Academic Freedom and Responsibility

Academic Rights and Responsibilities

All students, faculty, and staff are responsible for understanding and complying with the Blue Ridge stated academic requirements.
1. Student grades are to be based solely on academic performance as measured by the standards set forth in the course syllabus.
2. Students should feel free to express their thoughts and opinions in an academic forum without fear of punishment or retribution.
3. Assignments must be completed by the student for who the work is assigned and in the absence of unauthorized aid of any kind.
4. Instructors shall encourage honest effort by exercising care in planning and supervising academic work.
5. A student who does not comply with the Blue Ridge honesty standard may be subject to appropriate penalties imposed by the instructor, and even to academic probation, suspension or dismissal.
6. The policies regarding both academic standing and academic dishonesty are outlined in the Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Catalog.
Students who choose to enroll at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College have the following academic rights:
1. The right of access to the Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Catalog, which describes all academic program requirements including: required courses, total credit requirements, residence requirements, special program requirements, minimum grade point average requirements, probation standards, professional standards, and other pertinent information.
2. The right to a written syllabus containing the academic requirements of, and the instructor’s expectations for the course.
3. Course syllabi will be distributed by instructors or record and should contain information on attendance policies, grading procedures, course information, along with any special requirements including field trips, extra costs, and other pertinent information.
4. Students have the right of appeal if they are discriminated against due to: race, color, national origin, age, gender, familial or associated status, disabilities, religion, or sexual orientation.

II. Academic Actions Imposed by Blue Ridge Community and Technical College

Blue Ridge will take appropriate academic action when a student fails to maintain the academic standards of Blue Ridge or when there is evidence that a student has violated an academic policy. Students, in turn, have the right to appeal academic actions.
Examples of situations requiring academic action would include the following: Infraction of institutional academic standards, rules, and regulations (required grade point averages, etc.) as stated in the Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Catalog.
1. Final grade challenges.
2. Academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating, falsifying records, etc.)
3. Failure to meet the standards required to continue in a program of instruction, thus leading to dismissal from that program.
For failure to maintain academic standards, Blue Ridge may impose the following sanctions: Instructor Imposed Sanctions:
1. Sanctions such as the reduction of a grade, the failure of a course, or expulsion from a class, all of which are may be applied by an individual instructor. The maximum penalty a professor may impose is a course expulsion.
2. Academic Probation: Sanction imposed for failure to meet academic standards imposed according to criteria printed in the Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Catalog.
3. Academic Suspension: Exclusion from all institutional activities for a definite stated period of time not to exceed one calendar year.
4. Academic Dismissal: Termination of student status from some or all programs, including any right or privilege to receive any benefit or recognition or certification.

III. Academic Actions Concerning Admissions and Credits

Institutional procedures for administering admission policies are detailed in the Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Catalog.
1. The Office of Enrollment Management shall be responsible for administering admissions policies in the Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Catalog. Prospective students who wish to challenge or seek an exception to an admission’s policy may petition the Blue Ridge Admissions & Credits Committee for an exception to the rules in particular cases.
2. The Office of Enrollment Management is responsible for administering the institutional academic standards as outlined in the Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Catalog.
3. The Registrar or appropriate designee will notify a student who has deficiencies and thus fails to meet the minimum academic standards necessary for remaining in a given program.
4. Students wishing to challenge or seek an exception to a Blue Ridge policy may petition the Blue Ridge Admissions & Credits Committee for an exception to the rules in particular cases.
5. All petitions shall include required signatures on the appropriate petition
6. All petitions will include a written statement fully describing the reason that an exception to a policy is being requested.
7. All petitions must be submitted in a timely manner relevant to the request being made.
8. Decisions of the Blue Ridge Admissions & Credits Committee may be appealed to the President of Blue Ridge Community and Technical College whose decision is final.

IV. The Academic Appeal Committee

“The faculty pool” utilized in this process consists of faculty nominated by the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee.
At its last meeting of the academic year, the Blue Ridge Faculty Council shall confirm the Committee’s nominees to serve in the following year, for a term from July 1 to June 30.
The faculty pool shall be selected annually.
Members of the committee will hear cases involving grade appeals, academic dishonesty, and program dismissals.

