Student Handbook 2012-2013

Postings for student-initiated commercial enterprises must be approved in advance by the Campus Services office.

All posters/banners must be event-specific and list "who," "what," "where," "when," and the sponsoring group or individual name. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Off-campus commercial enterprises are not permitted to advertise on campus.

Wording or artwork on any posting may not contain reference to an amount or type of alcohol available at an event, nor may it reference alcohol to be the dominant feature of the posting. In addition, there may not be any reference to abusive or excessive consumption of alcohol in any advertisement.

The advertising of term or research papers will not be permitted.

The sale of personal articles (i.e. books, couches) may be advertised only in Slayter Union on the Community Bulletin Board and Community Table.

No advertising of any kind may be placed under the doors of residents' rooms or on any motor vehicle on campus. There is no door-to-door solicitation allowed by anyone for any reason.

No advertisements or postings may be hung on exit or access doors.

Advertising may only be hung in interior spaces. Any advertising on any exterior surface is subject to removal and fines may be levied against responsible parties.

Advertisement to the general campus population of any event requiring a guest list is not permitted.

Harassment Prohibited

It is a violation of University policy for any University employee or student to subject any person to harassment on University property or at a University-sponsored activity, or in any manner that impacts a person’s working, learning, and/or living environment at Denison.

Harassment Defined

Denison prohibits harassment, including conduct (physical, verbal, graphic, or written, in any form) that is based on race, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law. The term “harassment” may include slurs, jokes, intimidating actions, and other offensive verbal or graphic communications, as well as physical conduct, that interferes with or limits the terms or conditions of another person’s employment or that causes a hostile, intimidating, or offensive working environment. This definition of harassment includes actions associated with the concept of bullying – the persistent use of aggressive, overbearing, or unreasonable behavior, which may include tactics such as verbal, nonverbal, psychological, or physical abuse and humiliation. Conduct may be deemed to constitute harassment under this policy even if it is not based upon a legally protected status, such as race, age, gender, etc., and even if the offending actions are directed toward third parties. Persons guilty of harassment under this policy are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension or expulsion.

Sexual Harassment Defined

Sexual harassment is a form of unlawful discrimination that is often at the forefront of discussions of non-harassment policies because it involves concepts that have been more thoroughly developed over the course of time. While this section focuses on sexual harassment, it is important to note that it is the policy of the University to maintain an academic environment and an employment environment free of all forms of unlawful harassment, including sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

Reporting Harassment

Any member of the University community, including faculty, staff, and prospective, current, or former students, who believes they have been subjected to harassment, including sexual harassment, are encouraged to immediately identify the offensive behavior to the harasser and request that it stop. Denison also encourages individuals to report incidents of harassment of all forms so the University can ensure that such misconduct can be addressed and prevented in the future. This is particularly important in cases when direct, informal communication between individuals is either ineffective or impractical, or when the individual simply wishes not to confront the offender.

Accordingly, if you believe you have been subjected to harassment, or if you witness a member of the faculty, staff, or a student being subjected to harassment, you should promptly notify your work supervisor, faculty advisor, professional staff member of the division of Student Development, or the Vice President of Student Development. All complaints under the Anti-Harassment policy will be forwarded to the Office of Campus Safety & Security and/or the Dean of Students to permit Denison to discern any patterns of assaults or harassment that would not necessarily be evident on a case-by-case basis. Note that your report of harassment may be requested to be put in writing.

In cases involving sexual assault, please refer to the section of the Sexual Assault Policy (http://www.denison.edu/offices/standards/sexualassault.html) for reporting information and other relevant guidance.

Investigation

Absent an informal resolution, any allegation of harassment reported under this policy where the alleged harasser is a member of the student body will be promptly investigated pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Denison University Code of Student Conduct. If the alleged harasser is a staff employee, the procedure outlined in the “Investigation” section of the Anti-Harassment policy in the staff handbook(s) will be followed. If the alleged harasser is a member of the teaching faculty, the procedure(s) outlined in Section 5 (Statement of Procedures) in the Anti-harassment and Free Speech policy will be followed.

Due to the sensitive nature of allegations of harassment, and the potential for such allegations to have detrimental impacts on the lives and/or careers of faculty, staff, or students, confidentiality should be maintained by all persons involved to the extent practical and appropriate.

Upon completion of the investigation, Human Resources will, as appropriate, notify any faculty and staff parties involved of the conclusions reached and of any actions being taken. It is a violation of this policy and University policy for a person to engage in any act of reprisal or retaliation against a person who has filed a complaint of harassment under this policy or who has testified, assisted, or participated in any manner in an investigation or other proceeding conducted under this policy.

It is also a violation of this policy for a person to file a complaint falsely alleging harassment, including sexual harassment, with knowledge of its falsity or with reckless disregard for the truth.

Commercial or business ventures are not allowed to be run out of residence hall rooms or in any space on campus. This includes an individual being a "representative" for a business or commercial venture for the Denison Campus or marketing their goods or services in campus-owned buildings.

Sponsorship of a commercial business or venture on campus is possible only when a Campus Organization or Department submits application to the Campus Services Office.

Students engaged in academically sanctioned entrepreneurial programs on campus may utilize facilities and services of the University when faculty sponsorship is obtained and activities are individually approved by the sponsoring faculty member. The faculty member and student will meet with the Campus Services Office to discuss details ofthe activities planned and submit any paperwork necessary to ensure compliance with University policy and procedures. As a general rule these activities may not result in financial benefit to individuals.

Campus organizations may sponsor fundraising events to benefit their organization or for a cause that is clearly communicated during any fundraising activities. Campus Organizations are not allowed to raise funds to benefit any specific individual unless the circumstance for fundraising is approved by the Campus Services Office.

