Policies

Wellbeing and Duty to Care Statement

If you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or isolated, several individuals at Batten are ready and want to help. Both Jill Rockwell, Assistant Dean for Student Services, and Amanda Crombie, Assistant Dean for Academic Programs, are available to support all Batten Students. They are readily accessible during walk in hours or by setting up an appointment. Additionally, all Batten faculty and staff take student health and safety very seriously. Therefore, as part of their duty to care for distressed individuals, faculty and staff will refer students who threaten self-harm or suicide to appropriately qualified personnel at the earliest opportunity.

Alternatively, there are also other University of Virginia resources available. The Student Health Center offers Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) for its students. Call 434-243-5150 (or 434-972-7004 for after hours and weekend crisis assistance) to get started and schedule an appointment. If you prefer to speak anonymously and confidentially over the phone, call Madison House’s HELP Line at any hour of any day: 434-295-8255.

If you or someone you know is struggling with gender, sexual, or domestic violence, there are many community and University of Virginia resources available. The Office of the Dean of Students (ODOS), Sexual Assault Resource Agency (SARA), Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE), and UVA Women’s Center are ready and eager to help.

Additional Time

Additional exam time is not given automatically to students whose first language is not English. Dictionaries are permitted, at the discretion of the faculty member. Students with disabilities in need of accommodation should contact the UVA Student Disability Access Center at 434-243-5180. To preserve anonymity, students should not discuss reasons for the accommodations with the course instructor.

Grading Policy

Due to increasing grade inflation in American higher education, the Frank Batten School has set a grade normalization policy, with a suggested grading distribution. All Batten courses should have a mean grade that does not exceed a 3.5 grade point average with an emphasis on a well-distributed range of grades. If grades deviate significantly from this suggested distribution, a dean will discuss the course grades with the faculty member.

Honor Statement

The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy embraces and upholds the University of Virginia’s Honor Code principles that mandate that students will not lie, cheat, or steal, and we will not tolerate the actions of those who do. Acting in a manner consistent with the principles of Honor benefits every member of the Batten School community.

We expect every student to comply fully with all provisions of the UVA Honor System. By enrolling in this course, you agree to abide by and uphold the Honor Code System of the University of Virginia. The following applies to your Batten course work and requirements, and unless otherwise specified by your instructors:

All graded assignments must be pledged.
Students may not access any notes, study outlines, problem sets, old exams, answer keys, or collaborate with other students without explicit permission.
When given permission to collaborate with others, students will not copy answers from another student.
Students should always cite any resources or individuals they have consulted to complete an assignment. If in doubt, sources should be cited.
Suspected violations will be forwarded to the Honor Committee, and, at the discretion of the instructor, students may receive “no credit” for the assignment in question, independent of the actions taken by the Honor Committee.
Any questions about what is or is not permitted on an assignment should be clarified by students with their instructors prior to the completion of their work.

If you believe you may have committed an Honor Offense, you may wish to file a Conscientious Retraction (“CR”) by calling the Honor Offices at (434) 924-7602. According to Honor guidelines, for your retraction to be considered valid, it must, among other things, be filed with the Honor Committee before you are aware that the act in question has come under suspicion by anyone. More information can be found at www.virginia.edu/honor. If you have questions regarding the course honor policy, please contact your honor representatives.