Conduct Expected of Students

See the Code of Student Conduct published in the Student Handbook. The College reserves the right to dismiss any student who conducts himself or herself in a manner incompatible with the purposes of the College.

Academic Separation, Probation and Appeals

Please see Grades and Grading.

Certifications of Enrollment/Attendance or Certifications of Full-Time/Part-Time Status

Enrollment Certification of Full-Time/Part Time status are available through the National Student Clearinghouse Self-Service Program. Students are securely and seamlessly brought to the Clearinghouse Self-Service site by signing into MySunyOrange. Advanced Registration Certificates, Current Enrollment Certificates and Past Enrollment Certificates will be available for students to print.

To certify enrollment, tuition and fees must be paid and all stop/ holds must be cleared from the student's records.

Notification of Student Rights under FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. They are:

• The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access. Students should submit to the Registrar or Vice President for Student Services written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. A College official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the College official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
• The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the College official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
• The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the College will disclose education records without consent to officials of another school which a student seeks or intends to enroll (barring any indebtedness to this College).
• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with FERPA requirements: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605.

Directory Information

Directory information is personally-identifiable student information which the U.S. Department of Education has concluded is permissible for institutions to release without a student's consent. SUNY Orange has identified the following as Directory Information:

• Name
• Current enrollment status (full-time or part-time)
• Semesters enrolled
• Field of study or program
• Degrees, honors, and awards/scholarships conferred
• Prior institution attended
• Heights and weights of our college athletes
• Addresses (but only of our graduates and only to governmental officials who wish to send congratulatory notices or to four-year educational institutions with whom the College has specific articulation agreements that will allow these students to continue to attend SUNY Orange while working toward a four year degree (e.g., Franklin University).

Note: Once an institution identifies Directory Information, the institution may release that information without student consent, but is not required to do so. The best example of this is addresses, where we may release that information but as an institutional practice we only do so in the specific examples given.

Students may opt out of public disclosure of even the directory information above by requesting what is known as a "FERPA Block." The student does so by completing the FERPA Directory Information Block Request Form available on our website at www.sunyorange.edu/academic_services/ferpa.shtml

Students interested in obtaining a FERPA Directory Information Block should be aware that unlike other institutions, we do not include address and phone number as directory information and that a substantial consequence of requesting a FERPA Block is, unless another exception under FERPA permits disclosure, an active FERPA Block will prevent SUNY Orange from disclosing that the student once attended and received a degree or is currently enrolled at the College pursuing a particular degree.

Students who after having the FERPA Directory Block placed on their record wish to remove the block, must complete the FERPA Directory Information Block Removal Form also available at the same website.

Consent Forms for Release of Non-Directory Information

A student’s signed written consent must specify the records to release/inspect, state the purpose of the disclosure and identify the person(s) to whom the disclosure should be made. A new consent form would be required each academic year or when access to additional educational records not covered in the previous consent form on file are being requested.

If the consent form does not specify the actual educational records to be inspected or simply states something equivalent to “all educational records”, the only records that will be disclosed are those that appear on the most current academic transcript.

According to FERPA regulations, an institution has up to 45 days after receipt of a valid consent form to arrange for the inspection/disclosure of the specified educational records. Personal inspections of the requested educational records in the majority of cases will be made with the Registrar, who also acts as the FERPA officer for the institution, and not necessarily with individual faculty members.

In the case of a so-ordered subpoena, issued by a judge, consent from the student is not required for disclosure of non-directory information. However, unless the subpoena specifically states that contact with the student is forbidden, the institution will not respond to said subpoena for 72 business hours and in that timeframe will attempt to contact the student to inform them that a subpoena was received, who issued the subpoena, and what records will be disclosed.

Parents’ Rights

Message to Parents: SUNY Orange is guided by the principle that students’ active involvement in their education enhances their learning and development. In keeping with this principle, SUNY Orange considers its primary relationship to be with its students. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) has provided two ways in which parents/guardians of dependent students may inspect the educational records of the student.

The first is to obtain a signed written consent from the student and submit consent to the Registrar. 