Campus Organizations may sponsor commercial or business ventures on campus when their efforts further a fundraising or academic goal of the organization. However, all commercial or business venture type of activities must demonstrate a reasonable value to the sponsoring organization and may not detract from or harm the Denison community.

Any fundraising activity that involves the signing up or solicitation for credit cards is not allowed on campus.

All paperwork, policies, forms, and procedures necessary for coordinating any fundraising activity on campus may be found in the Campus Services Office, Slayter 200. Most required forms for approval of fundraising activities may be found on OrgSync and may be submitted on that system for approval. For certain types of fundraising activities, a meeting with the Campus Services Office will be required to ensure compliance with University policy and procedures.

Charges, Billings and Payments: (Refer to the Denison University Catalog under the section entitled "Annual Costs" for more comprehensive information):

Annual tuition, mandatory fees, room and board charges for 2012-2013 are as follows:

The Apartment Alternative Meal Plans available to students not required to be on a meal plan are as follows:

An additional fee is charged for courses such as ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, drawing and life drawing and photography where the student becomes the owner of tangible items created. Additional course fees also apply to certain courses, including private music lessons, Elementary Cinema Production, Advanced Cinema Production, Cinema Techno-Aesthetics, Current Topics in Astronomy, Taekwando, and Skin and Scuba Diving. This is subject to change from semester to semester. Some fine arts studio courses and science courses may have additional expenses.

Students will be charged for miscellaneous items such as lost keys and identification cards, lock core changes, late return or non-return of library books, medications and health services such as laboratory and x-ray, driving and parking infractions, and residence hall damages.

A transcript of a student's record will be issued at no charge upon written request to the Registrar's Office.

All charges (except as noted below) are included on the student's comprehensive billing statement which is mailed to the student's permanent billing address. Confidential Health Center services are added to the account only if not paid within ten (10) days. Unpaid library fines and other miscellaneous charges are also periodically added to the billing statement. All bills are payable to Denison University in Student Accounts by the date indicated on the bill. Once billed, all charges past due are subject to a one percent per month late payment fee. Remittances to Student Accounts sent by campus mail should be addressed to Doane Box 12. The University accepts checks for payment of bills; however a $15 charge is assessed on all checks returned unpaid by the bank.

A student is ineligible to attend classes unless his or her bills are paid when due. A student is denied an honorable separation, an official record of credits or a diploma until all University bills are paid in full.

Return of Title IV Funds (Federal): For students who withdraw from the university and have federal financial aid, the Financial Aid Office will calculate the amount of federal aid for which you are eligible to receive and the amount that must be returned to the federal programs.

For students who receive a leave of absence and have federal need based aid, your aid eligibility is treated as though you have withdrawn from the university. Your withdrawal status is reported to the Direct Loan servicer and you may enter the grace period of your federal loan repayment.

Refund or Forfeiture of Charges: Continuing students withdrawing from the University for the ensuing semester must notify the Dean of Students by June 1 for the fall term or by November 1 for the spring term for the enrollment deposit to be refunded. Entering first-year or transfer students must notify Admissions by May 1.

In the event of an official withdrawal after the first day of classes, a student may receive a partial refund of semester charges.

A student will receive a refund of tuition, activity fee and student health fee based upon withdrawal before the end of the respective full week of classes. The room refund will be based upon the date the student (including personal possessions) is determined to have vacated the University premises. Please refer to the chart below:

No refunds are granted after the 8th week (9th week if medical withdrawal). In the event of withdrawal because of dismissal, the medical withdrawal schedule will apply. A student who stops attendance without completing an exit interview or notifying the Dean of Students of their withdrawal is not entitled to a refund of charges.

A pro rata refund of the board charge will be made following official withdrawal or dismissal from Denison as of the date the student vacates University premises and discontinues use of University facilities and services. The Office of Residential Education and Housing will determine this date.

Fees for applied music lessons or other course fees are not refunded after the fourth week in the case of a student withdrawing for any reason from a course or from the University.

In the unlikely event that a public health agency requires Denison University to halt operations, to include the cancellation of classes, as the result of a pandemic or some similar occurrence, Denison will reopen and continue the semester as soon as public authorities permit it. Prepaid tuition, fees, room and board will not be refunded under this circumstance. Prepayments will be held and applied to the continued semester as though there were no interruption of services.

Financial Aid: Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy:

To be eligible to receive federal, state and institutional financial aid and to continue to receive that aid a student must maintain satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of his/her degree by maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA in addition to earning the required number of hours after each semester of attendance. For more information about financial aid polices, go to Office of Financial Aid - Current Students and select the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy under the Award Notification tab.

Denison University guarantees full compliance with the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. Student educational records are maintained and may be accessed only by members of the University with legitimate educational interest in the student.

A student may inspect the contents of his or her official file and placement credentials, including personal references. Exceptions are letters collected under a waiver of inspection and information on parents' financial status. Requests should be in writing to the office responsible for those records and upon inspection may not be removed from that office.

The Office of Student Development is the depository for most student records. The Registrar's Office maintains all academic information, the Financial Aid Office all forms and correspondence regarding financial aid, scholarships and student employment, and the Office of Public Affairs directory information as well as information used for news releases to the media.

In addition to the regular sharing of grade information among University offices concerned with student academic standing and advisement, cumulative GPA's are furnished to officers of chartered honoraries for the purpose of membership selection.

Contents of inspected records may be challenged upon the grounds that the information is inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of the person's privacy or other rights. The administrator responsible for maintenance of those records will hear the challenge, and based on the information presented may decide to: