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Academic Information and Policies

ACADEMIC POLICIES

Academic policies developed and announced in the course of the school year have the same application as those published in this bulletin. Students wishing any exception to published policy may petition to the Graduate Council. Forms for this purpose are available at the Academic Records Office and online.

Transfer Credit Requirement. A maximum of 12 credit hours of graduate level work taken at other accredited institutions but not previously applied toward a degree may be approved by petition to the department. No courses with grades less than B qualify for transfer credit. Extension courses may be transferred if they are acceptable as graduate credit by the accredited college or university offering them. "P" or "S" grades may be transferred after specific review by the designated department, but will not be considered when computing the GPA.

Foreign Transcript Evaluation. Transcripts received from foreign institutions will be evaluated on an individual basis. In some instances, the student may be required to request an official evaluation from a foreign credentialing education service. Accepted courses will be issued a pass/fail grade and will not be calculated into the cumulative GPA for graduation.

Waiving Content Requirements. On occasion content required for the graduate program at Walla Walla University may have been covered in a course applied to an earlier degree. All courses considered for waiver must have been passed with a grade of B or higher, taken within the last five years, and submitted to the department for their review and approval. After being approved by the department, the content required by the graduate program may be waived but the total hours required for the degree is not reduced. A validation exam over the content area may be required in some programs with exceptions made in the case of second advanced degrees. There is a fee for this examination.

Resident Credit. All credits earned toward a master's degree will normally be taken at Walla Walla University. No more than 12 credits of graduate work taken before official acceptance into a graduate program may be applied to a master’s degree. Courses numbered 350-399 may be included in the graduate program with approval of the Graduate Council. No more than six quarter hours of workshop (474) courses will be included in a program. A minimum of 33 quarter hours toward the biology; education; or cinema, religion, and worldview programs; and 40 hours toward the Social Work program must be taken in residence.

Second Master’s Degree. If degree requirements overlap with graduate work already taken, a student seeking a second graduate degree may seek a reduction in the total number of required credits. Classes from prior graduate degrees that are over six years old may not count towards a 2nd degree. See individual programs for specific requirements.

Graduate Credit for Seniors. Seniors who are within 28 hours of completing their baccalaureate degree may be eligible to take up to 12 approved credits to be applied toward a Walla Walla University graduate program. To apply, students must submit a petition, available on-line or from the Office of Graduate Studies, and a copy of a degree audit or a copy of their approved senior outline. Approval to register is granted only after determination of the student’s eligibility for admission to a graduate program and satisfactory completion of necessary course prerequisites.

Unregistered Student Attendance of Classes. Only students who are officially registered will be allowed to attend graduate classes after the third week of school.

Changes in Registration. Changes in registration may be made during the first four days of the term without charge. Course changes after that time require advance permission from the instructor and from the student’s academic advisor. Courses may not be added after the tenth day of any quarter.

Course Load. The maximum credit load per quarter for graduate students is 14 hours for social work; education; and cinema, religion, and worldview; and 12 hours in biology. Incomplete grades from previous quarters are added to the total course credit load of each quarter. A petition must be made to Graduate Council to exceed these limits. For purposes of loan deferment 7 hours of graduate work is considered a minimum load. For visa qualification 8 hours of graduate work is considered a minimum load.

Audit. Students may audit classes provided they (1) register in the usual manner; (2) receive prior approval of the instructor, because certain classes and labs may not be audited; (3) pay any special fees, as appropriate; and (4) pay one-half tuition. Students auditing courses are not required to do class assignments or take tests. They receive no grades and no academic credit. The deadline for changing to or from audit status is the tenth day of the quarter. Students may not take challenge or waiver examinations for courses they have audited and may not add the class for credit after the 10th day of the quarter.

Withdrawals. Students withdrawing from a graduate program must file a withdrawal form with the Office of Graduate Studies. If individual courses need to be changed, added, or dropped during a term, students must file an official change of registration form with the Office of Graduate Studies. These forms must first be signed by the advisor and the instructor(s) concerned. The final date for dropping a course is listed in the academic calendar.

