Bulletin - Institutional Policies, Procedures, and Requirements

Oglethorpe University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC; see Sec. 2.5.) to award baccalaureate (bachelor’s) degrees. To file a complaint against Oglethorpe University for alleged significant non-compliance with one or more of SACSCOC’s standards or requirements, contact SACSCOC at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500. Complainants are asked to first consult SACSCOC’s Complaint Procedures Policy Statement. Note that SACSCOC “expects individuals to attempt to resolve the issue through all means available to the complainant, including following the institution’s own published grievance procedures, before submitting a complaint to the Commission.” Please also note that normal inquiries about the institution (such as admission requirements, financial aid, educational programs, etc.) should be addressed directly to Oglethorpe University and not to SACSCOC.

Oglethorpe University strives to ensure that all University goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages and accommodations are meaningfully accessible to qualified persons with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008, Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and other pertinent federal, state and local disability anti-discrimination laws. 

Accessibility services (see Sec 10.2.) coordinates services, and provides information upon request, to students with disabilities. When possible, students with disabilities are asked to contact accessibility services to register for assistance and ensure that appropriate accommodations are implemented. Accessibility services responds to inquiries regarding campus accessibility, approves reasonable academic and housing accommodations, administers examinations for students with registered accommodations, and can assist with filing disability-related grievances and complaints. Additional information is available at https://oglethorpe.edu/academics/academic-resources/student-success/accessibility-accommodations/. 

Non-Language Course Substitutions

Requests for variances and/or waivers related to non-language course substitutions or other academic requirements for students with documented disabilities are handled on a case-by-case basis. The office of accessibility services will present the student’s written request and approval from accessibility services to the specific program chair. The petition should state the specific accommodation requested. Course substitution requests and program approvals must be completed prior to the start of the semester in which the substitution will occur. In collaboration with the student and the office of accessibility services, the program chair will determine a reasonable course substitution.

Oglethorpe allows a student with a documented mathematics-based disability and/or processing disorder to petition for a substitution of the Core mathematics requirement. A written request and accessibility services approval for a faculty-approved course substitution must be submitted prior to attempting the course to be used as a substitute for COR 314.

To initiate the process, the student must make a specific request and submit required documentation to the office of accessibility services. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate this process. Students seeking a mathematics substitution must take into consideration the following caveats:

1. The mathematics course substitution policy can only be used to fulfill the COR 314 requirement. This policy does not concern disability related substitutions for any other mathematics courses as related to major, minor, or prerequisite requirements.
2. Both the chair of the division of mathematics and computer science and the core director must approve all COR 314 course substitutions in advance.
3. Oglethorpe is not responsible for delays in graduation that result from substitutions. Students should submit a request early in their program of study in order to allow ample time to meet the requirement.
4. Students are cautioned against attempting coursework without explicit permission to take a course as a substitution.
5. Courses previously taken may not necessarily fulfill the substitution requirement and as such may not be applied retroactively.

If the request is approved, the student will receive permission from both the chair of the division of mathematics and computer science and Core director to take an alternate course in lieu of COR 314. Examples of possible substitutions include but are not limited to the following:

• PHI 201 Formal Logic
• CSC 201 Introduction to Programming
• History of Mathematics (via the ARCHE program; see Sec. 10.6.)
• Final decision on course approval resides with the chair of the division of mathematics and computer science in consultation with the assistant director of accessibility services.

Language Course Substitutions

A student with a documented language-based disability may request to complete a faculty-approved course substitutions to fulfill this requirement.

To initiate the process, the student must make a specific request and submit required documentation to the office of accessibility services. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate this process. If the request is approved, the student will receive permission from the chair of the division of foreign languages to take two four-hour culture-related courses on non-English speaking areas of the world, or language-related courses such as computer programming, in lieu of foreign language courses. Examples of eligible courses include but are not limited to the following: 

• ART 330 Far Eastern Art History – India, China, Tibet and Japan
• GER 290 Special Topics in German Language, Literature and Culture
• HIS 219 German History Since 1800
• HIS 221 Russian History Since 1861
• HIS 240 Latin America to Independence
• JPN 251 Identity and Nation in Modern Japanese Literature
• POL 231 Asian Politics
• SPN/FRE 406 French and Spanish Crossroads in the Caribbean and Africa.