V. Student Grade Appeals

In any grade appeal, the student has the burden of proof in establishing that there is “good cause” for changing a final grade.
Unless the student can offer convincing arguments to the contrary, good faith on the instructor’s part is presumed.
When supported by sufficient evidence, any of the following reasons shall constitute “good cause” for changing a final grade.
1. The grade was the result of discrimination
  1. A successful appeal must demonstrate that a professor did not apply a consistent standard to all the students in the classroom.
  2. The student making the appeal must show that the instructor did not apply the same grading standard to the student making the appeal that was applied to other `
2. The grade was awarded in an arbitrary or capricious manner.
3. The grade was the result of an error on the part of the professor in calculating, recording, or reporting a final grade.
None of the following shall constitute “good cause” for changing a final grade.
1. Disagreement with the course requirements established by the professor.
2. Disagreement with the grading standards established by the professor.
3. Disagreement with the instructor’s judgment when applying grading standards assuming that the instructor has made a reasonable effort to be fair and consistent in exercising that judgment.
4. The desire or need for a particular grade.
5. Consequences that a student might face as the result of a grade award.
What constitutes standing in a grade appeal case?
1. In the grade appeal process, standing is defined as those parties who are directly linked to this action procedurally.
  1. Those parties who have standing include: the instructor and the student desiring a grade change.
  2. Those parties who do not have standing include: classmates, other instructors, other administrators, and family members
2. Parties with standing shall be allowed to present oral testimony to the appeals committee in the grade appeal process.
3. Relevant testimony from parties who do not have standing in the grade appeal process should be presented in the form of written statements that shall be made part of the official appeal file
  1. Committee members may invite other parties to be interviewed or to give testimony based on the written statements.
4. All written statements shall become part of the appeal file.