Academic Integrity Statement. An integral part of the mission of Walla Walla University is to prepare its students to be responsible individuals who are guided by Christian values. The University, therefore, expects all members of its community to practice integrity, including a steadfast adherence to honesty. Faculty have a responsibility to foster integrity by example and instruction. Students have a responsibility to learn, respect, and practice integrity. All acts of academic dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism, forgery, misrepresentation, falsification, prohibited collaboration, and unauthorized use of files, are unacceptable. Individual graduate programs may have more specific criteria for behavior and skills which will be communicated to students, typically in discipline specific handbooks, manuals, and/or course syllabi. A violation of academic integrity will result in disciplinary action, which may include dismissal from the program (see department for details).

Satisfactory Academic Progress. Students receiving financial aid must maintain satisfactory academic progress toward degree completion. For graduate students, they must maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA, complete 70% of classes attempted (both per term and cumulative), and complete the degree within the maximum number of quarters allowed. Detailed information about the policy is available at wallawalla.edu/progress.

Probation and Dismissal Policy. Academic Probation and Dismissal: Graduate students whose cumulative GPA for courses taken in their program area at Walla Walla University drops below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Default grades for courses with incomplete (I) grades will be calculated into the cumulative GPA for the purpose of determining probationary status. Students placed on academic probation are urged to consider an adjustment in class and work load in consultation with their program advisors. Students whose cumulative GPA is below 3.0 for two consecutive quarters will be subject to dismissal by Graduate Council from their current graduate program and loss of graduate student standing. Notification of this status will be by letter from the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Non-Academic Probation or Dismissal: Students who violate WWU Student Code of Conduct or individual program ethics and professionalism codes may be subject to non-academic probation or dismissal. Recommendations for student probation or dismissal due to non-academic reasons will be made by the Graduate Student Conduct Board. Notification of this status will be by letter from the Dean of Students. More information on WWU Student Code of Conduct and the Graduate Student Conduct Board may be found in the WWU Graduate Student Handbook.

Student Appeals. Student appeals of unsatisfactory decisions and actions related to their graduate programs should be first initiated in consultation with the major department and then submitted, as appropriate, to Graduate Student Conduct Board and/or Graduate Council. If satisfaction is not obtained, the student may consult the Walla Walla University Grievance Policy.

Deficiencies. Deficiencies must be made up as early in the program as possible, and may not be made up by audit. A challenge exam over deficiency content can be taken. See undergraduate and financial bulletins for policies and fees.

Grading System

The grade-point average is computed by totaling the grade points of all courses taken at Walla Walla University and dividing by the total quarter hours for which grades are received. Only the best grade of a repeated course will be calculated in the grade-point average. Default grades of Incompletes are included in the grade point calculation. The AU, IP, NC, S, W, X, and Z are disregarded in computing the grade-point average. Once a course grade has been recorded, students may not submit additional coursework.

A report of grades is available on the WWU website for students at the end of each quarter. Classes taken for 0 credit may only be graded S/NC.

The following system of grades and grade-point values per quarter hours is used for evaluating graduate credit:

A 4.0 B 3.0 C 2.0 D 1.0
A- 3.7 B- 2.7 C- 1.7 D- 0.7
B+ 3.3 C+ 2.3 D+ 1.3 F 0

In place of grades, the following symbols are used:

I - Incomplete. An Incomplete “I” is a temporary grade which may be given at the instructor’s discretion to a student when illness, necessary absence, or other reasons beyond the control of the student prevents completion of course requirements by the end of the academic term. 

Incomplete grades may be given only in the following circumstances:

  • The student’s work to date is passing;
  • Attendance has been satisfactory through at least 50% of the term;
  • A documented illness or injury, death in the family, or other extenuating circumstance legitimately prevents completion of required work by the due date;
  • Required work will be completed and submitted to the instructor three weeks before the close of the following term;
  • The incomplete is not given as a substitute for a failing grade;
  • The incomplete is not based solely on a student's failure to complete work or as a means of raising his or her grade by doing additional work after the grade report time;
  • The student initiates the request for an incomplete grade before the end of the academic term.

Appropriate grades must be assigned in other circumstances. An X grade may be recorded for students who cease attending class within the first 50% of the course at the instructor’s discretion. 

