While University faculty and staff members give students academic advice and assistance, each student is expected to take responsibility for his or her education and personal development. The student must know and abide by the academic and disciplinary policies given in this catalog, including rules governing quantity of work, the standard of work required to continue in the University, scholastic probation and dismissal, and enforced withdrawal. The student must also know and meet the requirements of his or her degree program, including the University’s core education requirements; must enroll in courses appropriate to the program; must meet prerequisites and take courses in the proper sequence to ensure orderly and timely progress; and must seek advice from appropriate University representatives about degree requirements and other University policies when necessary. The student must also know and adhere to all University deadlines.

Sources of Information on Academics, Deadlines, and Rules

All students are expected to be familiar with the following sources of information. Students will not be relieved of their responsibility to know the policies, deadlines and rules of the University on the grounds that they were not told. If students have questions regarding these materials, it is the University’s expectation that the student will consult his/her academic advisor for guidance and resolution.

Dean’s Offices

Students are responsible to the appropriate Dean of a College or School. Undeclared and freshman students are responsible to the Director of the University Advising Center.  In each college/school, the office of the assistant or associate dean serves as a central source of information about academic affairs and student services.

Academic Advising

The student is responsible for seeking academic advice, for enrolling in appropriate courses to insure progress toward a degree, for timely completion of his or her academic program, for familiarity with the appropriate catalog, and for maintaining University standards. Assistance from an academic advisor is not a substitute for the personal responsibility of the student.

Undergraduate Student Advising

Academic advisors guide students to develop educational plans that are compatible with their strengths, goals, and interests. While monitoring their progress and guiding students to academic success, advisors also help students understand their responsibilities toward academic success. Academic advisors also serve as a key resource and advocate for students regarding the interpretation of University policies and procedures and referral to campus resources that to aid student success (Menezes, 2005; National Academic Advising Association Clearinghouse).

The student should consult the advising office in his or her department or, if he or she is an undeclared or freshman student, the University Advising Center. A student who is in doubt about any University regulation should always seek clarification before proceeding.

Academic advisors may limit the number of hours and overall difficulty of the students’ schedules, require students to take specific courses deemed necessary to their education, prevent students from taking unsuitable courses, require students to attend advising sessions, and otherwise restrict enrollment or take other actions approved by the dean of their college/school or the Director of the University Advising Center to assure the student’s best academic interest. Failure to enroll in courses as prescribed/contracted by academic advisor without consultation and consent can lead to disciplinary actions through Student Conduct.

Undergraduate advising locations can be found at http://www.uta.edu/universitycollege/resources/advising.php.

Graduate Student Advising

Each graduate program has a graduate advisor. The graduate advisor represents the academic dean and the Committee on Graduate Studies in matters pertaining to advising graduate students in their academic areas. The graduate advisor's functions include clearing of students for registration, acting upon requests for drops, adds, section changes and special examinations; maintaining graduate student records; and advising graduate students about their degree plans. The name and contact information for graduate advisors can be found at http://grad.pci.uta.edu/faculty/advisors. 

Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Notification

The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act amendments of 1989 (the DFSCA) requires institutions of higher education receiving any form of federal funding (IHEs) to meet requirements pertaining to the prevention of illegal use of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) on campus and at campus-sponsored events. These requirements include developing and implementing an AOD-prevention program to prevent the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees. Furthermore, IHEs are required to conduct biennial reviews of their AOD-prevention programs and publish subsequent reports of those reviews. The purpose of the biennial review is twofold: 1) for an IHE to determine the effectiveness of, and to implement any needed changes to, its AOD-prevention program; and 2) to ensure that IHEs enforce the disciplinary sanctions for violating standards of conduct consistently.

The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) is a community that cares about the well-being of its students, faculty, and staff, and as such, UTA continually strives to create and maintain a safe, secure, and supportive campus environment. As part of this effort, UTA prohibits the illegal use of AODs on its campus and at campus-sponsored events, has developed an AOD-prevention program (Program), conducts biennial reviews of its Program, publishes a Drug-Free Schools and Communities Biennial Review (this Report), and strictly complies with the requirements of the DFSCA. As such, we are required to provide the information below to each employee and student on an annual basis.

Health risks associated with drug and alcohol abuse

• Alcohol and Drug Awareness
• Illicit Drugs and Alcohol Abuse (Hard copy brochures are available at the UTA Police Department and Health Services)

University policies related to the illegal possession, use, or distribution of drugs or alcohol

• Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy
• Alcohol and Drug-Free Workplace Policy
• Illicit Drugs and Alcohol Abuse
• Drug-Free Work Force Rules for Employees whose Salaries are Funded by a Department of Defense Contract
• Drug-Free Workplace

Availability of treatment for drug or alcohol problems

Employees—Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is provided through UTA’s Office of Human Resources at 1-800-343-3822 or at alliancewp.com.

Students—Drug and alcohol counseling and referral services are available through UTA Health Services at 817-272-2771 or uta.edu/healthservices.