VI. Grade Appeal Procedures

Step I: Scheduling a Faculty-Student Conference.
1. A student wishing to appeal a grade shall first confer face-to-face with the instructor of record (hereafter referred to as instructor) who assigned that grade.
2. The instructor-student conference shall take place within the first 10 class days of the regular semester immediately following the semester in which the disputed grade was assigned (summer sessions are not considered to be regular semesters).
3. At the request of the student or instructor, the Program Coordinator shall assign another division faculty member to witness the conference.
4. The reasons for questioning the grade shall be explained by the student, and the reasons for assigning the grade shall be explained by the instructor.
5. In a case where the instructor is not available for this conference (non-reappointment, retirement, death, extended absence from the area, or other debilitating circumstances), the instructor’s Program Coordinator shall act as the instructor of record.
6. Outcome of the conference between instructor and student.
7. If the instructor finds that no grade change is justified, the student shall be so notified at the end of the conference.
8. If the instructor does decide to change the grade, the instructor shall complete a Change of Grade form and file it with the Registrar Office within five class days of the time that the conference occurs.
Step 2: The Student Appeals to the Program Coordinator
1. Following the instructor-student conference, a student receiving an unfavorable decision may file an appeal with the instructor’s Program Coordinator.
2. The appeal to the Program Coordinator must be in writing and filed within five class days of the instructor-student conference, or within the first 15 class days of the semester that the grade is eligible for appeal.
3. If the student fails to contact the Program Coordinator within 15 class days of the beginning of the appropriate semester, the instructor’s grade award shall be considered final.
4. The student’s grade appeal to the Program Coordinator must be in the form of a written memo or letter.
5. The appeal memo or letter must be copied to the instructor.
6. The student’s written statement must include justification that should conform to at least one of the criteria listed above for making a grade appeal.
7. The appeal must include all completed assignments that have been returned to the student.
8. The instructor shall submit a written justification for the assigned grade with supporting documentation that includes any assignments that have not been returned to the student.
9. In order to make an equitable decision, the Program Coordinator may hold a hearing between the instructor and the student desiring a grade change.
10. If the instructor is the Program Coordinator, the appeal will proceed directly to Step 3.
11. Within 10 class days of receiving the student’s appeal, the Program Coordinator shall provide both the student and the instructor with a written notice of the decision.
12. The written notice should give the reasons for the decision and may be given to the parties directly or mailed by certified mail.
13. Following notification of the Program Coordinator’s decision to all parties, the Program Coordinator shall forward the original grade appeal file to the Curriculum and Instruction Committee.
  1. The file should include a copy of the decision and all written materials include notes from oral investigations that were used for reaching the decision.
  2. The Program Coordinator shall retain a copy of these files for five years.
14. Both the student and the instructor have the right to appeal the Program Coordinator’s decision to the Academic Appeal Committee.
Step 3: Appeal to the Blue Ridge Academic Appeal Committee.
1. The final step in the grade appeal process is the Blue Ridge Academic Appeal Committee. A student or an instructor may appeal the decision of a Program Coordinator to the Blue Ridge Grade Appeal Committee by filing a written statement to the Chair of the Curriculum & Instruction Committee within five days of receiving the Program Coordinator report.
2. Within five class days of receiving the written appeal, the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum and Instruction Committee shall notify the Program Coordinator and the non-appealing party (instructor or student) that an appeal has been filed.
3. Within five class days of receiving an appeal, the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee shall provide the student with a list of five Blue Ridge faculty chosen from “the faculty pool” as described previously.
4. The student shall be instructed to strike one name within three class days.
5. The Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee shall submit the four names to the instructor asking that the instructor strike one name within three class days.
6. The three remaining names shall constitute the Blue Ridge Academic Appeal Committee for the current grade appeal.
7. The Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee shall appoint one of these three faculty members as chair for this appeal process.
8. The Blue Ridge Grade Appeal Committee may consider all materials in the appeal file constructed by the Program Coordinator, i.e., the student’s original appeal, the faculty member’s written justification, the Program Coordinator’s written report, the student’s written work for the course, and all other items the Program Coordinator may have used in reaching the decision. (In the event that the appeal relates to a Program Coordinator’s grade, the Blue Ridge Academic Appeal Committee should compile the appeal file.)
9. The student and the instructor shall each be entitled to submit additional written statements for consideration by the Blue Ridge Academic Appeal Committee.
10. The Blue Ridge Academic Appeal Committee shall hold a formal hearing including all parties having standing (see above), and should address the following:
  1. Questions from members of the Academic Appeal Committee.
  2. Cross examination of witnesses by both parties
  3. Additional inquires that the Academic Appeal Committee feels are necessary or beneficial to determine a successful outcome.
11. The Blue Ridge Academic Appeal Committee shall reach a decision no later than the last day of regular classes before the final exam period of the semester in which the appeal has been filed.
12. Within three days following the decision, the student, the instructor, the Program Coordinator and the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee shall be given written notice of the Committee’s decision
13. If the Academic Appeal Committee decides that a grade change is justified, and with the instructor’s agreement, the instructor shall complete and submit a Change of Grade form to the Enrollment Management Office within five class (or business) days following the decision.
14. If the Academic Appeal Committee decides that a change in grade is warranted, but the instructor does not consent to the change, the Academic Appeal Committee will meet in discussion with the instructor with regard to its decision. If the instructor again will not consent to the grade change, the Academic Appeal Committee will instruct the Registrar’s Office to make the appropriate grade change.
15. A decision of the Academic Appeal Committee may be appealed to the President of Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, whose decision will be regarded as final.
Unusual Circumstance in Processing Grade Appeals
1. Some grade appeal cases may present practical obstacles for pursuing the procedures precisely as outlined above.
2. An instructor may be absent from campus during the applicable appeal period or the student may have an overwhelmingly compelling reason for a rapid decision.
3. Qualification for graduation may depend upon the outcome of a currently received grade.
4. In such circumstances, the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee has the discretion to modify the procedures as little as possible, to accommodate the special requirements of the situation.
5. In exercising this discretion, however, the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee should attempt to adhere to the spirit of the regular procedures.
6. The Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee shall commit to writing and distributing these exceptional rules to parties having standing.

