POLICIES

Student must first make every effort to resolve the matter informally with the faculty or administrative person involved.  If Student cannot resolve matter with the faculty or administrative person involved, he/she must report the incident to the Program Head. The Program Head will attempt to resolve the complaint within 14 days.

Student grievances involving, but not limited to, academic or disciplinary actions which cannot be otherwise resolved informally, must be reported to the Dean.

The following action steps should occur to file a formal student grievance:

1. Student submits description of the incident on the Student Grievance Form to the Dean and presents a copy to the Program Head within 30 days of the incident.
2. An investigation is conducted within 10 days of the receipt of the written grievance by the Dean. Every effort will be made to reach a fair and just resolution of the grievance.
3. The investigation will involve an interview of all parties named in the grievance documentation and any other individual the Dean deems necessary. The investigation process shall take no more than 14 days to complete.
4. The student will then receive a written notification of the decision on their grievance within 5 days after the investigation is completed.
5. If the decision of the matter is not satisfactory to the student, the student may request a grievance hearing in writing to the Dean within 14 days of the receipt of the written decision.
6. Within 5 days, the Dean will then appoint a Grievance Committee that is made up of seven members that consist of three faculty members, two administration members, and one member of the student body. The Dean participates as a non-voter and heads the committee.
7. The Grievance Committee will then meet within 5 days of forming. Within 5 days after the hearing, the Dean notifies the student in writing of the Committee’s decision.
8. If the student complaint cannot be resolved after exhausting the institution’s grievance procedure, the student may file a complaint with the Office of Consumer Protection. The student must contact the State Board for further details.  The State Board address is:

Office of Consumer Protection
Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Leiopapa A Kamehameha Building
235 South Beretania Street, Room 801
Honolulu, Hawai’i 96813-2419
Phone: (808) 586-2630
Website: www.hawaii.gov/dcca/ocp

A follow-up meeting will be held with the student and Office of the Dean within 1 – 3 days from the date of notification of decision on resolution from Grievance Committee.

It is expected that the students at UMSAz act in an honest manner at all times.  Acts of dishonest academic work and misconduct should not be engaged in and will not be tolerated.  Academic work shall be completed by the student.  If a student engages in an academically dishonest way, they will go before the Disciplinary Committee in accordance with the procedure outlined in catalog.  The student may also have to retake the plagiarism quiz (referenced below) again.

Some examples of academic dishonesty are:

• 1. Submitting work (assignments, projects, research papers, etc.) that is not properly cited and/or not original work of the student
  2. Allowing a student to submit another student’s work with or without their knowledge
  3. Submitting work as an individual student that has been created by a group of students when group work has been prohibited
  4. Purchasing another student’s work and submitting it as their own work
  5. Allowing another student to take an exam, quiz, test, or write a thesis, dissertation, research paper for a student
  6. Collaborating on an examination or assignment without authorization
  7. Using unauthorized materials during an examination or while completing an assignment
  8. Intentionally distorting the meaning or applicability of data
  9. Inventing data or statistical results to support conclusions
  10. Submitting the same work for one class without disclosure and approval

Detailed examples of plagiarism can be found on the plagiarism quiz which students will be required to complete by the end of the first week of the first semester that they are enrolled in UMSAz, unless otherwise directed by the Dean.  Please note that a student will not be able to register for their next course until the plagiarism quiz is completed. 

The Library has adopted the information literacy competency standards¹, as developed by the Association of College and Research Libraries, the premier division of the American Library Association for libraries serving higher education. As a result, the literacy expectations are as follows for an information literate student:

1. To determine the extent of information needed
2. To access the needed information effectively and efficiently
3. To evaluate information and its sources critically
4. To incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
5. To use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
6. To understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally

¹ “Standards, Performance Indicators, and Outcomes.” In Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, (ALA, 2000). Pp.8-14. http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/standards.pdf. Viewed October 21st, 2018.

Information Literacy Competencies

1. Ascertain
   1. Ascertain the information that is needed to complete course assignments including papers and projects

2. Retrieve
   1. Determine and select the appropriate search criteria to locate information sources
   2. Evaluate search results and determine relevancy to topic matter
   3. Refine search criteria to yield more relevant information when necessary

3. Analyze
   1. Identify and outline main concepts from relevant information sources
   2. Determine and assess the criteria for evaluating your relevant information sources
   3. Compare and contrast your relevant information sources with existing knowledge

4. Implement acquired information ethically and legally
   1. Incorporate and synthesize new and existing information ethically and legally into course assignments, papers, projects, etc.
   2. Utilize appropriate referencing of acquired information within course assignments, papers, projects, etc.

The University of Medical Sciences Arizona (UMSAz) is an institution of higher learning that is dedicated to producing critical thinkers and life-long learners.  Creating an academic environment that produces graduates that respect ethnic and cultural diversity, participate in civic responsibility and example academic integrity are primary goals for the University, hence the UMSAz is committed to fostering an academic setting that invites a spirit of collaboration, encourages the search for truth and cultivates open dialogue between faculty and students.