NOTE: Some short-term study abroad courses that do not require language study may be eligible. 

Courses used as language substitutions cannot be counted toward the requirements of the student’s major or minor. Language substitutions can only be applied to the language requirement; they are not granted for upper-level language courses required by a major. Students are cautioned against attempting coursework without explicit prior permission to take a course to be used as a language substitution. All courses will be approved at the discretion of the chair of the division of foreign languages. Oglethorpe is not responsible for delays in graduation that result from substitutions. Students should submit a request early in their program of study in order to allow ample time to meet the requirement.

Grievance Procedures

While accessibility services works diligently to provide the most appropriate accommodations possible in a timely manner, students have the right to file a grievance. Oglethorpe University strives to provide prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging action prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

Any student who believes that appropriate accommodations have not been provided or that discrimination has occurred against a student based on disability is permitted to file a grievance with the University as provided by the following grievance procedure. Oglethorpe University is committed to using its best efforts to resolve disputes pertaining to disability services in an informal manner whenever possible. To this end, students who believe they have been aggrieved either by some action or inaction on the part of the University as a whole or by a particular individual are strongly encouraged to raise their concern directly with the individual or other appropriate official of the University.

Procedures to File a Complaint

Whenever an individual is dissatisfied with the informal resolution of a grievance or prefers to file a formal complaint the following procedures shall apply. 

Initial grievances regarding disability accommodations, accessibility, and inclusion should be first addressed to accessibility services, at (404) 504-1435. 

• The grievance must be submitted in writing, contain the name and address of the complainant, and describe the allegations. 
• The description must include specific facts to support the allegation(s). 
• The grievance must be filed within thirty (30) days of the alleged incident. 

Filing an Appeal

Once accessibility services reviews the grievance and records, and renders a response in writing, it is within the student’s rights to appeal the decision or ask for additional review and consideration. These appeals must be addressed to the Title IX coordinator at (404) 364-8344.

Upon appeal, an investigation, if appropriate, shall be conducted by the Title IX coordinator as the institution’s ADA/504 coordinator. During this procedure, the complainant, the persons against whom the allegations have been made, and their respective representatives, if any, will have the opportunity to submit information and documentation regarding the complaint allegations. The investigation will be completed with written results of the investigation issued and a copy forwarded to the complainant within thirty (30) business days of receipt of the complaint. The complainant may appeal the findings of the investigation by completing an online request at https://hub.oglethorpe.edu/registration-records/academic-appeal/.

3.3.3. Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation

Oglethorpe University encourages the development of collegial and professional relationships among all members of the University community and is committed to a learning and working environment of civility and mutual respect. Faculty carry a special responsibility to adhere to the highest ethical and professional standards and to avoid any behavior that may appear to undermine this atmosphere of trust and respect and thereby hinder the institution’s educational mission.

The faculty-student relationship is one of trust in the University, and the faculty member has the professional responsibility for being a mentor, educator, and evaluator. Faculty-student romantic, dating, or sexual relationships, even if consensual, interfere with a student’s pursuit of learning and the integrity of the academic environment and are of special concern because of the potential for conflict of interest and/or abuse of power. These types of romantic, dating, or sexual relationships can undermine the fundamental educational purpose of the University and disrupt the workplace and academic environment.

Sexual relationships between faculty members and undergraduate students are inconsistent with the mission of the University and inappropriate because they carry a risk of damaging the student’s educational experience and the faculty member’s career.

The University thus prohibits sexual relationships, even of a consensual nature, between faculty members and currently enrolled students.