The following procedures for incomplete grades apply:

  • Students who receive an incomplete grade in a course need not reregister for the course in order to remove the “I.”
  • An Incomplete is not to be assigned where the normal practice requires extension of course requirements beyond the close of a term, e.g., thesis or project type courses.
  • Faculty must enter a default grade which will appear on the transcript should the expiration deadline lapse without further action on the part of the student.
  • A default grade should reflect the final grade status of the student without considering any additional work.
  • The value of the default grade, entered with the incomplete, will be calculated into the student GPA and considered for purposes of determining academic standing, federal financial aid eligibility, athletic eligibility, or other purposes. The GPA will be recalculated only when the final grade is recorded.
  • The course work may be completed while the student is not enrolled unless the student has been dismissed from the university.
  • Only in extenuating circumstances will extensions be granted beyond seven weeks. Forms for extension requests can be found on the WWU website. Extension requests must be approved by the Associate Vice President of Graduate Studies. Forms are available online.
  • Incomplete grades may be replaced with final letter grades prior to the expiration deadline by the faculty of record through myWWU.
  • Graduating students must complete all outstanding incompletes six weeks prior to graduation.
  • Instructor may set a deadline earlier than seven weeks of the successive term if desired.

I* - Standing Incomplete. Final grade for coursework not completed within appropriate timeframe.

IP - In Progress. IP grading is a temporary grade that may be assigned if a student has completed a minimum of 50% of the required coursework. IP grades may be assigned to reapproved courses such as Internship, Research, Thesis, Seminar, or other courses that extend beyond regular grading periods. If a final grade is not submitted within one-year of the time of registration for the course, the IP will automatically become an IP* (standing IP). Requests for time extension beyond the one-year deadline must be submitted to the Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies prior to the end of the one-year deadline. With appropriate approval an IP grade can be extended for a maximum of two years from the original registration after which the student must reregister for the course.

IP* - Standing In Progress. Final grade for coursework not completed within appropriate timeframe.

S/NC - Satisfactory/No Credit. Indicates that credit earned was satisfactory (C or better) or that the credit was not earned because performance did not meet the minimum standards for a satisfactory grade. A grade of S will not be acceptable for graduate credit except for courses that require S/NC grading. Some professional schools calculate the NC mark as an F grade when computing the grade-point average.

W - Official Withdrawal. Courses dropped during the first two weeks of the term will not appear on the  student’s record. Courses dropped thereafter will appear on the permanent record with a W.

X - Unofficial Withdrawal. Indicates that the student discontinued class attendance prior to the fifth week, mid-term, but failed to withdraw officially.

Z - Administrative Withdrawal.

AU - Audit. An AU is assigned for class attendance and participation generally excluding tests and outside-of-class assignments. Arrangements to audit a class are made with the Office of Graduate Studies. The deadline for changing to or from audit status is the tenth day of the quarter. The cost for audited credit is one-half the regular tuition rate. 

GRADE ERRORS AND CORRECTIONS. Grades will be processed and posted online for viewing at the close of each quarter. Upon viewing grades via the secured website, the student should carefully check the accuracy of the courses recorded, quarter hours, and grades. Grades may be changed only if an error has been made in calculating or recording the grade. Students will have until the last day to drop classes during the next regular quarter to report any discrepancies to the Academic Records Office.

GRADUATE GPA. Grades of all courses on the approved graduate program and in the program area, excluding deficiencies, will be computed in the grade-point average.

Uniform Course Numbers

By general agreement certain course numbers are reserved for classes that are of such a general nature as to be found in the three graduate departments. The prefix assigned to the numbers designates the discipline. The following are courses that carry uniform numbers throughout the bulletin:

500 TOPICS (1-5)

Courses in specialized or experimental areas conducted through regular class activities and approved by Graduate council as one time offerings. See the Class Schedule for all approved Topics courses.

559 SUPPLEMENTAL STUDIES (1-2; 2)

Supplementation of previous course work when portions of a course required in the student’s program have been omitted. Ordinarily supplementation will occur only with transfer students or within a program that has undergone a major curriculum change. A study proposal is to be outlined in consultation with the instructor of the course being supplemented and approved by the department and the Graduate Academic Standards committee. May not be substituted for existing courses.

569 ADVANCED STUDY (1-3; 3)

Advanced directed study by which students may enhance the program area in breadth or depth not covered within the department curriculum. The study proposal must be approved by the department and the Graduate Standards Committee and is to indicate the methods of evaluation. May not be substituted for existing courses.

579 DIRECTED RESEARCH/PROJECT (1-2; 2)

Individualized research, laboratory or learning experience of particular interest to the student; may include contributions from conference attendance or travel related to an academic topic. A project proposal and permission of instructor are required prior to beginning the project.

594 DIRECTED READING (1-3)

Independent reading for students who wish to broaden their knowledge in a particular discipline.

GNRL 501 CONTINUED ENROLLMENT (0-6; 18)

Continuation credit for graduate students who have completed all of the program requirements for their graduate degree except for Thesis Research, Thesis, Research, field experience,or Professional Projects. Continued enrollment is permitted for up to six quarters. Students wishing to have loans deferred while completing degree requirements must submit a Verification as a Half or Full Time Student Loan Deferment form to the Office of Graduate Studies. Students who meet deferral requirements will be registered for 6 credits of GNRL 501 for a maximum of 3 quarters. (Course fee of $250 per quarter applies.)

Graduate Facilities and Services

Information Technology. A computer network on each Walla Walla University campus supports a wide variety of software applications for the faculty staff and students. Each WWU campus has general purpose PC Labs available for registered students' use free of charge.

Disability Support Services. The policy of Walla Walla University is to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, regarding students and applicants with disabilities. The University is committed to providing access to programs and services to qualified individuals who have a documented disability. To receive assistance, students must submit formal documentation to the Disability Support Services (DSS) Coordinator and request an appointment to determine appropriate accommodations. Since accommodations are not retroactive, it is in the student’s best interest to submit documentation as soon as possible. Documentation guidelines are available through the University website (see below) or by calling to request a copy.

The staff works with students to arrange needed accommodations based on their documentation and individual needs. Examples of accommodations are: exam accommodations, books and other print material in alternate format, equipment and technology access, classroom relocation, note-takers, accessible housing, and other services.

For more information, contact Disability Support Services at: sue.huett@wallawalla.edu; (509) 527-2366; or visit their website at wallawalla.edu/disability-support

WWU LIBRARIES

Faculty Librarians, library staff, and student assistants on the College Place campus and a Library Research Consultant or Librarian at each of the Montana MSW campuses all seek to inspire excellence in thought by connecting people and information in innovative ways. On each campus, librarians and/or other professional staff are available to facilitate student success by helping students learn information literacy concepts, connect to reference and research support, and access academic sources.

The main library, Peterson Memorial, is located on the College Place campus while MSW focused libraries are located on the Billings and Missoula campuses. Peterson’s webpages serve as the main website for the university libraries. However, the Montana MSW libraries do have their own library web page, offering access to databases and services used most frequently by social work graduate students at these locations. Using Research Central, students can search collections housed at the Peterson Memorial Library as well as the libraries on the Billings and Missoula campuses.

Research and Reference Assistance. Dedicated to serving the information needs of students and faculty, librarians and library research consultants facilitate student success through assistance in finding articles and other resources utilizing databases, locally developed Research or Course Guides, face-to-face interactions, email reference, and the LibAnswers Knowledge Base. More in-depth research consultation with faculty librarians on the College Place campus and the library research consultants or librarians on the Montana campuses also available.

Research Central and Other Resources. Research Central, WWU’s online discovery system, connects students and faculty on all five campuses to the WWU Libraries collections. The combined WWU libraries contain over 490,000 items, including books, eBooks, print and online journals, videos, DVDs, and streaming video. Research Central is available to anyone with an Internet connection.

Over 100 full-text databases provide access to thousands of journal articles, academic videos, and reference resources. Subscriptions for many of the library's databases are made possible by membership in library consortia such as the Adventist Library Information Cooperative (ALICE) and the Orbis Cascade Alliance.

Journal article, reference, and streaming media databases are available from both the Peterson and Montana libraries’ webpages. Additionally, a full list of titles can be accessed through the LibGuides portal. Databases include such key resources as Academic Search Full-Text Premier, ERIC, Medline, ProQuest Direct, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, SocINDEX full-text, Communications and Mass Media Complete, Web of Science, Science Citation Index, and Science Direct. These databases can be accessed from any on-campus computer. Current students and faculty have off-campus access to the libraries’ online resources through their university login.

Summit Borrowing is available for students, faculty, and staff on the College Place campus. This service is made possible through membership in the Orbis Cascade Alliance. Summit Borrowing offers direct access to over 28 million items, including books, eBooks, sound recordings, and films held by over 38 other academic libraries in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Requests for Summit items may be made directly online through Research Central. Materials may be picked-up at the Peterson Memorial Library. Delivery time is typically five to seven business days.

Presently, the Summit service is not available to the Montana MSW campuses.

Interlibrary Loan. For those items not available in the university’s collections or Summit, yet needed for either course work or faculty research, the university libraries offer an interlibrary loan service for resources available at other libraries within the United States. Requested materials generally arrive within two weeks. Students on all campuses may utilize the interlibrary loan service.

