These general administrative policies apply to all students.
APPLICATION TO GRADUATE
Students anticipating graduation must submit to the Office of the Registrar a degree application. Students are responsible for obtaining a degree application to graduate at the Office of the Registrar in sufficient time to meet the filing deadline.
Students are responsible for monitoring their progress to ensure they meet all degree requirements by their anticipated graduation date. Regardless of the completion of all academic requirements, a diploma will not be issued until the student has a clear student account balance. In addition, transcripts, diplomas, bar certification and other certificates will not be released if there is an outstanding student account balance, or if a student who has received financial aid has not fulfilled the federal requirement for a financial aid exit interview.
On the degree application, students provide information necessary to order diplomas and prepare the commencement book:
| February 2010 graduates: |
Deadline October 16, 2009 |
| May 2010 graduates: |
Deadline January 29, 2010 |
| October 2010 graduates: |
Deadline April 16, 2010 |
POLICY FOR AUDIO-RECORDING OF CLASSES
ADOPTED BY THE FACULTY, APRIL 25, 2008
A. Standards for Students
1. Recording by Students: Consistent with our mission of training lawyers who act with the highest standards of honesty, integrity and trustworthiness, and with respect for the legitimate interests of others, students are not permitted to record a class themselves by any means without prior express authorization of the faculty member. Violation of this rule may be deemed a violation of the Student Disciplinary Code.
2. Recording by the Law Center: The Law Center will record classes and make those recordings available to students only under the following circumstances and only if permitted by the faculty member:
a. Recording by the Law Center for Individual Students: All students are expected to attend class regularly and to miss class only in exceptional circumstances. Therefore, the Law Center will record classes for individual students only for the reasons set forth below and only with the approval of the appropriate Law Center administrator. Recording for individual students will be authorized only in the following situations:
(1) serious medical situation or family emergency;
(2) religious observance;
(3) to provide reasonable accommodation for a student with a disability, after consultation with the Coordinator of Disability Services; *
(4) sanctioned participation in a Law Center approved moot court event held out of town;
(5) appearance in court in connection with a clinic in which the student is enrolled;
(6) rescheduled class;
(7) other comparably urgent reasons, and not including job interviews, vacation plans, minor illness, or work conflicts.
Students submit requests for the audio-recording of classes through the online request form (click on the link then select Audio Recording of Classes on the left). These requests are directed to the office of J.D. Academic Services or LL.M. Academic Services, as the case may be. Recording that is done pursuant to an approved request of an individual student will be made available only to that student in streaming audio format. Students who receive or are provided access to a Law Center recording of a class under this section are prohibited from downloading* the recording to a computer or other electronic device, or distributing the recording or any portion thereof to anyone.
b. Recording by the Law Center for the Entire Class: On occasion, the Law Center will record a class or classes and make the recording available to all students enrolled in that class. Such recording may be done at the request of an appropriate Law Center administrator on occasions when severe weather or similar conditions make it difficult for large numbers of students safely to come to the Law Center. Such recording may also be done at the request of the faculty. When classes are recorded under this provision, the recording will be made available to all students enrolled in the course in streaming audio format, but students are prohibited from downloading the recording to a computer or other electronic device, or distributing the recording or any portion thereof.
3. Distribution of Recordings Made by Students — Permission, Downloading and Distribution: If a student receives permission from a member of the faculty to record a class using equipment not provided by the law school, downloading such a recording to a computer or other electronic device, distributing such a recording to any other person or using the recording for any purpose other than the student’s own education is not allowed without express permission of the relevant member of the faculty. Unauthorized downloading or distribution of all or any portion of a permitted recording may be deemed a violation of the Student Disciplinary Code.
4. Retention of Recordings Made by the Law Center: The default rule is that class recordings made by the institution are only available to authorized students for 28 days after the date of the original recording. Recording will be retained for longer periods:
a. if a faculty member requests that a recording or recordings not be destroyed for some period of time; or
b. if the original circumstance for recording the class continues to exist AND the student asks the appropriate administrator at least three days before the recording would normally be destroyed to retain the recording. Retention under this provision may be allowed for no more than 14 additional days.
5. Recordings Authorized by a Member of the Faculty: Nothing in this policy bars a member of the faculty from authorizing any of her or his classes to be recorded either by students or by the Law Center, streamed to students, downloaded or distributed. If a member of the faculty authorizes any such actions, she or he may impose restrictions on the classes to be recorded, the students given access to the recordings, the extent of downloading and distribution allowed and the length of time the recordings will be retained. In the absence of any express limitation imposed by a member of the faculty, no recording of a class may ever be made available to any person not registered in the course.
Caveats: Recording may be limited by available technology or demand, by equipment failure or human error; this policy is not a guarantee of successful recording. Recordings will be provided or made available under the circumstances, in the manner and for the time period to be specified by the Law Center.