If the student is unwilling to provide a signed written consent, the final alternative is for the parents/guardians to provide the Registrar with a copy of the preceding year’s tax returns to demonstrate the student is a tax dependent. The copy provided must have either been completed by a third party (accountant, tax preparer, etc.) or be an official full complete copy (not the shortened version) from the Internal Revenue Service. Information on how to obtain this version can be found by contacting the IRS Office at (800) 829-1040. When the documentation is submitted, the parents/guardians must also specify the records to be inspected. If the request simply states something equivalent to “all educational records,” the only educational records that will be disclosed are those that appear on the most current academic transcript.

Purpose of the Procedure:

The purpose of the Student Academic Grievance Procedure is to encourage the informal resolution of academic issues that might surface between students and faculty in a manner that is timely and upholds standards of academic integrity.  In the event that students and faculty are unable to resolve an academic issue, the formal stage provides additional fair and equitable procedures for students. Students should understand that each stage of the process is an important one; therefore, it is not possible to move through the process unless previous stages have been followed.   The procedure must be utilized by all students regardless of the location at which the grievance has arisen or the mode of delivery for the course.

Procedure:

A student having a concern of an academic nature with a faculty member arising from participation in a credit class should follow the procedure outlined below.  Such concerns could include the belief that his/her grade(s) is not consistent with the grade criteria designated by the course instructor/syllabus.

Should the grievance reach the formal stage the student has the right to seek the assistance of an unbiased third party, which includes the student’s academic advisor or an individual from a pool of trained volunteers.  The role of this third party is to help the student prepare for and navigate the formal process.  It is not the role of this third party to represent the student during this process. 

Informal Stage:

1. The student must first discuss the matter with the course instructor. This discussion should commence as soon as possible but (1) no later than 30 calendar days after the start of the following Spring semester if the concern arose during the Fall semester or (2) no later than 30 calendar days after the start of the following Fall semester if the concern arose during the Spring semester or summer session. Faculty must document the date of meeting with the student.
2. If the student and the instructor cannot resolve the matter in this discussion, the student will have five business days after meeting with the instructor to contact the appropriate department chair to discuss the matter informally. The chair must consult with the instructor and may include the instructor in the mediation. The student and the instructor should provide copies of all relevant material. The chair will make a decision within five business days and communicate the rationale for the decision to the instructor and the student.
3. The student will have five business days from the date of the chair’s decision to contact the appropriate academic associate vice president to discuss the matter informally. If the academic grievance requires the issuance of a grade change, at the objection of the instructor, the student must enter the formal stage of the grievance process.

Formal Stage:

1. If the matter has not been resolved informally, the student will have five business days after discussion in 1(c) to file a formal, written Academic Grievance Notice with the appropriate associate vice president. The Academic Grievance Notice form will be available through academic departments and should include a clear statement of the student’s specific complaint, a clear statement of how the student would like to see the matter resolved, and relevant documentation that supports the student’s claim(s).  
2. The academic associate vice president will inform the course instructor and the department chair of the formal grievance and will have 10 business days to meet with all parties involved, make a thorough evaluation, and notify the student, course instructor, and department chair in writing of his/her findings, decision, and the rationale for his/her decision.

Appeal:

1. If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the associate vice president, the student will have five business days to file a formal, written appeal with the Vice President of Academic Affairs. This written appeal should include a copy of the Academic Grievance Notice submitted to the Associate Vice President and any additional documentation or explanation that is appropriate.
2. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will inform the course instructor, the department chair, and the associate vice president of the formal appeal and will have 10 business days to meet with all parties involved, make a thorough evaluation, and notify the student, course instructor, department chair, and associate vice president in writing of all findings, decision, and the rationale for the decision.

Final Appeal:

1. If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the student will have five business days to file a formal, written grievance with the President of the College.  This written appeal should include a copy of the Academic Grievance Notice submitted previously and any additional documentation or explanation that is appropriate.  Only those grievances heard and decided during previous stages of this process can be considered by the President.  The President will issue a formal decision to all parties, in writing, within ten business days.  The President’s decision is final.

NOTE: The authority to assign grades rests with the faculty member who is the instructor of record; however, under extraordinary circumstances, if the academic grievance requires the issuance of a grade change, at the objection of the instructor, only the Associate Vice President, Vice President of Academic Affairs, or the President may authorize such in the formal or appeal stages.  Students are required to utilize the informal stage to attempt to resolve all academic grievances, including those pertaining to grades.

Record Keeping

A permanent file containing appropriate documentation relating to the grievance shall be kept in the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs for six years.