Study Spaces. Study spaces are available on every campus. Peterson Memorial Library offers online room reservations, accessible through the library’s website, for a number of its study areas.

VETERANS BENEFITS

Walla Walla University is an approved training institution for veterans eligible for educational benefits. The required course load is seven hours per quarter in order to maintain eligibility to receive maximum benefits. If you have questions about veterans’ policies, please contact the Veterans Administration coordinator in the Academic Records Office (509) 527-2811.

Walla Walla University in accordance with Title 38 US Code 3679 subsection (e), adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post 9/11 G.I. Bill (Ch. 33) or Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from the VA. WWU will not prevent the student’s enrollment, assess a late penalty fee, require student to secure alternative or additional funding, deny access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills.

ACADEMIC FACILITIES

Canaday Technology Center. (CTC) The Department of Communication and Languages houses the faculty offices and classrooms that support the M.A. in Cinema, Religion, and Worldview. Film and video equipment are available for student use from this location. 

Marine Laboratory. Walla Walla University owns and operates the Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory, adjoining Deception Pass State Park, and Anacortes, Washington. This facility occupies 40 acres of beach and timberland, and includes three laboratory buildings, a cafeteria, assembly hall, shop, and 27 cabins for student and staff housing.

Rigby Hall. The facilities of the Department of Biological Sciences in Rigby Hall include staff and graduate student offices, classrooms, and teaching laboratories. Also available are controlled-environment chambers, radioisotope laboratory, animal house and greenhouse, photographic darkroom, woodshop, student lounge, and computer lab.

Smith Hall. Facilities of the School of Education and Psychology include offices for staff and graduate assistants, classrooms with Internet and campus network access, laboratories for testing, a curriculum library, and a student lounge. A child development center provides students with an opportunity to work with young children in a preschool setting. 

Winter Education Complex. (WEC) The Wilma Hepker School of Social Work and Sociology is located on the 2nd floor of the Winter Educational Complex (WEC) on the main campus of Walla Walla University. These facilities include faculty offices, a wireless student lounge, smart classrooms, ITV conference rooms, as well as clinical testing rooms in which to observe practice skills. Together these amenities create a cutting edge teaching-learning environment.

Montana. The Wilma Hepker School of Social Work and Sociology maintains two additional campuses—one in Billings, MT and one in Missoula, MT. Each facility includes faculty offices, a student lounge, classrooms, library, ITV conferencing, and wireless internet throughout.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

To maintain a proper atmosphere for Christian growth and maturity, and to ensure that the rights of all students are respected, the University expects students to act as responsible citizens, abiding by local, state, and federal laws and to conduct themselves honorably. Although students of all religious persuasions are welcome, the University does expect students to live as members of a Christian community as detailed in the Student Handbook.

STUDENT APPEALS. Students have a right to appeal decisions and actions relating to their programs. Academic appeals should be directed to the Associate Vice President for Academic Administration or to the Graduate Dean (if a graduate student), social appeals to the Vice President for Student Life, and financial appeals to the Director of Student Financial Services. If satisfaction is not obtained, students may consult the Walla Walla University Grievance Policy.

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (commonly referred to as FERPA, or the “Buckley Amendment,”) Walla Walla University has adopted the following policies and procedures to protect the privacy of education records. Students will be notified of their FERPA rights annually by publication in the Bulletin and on the WWU homepage.

DEFINITIONS. Walla Walla University uses the following definitions in this policy:

Student: any person who attends or has attended WWU.

Education records: any record maintained by the University which is directly related to a student, with the following exceptions:

Personal records kept by university employees which are in the sole possession of the maker and are not accessible or revealed to any other person except a temporary substitute;

Employment records unless the employment records are contingent on the fact that the employee is a student.

RIGHT OF THE UNIVERSITY TO REFUSE TO PROVIDE COPIES. Walla Walla University reserves the right to deny copies of transcripts or other records (not required to be made available under FERPA), if the student has an overdue financial obligation to the University or if there is an unresolved disciplinary or academic dishonesty action against the student.

DISCLOSURE OF EDUCATION RECORDS. Walla Walla University will disclose information from a student's education records only with the written consent of the student, except:
To school officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the records.
A school official is:

  • A person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position
  • A person elected to the Board of Trustees;
  • A person employed by or under contract to the University to perform a special task, such as legal counsel or an auditor.
  • A student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her task.

