Academic info3

Online, Distance, or Independent Learning Courses
UWSP offers some online courses through UWSP Continuing Education. See UWSP Continuing Education later in this section or visit their Web site at www.uwsp.edu/conted. You may earn credits online or through distance or independent learning from other accredited universities and transfer the credits to apply toward your degree at UWSP. These transfer credits must meet all the rules about transferring credits to UWSP. See Transferred Credits later in this section.

If a course is to meet a general degree requirement, you should check with the Registration and Records Office, 101 SSC, about how it will transfer. If you want the course to apply to a major or minor, you need to check with the appropriate academic department.

Fee waivers for courses taken through UW-Independent Learning (Learning Innovations): If you are a full-time student at UWSP and want to take a course through UW-Independent Learning (Learning Innovations), you may qualify for a fee waiver of all or part of the tuition for this course. You must apply for this fee waiver in the Registration and Records Office, 101 SSC, during the first half of the semester. A fee waiver will not apply to service charges, textbooks, or course materials.

The Registration and Records Office has UW-Independent Learning catalogs available. You can also view the catalog online at http://learn.wisconsin.edu/il or call 877-895-3276.

Pass/Fail Grading
Through the pass/fail grading program, you gain the opportunity to secure a broader, more liberal academic experience than is usually possible under the traditional, many-stepped grading program. As a result, you may take courses which are personally or intellectually attractive to you, without the pressure to secure and maintain a high grade point average. You may take courses of value outside your major in which your knowledge is not great enough to sustain a high letter grade. You may, in other words, experience learning for its own sake.

Register for the pass/fail option on or before the eleventh day of classes. You may not change either to or from pass/fail after the eleventh day of classes except for extenuating circumstances and only when approved by the department chair, the instructor, and your advisor.

If you earn a P in your course, you have passed it and are granted credit for it. We do not include a grade of P in calculating your grade point average, however, we do apply the credit you earn toward your degree.

If you earn an F in your course, you have failed it and do not receive credit for it. We do include a grade of F in calculating your grade point average.

At the undergraduate level, you may select up to five pass/fail credits (other than required wellness) each semester. However, you may count no more than 20 credits from pass/fail courses (other than required wellness) toward your degree requirements.

If you are on probation, you may take a course on a pass/fail basis only if it is in required wellness or if the course is offered as pass/fail only.

Count pass/fail courses only as electives. You may count the “pass” credits you earn toward the total credits you need for a degree; however, pass/fail courses DO NOT satisfy general degree requirements. For example, a course which applies toward the humanities requirement might be available on a pass/fail option. If you take the course pass/fail and pass, you may NOT count it toward your humanities requirement. If you take it on an A-F basis and earn a D or better, you may count the course toward your humanities requirement. However, in both cases you may count the credits toward the total number of credits you need for your degree.

There are two exceptions to this rule:

You may satisfy your wellness/health enhancement requirements with pass/fail courses.

In certain departments you may be permitted to take up to two pass/fail courses in your major and one pass/fail course in your minor. To do this, you will need to fill out a special pass/fail registration form available in Registration and Records Office, 101 SSC.

To find out which courses and/or sections are available under the pass/fail option, and with what restrictions, check your timetable. Each department determines which courses to include in the program and under what conditions.

Departments provide the option of a standard grade in all courses offered under the pass/fail program except for those courses and sections that were approved to be offered as pass/fail only.

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Prerequisites
If you register for any class when you do not have the required class standing and/or haven’t met the stated prerequisites, the department offering the class may, at its discretion in the first eight days of the semester, require you to drop that class. However, if you are permitted to continue, you must realize that you accept full responsibility for the grade you earn in that class.

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Probation/Suspension
You are in good academic standing if both your semester and cumulative grade point averages (GPAs) are 2.00 or better.

Probation-1 means that either your semester GPA or your cumulative GPA (or both) are less than 2.00. This is a warning that you need to raise both your semester and cumulative GPAs to a 2.00 or higher at the end of your next semester of attendance at UWSP to be in good standing.

If you are on Probation-1 and your semester OR cumulative GPA (but not both) falls below 2.00 at the end of your next semester of attendance, you will be placed on Probation-2.

If you are on Probation-1 and your semester AND cumulative GPA fall below 2.00 at the end of your next semester of attendance, you will be suspended.

Probation-1 does not appear on your transcript.

Probation-2 means that either your semester or your cumulative GPA is less than 2.00 AND you are already on Probation-1. This is a final warning that you need to raise both your semester and your cumulative GPAs to a 2.00 or higher at the end of your next semester of attendance.

If you are on Probation-2 and your semester OR cumulative GPA falls below 2.00 at the end of your next semester of attendance, you will be suspended.

Probation-2 does not appear on your transcript.

Once placed on probation you must meet with your advisor by the end of the first week of classes of the next term you attend.

Suspension means that you are not eligible to continue classes at UWSP for a period of time. If you are suspended, you will be sent a copy of your academic record and a letter that further explains your situation. You will be suspended if:

You earned less than a 2.00 in EITHER your semester or cumulative GPA after having been on Probation-2.

You earned less than 2.00 in both your semester and cumulative GPAs after having been on Probation-1.

You earned a cumulative GPA less than 2.00 and a semester GPA less than 1.00.

You were admitted to UWSP on probation and you earned less than a 2.00 GPA during your first semester of attendance at UWSP.

Suspension status DOES appear on your transcript.

Winterim grades can be used to improve your academic standing, but you cannot be placed on academic probation or suspension as a result.

Summer grades can cause you to be placed on or off academic probation, but you cannot be suspended as a result.

You may attend a summer session after being suspended. While your successful performance in such courses may provide evidence of your readiness to return to college, it does not guarantee your readmission to UWSP. Please call Admissions at 715-346-2441 for more details. Also see Academic Bankruptcy and Readmission to UW-Stevens Point.

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Records (Privacy and Access)
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended entitles you to review "official records, files, and data directly related" to you which the university maintains. You may also request a hearing regarding any alleged "inaccurate, misleading, or inappropriate" information. In most circumstances, the university will not release information from your records to third parties without your consent or notice to you. An interpretation of the law is printed below. Copies are available at Registration and Records, 101 SSC.

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, requires that you be advised of your rights concerning your education records and of certain categories of public information which the university has designated "directory information." This notice, in question and answer format, satisfies this requirement of the act.

As a student on the Stevens Point campus, what rights do I have regarding my university records? You have the right to inspect and review all your records which meet the act's definition of "education records.

What is the definition of "education records?" Education records are all the records maintained by the university about you. There are six exceptions:

Personal notes of UW-Stevens Point staff and faculty.

Employment records.

Medical/counseling records used solely for treatment.

Financial records of your parents.

Confidential letters, statements or recommendations placed in your records prior to January 1, 1975.

Confidential letters and statements or recommendations for admission, employment, or honorary recognition placed in your records after January 1, 1975, for which you have waived the right to inspect and review.

Is there any situation in which the university may insist that I waive my rights? Under no condition may you be required to waive your rights under this act before receiving university service or benefits.

Where are my records kept? Is there any situation in which the university may insist that I waive my rights? Records are not maintained in a central location on the campus. Requests to review your records must be made separately to each office which maintains your records. Your request must be made in writing and presented to the appropriate office. That office will have up to 45 days to honor your request. For most students, these offices will include those of the registrar, your school or college dean, your major department, Protective Services, and any other campus office with which you have been in contact, such as Student Financial Aid or Residential Living.

What if I do not agree with what is in my records? You may challenge any information contained in your "education records" which you believe to be inaccurate, misleading, or inappropriate. This right does not extend to reviewing grades unless the grade assigned by your professor was inaccurately recorded in your records. You may also insert a statement in your record to explain any such material from your point of view. If you wish to challenge information in your file, you must make a written request for a hearing to the dean or director of the appropriate office. In most cases, the decision of the dean or director will be final. However, you may elect to file an appeal in writing to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs who will review the decision only if a significant question of policy or compliance with the law appears to be raised by the case.

May I determine which third parties can view my education records? Under the act, your prior written consent must be obtained before information may be disclosed to third parties unless they are exempted from this provision. Exceptions include:

Requests from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point faculty and staff with a legitimate educational "need to know."

Requests in accordance with a lawful subpoena or court order.

Requests from representatives of agencies or organizations from which you have received financial aid.

Requests from officials of other educational institutions in which you intend to enroll.

Requests from other persons specifically exempted from the prior consent requirement of the act (certain federal and state officials, organizations conducting studies on behalf of the university, accrediting organizations).

Parents who claim students as dependents under the Internal Revenue code of 1954, Section 152, and who provide proof of such status.

Requests for "directory information" (please refer to the next question for an explanation).

What is meant by the term "directory information?" The university, in accordance with the act, has designated the following categories of information about you as public unless you choose to exercise your right to have any or all of this information withheld. This information will be routinely released to any inquirer unless you request that all or part of this be withheld.

These categories are:

Name.

Home address.

Home telephone number.

Local address. (Students should keep current address on file in the Registration and Records Office.)

Local telephone number.

E-mail address.

Place of birth.

Major/minor field of study, and college.

Participation in officially recognized university activities and sports.

Weight and height of members of athletics teams.

Attendance (including beginning, ending, registration and withdrawal dates; credits carried in a term; current classification; and graduation dates).

Degrees and awards received (type of degree and date granted).

The most recent previous educational agency or institution attended.

Name of parents or guardian.

High school from which you graduated.

What kinds of inquiries does the university receive for "directory information?" The university receives many inquiries for "directory information" from a variety of sources including friends, parents, relatives, prospective employers, graduate schools, honor societies, licensing agencies, government agencies, and news media.

What if I don’t want “directory information” released? Please consider very carefully the consequences of any decision by you to remove these items from the list of "directory information." Should you decide to inform the university not to release any or all of this "directory information," any future request for such information from nonuniversity persons or organizations will be refused. For example, the university could not release your telephone number and address to a family member wishing to notify you of a serious illness or crisis in the family. A prospective employer requesting confirmation of your major field of study or address would also be denied access to such items, should you withdraw them from the list of "directory information." The university will honor your request to withhold any of the items listed above but cannot assume responsibility to contact you for subsequent permission to release them. Regardless of the effect upon you, the university assumes no liability of honoring your instructions that such information be withheld.

If you wish to file a form withdrawing some or all of the information in the "directory" classification, you should report to the Registration and Records Office, 101 SSC, and complete the necessary form.

Where can I find out more information about the provisions of the act? If you have any questions regarding the provisions of the act, you may contact either Student Rights and Responsibilities, Delzell Hall, 715-346-2611, or the Registration and Records Office, 101 SSC, 715-346-4301.

Whom should I contact if I wish to make a complaint? If you believe that the university is not complying with the act, please direct your comment to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, 715-346-2481.

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Registration
You may register at UW-Stevens Point or add additional courses through the eighth day of classes during the fall and spring semester.

Religious Beliefs Accommodation
It is UW System policy to reasonably accommodate your sincerely held religious beliefs with respect to all examinations and other academic requirements.

1. You will be permitted to make up an exam or other academic requirement at another time or by an alternative method, without any prejudicial effect, if:

        a. There is a scheduling conflict between your sincerely held religious beliefs and taking the exam or meeting the academic requirements; and

        b.  You have notified your instructor within the first three weeks of the beginning of classes (first week of summer or interim courses) of the specific days or dates that you will request relief from an examination or academic requirement.

2.  Your instructor will accept the sincerity of your religious beliefs at face value and keep your request confidential.

3.  Your instructor will schedule a make-up exam or requirement before or after the regularly scheduled exam or requirement.

4.  You may file any complaints regarding compliance with this policy in the Equity and Affirmative Action Office.

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Remedial Coursework
If you are placed into a remedial course in mathematics, your academic advisor will encourage and help you restrict your coursework to a level that will allow you to succeed.

You must receive written permission from your advisor to enroll in more than 16 credits during any semester in which you are taking remedial courses. If you want to take more than 18 credits during a semester that includes remedial courses, you must get written permission from the dean of your college. Decisions about the number of credits you can take in one semester while doing remedial coursework are based on such things as your ACT score, high school class rank, overall high school record, university grade point average, and demands on your time from coursework, extracurricular activities and employment.
If you enter UWSP and are placed into a remedial math course, you must complete it before you earn 30 credits toward graduation. If you fail to complete the remedial coursework before earning 30 credits, you will be restricted to a maximum of 12 credits a semester, including the remedial course, until the requirement is met.
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Sustainability
UWSP is committed to sustainability and its practice in our daily operations. Sustainability is the human enterprise of living to meet today’s needs without compromising the needs of future generations, and to be ecologically sound, socially just, culturally affirming, politically doable, and economically viable. We demonstrate our commitment to sustainability through such measures as resource recovery (recycling), composting food wastes, energy reduction and continually exploring ideas to promote and support sustainability initiatives.

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