VII. Academic Integrity Procedures

Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to, cheating on examinations, falsifying records, submitting plagiarized work of any kind, or providing or receiving assistance in course work in a manner not authorized by the instructor.
1. Any student, administrator or faculty member may bring charges of academic dishonesty against a student.
  1. A student charged with academic dishonesty shall be accorded the presumption of innocence.
  2. The instructor should carefully evaluate the evidence of academic misconduct and the severity of the offense prior to imposing sanctions on a student.
2. The instructor of record should make a charge of academic dishonesty directly to the student involved and decide the sanctions to be imposed.
  1. Instructor-imposed sanctions for academic dishonesty include: requiring work to be rewritten and resubmitted, lowering a grade, reducing the grade on the assignment, even to zero, advising the withdrawal of a student from a class, and assigning a student a failing grade for the course in which the academic dishonesty occurred.
  2. For a case of academic dishonesty, an instructor may impose a penalty no greater than a failing course grade.
  3. If an instructor believes that a student penalty greater than a failing course grade is warranted by a particular case of academic dishonesty the instructor should either:
Arrange a conference between the student, the Program Coordinator and the instructor, or submit a statement, in writing, to the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee requesting a hearing to consider suspension or expulsion.
1. The instructor should inform the student, orally or in writing of the sanctions to be imposed, the reasons for those sanctions, the availability of the appeal process, and the need to file an appeal within five days.
  1. If the student admits responsibility and accepts the instructor-imposed sanctions, the instructor should submit a written description of the offense and the sanctions to the Program Coordinator, the VP of Enrollment Management and the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee.
  2. If the charges are denied, the accused student has five class days to contact the instructor’s Program Coordinator to request a conference.
  3. If the student does not respond to the instructor’s charges of academic dishonesty by contacting the Program Coordinator within five days, the instructor-imposed sanctions shall be imposed.
2. When dealing with a case of academic dishonesty, the instructor may request a conference with the Program Coordinator, Program Director and the student charged with the offense.
  1. A student who accepts a failing grade because of academic dishonesty shall not be permitted to withdraw from that course, even if the failing grade is given prior to that semester’s official withdrawal deadline.
  2. A student who receives a failing grade in a course as the result of a charge of academic dishonesty and chooses to appeal the grade shall not be allowed to withdraw from the course unless the appeal is resolved in the student’s favor.
  3. A student who is in the process of appealing a charge of academic dishonesty has the right to remain enrolled in the class in which the charge was made until the completion of the appeal process.
3. When brought by anyone other than the instructor of record, a charge of academic dishonesty involving a student or students in a specific course should be made to the instructor’s Program Coordinator who may take one of two actions.
4. The Program Coordinator may refer the matter to the course instructor for appropriate action following the procedures outlined above.
5. The Program Coordinator may contact the student and the instructor directly and initiate a conference (explained below)
6. A charge of academic dishonesty that does not involve a specific course (e.g., falsifying records, cheating on a standardized test) should be made to the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee or any Program Coordinator who will refer the matter to the Chair.
7. A student who is guilty of more than one incident of academic dishonesty while matriculating at Blue Ridge will be referred to the Chair of the Curriculum & Instruction Committee who, together with the Judicial Coordinator, will decide upon further disciplinary sanctions.
8. Any individual making a charge of academic dishonesty has the responsibility to demonstrate that a preponderance of evidence indicates that a violation has occurred.
Charges of academic dishonesty in a specific course that cannot be resolved by the instructor and the student involved should be referred to the instructor’s Program Coordinator. In situations where the instructor is the Program Coordinator, another Program Coordinator will be asked to participate in the process.
1. A Program Coordinator conference can be initiated by a request from either the student or the instructor involved, or by the Program Coordinator acting on a complaint from any member of the academic community.
2. The conference should take place in person within ten days of the Program Coordinator first receiving a request from either a student or an instructor to hold it.
3. This conference does not constitute a hearing on the student’s responsibility for academic dishonesty.
4. The purpose of the Program Coordinator conference shall be to clarify judicial procedures and possible sanctions for both the student and the instructor and to coordinate further appeals.
5. The Program Coordinator may review the evidence and recommend particular courses of action that are acceptable to both the student and the instructor.
6. The Program Coordinator may not overturn an instructor-imposed sanction without the instructor’s consent.
7. The Program Coordinator conference cannot result in any penalties being imposed on a student beyond those previously described as “instructor-imposed sanctions.”
8. If, at the end of the conference, the student admits responsibility for the act of academic dishonesty and agrees to accept the sanctions proposed by the instructor, no further action will be taken.