Faculty members are strongly advised to exercise their best professional judgment concerning student-faculty relationships and to consider that intimate relations with students, even of a non-sexual nature, can be fraught with difficulties and the appearance of impropriety.

3.4.4. Ongoing Requirement for Students to Report on Disciplinary and Criminal Matters

Preamble

Oglethorpe University believes that the public interest is best served by creating an intellectual environment whereby creative efforts and innovations can be encouraged and rewarded, while still retaining for the University and its learning communities reasonable access to, and use of, the intellectual property for whose creation the University has provided assistance.

The University supports the development, production, and dissemination of intellectual property by its faculty members, staff and students.

Definitions

When used in this policy, the term “Copyright” shall be understood to mean that bundle of rights that protect original “Works of Authorship” fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. “Works of Authorship” (including computer programs) include, but are not limited to the following: literary works; musical works, including any accompanying words; dramatic works, including any accompanying music; pantomimes and choreographic works; pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works (photographs, prints, diagrams, models, and technical drawings); motion pictures and other audiovisual works; sound recordings; and architectural works. “Tangible Media” include, but are not limited to, books, periodicals, manuscripts, phonograph records, films, tapes, and disks.

When used in this policy, the term “Patent” shall be understood to mean that bundle of rights that protect inventions or discoveries which constitute any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof; new and ornamental designs for any useful article and plant patents being for the asexual reproduction of a distinct variety of plant, including cultivated sprouts, mutants, hybrids, and new found seedlings, other than a tuber propagated plant or plant found in an uncultivated state.

When used in this policy, the term “Intellectual Property” shall include Copyright and Patent.

Ownership of Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property created, made, or originated by a faculty member shall be the sole and exclusive property of the faculty author or inventor except as otherwise provided in this policy.

The University shall own Intellectual Property only in the following circumstances:

1. The University expressly directs a faculty member to create a specified work, or the work is created as a specific requirement of employment or as an assigned institutional duty that may, for example, be included in a written job description or an employment agreement.
2. The faculty author or inventor voluntarily transfers the Intellectual Property, in whole or in part, to the University. Such transfer shall be in the form of a written document signed by the faculty author or inventor.
3. The University contributes to a “joint work” under the Copyright Act. The institution can exercise joint ownership under this clause when it has contributed specialized services and facilities to the production of the work that goes beyond what is traditionally provided to faculty members generally in the preparation of their course materials. Such arrangement is to be agreed to in writing, in advance, and in full conformance with other provisions of this policy. The granting of sabbaticals, junior leaves and professional development grants by the University shall not constitute grounds for “joint work” unless specified by the University in the terms of the sabbatical, leave or grant.
4. The Intellectual Property results from externally funded research where ownership by the University conforms to the requirements of the funding agency.

Except as otherwise provided, Intellectual Property created, made, or originated by a student shall be the sole and exclusive property of the student author or inventor, except as the student may voluntarily choose to transfer such property, in full or in part, or as provided in any agreement with an external funding source. The University shall own the copyright or patent in the case that the work was created by a student acting as an employee of the University and working on a project as part of responsibilities as an employee or when a student is assisting a faculty member on a project designated as joint work.

Intellectual Property created, made, or originated by staff members in connection with their required job duties shall be the sole and exclusive property of the University. The staff members shall own Copyright of works and Patents of inventions created apart from their designated job responsibilities or as part of professional development activities apart from designated work tasks except as otherwise provided.

Use of Intellectual Property

Material created for ordinary teaching use in the classroom and in department programs, such as syllabi, assignments and tests, shall remain the property of the faculty author, but the University shall be permitted to use such material for internal instructional, educational, and administrative purposes, including satisfying requests of accreditation agencies for faculty-authored syllabi and course description.

In any agreement transferring copyright for such works to a publisher, faculty authors are expected to preserve the rights for the institution to use such works for internal instructional, educational, and administrative purposes.