The UMSAz understands that faculty input is critical to academic policy development as its members, within their sphere of expertise, bring knowledge, training and experience through best practices in teaching and research. Academic freedom in research is fundamental to the advancement of truth. Academic freedom in teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the teacher so far as teaching is concerned and for the student so far as freedom to learn is concerned.

Implicit within the governance framework is the understanding that faculty, acting both as individuals and as a collective, are free, without outside interference, to voice professional opinions on a wide array of issues and express their views on academic matters such as: (1) curriculum; (2) course content; (3) teaching; (4) student evaluation; and (5) the conduct of scholarly inquiry.

Members of the UMSAz faculty are entitled to full freedom in inquiry and research and in the publication of the results; they are entitled to complete freedom in discussing all aspects of their subjects in the classroom.

Notwithstanding the above, the exercise of academic freedom entails attendant responsibilities. Faculty must act professionally in their scholarly research, their teaching, and their interactions with students and other faculty. Faculty members’ responsibility to their students demands that they present their subjects accurately, adequately, and fairly, without narrow partisanship or bias. Their responsibility to their colleagues and to the UMSAz demands that they maintain a level of training and knowledge necessary to keep pace with developments in their own fields of specialization, and that their professional activities be conducted according to high standards of scholarship.  UMSAz ensures this through policies and procedures that safeguard both its students and its academic integrity.  

1. The UMSAz is committed to the goal of providing equal opportunity for qualified students with disabilities. To demonstrate full respect for the academic capacities and potential of students with disabilities, UMSAz seeks to remove attitudinal and environmental restrictions, which may hamper or prevent academically qualified students with disabilities from participating fully in university life. UMSAz understands that persons with disabilities may have different ways of doing things and recognizes that performance is not inferior merely because it is different.

The responsibility to implement these policies throughout UMSAz rests on all members of UMSAz community, including all faculty, administration, staff, and students.

2. UMSAz recognizes that qualified students with disabilities have a right to and will be provided with:
     a.  Access to all educational programs
     b.  Access to the educational process and learning environment (including but not limited to classes, laboratories)
     c.  Access to the university campus
     d.  Access to university facilities and services.

3. UMSAz recognizes that qualified students with disabilities have a right to assistance that is individualized, consistent with the student’s needs, legitimate academic demands, and UMSAz’s capacity to respond.

4. To ensure that qualified students with disabilities may pursue quality postsecondary education, UMSAz will:
     a. Be proactive in promoting an attitude of respect for and sensitivity to the needs and abilities of persons with disabilities
     b. Where warranted and without compromising academic standards, and through the relevant academic authority, modify:
           i. Course load per semester;
          ii. Examination procedures;
         iii. Other course requirements
    c. Take reasonable steps to consult with students with disabilities about decisions relating to matters affecting them.

5. In accordance with provisions in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, UMSAz is not required to modify academic or professional requirements that UMSAz can demonstrate are essential to a program and/or course of study.

6. Students with disabilities requiring assistance from UMSAz shall
     a. Provide timely documentation of their disability.
     b. A student seeking modifications to academic requirements or auxiliary aids or services is expected to actively participate with UMSAz in identifying the most appropriate modification, aid or service, and to maintain contact in a timely manner.

If for any reason an applicant is denied admissions into the university, the applicant is entitled to a refund of all monies paid.

A student or prospective student may cancel an enrollment agreement with UMSAz if the student or prospective student submits a written notice of cancellation to UMSAz within 3 days, excluding Saturday, Sunday, and state and federal holidays, of signing the enrollment agreement.

UMSAz will refund 100% of all fees and tuition paid by the student or prospective student no later than thirty calendar days after UMSAz receives a written notice of cancellation of an enrollment agreement if no courses have been taken.

An outline of the refund amount for students enrolled in courses is as follows:

Tuition charges/refunds:

1. Before the beginning of a course, the student is entitled to a refund of 100% of the tuition (less the registration fee of $100)
2. After the commencement of a course, the tuition refund (less the registration fee of $100) amount shall be determined as follows:

Course tuition charges are billed by semester.  Refunds will be calculated as a percentage of the course attempted for which the student is charged.  The percentage is based on the number of weeks attended in the course by the student divided by the number of weeks in the semester.  Fall and Spring semester courses are 16 weeks in length while Summer semester courses are 12 weeks in length.

Books, supplies and fees: If textbooks are purchased through UMSAz, textbooks are refundable within two weeks after start of course and textbook wrapping must still be intact. If textbook did not come in a wrapping, the book must not have any writing, highlighter markings or any other marks, or missing or torn pages.  Textbook must be in same shape that it was brought.

Refund After the Commencement of a Course

Procedure for withdrawal:

1. A student choosing to withdraw from the school after the commencement of a course is to provide written notice to the Program Head. The notice is to indicate the expected last date of attendance and be signed and dated by the student.
2. For a student who is on authorized Leave of Absence, the withdraw date is the date the student was scheduled to return from the Leave and failed to do so.
3. A student will be determined to be withdrawn from the institution if the student has not attended any class for 30 consecutive class days.
4. All refunds will be issued within 30 days of the determination of the withdrawal date.