student may request the Office of the University Registrar, with the approval of the Dean, to invoke academic forgiveness in cases where the following conditions are met. (The term "academic forgiveness" shall mean the suspension of University Senate Rules and Regulations, Article 2.4.2.1, in order to discount the coursework of past academic semester(s).)

    2.8.2 Academic forgiveness shall be available once to those students who meet these requirements.
    1.   Have had a break of at least four (4) years in their attendance at the University of Kansas. A student will be considered in "attendance" during a semester or term if the student is enrolled in a least one KU course in residence, earning a grade of A-F, S, U, CR, or NC. Enrollment in correspondence courses does not constitute "attendance" at the University of Kansas.
    2.   Had earned an overall a cumulative University of Kansas G.P.A. of less than 2.0 immediately prior to leaving K.U.
    3.   At the time of petition, have earned a G.P.A. of at least 2.5 in at least 12 credit hours earned after returning to K.U. All grades earned at K.U. since returning will be used to make this G.P.A. calculation.

    2.8.3 When invoking academic forgiveness, a student may designate not more than three (3) academic terms to be discounted in his/her academic record. Only University of Kansas terms completed prior to returning to the University of Kansas may be designated.

    2.8.4 Academic terms discounted for a student using the academic forgiveness policy shall not be computed into the student's current G.P.A., nor shall any hour completed or degree requirements satisfied in these discounted terms be counted toward a degree granted from the University of Kansas.

    2.8.5 When invoking academic forgiveness, a student must obtain the approval of the Dean in his/her academic unit. The student then submits the request for academic forgiveness to the University Registrar, who will return a confirmation to the Dean's Office.
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    USRR 3.1 (graduation requirements)
    Rationale:  A minimum GPA for the University is not specified in either the University Senate Code or the Board of Regents policy.  The minimum is up to each school; this would theoretically enable a school to grant an exception to its own rules and graduate a student with less than a 2.0 GPA.  The University Registrar, in conjunction with the Student Academic Services Office in the College, and the AP&P Committee recommend that a 2.0 GPA in courses taken at KU be codified in the Rules, as well as a deadline for work to be completed.

    Section 1.        Requirements for Graduation with the Bachelor's Degree
    3.1.1 The minimum quantitative requirement for graduation with a bachelor's degree shall be l24 credit hours of which at least 45 hours shall be in junior-senior courses, at least 30 hours of residence courses at the University of Kansas (as defined in Article IV of the Rules and Regulations of the Faculty Senate), and a 2.0 minimum cumulative grade point average for the coursework taken in residence at the University of Kansas.

    3.1.2    No baccalaureate degree shall be granted to a student who has not completed at least 30 semester hours of residence courses at the University of Kansas (as defined in Article IV of the Rules and Regulations of the Faculty Senate) except as provided in Section 3.1.3.

    3.1.2  All University of Kansas coursework counted towards the degree must be completed no later than the degree certification deadline.  All transcripted coursework from other institutions must be completed and received by the degree certification deadline to count towards graduation in that semester.  Exceptions may be granted by the School/College for courses completed by the deadline and whose transcripts are received no later than 30 (thirty) days after the completion of the coursework.  The degree certification deadline will be determined by the Office of the University Registrar in conjunction with the Schools/College.

    3.1.3     The faculty of the College or an undergraduate school may adopt regulations which permit a student to complete his or her undergraduate study at another institution of higher learning, provided he or she (a) has completed at least three‑fourths of the course work required for the degree, and (b) has earned a grade point average of at least 2.5.

    3.1.4     3.1.3 It shall be the responsibility of the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs to enforce the University requirements for graduation listed in Sections 3.1.1 and 3.1.2. by removing the names of those students who do not meet these requirements from graduation lists submitted by the College and the several schools of the University.  In extraordinary circumstances, the Faculty Executive Committee may grant exceptions to these requirements.
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