ACADEMIC POLICIES
The following polices, effective January 13, 2008, supersede any previously published.
In case of discrepancy, the following take precedence.
Course Load and Degree Requirements: Successful completion of the predetermined set curriculum, consisting of 144 credits of coursework (18 credits per semester) and the NOLS Orientation Program, is required to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts. A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is also required.
Senior Thesis and Oration: In order to graduate, each senior student will be required to research and write a thesis paper and to deliver a public lecture on the contents of that paper, followed by a question and answer period.
Registration: Students are registered on the date when Wyoming Catholic College sends to them a letter of acknowledgment of the Commitment of Attendance and a receipt for the deposit. A formal matriculation ceremony takes place at the start of September, shortly after the freshmen return from their 21-day backpacking expedition.
Academic Advising: Wyoming Catholic College has a set curriculum and course load for every student for all four years and thus needs no assigned advisors. The faculty and the Academic Dean are always willing to make themselves available to students for consultation and counsel about their progress and any difficulties they may be having, as well as to arrange for additional tutoring. It is the student’s responsibility to seek out help from professors, rather than waiting for it to be offered.
Grading System: Wyoming Catholic College uses a 4.0 grading scale. Letter grades, including pluses and minuses, are awarded for courses; the grade of “A+” is not given. The following chart indicates numerical equivalents for letter grades, as well as a description of how the grades are to be understood.
|
GPA
|
Letter
|
100 pt.
|
Description
|
|
4.0
|
A
|
95–100
|
work of surpassing excellence (summa cum laude)
|
|
3.66
|
A–
|
90-94.9
|
work that is worthy of much praise(magna cum laude)
|
|
3.33
|
B+
|
86.6–89.9
|
work that is worthy of praise (cum laude)
|
|
3.0
|
B
|
83.3–86.5
|
work that is done well
|
|
2.66
|
B–
|
80–83.2
|
work done well but with notable flaws
|
|
2.33
|
C+
|
76.6–79.9
|
work that is passable
|
|
2.0
|
C
|
73.3–76.5
|
work passable on most criteria but not all
|
|
1.5
|
C–
|
70–73.2
|
work passable but seriously flawed
|
|
1.0
|
D
|
66–69.9
|
work that is barely acceptable
|
|
0
|
F
|
below 66
|
failed
|
|
|
I
|
incomplete
|
|
A student’s GPA for each semester, as well as the cumulative GPA, is recorded on a report card and on the student’s transcript. At the end of each semester, grades are sent to each student and to his or her parents, according to the agreement signed by the student. If a student or the student’s parents have any outstanding debts to the College, the student will not be allowed to re-register or to obtain a transcript.
Academic Honors: A student earning a semester GPA of 3.50 or higher is placed on the Dean’s List. A student earning a semester GPA of 3.25 to 3.49 is placed on the Honors List.
Graduating with Honors: Students graduate with honors if they achieve praiseworthy cumulative GPAs: cum laude (“with praise”) for a GPA above 3.33, magna cum laude (“with great praise”) for a GPA above 3.50, or summa cum laude (“with highest praise”) for a GPA above 3.749.
Class Attendance: Class attendance at Wyoming Catholic College is mandatory.* If a student misses class, his absence will be either unexcusable or excusable. In exceptional cases, as determined by the teacher, a student may be excused from class, but only for good cause (serious illness, emergencies, and so forth) and only if the cause is directly communicated to the teacher by the student. If a student is absent from class, he must, as soon as possible, arrange with his teacher to make up missed work.
If a student has three unexcused absences, his grade at the end of the semester will be dropped one whole letter (e.g., B+ to C+), and, for each subsequent absence, by one notch (e.g., C+ to C). A student’s inattendance for more than two weeks’ worth of class, regardless of whether the absences are excused or unexcused, is likely to result, as determined by the teacher and the Academic Dean, in the judgment that he is not fulfilling the course requirements and must be given an incomplete or even failed.
