To: All Instructors of Fall 2009 Undergraduate Classes

I write to provide a reminder of several University policies and procedures that should prove helpful in managing your undergraduate classes:

Instructional Responsibilities: The University's statement of Minimal Instructional Responsibilities was updated by the University Senate's Undergraduate Council in Fall 2008. Please review it carefully for changes in protocols that you may have established. Also listed are the Minimal Undergraduate Student Responsibilities. You may wish to copy these for your classes or direct students to the website. Both statements may be found in the Academic Policies and Regulations section of the on-line Undergraduate Bulletin, page 82.

Student Participation in University-Sponsored Activities: On occasion students may be forced to miss class as a result of their participation in an event or activity sponsored by the University. Please see page 91 of the on-line Undergraduate Bulletin for policy regulating the accommodations that should be made for these students.

Withdrawals: The academic calendar, published in the Undergraduate Class Schedule, lists various dates that students must follow. Permission for a student to withdraw from a course after the deadline may be granted only by the Arts and Sciences Committee on Academic Standing and Appeals or the Engineering and Applied Sciences Committee on Academic Standing. The same is true of withdrawals that will result in an underload. A note from the instructor is not sufficient to secure a withdrawal from a course without regard to deadlines and underloads.

Exceptions to University and College Graduation Requirements: Neither individual faculty members nor departments may grant waivers or substitutions for general education requirements or any other College-wide or University-wide requirements. Students should be directed to Undergraduate Academic Affairs or the CEAS Undergraduate Student Office for information about the process for requesting an exception.

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): Often times issues involving students arise that require knowledge about access to student records and other information. Please refer to the registrar's website for guidance with laws regulating confidentiality of student records and dissemination of other student personal and academic information.

Required statements to appear in all teaching syllabi: The University Senate has authorized that the following required statements appear in all teaching syllabi on the Stony Brook Campus. This information is also located on the Office of the Provost website.

Americans with Disabilities Act: If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services, ECC (Educational Communications Center) Building, room 128, (631) 632-6748. They will determine with you what accommodations, if any, are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.

Academic Integrity: Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Faculty are required to report any suspected instances of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. Faculty in the Health Sciences Center (School of Health Technology & Management, Nursing, Social Welfare, Dental Medicine) and School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website.

Critical Incident Management: Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Judicial Affairs any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn. Faculty in the HSC Schools and the School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures.

Further information about most academic matters is available in the Undergraduate Bulletin, the Undergraduate Class Schedule, and the Faculty-Employee Handbook. If you have any questions, I encourage you to contact Donna Di Donato in the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs (2-7081), or Elyce Winters in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (2-8381).

Best wishes for a fine semester.
Mark Aronoff, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education