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Consistent with the commitment of Dakota State University to personalize
education, an academic advisor is assigned to each degree-seeking student. New
students are encouraged to meet their advisors during the first four weeks of
the first semester of study in order to get acquainted and discuss career and
educational plans. Thereafter, students meet on a regular basis with their
advisors to review mid-term grades, assess progress and discuss pre-registration
procedures for the next semester. Information available through the ACT student
profile and the information provided by the student when applying for admission
are used by the advisor to help the student plan and evaluate his/her academic
plans.
The university encourages continual communication between faculty and students
to enhance the advisement process. Each student is responsible for knowing and
meeting degree and graduation requirements as listed in the appropriate catalog.
It is the policy of Dakota State
University to comply with all federal and state requirements of the Americans
with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and other similar statutes
and regulations as promulgated federally and by the State of South Dakota.
Dakota State University does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the
employment activities. The Vice President for Business Administration has been
designated to coordinate compliance with the non-discrimination requirements
contained in Section 35.107 of the Department of Justice regulations.
Information concerning the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and
the rights provided thereunder are available from the ADA Coordinator, Robert
Jackson. (Telephone: 605-256-5823).
The university does not
discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission process or in access to
programs or activities. To this end, the university has formed a committee (ADA
Educational Programs Committee) whose purpose is to help ensure individuals with
disabilities have the full benefit of education programs offered by the
university in compliance with the above laws. This policy is part of the
university’s total response to the Americans with Disabilities Act. (See DSU
Policy 1-02-00)
Procedures:
1.
An individual with a documented disability wishing academic
accommodations
to programs and/or services must contact the ADA Academic Coordinator,
Robert Jackson, Science Center 148 (Telephone:
6054-256-5823).
www.departments.dsu.edu/disability_services/
Documentation must be no older than three years from the date of
application/
request for program modifications. Documentation will consist of medical
or
other diagnostic documentation of disability or limitations.
2.
A formal written application for consideration of an academic
accommodation
must be submitted along with professional documentation of the disability
as
soon as possible prior to the time the accommodation is needed. It is
recom-
mended that, when applicable, requests be filed on initial admission to
the
university. No action can be taken by the university until the formal
application
and documentation are provided. Upon receipt of the completed
application, the
ADA Academic Coordinator, together with a university consultant, will
make decisions on requests for common learning and testing
accommodations.
In all other requests for accommodations, the chair of the ADA
Educational
Programs Committee will schedule a meeting of the ADA Educational
Programs
Committee for no later than ten working days after receipt of
application. Each
applicant will be handled and reviewed individually. The applicant will
be
notified in writing of the meeting place, date and time. The applicant
may elect
to attend the meeting if he/she so chooses.
a. The
purpose of the meeting with the ADA Educational Programs
Committee
is to discuss appropriate and reasonable accommodations to
be recommended to the university administrator(s) responsible for
effecting
the accommodations. The committee, the applicant, and experts
or advocates requested to be present by the committee or the applicant
will discuss the request for accommodations and evaluation of document-
tation,
if any, provided by a university consultant. The goal is to reach
agreement
on the type and extent of accommodations to give the student
appropriate
access to classroom information and tests that measure their
knowledge
without fundamentally altering the program. The resulting
recommendations
and minutes of the meeting will be forwarded to the
vice president or designee for final approval and action. If the
applicant
elects not to meet with the committee, the committee makes
recommendations based upon the applicant’s written application,
documentation, and other submitted material. The student is notified of
the committee’s decision by the chair.
b. If the
requested accommodations would result in a fundamental alteration
of the service/program and/or requirements for the university,
the
committee
will declare the need for further review of the request. The
minutes
of the meeting, without recommendations for accommodations,
will be forwarded to the Vice President for Academic Affairs or his/her
designee
for further review and action. The Vice President for Academic
Affairs
or designee will make a final decision regarding program or
service
modifications and prepare a written statement
to the student on
the decision and the reason for the decision within ten (10) working days
after receiving the minutes of the meeting. Copies of official minutes,
letters of notification and all documents, including the original
application, professional documentation, and related correspondence,
will be filed with the ADA Academic Coordinator, declared personal
and confidential, and thereafter communicated only to those who have a
need
to know, in accordance with the Family Rights and Privacy Act.
Files
will be maintained during the
student’s enrollment and destroyed
three
years after the individual’s last
official affiliation with the
university
as a student.
3.
The Vice President for Academic Affairs or his/her designee will notify
faculty
and/or other university personnel who will be responsible for
implementing the
accommodations within ten (10) working days of the decision so as to
ensure
that the accommodations are in place for the individual at the earliest
possible
time in a new semester or new setting. If the documentation received
suggests
an accommodation, DSU will implement the recommended accommodation
until such time that it is determined by the ADA Educational Programs
Committee that the academic program is altered by said accommodation.
Faculty/university personnel are required to maintain the confidentiality
of the
process, to strictly adhere to the officially designated accommodations,
to share
any problems or concerns only with their administrator or the Vice
President for
Academic Affairs or his/her designee, and to support the student’s full
and equal
participation in the program or service.
The student will notify the ADA Academic Coordinator in the event that
accommodation arrangements are not carried out in the recommended manner.
Should individuals need additional accommodations, they may request a new
meeting with the committee by contacting the ADA Academic Coordinator.
4.
Faculty or other university personnel who are responsible for
implementing
accommodations for a student are encouraged to provide pertinent progress
checks and make suggestions or address concerns regarding future
services.
Any formal evaluations must be submitted to the ADA Academic Coordinator
for inclusion in the file within 10 working days of termination of the
faculty’s or
other personnel’s responsibility to that student. The ADA Academic Coordina-
tor will examine all forms upon receipt and take any action deemed
necessary, to
include requesting another meeting of the committee.
5.
The ADA Academic Coordinator will meet with all students served by this
policy annually to determine if needs are being met. Individuals may be
con-
tacted to discuss their accommodations in more detail should it appear
that
adjustments or additional accommodations may be needed. A new meeting of
the committee may be called and the process may be repeated beginning
with
step 2 above.
6.
The decisions of the ADA Coordinator and/or ADA Educational Programs
Committee and/or the Vice President for Academic Affairs may be appealed
to
the President within five (5) working days of receipt of the
committee’s
recommendation. The President will provide a written response to the
appeal
within five (5) working days of receipt of the appeal. The President’s
decision
may be appealed to the Office of Civil Rights, 10220 North Executive
Hills
Boulevard, 8th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64153-1367.
It
is the policy of Dakota State University to allow students to appeal the
decisions of faculty, administrative, and staff members and the decisions of
institutional committees. A similar procedure, as noted in appealing a
final grade, should be followed by students to appeal other academic and
administrative decisions. If a student believes that a decision made by a
faculty, administrative, or staff member or by an institutional committee was
inappropriate, he/she may appeal that decision to the official who has
supervisory responsibility for that individual or committee. Before the
student may appeal the decision, he/she must have exhausted all other appeal
processes outlined by the institution for that academic or administrative
decision.
To
begin the appeal process, the student should detail his/her concerns in writing
to the appropriate official. This written statement should describe the
specific act or acts which are the grounds for the appeal and should include all
known information, relevant documents, the names of any known witnesses, and
other relevant data and information, including a description of the appeal
processes already exhausted relative to the decision.
If
the student’s complaint is against a vice president, the formal appeal process
should be directed to the President of the institution. This is the
highest level of procedural review within the institution.
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