Work created by students in connection with course assignments or in response to surveys administered by the University shall be available for the University to use for internal instructional, educational, and administrative purposes, including the assessment of student learning outcomes.

Distribution of any Funds Generated

Funds received by the student, faculty or staff member from the sale of Intellectual Property owned by that author or inventor shall be allocated and expended as determined solely by that author or inventor.

Funds received by the University from the sale of intellectual property owned by the University shall be allocated and expended in accord with any applicable laws or agreements as determined solely by the University.

Funds received by a faculty member or student and the University from the sale of Intellectual Property owned jointly by the faculty member or student and the University shall be divided equally between the faculty member or student and the University unless a different agreement was entered into when the work was first undertaken.

In the event of multiple creators, the creators will determine the allocation of their individual shares when the work is first undertaken.

Resolution of Emerging Issues and Disputes

The senior administrative leadership team (SALT) shall monitor and review technological and legislative changes affecting intellectual property policy and shall report to relevant faculty and administrative bodies, when such changes affect existing policies.

The SALT shall serve as a forum for the receipt and discussion of proposals to change existing institutional policy.

Disputes over ownership, and its attendant rights, of intellectual property will be decided by the president of the University.  Should a dispute arise, the president shall call into session a committee formed by three faculty members elected by faculty council, the chief information office, and the vice president for business and finance who shall chair the committee. The committee shall make an initial determination of whether the University or any other party has rights to the invention or other creation, and, if so, the basis and extent of those rights. The committee shall also make a determination on resolving competing faculty, student or staff claims to ownership when the parties cannot reach an agreement on their own. The committee shall make recommendation to the president who shall make the final determination.

3.5.4. United States Copyright Law Requirements

Every residence hall room, faculty office and appropriate staff office has a connection to the Oglethorpe computer network and the Internet. Access is also available to students through computers located in the Philip Weltner Library.

Statement of Computing Ethics

All users of Oglethorpe University electronic resources have the responsibility to use information technology in an effective, efficient, ethical and lawful manner. The ethical and legal standards that must be maintained are derived directly from federal, state and local laws, as well as from standards of common sense and common decency that apply to the use of any public resource. Violations of any conditions will be considered to be unethical and may possibly be unlawful. In accordance with established University practices, violations may result in disciplinary review which could result in legal action. The following list, though not comprehensive, specifies some responsibilities that accompany computer use, be it on centralized computing hardware or any other Oglethorpe electronic resource.

1. Use of resources must be employed only for the purpose in which they are intended. University-supported computing includes: authorized research, instructional and administrative activities. Personnel and computing resources cannot be used for commercial purposes, monetary gain or unauthorized research.
2. Computer users must not search for, access or copy directories, programs, files, disks or data not belonging to them unless they have specific authorization to do so. Programs, subroutines and data provided on Oglethorpe’s central computers cannot be downloaded or taken to other computer sites without written permission. Programs obtained from commercial sources or other computer installations may not be used unless written authority to use them has been obtained. Oglethorpe equipment, network or software may not be used to violate the terms of any license agreement.
3. Individuals should not encroach on others’ use of the computer. This includes:
   • Using electronic resources (including, but not limited to, Peer-to-Peer programs such as Bit Torrent) for non-academic activities or other trivial applications such that it prevents others from using these resources for their primary intended purpose;
   • Sending frivolous or excessive messages or mail either locally or over the networks;
   • Using excessive amounts of network bandwidth, hard disk storage space and/or printing excessive amounts of digital documents, programs, files or data;
   • Running grossly inefficient programs when efficient ones are available.
   • Recording another user’s keystrokes by any means (such as a key logger device or key logger software, a video camera, a cellphone video, etc.).
4. Individuals must not attempt to:
   • Access, modify, change or impede any aspect or component of Information Technology Systems.
   • Corrupt, encrypt or do any other harm to the system.
   • Subvert the restrictions associated with computer accounts, networks or computer software protections.