B. Standards for Faculty
1. Default Rule for Recordings Made by the Law Center: This policy limits unauthorized student recording, downloading and distribution of class recordings. Under the policy, IST will audio record a class when authorized and students will be provided with a recording of a class session(s) in streaming audio format only under certain limited circumstances. The policy is an “OPT-IN” system for faculty. That is, classes are recorded by the Law Center and the recording is released to a student only with the affirmative agreement of the relevant member of the faculty. In the absence of a statement allowing recording of classes, the default position is that classes will not be recorded. *
2. Online Implementation: Unless a member of the faculty has requested that a class or a series of classes be recorded, the policy for institutional recording of classes at the request of a student will be implemented online. As noted above, students go online to request that a particular class be recorded. If permission is granted the student is notified and given authority to access a particular recording.
Similarly every member of the faculty will be asked to fill out a recording preference form online each semester. The online faculty preference form will contain these options:
1. All the class meetings of your course(s) will be recorded, but the Law Center will only approve the release of a recording(s) to enrolled students meeting one of the limited circumstances set forth in the Recording Policy for Students (e.g., serious medical situation, religious observance or family emergency).
2. The Law Center will only record class meetings of your course(s) in response to a student request which the Law Center has determined meets one of the limited circumstances set forth in the Recording Policy for Students.
3. All the class meetings of your course(s) will be recorded and your students will have access without needing to seek approval from the Law Center.
4. No class recordings will be made, except for those class meetings that conflict with a religious observance.
5. NO class recordings will be made for any reason. No recordings will be made for classes that conflict with a religious observance or for any of the other reasons for which students may request access under this policy.
3. Recording at Request of or With the Permission of a Member of the Faculty: Nothing in this policy bars a member of the faculty from authorizing any of her or his classes to be recorded by either students or the Law Center, provided to students in streaming audio format, downloaded or distributed in accordance with paragraph 5 of the student policy described above.
*
Notwithstanding the Standards for Faculty set forth in the next section, the Law Center will audio-record even without faculty permission, with prior notice to the faculty member, where audio-recording is required by law as a reasonable accommodation for those with disabilities. Due to concerns about client confidentiality and attorney-client privilege, the recording of clinical classes will be handled slightly differently. Clinic classes will be recorded through the use of either video tape or MP3 technology in the classroom, rather than through a centralized computer recording system. Clinical faculty will handle the distribution of any recordings to students and will supervise the storage and “shredding” of any recordings containing privileged information.
**
Throughout this policy, “downloading” means “receiving and saving” the recording instead of receiving the recording via audio format for the purposes of listening.
BAR ADMISSIONS, EXAMINATIONS AND REVIEW
Each state has promulgated rules that govern eligibility to sit for the bar examination and to gain admission to the bar. Common requirements pertain to required courses, minimum course loads and similar matters. Some states require completion of courses which are not required by the Law Center. Most states require the successful completion of the Multi-State Professional Responsibility Examination prior to sitting for the bar examination.
It is the student’s responsibility to become familiar with the rules and procedures, including the investigation of character and other qualifications, that pertain to the state where he or she plans to sit for the bar examination. Early investigation of these matters is important. The Office of the Registrar has contact and other relevant information for all state bars online. As a rule, questions should be resolved with appropriate authorities at the particular state bar admissions offices. Access to state bar admission offices may be found at: www.ncbex.org. The Law Center’s Ethics Counsel, Michael Frisch, (202) 662-9926, will advise students on issues regarding disclosures on bar applications or other concerns about the admissions process.
THE CRIME AWARENESS AND CAMPUS SECURITY ACT OF 1990
This law requires the University to prepare information on current campus law enforcement policies, crime prevention programs, and campus security statistics. The information is available upon request from the Director of Public Safety, Georgetown University Law Center, 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Room 101, Washington, DC 20001-2075, (202) 662-9312. The 2007 edition of the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Report (which reports crime statistics for the three previous calendar years) is available for review electronically on the Office of Public Safety's website.
EXAM DEFERRAL POLICY
The Law Center’s rules for deferred examinations are as follows:
1. Requests to defer exams will be DENIED if for:
a). Travel, vacation or other personal plans
b). Employment reasons for full time J.D. students.
Dates for all examinations are announced at the time the course schedule is released so that students may anticipate the dates of their exams and schedule personal, travel, and employment plans that do not interfere with these dates. DO NOT schedule any employment or personal travel plans during the examination period. LL.M. and part time J.D. students may for unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances request to have an examination rescheduled for reasons of employment.
2. Examinations will be rescheduled for
a). Exam Conflicts
1). for any student who has two examinations which BEGIN within 24 hours. Examinations which BEGIN more than 25 hours apart (for example, at 9:00 a.m. on one day and 1:30 p.m. on the following calendar day), DO NOT constitute a conflict under this rule.