Internal sanctions and federal, state, and local legal penalties that may result from the illegal sale, possession, consumption, or distribution of drugs or alcohol

• Disciplinary Penalties
• Student Conduct and Discipline
• Standards of Conduct Guide
• Illicit Drugs and Alcohol Abuse (Hard copy brochures are available at the UTA Police Department and Health Services)

For more information, contact UTA's Health Services at 817-272-2771 or visit uta.edu/healthservices.

Enrollment & Attendance

Managing Enrollment

Once a student registers for classes, the University commits resources to provide registered students with instruction by qualified faculty and sufficient class space for the course. Thus, upon registration, a student assumes full responsibility for either paying fees in full by a prescribed due date, or notifying the University in an appropriate time frame that he/she will not attend and take all appropriate action as prescribed to drop a course(s) or officially withdraw from the University. The student must verify his or her schedule of classes each term, must see that necessary corrections are made, and must keep documentation of all schedule changes and other transactions.

Class Attendance, Tardiness and Make-Up Work

The University is not required by an outside entity to take attendance; however, regular attendance at all class meetings is expected.  Individual class attendance and tardiness regulations will be established by instructors and published in the course syllabus or announced to their classes. At the discretion of the instructor, such regulations may not include provisions for making up work missed by the student as a consequence of an absence. Special regulations of colleges and schools required by the unique nature of their programs of study may be enacted through the normal approval process.  These special regulations may not conflict with University regulations on class attendance and absence.  An instructor is under no obligation to accommodate students who are absent or miss work without prior notification and make-up arrangements. 

A student’s registration is not automatically cancelled for non-attendance. A student should pay fees in full by the designated deadline or take the appropriate steps to withdraw. To avoid financial responsibility to the University, cancellation of enrollment must be completed no later than the day before the first official University class day. Prompt withdrawal notification helps to free up class space for other students.

University Authorized Absences

The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs provides lists of students who have absences authorized by the University (e.g., participation in athletic events or scholastic activities that are officially sponsored University functions--those are primarily activities that are funded by the University).

The student must notify the instructor in writing at least one week in advance of the start of the excused absence and arrange with the instructor to make up missed work or missed examinations. Instructors will allow students an opportunity to make up the work and examinations within a reasonable time period following the absence or otherwise adjust the grading to ensure that the student is not penalized for the absence, provided that the student has properly notified the instructor.  Students who have properly notified the instructor, will not be penalized for the absence. However, the instructor may respond appropriately if the student fails to complete the assignment or examination satisfactorily within the time limit following the absence set by prior arrangement.

If there is disagreement between student and faculty member regarding what constitutes a reasonable amount of time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a ruling from the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Analytics and Operations. The decision of the Vice Provost is final.

Absence for Military Service

In accordance with section 51.9111 of Texas Education Code, a student is excused for attending classes or engaging in other required activities, including examinations, if he or she is called to active military service of reasonably brief duration. The student will be allowed a reasonable amount of time after the absence to complete assignments and take examinations.

Withdrawal as a Result of Military Service

A student who must withdraw from the University as a result of military service will receive the following considerations according to Section 54.006 of the Texas Education Code: (1) receive a refund of tuition and fees (2) if eligible, be assigned a grade of incomplete (I) or (3) as determined by the instructor, receive a final grade or credit in courses where the student has satisfactorily completed a substantial amount of coursework and has demonstrated sufficient mastery of the course material.

Observance of Religious Holy Days

A student who misses an examination, work assignment or other project because of an observance of a religious holy day will be given the opportunity to complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence.

Checking Email

E-mail serves a primary means for communication at UT Arlington. Therefore, the University has the right to send communications to students via University-issues e-mail and the right to expect that those communications will be received and read in a timely fashion. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) will assign all students an official University e-mail address. Students are expected to check their official University e-mail account on a frequent and consistent basis to stay current with University communications. The University recommends checking e-mail daily; in recognition that certain communications may be time-critical.

Maintaining updated address and phone

While most of University business and communications is handled through official University email or through MyMav, on occasion the University will need to contact students by phone or mail. The student must give current and correct local and permanent addresses and telephone numbers to the University through self-service in MyMav. Official correspondence may be mailed, versus e-mailed, to the appropriate address depending upon the nature of the correspondence and the academic calendar; if the student has moved and failed to correct this address, he or she will not be relieved of responsibility on the grounds that the correspondence was not delivered. 

For the purposes of state authorization compliance and disclosure requirements for licensing and certification programs, the University will consider the state listed in the Mailing Address in MyMav as students’ location. Students must report any change in their Mailing Address through self-service in MyMav.

Requirement to Update Academic Records

UT Arlington students who also enroll at other institutions of higher education have an obligation to ensure that UT Arlington has a complete and accurate academic record. Students who enroll in coursework at other institutions must transfer a record of that coursework to UT Arlington’s Office of the Registrar at the conclusion of each term completed externally.