If a student requests an excused absence for good cause but a teacher will not grant it, he may appeal to the academic dean.
Holidays begin after the last class that the student is required to attend and end with the first class to which the student is required to return. Leaving early for travel or arriving late due to travel does not in and of itself constitute an excusable absence.
Attendance records are submitted at the end of each semester to the Registrar.
*The Guest Lecture Series, comprising the lectures held each year on November 1, December 8, February 4, and March 25, is a mandatory part of the College curriculum. Attendance will be taken and absences recorded by the Humanities professors; such absences will have the same effect on the final grade in Humanities as an absence from class.
Authority of Professors: A professor at his or her sole discretion may exclude or suspend from class a student acting in a disruptive or unbecoming manner. Repeated violations may result in permanent expulsion from and failure of the course, pending concurrence of the Academic Dean.
Academic Ethics: Neither cheating or plagiarizing will be tolerated because both undermine the purpose and ethos of an academic community. Cheating includes the unauthorized use of books, notes, or other outside assistance during tests or quizzes. Plagiarism involves copying or paraphrasing from another person’s writing without crediting the source by a proper citation. If plagiarism or cheating is discovered, an automatic zero will be recorded for the assignment, and the Academic Dean will be notified of the offense, which will be documented in the student’s file. If a second instance of either offense is reported, the Academic Dean will decide on a more severe punishment. The magnitude or frequency of the offense can result in its review by the Academic Council.
Faculty Feedback and Tutoring. Each semester, students receive from their professors constructive criticism about their performance in the various courses, either in the form of scheduled meetings or in the form of written comments. When this feedback indicates a need for tutoring outside of class, arrangements to that effect can be made.
Academic Probation: With a semester GPA lower than 2.0 (that is, lower than 73.3 percent), or a grade of D for any single course, a student is put on academic probation. To continue at Wyoming Catholic College, the student must fulfill the requirements set for him by the Academic Dean concerning his probation. Failure to do so may result in dismissal from the College.
Incompletes: If a student is unable to complete the requirements for a course by the end of the semester, he may ask for an incomplete, which gives him one month from the last day of the semester to complete the work. Incompletes are granted only in dire circumstances, such as a serious illness. If after one month the coursework is still incomplete, a student would generally be expected to withdraw from Wyoming Catholic College either temporarily or permanently, as determined in consultation with the Academic Dean.
Repeating Courses: Students who fail a course will be given a brief opportunity to retake tests or complete missing work in order to obtain a passing grade. The instructor of the course, in consultation with the Academic Dean, will determine the exact nature of the additional assignments or tests needed to fulfill the requirements for a passing grade. Students in this situation must complete all assigned work either during the Christmas holidays or during the first month of the summer vacation. Students who do not meet this requirement cannot continue at Wyoming Catholic College unless they repeat the entire semester of which the course they failed was a part.
Academic Dismissal: A student who fails a class or does not sufficiently improve his or her performance after being placed on academic probation may be dismissed from the College, subject to the President’s approval.
Records Policy: The academic transcript and its contents as required by law, as well as alumni contact information, will be maintained upon a student’s departure in good standing. Dismissal records are also maintained. All other files will be destroyed five years after the date of graduation or departure.
Student Access to Records: Students will have supervised access to all their records. Records are kept with the Registrar. Access to the student files is permitted to those who have a legal right and who demonstrate legitimate cause to the Registrar.
Transcripts: An official transcript is one that bears the college seal, date, and appropriate signature. Academic transcripts are released only with written permission of the student or (in the case of dependents) parent or legal guardian. No transcript will be released if the student is not in good financial standing with the College. Recording errors should be brought to the attention of the Registrar.
In general, it is the student’s responsibility to be familiar with and to comply with all academic regulations.
Although WCC is a Catholic College, no one will be excluded on the basis of religion. WCC admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.