Graduate Nursing
AdmissionsStudents may be placed on probation, or dismissed, for academic and behavioral reasons. Most lapses in ethical or academic standards will be addressed with probation, but some may be severe enough to warrant dismissal.
A student may be placed on probation only once during the timeframe of a given program. Exceptions to this policy for individual students may be made with approval of the program department and the Director of Graduate Studies.
Academic honesty and integrity are highly valued in our campus community. Academic dishonesty directly concerns ethical behaviors which affect both the academic environment and the civic community. Academic dishonesty seriously violates the integrity of the academic enterprise and will not be tolerated at St. Scholastica.
Academic dishonesty is defined as follows: Misrepresentation of the work of others as one’s own; (i.e. plagiarism) dishonesty in testing; violating authorized guidelines established by instructors for individual assignments; sabotaging or damaging the work of others; or engaging in dishonesty in other academic work.
To minimize student misunderstanding, faculty shall state in writing what degree of cooperation or help is authorized and what behaviors constitute academic dishonesty on collaborative efforts by students (team projects, group work, etc.). Students shall be responsible for asking faculty for clarification in any unclear situation.
Since academic dishonesty is a transgression against the entire College community, the entire community should be involved in handling the problem. Students and faculty are encouraged to contact instructors with reports of, or concerns about, academic dishonesty. If a faculty member has determined that a student has been academically dishonest, the violation must be reported to the Referral Office.
In case of academic dishonesty, the minimum penalty to be applied by the faculty member shall be failure of the assignment or test, and the maximum penalty shall be failure in the course. In addition, the department may deny admission to or dismiss from the program a student who has engaged in academic dishonesty.
An aggrieved student may appeal any adverse decision regarding academic dishonesty to the Graduate Nursing Department Committee. If not resolved, the student may then submit a request to the Dean of Graduate Studies to have the appeal heard by the Graduate Council The decision of the Graduate Council shall be final.
Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0. If the cumulative GPA falls below 3.0, the student is placed on academic probation. The student must then achieve a 3.0 after completion of six subsequent credits, or as designated by the department. Refer to Grade Definitions policy for GPA requirements for Department of Graduate Nursing.
Academic dishonesty such as plagiarism, falsification of data, or cheating, will result, at a minimum, in failure of the assignment involved, and may result in failure of the course. Course failure will result in academic probation. More than one instance of academic dishonesty will result in dismissal. However, in cases of serious dishonesty, dismissal may result after the first instance. Any instance of academic dishonesty and the resultant disciplinary action must be reported to the School Dean.
Students are expected to conform to professional standards of behavior. Some examples of reasons for behavioral probation are minor infractions in the following areas:
1. Lying, stealing, or breach of confidentiality when dealing with a patient/client or related health-record data.
2. Behavioral or emotional problems which are incompatible with competent and/or ethical performance as a graduate student.
3. Failure to abide by the code of ethics governing the discipline.
4. Impeding the learning of other students in the program through disruptive behavior, lack of cooperation, or other actions or lapses.
5. Unprofessional behavior while in clinical/practicum/internship settings.
The student and the faculty of the department will create a set of expectations to address the problems (i.e. a contract), and a specified period of time will be set in which to correct them. Failure to conform to the terms of the probationary contract will result in dismissal from the program.
Students will normally be put on probation before being dismissed unless the student has committed acts of gross or irreparable unethical nature.
During a probationary period:
- Standards must not be higher than those of other students in the program; however, students on probation may be monitored more frequently or more intensively than other students.
- Clear descriptions of the reasons for probation, and expectations for the future, will be laid out in a written communication; copies to the student, the faculty advisor, any other faculty member involved in coursework, and the Graduate Nursing Department Chair.
- Faculty involved must follow up with the student and with the Graduate Nursing Department Chair at regular intervals and give factual evidence of progress (example; weekly or bi-weekly grade reports or clinical evaluations).
At the end of the probationary period:
- If the student has completed the probationary period satisfactorily, and has corrected all problems laid out in the probation agreement, the student is returned to regular status.
Students will be subject to dismissal for severe and/or repeated academic or behavioral issues whereby expected academic or behavioral standards are not met. Examples include:
1. Failure to maintain a 3.0 GPA in all courses.
2. Incursion of a second probationary status for either academic or behavioral courses.
3. Repeated or serious plagiarism or other infractions of academic dishonesty.
4. Failure to meet stipulations of an academic probationary contract.
5. Failure to meet the conditions of a provisional/probationary admittance contract.
1. Failure to meet expectations outlined in a probationary contract designed to correct any behavioral infractions.
2. Commission of acts of a gross or irreparable unethical nature.
3. Incursion of a second probationary status for either academic behavioral course.
Dismissal Procedure
In cases of continued violations during the probationary period, unsatisfactory progress during the probationary period, or in cases of single but severe violations:
- Evidence (facts) will be presented to the Graduate Nursing Department Chair in writing by faculty with first hand knowledge of the incidents that could lead to dismissal.
- After reviewing the facts, if the Graduate Nursing Department Chair feels dismissal is warranted, the Chair will present the information to the student.
- After reviewing any discrepancies with the student and the faculty involved, the Graduate Nursing Department Chair and two members of the faculty will determine if dismissal is appropriate.
- If the decision is made to dismiss, exact reasons for dismissal will be determined and presented by the Graduate Nursing Department Chair to the student both orally and in written form, with a copy to the School Dean.
- A student who has been dismissed may choose to file a grievance using the Grievance Procedure for Enrolled Students, beginning with the notification of the Graduate Nursing Department Chair.
Grievance Procedure For Enrolled Students
The grievance procedure is a means for settling student-faculty and/or student-program complaints, including probation and dismissal questions. The grievance must be filed within 20 calendar days following the alleged problem that caused the complaint or following the communication of dismissal.
An attempt should be made to resolve the complaint at the immediate level of the student(s) and the teacher(s). If the complaint cannot be resolved at this level, the student contacts the Graduate Nursing Department Chair who arranges for a hearing before the program's graduate faculty.
If the complaint cannot be resolved at this level, the student contacts the Dean of their School to initiate a formal grievance procedure. The Dean schedules a meeting with the student to hear the grievance. The Dean makes a decision on the appeal and informs the student in writing of his/her decision. If the student disagrees with the Dean’s decision, the student may appeal, in writing, to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Vice President schedules a meeting with the student to hear a grievance. The Vice President makes a decision on the appeal and informs the student in writing of her decision. If the student disagrees with the Vice President’s decision, the student may appeal to the Graduate Council. The Chair of the Council will appoint an appeals panel to hear the grievance according to the procedures herein. An appeal panel of the Graduate Council for the purposes of hearing a grievance shall be no fewer than five members of the Council with no more than three being either graduate program directors or members at large. The Graduate Council is the policy-making body for graduate studies at the College, and the decision of the Appeal Panel is Binding.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
Student ®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®Faculty
Student®®®®®®®®®®®Graduate Nursing Depart Committee
Student®®®®®®®®®®®Dean,
Student®®®®®®®®®®®Vice President for Academic Affairs
Student®®®®®®®®®®®Graduate Council Appeals Panel
DECISION BINDING
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