2). for any student who has three examinations scheduled within four consecutive days, or four examinations scheduled within five consecutive days.
b). Exam Relief*: Students may request exam relief for extraordinary cause. The following are reasons which will be considered in granting relief:
1). Illness of Student. If you are seeking a deferred examination for medical reasons, a written medical diagnosis from your doctor, Student Health, the Law Center Nurse Practitioner, or emergency room is required. All medical certificates are subject to verification and approval. Please remember that once you start an exam you must finish it, so if you feel ill before beginning, please contact the Office of the Registrar. If you become ill during an exam, report to the proctor immediately and follow his/her directions.
2). Death or serious illness in immediate family.
3). Automobile accident, mugging, robbery or similar traumatic experience at the time of the exam or period immediately preceding the exam.
4). Subpoena requiring court appearance at the time of exam or period immediately preceding the exam.
5). Childbirth that interferes with exam or period immediately preceding the exam (applies to either parent).
6). Religious holiday.
7). Military commitment. Written military orders are required.
8). Extraordinary family circumstances, such as the wedding of a sibling.
3). Requests for an exam deferral must be in writing. If your file shows that you have previously deferred one or more examinations for reasons other than exam conflicts, another deferred examination will be granted in only the most extraordinary circumstances.
4). Requests for exam relief require satisfactory documentation of the reasons. Students should be prepared to provide complete documentation, which is subject to verification and approval.
5).To protect your anonymity and remain in compliance with the Student Disciplinary Code, students may not indicate to the professor(s) that an exam has been deferred. Students may not discuss the subject of the deferred exam with the professor or other students after the originally scheduled exam date/time. Under no circumstances may a student initiate communication with the course professor(s) about the examination (including anonymous communications) until grades are posted.
6). Some guidelines the Office of the Registrar follows in rescheduling examinations:
a). No examination will be given earlier than its original date.
b). An exam conflict does not permit the student to self-schedule examinations.
c). The conflicting examination to be changed will be determined by the Office of the Registrar.
d). In most cases, the conflicting examination which carries the lowest number of credits is changed.
e).Students with self-scheduled take-home examinations are responsible for avoiding conflicts with in-class examinations.
f).Examinations rescheduled because of conflicts may be given at any date during the examination period or on the date listed for deferred examinations on the academic calendar.
7). If, after the Office of the Registrar has rescheduled an examination, there is a material change in a student’s examination schedule (i.e., withdrawal from a course, substitution of a take-home examination or a paper option for an in-class examination, etc.) which would eliminate the conflict, it is the student’s responsibility under the Student Disciplinary Code, as outlined in the Conduct Policies section of this Bulletin, to notify the Office of the Registrar of the change in order to determine whether he or she remains eligible for a rescheduled examination.
* Any student who does not take an examination as originally scheduled and who does not obtain permission from the Office of the Registrar to take a deferred examination will be withdrawn from the course. Permission to take a deferred examination must be sought and obtained prior to the original administration of the examination.
HEALTH INSURANCE
Law Center students registered in a degree program for 8 or more credits must have medical insurance coverage in effect for the entire academic year. Students may submit proof of private coverage or purchase insurance through the University. Plans are also available for spouse and family coverage. Health insurance rates are posted on the Student Accounts website.
Georgetown students attending an off-campus program or visiting at another school must provide proof of private coverage or they will be covered by the Georgetown plan and the appropriate charge will be posted to their student account. Health insurance benefit information and acceptance/waiver instructions are on the Student Health Insurance web site.
HIGHER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY ACT: CONSEQUENCES OF DRUG CONVICTION OF YOUR ABILITY TO RECEIVE FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID
Students who are convicted under any state or federal law for possessing or selling a controlled substance while they are receiving a federal grant, loan, or a work study award will not be eligible to receive the aid for the following time periods, starting from the date of conviction:
|
Possession |
Sale |
1st offense |
1 year |
2 years |
2nd offense |
2 years |
indefinite |
3rd offense |
indefinite |
|
Students may resume eligibility earlier if they complete a drug rehabilitation program that includes two unannounced drug tests and otherwise meets Department of Education requirements or if the conviction is reversed or set aside. 20 U.S.C. § 1091(r).
We encourage you to visit the website http://www3.georgetown.edu/be/article.cfm?ObjectID=40589 for more information regarding Georgetown University policies and applicable laws and penalties related to the use, possession and distribution of alcohol and other drugs; information about the risks and effects of drug and alcohol use and dependence; and resources to assist students who may be having a problem with alcohol or drugs.
