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Corrections and Updates to the 2007-2009 NVCC Student Handbook

The following corrections were made after the printed version was issued:

1.  Page 39 of the Handook, the following information was added.

At the end of the Academic Information section, right before Unexpected Delay of an Instructor in Meeting a Class:

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES

Northern Virginia Community College recognizes the rich and diverse religious backgrounds of its students and is committed to providing them access to education without undue hardship.  Since religious observances do not always conform to academic holidays, fair, reasonable, and appropriate accommodations to students wishing to observe religious holidays are encouraged, provided that students notify their instructors well in advance of schedule conflicts.  A list of commonly observed religious holidays may be found at the following link: http://www.nvcc.edu/calendars/holidays.htm.

When tests or exams fall on religious holidays, students should contact their instructors as soon as possible.  Students, of course, are responsible for all work missed.  Faculty, on the other hand, are encouraged to be sensitive to the religious practices of their students and to provide appropriate alternatives to those students whenever it is academically feasible to do so.

2. Beginning on page 20 of the Handbook, the sections Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid, Credit Progression Schedule, and Refunds/Recovery have been replaced by the following:

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS FOR FINANCIAL AID

Federal regulations require that all student financial aid recipients progress at a reasonable rate or "make satisfactory progress" toward achieving a certificate or degree.  The standard applies to all terms regardless of whether or not the student received financial aid.  Progress is measured by the student's cumulative grade point average and credits earned in relation to those attempted and the length of the academic program.  Satisfactory progress will be evaluated by the College Financial Aid Office after each term.

Note: Students enrolled in some Career Studies Certificate programs are ineligible for student financial aid.

I.    PROGRESS STANDARDS

1. Completion Rate (67% Rule):  Students must receive a satisfactory grade (defined as a grade of A, B, C, D, R, S, or P) in 67% of the credits for which they enrolled. This calculation is performed by dividing the number of credits earned by the number of credits attempted.  For example, for 32 credits attempted, 22 credits must be successfully completed (22÷32=68.75%).  All credits attempted at NOVA are included.  This evaluation will be made when a student has attempted credits that total 50% or more of the program requirements.
   Note:  Federal Stafford Loan borrowers will have satisfactory academic progress reviewed prior to the disbursement of any loan proceeds.
2. Maximum hours (150% Rule):  Students may only receive financial aid for 150% of the length of an associate degree program or an eligible certificate program. All enrollment periods at NOVA and all applicable transfer credits are counted; even semesters when financial aid was not received. Developmental/ESL course work is excluded in this calculation.
3. Transfer students: Credits officially accepted in transfer and specifically applied toward a student's certificate or degree program may be counted in determining the maximum number of allowable semester credit hours for financial aid eligibility.  The student must submit a written evaluation by his academic advisor or campus financial aid specialist of transfer courses applicable to his program with the satisfactory academic progress appeal form to the College Financial Aid Office.  If it is approved, the student may continue to receive financial aid.
4. Students earning a second degree:  If a student who already has earned a degree chooses to earn a subsequent degree that requires the same number or fewer credits, any credits already earned will automatically apply toward the maximum number of allowable semester credits for financial aid eligibility.
5. ESL/Developmental Studies.  Students may receive financial aid for a maximum of 30 semester hours of Developmental Studies courses, if required as a result of placement testing.  There is no specific limit on the number of credits of ESL classes eligible for financial aid.
6. Cumulative GPA Minimum Requirements (GPA Rule):  Students must earn at least the minimum cumulative grade point average, as shown below, once they have attempted a specified number of credit hours.  Only courses with grades of A, B, C, D and F are included in this calculation. In order to graduate a minimum of a 2.0 curriculum grade point average is required.

*  Withdrawals (W grades) which are recorded on the student's permanent academic transcript will be included as credits attempted and will have an adverse effect on the student's ability to meet the requirements of the completion rate for financial aid.

*  Incomplete Grades.  Courses that are assigned an incomplete grade are included in the cumulative credits attempted.  These cannot be used as credits earned in the progress standard until a successful grade is assigned. 

*  Repeated courses enable the student to achieve a higher cumulative grade point average.  Repeating courses adversely affects the student's ability to meet the requirements of the completion rate requirement.

II.  DISQUALIFICATION OF FINANCIAL AID

1. Students who are identified as having met the college's definition of "Academic Suspension" are immediately disqualified for financial aid eligibility.         
2. Students who do not meet the credit progression schedule and cumulative grade point average standard will be disqualified from receiving student financial aid.
3. A student who is removed from financial aid eligibility more than one time for failure to meet these standards and who requests financial aid will be required to meet with the Financial Aid Counselor to discuss plans for re-establishing financial aid eligibility.  Unless there were extenuating circumstances, a student in this category should expect to enroll for at least 12 semester credits without financial aid and successfully pass all courses attempted with a minimum of a 2.00 GPA to be reconsidered for financial aid.
4. Removal from financial aid eligibility does not prevent students from enrolling without financial aid if they are otherwise eligible to continue their enrollment.

III. APPEALS

Students who fail to meet these standards and lose eligibility for financial aid can appeal the decision. The appeal must be prepared in writing and must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documents.  Appeals should be mailed to the College Financial Aid Office, Forbes Office Center, Annandale, VA 22003-3796.  The appeals will be evaluated by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee for mitigating circumstances.  Reasons that may be acceptable for the appeal are: (1) serious illness or accident on the part of the student; (2) death, accident or serious illness in the immediate family; (3) change in academic program; and, (4) other extenuating circumstances.  The reasonableness of the student's ability to improve to meet the appropriate standard for the certificate or degree program in which the student is enrolled will be taken into consideration.    