9. The Program Coordinator should obtain a written statement from the student who agrees to the sanctions that will be imposed as a result of the conference.
10. The Program Coordinator shall forward copies of this written statement, along with a description of the offense and the instructor-imposed sanctions, to the VP of Enrollment Management and the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee.
11. If, at the end of the conference, the student denies responsibility for an act of academic dishonesty, the Program Coordinator shall contact the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee to schedule a hearing by the Academic Appeals Committee.
  1. The student may only appeal the charge of academic dishonesty itself and not the sanctions imposed for academic dishonesty once responsibility has been established.
  2. A student who admits responsibility in a case of academic dishonesty but disagrees with the instructor-imposed sanctions cannot appeal under the Academic Integrity policies.
    1. A student must appeal a disagreement with an instructor-imposed sanction by following the grade appeal procedures.
    2. The student’s initial meeting with the instructor shall count as the meeting with the instructor under the grade appeal policy.
12. At the end of the conference if either the faculty member or the Program Coordinator deems that the case warrants further disciplinary procedures, the Program Coordinator shall contact the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee to initiate judicial action.
13. If the instructor involved in the academic dishonesty dispute is a Program Coordinator Chair, another Program Coordinator shall act in the capacity of the first Program Coordinator for the purposes of the conference.
Academic dishonesty disputes that are not resolved by the conference with the Program Coordinator should be referred to the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee.
1. Upon receiving a request for a hearing the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee shall constitute a three-member hearing board from the pool of faculty members composing the Academic Appeal Committee following the procedure outlined in Section IV Grade Appeal Procedure, Step 3.
2. One of the three members shall be elected to act as Chair of the proceedings. The Chair of the Academic Appeal Committee shall present to the student and to the person making the charge of academic dishonesty, written notification of the charges, including at least the following items
  1. A written enumeration of the charges.
  2. A statement that a hearing will be held together with a notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing.
  3. A clear statement of the information, data, and evidence directly supporting the proffered charges.
  4. A statement advising the student of that student’s rights, to include the following:
    1. The student has the right to the presumption of innocence until responsibility can be established through a preponderance of evidence.
    2. The student has the right to bring witnesses, to question the accuser, and to question any of the accuser’s witnesses.
    3. The student has the right to bring an advisor to the proceedings to monitor due process.
  5. The advisor may consult with the student but may not speak on behalf of the student.
  6. The advisor may not, otherwise, participate directly in the proceedings unless given specific permission to do so by the Academic Appeal Committee.
3. The Academic Appeal Committee shall review all relevant evidence in the case to determine if the student is “responsible” or “not responsible” for the act of academic dishonesty.
  1. The Academic Appeal Committee shall interview the original instructor and the student against whom the charges have been brought.
  2. The Committee may seek additional information and may interview witnesses whose testimony is relevant to the charge of academic dishonesty.
  3. The student and the instructor have the right to bring witnesses and to question witnesses brought by the other party or by the Committee.
  4. All proceedings in the hearing must be tape-recorded, and either party to the dispute may request a copy of the tape recording at their own expense.
4. Within ten days after the conclusion of the hearing, the Academic Appeal Committee shall send a written notice of its decision to both parties in the dispute, the Chair of the Blue Ridge Curriculum & Instruction Committee, and the appropriate Program Coordinator.
  1. If the Committee determines that the student is “responsible” for the act of academic dishonesty:
    1. The instructor-imposed sanctions shall be imposed.
    2. The Committee chair shall send written notification to the VP of Enrollment Management.
  2. If the Committee determines that the student is “not responsible”, then the instructor shall be required to reevaluate the student’s work with the assumption that it is not the result of an act of academic dishonesty.
  3. An instructor who has awarded the student found “not responsible” a lowered or failing grade based on the charge of academic dishonesty shall be instructed to reevaluate the student’s final grade and, if necessary, submit a Grade-Change form.
  4. A student found “not responsible” for an act of academic dishonesty shall be permitted to withdraw from the course in which the charge was made, even if the withdrawal deadline has passed or a final grade has been awarded.
  5. The hearing may only rule on the factual questions of whether or not an act of academic dishonesty has occurred.
    1. The Committee is not authorized to rule on the appropriateness of instructor-imposed sanctions once the student’s responsibility has been established.
    2. The Committee is not authorized to impose any sanctions on the student beyond those initially imposed by the instructor.
5. Either the student or the faculty member may appeal the decision of the Academic Appeal Committee to the President of Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, whose decision shall be final.