Policy on E-mail and Computer Use

Oglethorpe University provides a wide variety of computing, networking and other technology facilities in order to promote and support academic pursuits. Information technology services (IT services) maintains and supports computing and networking services as well as other technologies in support of the University mission.

By using University technology resources, all users agree to abide by all University rules and policies, as well as any and all local, state and federal laws. All users have the responsibility to use computing technology resources in an effective, efficient, ethical and lawful manner. Violations of this policy may result in suspension, without notice, of privileges to use the resources and services, disciplinary action, including possible termination and/or legal action. Any questions regarding this and other policies should be addressed to the director of IT services.

Use of, or access to, Oglethorpe’s computer, network and telecommunication resources and services constitutes acceptance of this Policy on E-mail and Computer Use.

General Responsibilities

1. Individual use: Network and computing accounts are for individual use and should only be used by the person to whom the account has been issued. Users are responsible for all actions originating through their account or network connection. Users must not impersonate others or attempt to misrepresent or conceal their identity in electronic messages and actions. Users must not use University resources for any purpose inconsistent with Oglethorpe’s status as a non-profit entity. Users may not send mass e-mail to the University or subgroups of the University via already existing lists or lists gleaned from the global address book without prior written authorization.
2. E-mail use: Oglethorpe University encourages the appropriate use of e-mail. All users are expected to adhere to the bounds of decency, law, ethics, common sense, and good taste in e-mail communications. Confidentiality of e-mail is not guaranteed. Users should not assume that messages they send or receive are absolutely private. Views expressed by individual users are not necessarily the views of Oglethorpe University. Users should use caution when reviewing email to decrease the chance of being deceived into providing personal information. It is the responsibility of all users not to provide personal information in response to an unsolicited email or other correspondence. Questionable requests should be directed to the IT Services Help Desk for review.
3. Intellectual property: Users must comply with all copyright laws and fair use provisions, software licenses and all other state and federal laws governing intellectual property. Inappropriate reproduction and/or distribution of copyright music, movies, computer software, text, images, etc., are strictly prohibited.

Privacy

Oglethorpe University will take reasonable efforts to ensure that user files and e-mail messages remain private. Further, the University does not routinely monitor the contents of user files and/or messages. However, given the nature of computers and electronic communications, the University cannot in any way guarantee, unless legal requirements dictate otherwise, the absolute privacy of files and information. Users must take reasonable precautions and understand that there is a risk that, in some circumstances, others can either intentionally or unintentionally gain access to files and/or messages. Where it appears that the integrity, security or functionality of the University’s computer or network resources are at risk, Oglethorpe University reserves the right to take whatever actions it deems necessary (including, but not limited to, monitoring activity and viewing files) to investigate and resolve the situation.

The University will treat personal files and communications as confidential and will only examine or disclose their contents when authorized by the owner or under the following circumstances:

1. Criminal investigation: IT services will comply with any criminal or civil legal proceedings and provide any and all data requested in a legal subpoena in a timely fashion. The user(s) may be informed of this action unless IT services is legally bound to secrecy or circumstances prohibit the release of the information.
2. Termination of employment: IT services will, upon written request of a department head and/or vice president, and after verification that a user has left the University, allow the appropriate department head or director access to data associated with the former employee’s account.
3. Internal administrative request (e.g., harassment allegation, discrimination, job performance, suspected honor code violation, suspected code of student conduct violation, etc.): Any request of an internal nature to examine a user’s e-mail or electronic data must be made in writing to the director of IT services. Once this request is received, the combined authorization of the chief information officer (CIO) and the appropriate provost and/or vice president is necessary to approve the request and outline the scope and method of the search, who will be provided the results of the search and decide whether the affected user will be notified and if so, if it will be before or after the search is completed. In general, users will be notified of the search unless the circumstances of the request dictate otherwise. Final approval for the search rests with Oglethorpe’s president.

All professional staff members of the IT services department are required to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding any and all user information they may come across in performing their duties.