I.D. CARDS
The Georgetown One Card (GOCard) is the official Georgetown University identification card. All students, faculty and staff affiliated with the University need to carry the GOCard for identification purposes. The GOCard is used to gain access to Law Center buildings and Library services and has a debit account feature, which can be used around campus. Funds can be deposited onto the card at the Law Center GOCard Satellite Office (McDonough 101), at various VTS machines around campus or at the Online Card Office. Items or services that can be purchased with the GOCard include parking tickets, laundry in the Gewirz Center, vending items and copying. The GOCard can also be used in the Law Center’s food service facilities, as well as several local off-campus establishments.
Please retain your GOCard throughout your years at Georgetown. If your GOCard is lost or stolen, it should be deactivated as soon as possible. You can deactivate your GOCard online 24 hours a day at the GOCard web site you may report the lost or stolen card to the GOCard Satellite Office. In order to receive your replacement card, you will need to go to the GOCard Office to get your replacement ID. A replacement card will be issued for a $25 fee.
MYACCESS
MyAccess allows each student to view and print his or her address, class schedule, grades, billing statement, and other personal data, and to forward address changes to the Office of the Registrar. Each student is assigned a NetID and temporary password (which needs to be reset) to gain access to this information. If you lose or forget your NetID or password, please contact the Office of the Registrar or the IST Student Help Desk located in the Law Library.
REGISTRATION FOR COURSES
Registration for continuing students takes place in April each year for the entire upcoming academic year. Faculty, deans, and other advisors are available for individual academic counseling and provide curricular advice at various events throughout the Spring registration period. Course descriptions, schedules and curriculum essays are available in the Law Center’s searchable Online Curriculum Guide. Continuing students register online, using MyAccess. Students may adjust their course schedules during the periods announced in the registration materials distributed to students early in April. The registration deadlines are also published in these materials.
First-year students register during their August orientation. If students register after the published deadlines for registration, they incur a late registration fee of $80.00. A student’s registration is not processed until all outstanding tuition and fees have been paid in full. Tuition is charged for all courses in which a student has enrolled until the Office of the Registrar receives a written notice of withdrawal. See Withdrawal Refunds in the Tuition and Fees section of this Bulletin.
STUDENT RECORDS, ACADEMIC
In compliance with federal law, the Law Center has implemented policies and procedures designed to preserve the confidentiality of a student’s academic records. Unless required by law to do so, the Law Center will not release a student’s record except with the student’s written permission.
STUDENT RECORDS, ACCESS
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records:
1). A student has the right to inspect and review his or her education records within 45 days of the day the Law Center receives a request for access. To do so, a student should submit to the Registrar a written request that identifies the record(s) he or she wishes to inspect. The Registrar will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
2). A student has the right to request the amendment of the education records that the student believes are inaccurate. To do so, a student should submit to the Registrar a written request clearly identifying the part of the record he or she wants changed, and specify why it is inaccurate. If the Law Center decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the Registrar 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.
3). A student has 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, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official can be a person in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the Law Center has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Directors; or a student serving on an official committee, such as the Committee on Professional Responsibility, 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.
4). A student has the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the Law Center to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-5920.
STUDENT RECORDS, DIRECTORY INFORMATION AND CONFIDENTIALITY
Georgetown University Law Center considers the following information as “directory information,” that is, information that can be made available to the general public: name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, photographs, parents’ names, major field of study, full time or part time program, dates of attendance, expected graduation date, degrees and awards received, and previous educational institutions. No other items of student information will be released to any person or organizations outside of Georgetown University without the written consent of the student, except for certain categories of outside persons or organizations specifically exempted by federal law.
Under the provisions of FERPA, students have the right to instruct the University to withhold the “directory information” listed above. To do so, students need to fill out a “Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information” form available at the Office of the Registrar within the first two weeks of the Fall semester in the first year of their matriculation to the Law Center.
Students should consider very carefully the consequences of a decision to withhold “Directory Information,” which means that the Law Center will not release this information, unless excepted by law. The Law Center assumes no liability for honoring instructions that such information be withheld.
STUDENT WORK, CONFIDENTIALITY
Students who work at the Law Center may be asked to sign a confidentiality statement as a condition of their employment.
TRANSCRIPTS
The Office of the Registrar will provide transcripts for students upon a written request from the student and the payment of a $5.00 fee per transcript. All requests for transcripts must bear the student’s signature and a photo ID must be provided. Transcripts may be requested in person, by fax at (202) 662-9235, or by mail, from the Office of the Registrar, 315 McDonough Hall, 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001.Transcripts will be issued according to the following schedule:
- Current students who request a transcript in person prior to 4:00 p.m. may claim their transcript after 2:00 p.m. on the next business day.
- Transcripts ordered by mail are usually provided in three business days.
We regret that we cannot accept telephone authorization to release a transcript, even from the student. Third party authorization to release a transcript or third party requests for a transcript will not be honored without the student’s written authorization. These restrictions are the result of our concern for our students’ privacy and regulations governing the Law Center under FERPA. Transcripts cannot be released for any student who has an outstanding student account balance.
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