Appeals will be approved, denied or approved for a probationary period not to exceed one academic year.

IV.  REGAINING ELIGIBILITY

Students who failed to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards and who choose to enroll without benefit of student financial aid may request a review of their academic record after any term in which they are enrolled without the receipt of financial aid to determine whether they have met the satisfactory academic progress standards.  If the standards are met, eligibility is regained for subsequent terms of enrollment in the academic year.

Students should consult with their campus financial aid advisor to determine how to appeal any element of this policy or to determine how to regain eligibility for financial aid.  If resolution cannot be achieved with the College Financial Aid Office, the NOVA student grievance procedures described in the NOVA Student Handbook may be followed.

3. Changes to the Weather and Closings Policy, pp. 46, 48, 49.

If weather conditions cause the College to close, all NVCC campuses and off-campus locations are closed.

Classes held at area schools are cancelled if the school is closed, even if other NVCC locations remain open. However, NVCC makes its closing decisions independently of the public schools and other colleges and universities.

The decision to close is based on the condition of the campuses’ roads and parking lots, the roads immediately surrounding the campuses and the major highways in the region. The College is likely to be open when these facilities are in reasonably good condition, regardless of the condition of secondary roads around the region.

This is how to interpret closing announcements you hear on the media:

Northern Virginia Community College is closed: The College will be closed until classes begin on the following morning. When this simple announcement is made, it means that no day or evening classes will be held.

Northern Virginia Community College will open X hours late: For the purpose of delayed opening announcements, the College's official opening time is 8:00 a.m. For example, a two hour delay means that the College will open at 10:00 a.m. Classes that begin at 10:00 a.m. or after will be held as usual. College employees should arrive at the designated opening time. (Supervisors of employees who work special shifts should make clear how delayed openings affect attendance expectations.)

Morning classes at Northern Virginia Community College are cancelled: The College will be closed until 12:00 noon. The College will open at noon and classes beginning at noon and thereafter will be held as usual. College employees should arrive at the College by noon.

Day classes at Northern Virginia Community College are cancelled: Day classes are those classes that begin before 4:30 p.m. The College will open at 4:30 p.m. and classes that begin at 4:30 p.m. and thereafter will be held as usual. Employees whose normal work schedules extend beyond 6:00 p.m. should report to work by 4:30 p.m.

Evening classes at Northern Virginia Community College are cancelled: Evening classes are those classes that begin at and after 4:30 p.m. The College will close at 4:30 p.m. and no further classes will be held until the next morning.

Northern Virginia Community College is closed: The College will be closed until classes begin on the following morning. When this simple announcement is made, it means that no day or evening classes will be held.

Northern Virginia Community College will open at XX:XX AM/PM:  All classes that begin at or after the designated time will be held as usual.  Any class with at least 45 minutes of class time remaining after the college opens will also be held.  College employees should arrive at the designated opening time.

Northern Virginia Community College will close at XX:XX AM/PM: Classes that begin at or after the specified time are cancelled.  College offices will close at the specified time.

NVCC makes every effort to get information about closing to the media as soon as possible. If the College will be late opening or closed all day, the announcement will be made before 6:00 a.m.

Frequently Asked Questions:

9.  If my class starts before the late opening time, but continues afterward, should I come to campus?

ADDED:

15. What if I work a special shift at the College?

9. If my class starts before the late opening time, but continues afterward, should I come to campus?
When the college announces a delayed opening, all classes with at least 45 minutes of class time remaining at the end of the opening will be held. For example, in the event of a 10 a.m. opening, a 9:30 - 10:45 a.m. class will be held. any class with at least 45 minutes of class time remaining after the college opens will be held (for example, if the College opens at 10:00 a.m., a 9:30-10:45 a.m. class will begin at 10:00).  This procedure applies to all credit classes.

15. What if I work a special shift at the College?

Supervisors of employees who work special shifts should make clear how closings or delayed openings affect attendance expectations.

4. Page 31, note added:

STUDENT RECORD DISCLOSURE TO PERSONS
OUTSIDE THE COLLEGE
The following is considered “directory information” and may, in accord with the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), be disclosed at the discretion
of the College unless you specifically make a request to withhold such information
by completing NVCC form 125–23, “Student Record Disclosure”:
• Student’s Name
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Address
• Telephone Listing
• Weight and height of members of athletic teams
• Electronic mail address
• Degrees, honors, and awards received
• Date and place of birth  This information no longer released
• Major field of study
• Dates of attendance
• Grade level
• Most recent educational agency or institution attended
• Number of credit hours enrolled

Page 57, Library Charges

Library patrons are responsible for the replacement cost of any item they lose. Lost material payments are not refundable.Payments for lost materials are not refundable. This non-refundable rule also applies to fines and replacement costs charged for materials borrowed from other libraries with an NovaCard student ID card. Lost material payments are not refundable and payments must be made in full. Installment payments are not accepted.

Because access to high-demand reserve materials is critical, the College Library charges fines for an overdue reserve fine of $1.00 per day, with a maximum of $40.00. the College libraries charge fines for overdue reserve materials. Patrons returning regular reserve materials late will be charged a fine of $2.00 per day. Patrons returning timed reserve materials late will be charged a fine of $2.00 per hour. Timed reserve materials are those with specific time limits on their use in the Library. The maximum fine for keeping reserve materials late is $80.00.

Patrons with overdue circulating or reserve items may will not be able to check out additional materials until all overdue items are returned and fines paid. Enrollment and the release of transcripts can be delayed if overdue items are not returned. Continued enrollment and the release of transcripts will be prevented if overdue items are not returned.

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