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her task. Examples include:

  • To perform a task that is specific in his or her job description or by a contract agreement
  • To perform a task related to a student’s education
  • To provide a service or benefit relating to the student or student’s family, such as health care, counseling, job placement, or financial aid
  • To supply relevant information to officials of another school, upon request, in which a student seeks or intends to enroll
  • To support certain officials of the U.S. Department of Education, the Comptroller General, and state and local educational authorities, in connection with certain state or federally supported education programs
  • To fulfill a student’s request for, or receipt of, financial aid, as necessary to determine the eligibility, amount, or conditions of the financial aid, or to enforce the terms and conditions of the aid
  • To accommodate a state law requiring disclosure that was adopted before November 19, 1974
  • To enable organizations to conduct certain studies for, or on behalf, of the University
  • To allow accrediting organizations to carry out their functions
  • To comply with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena
  • To support appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency
  • To provide an alleged victim of any crime of violence or sexual harassment offense of the results of any institutional disciplinary proceeding against the alleged perpetrator with respect to that crime or offense

RECORD OF REQUESTS FOR DISCLOSURE. Walla Walla University will maintain a record of all requests for and/or disclosure of information from a student’s education records. The record will indicate the name of the party making the request, any additional party to whom it may be re-disclosed, and the legitimate interest the party had in requesting or obtaining the information. The record may be reviewed by the student.

DIRECTORY INFORMATION. Walla Walla University designates the following categories of student information as public or “Directory Information.” Such information may be disclosed by the institution at its discretion.

  1. Name.
  2. Current enrollment status.
  3. Telephone number.
  4. Date and place of birth, dates of attendance, class standing, previous institution(s) attended, major field of study, awards, honors (including Dean’s List), degree(s) conferred (including dates), and full-time or part-time status.
  5. Email addresses.

Currently enrolled students may withhold disclosure of Directory Information. To withhold disclosure, written notification must be received in the Academic Records Office at: Walla Walla University, 204 S. College Ave., College Place, WA 99324. Directory Information will then be withheld indefinitely until the Academic Records Office receives in writing a revocation of the request for nondisclosure.

Walla Walla University will honor a request to withhold information listed but cannot assume responsibility to contact the student for subsequent permission to release the requested information. Regardless of the effect upon the student, the institution assumes no liability as a consequence of honoring instructions that directory information be withheld.

CORRECTION OF EDUCATION RECORDS. If students believe that any information contained in their education records is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of their privacy rights, they may request in writing that the office which contains those records amend them. Students should identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why they believe it is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of their privacy rights.

That office will reach a decision and inform students in a reasonable amount of time after receiving the request. If the records custodian refuses to amend the record, students have the right to a hearing. This hearing will be conducted by an appropriate committee appointed by the Academic Vice President of the University. The hearing will be held within a reasonable amount of time after the request for a hearing has been made. The hearing committee will notify the student, reasonably in advance, of the date, place, and time of the hearing.

Students will be afforded a full and fair opportunity to present evidence relevant to the issue raised. Students may be accompanied by one or more other persons. The committee will make its decision in writing based on the evidence presented at the hearing. The decision will include a summary of the evidence presented and the reasons for the decision.

If the hearing committee supports the complaint, the education record will be amended accordingly and students will be so informed. If the hearing committee decides not to amend the education record, students have the right to place in the education record a statement commenting on the challenged information and/or stating the reasons for disagreeing with the decision. This statement will be maintained as part of the education record as long as the contested portion is maintained, and whenever a copy of the education record is sent to any party, the student’s statement will be included.

Title IX Statement

Walla Walla University is committed to providing all individuals with an environment free of sex discrimination and sexual misconduct. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Tile 20 U.S.C. Section 1681 states that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Walla Walla University prohibits all forms of sex discrimination and sexual misconduct, including but not limited to, sex-based intimidation and harassment, sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and sexual violence.

If you have been subject to or are aware of an instance of sex discrimination or sexual misconduct, you are highly encouraged to report it to the Title IX Coordinator. The university has resources to offer and may be able to help.

For further information or to report an incident, contact Jennifer Carpenter, director of Human Resources and Title IX coordinator, at (509) 527-2141 or by email at TitleIX@wallawalla.edu. To view the complete Title IX policy, go to www.wallawalla.edu/title-ix.