Art Department Academic Policies (Spring 2013) 

Art Department Policies

  1. The ArtDepartmentrequires students who do not attend all sessions of a course in the first week of the semester to drop that course.  Non-attending students may be dropped as a courtesy especially if there are students on the waiting list, but it is the student’s responsibility to drop the course to avoid incurring tuition and fees.  (See deadline below.)  Students who miss a class meeting the first week of classes who do not drop will be given a failing grade.
  2. Permission of the department is required to register for any Art class, or be absorbed from a waiting list, after the first meeting.
  3. All students (including UCD students) must meet Art Department prerequisites, as stated in the University Catalog, before enrolling in a course.  Do not ask your instructor to waive a prerequisite.
  4. The Art Department does not accept audit or Metromeritus students in ART, ARTE or CDES courses.  They are accepted in ARTH (art history) courses on a space-available basis, with permission of the instructor.  Audit students must pay tuition but are not responsible for fees.
  5. Students enrolled in at least TWO studio classes for Spring 2013 may sign up for a locker at the Art Department office, AR 187.  Students enrolled in a single studio class may share a locker, but are responsible for finding their own locker partners.  Lockers will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. Please provide a copy of your Metro State student ID, phone number, and current class schedule for our records. There is no charge for lockers, but you must provide your own lock. The Art Department is not responsible for lost or stolen items.  Notifications regarding lockers will be sent to your MSU Denver email account.  
  6. Advising is available with faculty members or the program assistant through the Art Department office, AR 187, 303-556-3090.  Some individuals are available by appointment only; we do not make same-day appointments. 
  7. Students are advised to check their Connect U email regularly.  This is the official means of communication from the University and will be used to notify you of class cancellations, waitlist openings, etc.

Registration

Students must be officially registered for a class to attend that class.  It is essential that students register in a timely manner because classes added after the census date are not eligible for COF funding.  For this reason, late enrollments will not be approved except in extreme circumstances.  It is the student’s responsibility to verify that she or he is officially registered for all classes.

  1. Waitlist policy: 
    1. The computer system will be monitoring waitlist openings until the first week of classes.  When an opening occurs, the first person on the waiting list will be sent an email authorizing that student to register for the open seat within 48 hours.  If the student does not register before the notice expires, that student will be dropped and the system will notify the next student on the list.  Neither the Art Department nor the Registrar’s Office will be able to make exceptions for students who do not register for the class within the time period stated in the notification email.
    2. After the first meeting of a class, the instructor’s verification of attendance is required to be absorbed from a waiting list.  If your instructor is absorbing you from a waiting list, please submit a blue enrollment override form with both your signature and your instructor’s; our staff will then register you for the class.  There is no guarantee that all students will be absorbed and students MUST DROP a waitlisted class as any other class IF the intention is not to attend. While you are wait-listed you should attend all class sessions, with permission of the instructor. You are advised to use the Web or kiosk system daily to check if you have been enrolled in the class. If you are absorbed into a class from the wait list, you must pay for the class to avoid being assessed the 4% service charge. It is your responsibility to obtain a printout of your class schedule to determine if you have been absorbed. This is YOUR ONLY OFFICIAL NOTICE.
    3. Students cannot be absorbed from waiting lists if there is a time conflict with another class or if the addition of the course will result in an overload.  You are not charged tuition and fees for a class while you are on a wait list.  Note: Wait-list classes do not count toward the total enrollment for your financial aid disbursement. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you have any questions.
  2. Prerequisite overrides (purple form) will be used when a student has met all the prerequisites for a class but the computer system is not allowing him or her to register.  Once the student has provided documentation that the prerequisites have been met, the Art Department staff will go into the system and override the prerequisite error for that course only. The student will be notified that this has been done. It is then the student’s responsibility to go in and register or waitlist himself or herself for the class.
  3. Enrollment overrides (bright blue form) will be used when departmental approval is required, such as for classes that have met, or for directed studies and assistantships. When all required signatures are present and the override has been approved, the Art Department staff will register the student for the class.
  4. Neither a blue enrollment override form nor a purple prerequisite override form will lift a hold.  A hold may be placed by any of several departments, and it prevents a student from registering for any class.  Examples of holds include Balance Due Hold, Academic Advising Hold, Immunization Hold, etc.  There is a list of holds at http://www.msudenver.edu/media/content/officeoftheregistrar/Holds%20Document%202012.pdf.  You can check your holds by following the instructions at http://www.msudenver.edu/registrar/student/holds/.

  No Credit Withdrawal Policy

Students will be expected to know and observe the Metro State regulations regarding No-Credit Withdrawal (NC).   It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from a course.  Students who withdraw after the drop deadline will receive an NC on their transcripts.  NC stands for No Credit and does not impact the student’s grade point average; no refund is given with an NC.  NC deadlines for part-of-term (modular) classes vary.  NC deadlines are given below:

 Drop and NC Deadlines

Faculty signatures are no longer required for an “NC” before the deadline. Student requests for an “NC” notation in a given course will not be granted after the published deadline. Please note that the dates below are for full-term classes only.  For accelerated sections, see Connect U. Students who have questions about tuition and fees refund deadlines should contact the Office of Student Accounts at 303-556-6188.

 Incompletes

The Incomplete (I) notation may be assigned when a student, who was achieving satisfactory progress in a course and who had completed at least 75% of class assignments, is unable to take the final examination and/or did not complete all class assignments due to unusual circumstances such as hospitalization. Incomplete work must be completed within one calendar year or earlier, at the discretion of the faculty member. If the incomplete work is not completed within one year, the “I” notation will convert to an “F.” For the complete policy, please see the current University catalog.  The Art Department has its own Incomplete contract which must be signed by both the student and the faculty member; see the Art front desk in AR 187 if you need a copy.

 Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Metropolitan State University of Denver is committed to making reasonable accommodations to assist individuals with disabilities in reaching their academic potential. If you have a disability which may impact your performance, attendance, or grades in this class and are requesting accommodations, then you must first register with theAccessCenter, located in the Auraria Library,Suite116, 303-556-8387.

The AccessCenteris the designated department responsible for coordinating accommodations and services for students with disabilities. Accommodations will not be granted prior to my receipt of your faculty notification letter from the AccessCenter. Please note that accommodations are never provided retroactively (i.e., prior to the receipt of your faculty notification letter.) Once I am in receipt of your official AccessCenterfaculty notification letter, I would be happy to meet with you to discuss your accommodations. All discussions will remain confidential. Further information is available by visiting the Access center website, http://www.msudenver.edu/access/index.shtml

 Accommodations for Religious Beliefs

Students at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) who, because of their sincerely held religious beliefs, are unable to attend classes, take examinations, participate in graded activities or submit graded assignments on particular days shall without penalty be excused from such classes and be given a meaningful opportunity to make up such examinations and graded activities or assignments provided that advance written notice that the student will be absent or unable to participate in a given assignment for religious reasons is given to the faculty member during the first two weeks of the semester.

 Nothing in paragraph one of this policy shall require MSU Denver faculty members to reschedule classes, repeat lectures or other ungraded activities or provide ungraded individualized instruction solely for the benefit of students who, for religious reasons, are unable to attend regularly scheduled classes or activities. However, presentations, critiques, conferences and similar activities involving individual students shall be scheduled to avoid conflicts with such students’ religious observances or holidays provided that reasonable advance notice of scheduling conflicts is given to faculty members. Because classroom attendance and participation is an important aspect of learning, MSU Denver students should not register for courses if regularly scheduled classes or activities routinely conflict with their religious observances or holidays (e.g., conflicts resulting in weekly absences for an entire semester).

 Certain ART courses require drawing from nude models. Alternate assignments are available with advance notice except in ART 2644 Life Drawing I, ART 3244 Life Drawing II, ART 3644 Drawing Identity, ART 4244 Life Drawing III or ART 4266 Figure Painting.

 Any MSU Denver student who believes that an MSU Denver faculty member has violated this policy is entitled to seek relief under Section V of the MSU Denver Equal Opportunity Grievance Procedure.

Student Conduct

The Department of Art enforces the Student Conduct Code, which may be found in the Student Handbook and online at http://www.msudenver.edu/handbook/index.shtml  The Department will not tolerate any proscribed behavior either on campus or at the Center for Visual Art.

 Academic Integrity

"As students, faculty, staff and administrators of Metropolitan State University of Denver, it is our responsibility to uphold and maintain an academic environment that furthers scholarly inquiry, creative activity and the application of knowledge. We will not tolerate academic dishonesty. We will demonstrate honesty and integrity in all activities related to our learning and scholarship. We will not plagiarize, fabricate information or data, cheat on tests or exams, steal academic material, or submit work to more than one class without full disclosure.”

 Academic dishonesty is a serious offense at the University because it diminishes the quality of scholarship and the learning experience for everyone on campus. An act of Academic Dishonesty may lead to sanctions including a reduction in grade (up to and including a permanent F for the course), probation, suspension, or expulsion. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, submitting the same paper or work for more than one class, and facilitating academic dishonesty. For definitions and more information, see the Student Handbook which is available online through Metro-Connect.

 Attendance

Students are expected to attend all sessions of courses for which they are registered. Each instructor determines when a student’s absences have reached a point at which they jeopardize success in a course. When absences become excessive, the student may receive a failing grade for the course. Your instructor may have a specific attendance policy which will be indicated on your class syllabus. These policies may be different in the summer or in accelerated (modular) classes than they are in the spring or fall due to the differing meeting schedules.

 Children in Classrooms and Workplaces Policy

Metropolitan State University of Denver has an obligation to its students, faculty, staff, and visitors to conduct its operations and maintain its facilities in a manner consistent with its mission as an institution of higher education. For reasons that include safety of children, and assuring professional and efficient performance of academic pursuits and campus operations, the University cannot routinely accommodate children in campus workplaces or classrooms.

 Presence in classrooms is restricted to enrolled students or visitors with a legitimate purpose, who may be adults or minors. Instructors of record are responsible for ensuring that individuals who attend their classes are properly enrolled or have been invited for the purpose of making special announcements, guest lecturing, or other authorized reasons. Instructors have the responsibility to ensure that the classroom is conducive to student learning and may address disruptive or distracting situations as appropriate.

Instructors in lecture-based classes have the discretion to make infrequent exceptions due to temporary, unforeseen emergencies. In these cases, children must remain in the classroom and are not allowed to sit in the hallway or be unsupervised in any location on campus. Regular repeated visits by children or others without a legitimate purpose are not permitted.  The Art Department does not permit children or pets in any lab or studio environment or other areas where potential hazards exist. Children brought on campus must be directly supervised at all times by their parent or guardian. Leaving children unattended is a violation of the MSU Denver Student Code of Conduct.

Definitions

  1. Children: Minors under the age of 18.
  2. Minors Enrolled as Students: Enrolled students under the age of 18 have the rights and privileges of any other student in the classroom and on campus grounds.