The Catalog is issued and revised annually and provides detailed current information on academic regulations, registration procedures, distribution and major requirements, and special programs and opportunities, as well as general information important to all faculty members. Faculty are urged to have the latest issue of the Catalog available to them and to be familiar with its contents.

A. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:

• The right to inspect and review the student's education record within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access.

Students should submit to the Registrar and Registration written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The Registrar and Registration will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the College official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

• The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate.

Students may ask the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate. They should write the College official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate. This request should be delivered to the Registrar and Registration, who will forward it to the proper College official.

If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of their 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.

• 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.

An exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing their tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibility.

• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Washington College to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5901

As of January 3, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education's FERPA regulations expand the circumstances under which a student's education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records—including a student’s Social Security Number, grades, or other private information—may be accessed without the student's consent. First, the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local education authorities (“Federal and State Authorities”) may allow access to a student’s records and PII without their consent to any third party designated by a Federal or State Authority to evaluate a federal- or state-supported education program. The evaluation may relate to any program that is "primarily engaged in the provision of education," such as early childhood education and job training, as well as any program that is administered by an education agency or institution. Second, Federal and State Authorities may allow access to a student’s education records and PII without their consent to researchers performing certain types of studies, in certain cases even when the College objects to or does not request such research. Federal and State Authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises from the entities that they authorize to receive a student's PII, but the Authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities. In addition, in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, State Authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and share without a student's consent PII from their education records, and they may track a student's participation in education and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information about the student that they obtain from other Federal or State data sources, including workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, military service, and migrant student records systems.

B. The Advising System

Washington College strongly believes that among the best traditions of the liberal arts college is the close personal relationship between students and the faculty. In such an atmosphere, the advising of students merges with the teaching of students, as a full education is not merely the acquisition of book knowledge, but the much larger process of interaction between a student and their total world. For pervasive and far-reaching beneficial effects, all members of the faculty must be ready at all times to assist all students whenever the opportunity arises. No advisory system can by itself produce these desired results, since such a system can do little more than direct students to that faculty or staff member who is particularly concerned with their problems. In all student advising, faculty members should remember that any counsel given should be consistent with the growing maturity of the student, which will be reflected in an increasing ability and desire to make sound interpretations and decisions independently.

Advisors normally meet with their first-year students at least three times during the fall semester; during New Student Orientation to get acquainted and review the student’s academic program, in the third or fourth week of the semester to see how the student is doing and whether they have encountered any difficulties, and during the advising period, to plan for the next semester. Other sessions are often called for, however, depending on the student's needs. Advisors of first-year students should review their students’ interim grades and meet with any students whose interim grades indicate academic difficulties. It is the adviser's responsibility to know of each advisee's progress during, as well as at the end of, the semester. The Academic Standing and Advising Committee assists the Associate Provost in administering the advising system.

To further the aims of student advising, all members of the faculty should post publicly a regular schedule of office hours when they are available for counsel, assistance, and, when needed, remedial instruction.

C. Eligibility and Policies for Athletes

Washington College is committed to developing students who excel in both academics and athletics. All athletes must satisfy the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Centennial Conference, and Washington College eligibility rules, which are as follows:

Student-athletes must be enrolled for 12 or more credits in the semester of participation and must be making satisfactory progress towards the baccalaureate degree to be eligible.

Student-athletes have ten semesters to complete four years of athletic eligibility.

Because athletic travel results in missed class time, class attendance at all other times is expected. Practices, scrimmages, and off-season events are not valid reasons for missing classes; student-athletes should attend the class and arrange with the coach to make up missed practice time.

Professors, when given appropriate notice in advance, should attempt to accommodate the student-athlete’s efforts to maintain academic responsibility by providing fair avenues for completing missed assignments and exams. While it is a student’s responsibility to adhere to an instructor’s attendance policy, instructors are encouraged to maintain some flexibility in attendance policy to accommodate students engaged in officially sanctioned and scheduled College athletic activities. Student-athletes, having the advantage of early notice of regular season schedules, should consult with the instructor at the beginning of each course about any conflict in the schedules of classes and athletic events.

To facilitate faculty awareness and cooperation with students regarding absences, the sports offered at Washington College and their competitive seasons are as follows:

Sports

Term	Men	Women
Fall		Field Hockey
	Golf	Golf
	Sailing	Sailing
	Soccer	Soccer
	Trap and Skeet	Trap and Skeet
		Volleyball
Winter	Basketball	Basketball
	Swimming	Swimming
Spring	Baseball	Softball
	Golf	Golf
	Lacrosse	Lacrosse
	Rowing	Rowing
	Sailing	Sailing
	Tennis	Tennis
	Trap and Skeet	Trap and Skeet

D. Policy on Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities are eligible to receive reasonable accommodations. Accommodations for students with documented disabilities will be tailored to meet the student’s individual needs and will comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other applicable laws. Requests for accommodation and/or variation in degree requirements, accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation, should be submitted in writing to:

Disability Access Specialist
Office of Academic Skills
Washington College
300 Washington Avenue
Chestertown, Maryland 21620

E. Scheduling of Classes

1. Tentative schedules of classes are prepared by the department chairs in consultation with members of their departments. The time schedule of classes for the whole College is then prepared in the Registrar’s Office.
   
   Faculty members are asked to cooperate with their chairs and the Registrar’s Office in spacing classes over all time slots scheduled for both morning and afternoon classes, in order to minimize student conflicts and to avoid congestion of classrooms at popular hours.
2. Requests by faculty members for changes or special consideration in class scheduling should be submitted through the department chair to the Registrar’s Office early in October (for the Spring semester) and late February/early March (for the Fall semester).
3. The final schedule of class time and locations must not be changed by a member of the faculty. Any requests for changes in the schedule once it is issued must be made through the department chair to the Registrar’s Office.
4. Each class has a scheduled time for the final examination. Final examinations should not be administered at other times.

F. Retaining Final Examinations

Final examinations should be retained by the faculty at least until the middle of the semester following their administration in order to permit students to review them if they are interested in doing so.

G. Washington College Honor System

At Washington College we strive to treat our students as adults and expect them to act as such. Our rules and regulations are designed to establish a mature social atmosphere, which allows each student a maximum of individual freedom while protecting the rights of both the College and other students. The College's basic philosophy is reflected in its Standard of Conduct and its Honor Code.

1. Standard of conduct: All students entering Washington College agree thereby to conduct themselves in a manner above reproach and to refrain from any action, which, in the opinion of the officers of the College, might bring disrespect on the school or any of its members. They are expected to observe the laws of the state and the community. The College reserves the right to require the withdrawal of any student whose conduct is considered detrimental to the welfare or reputation of the College as determined by proper procedure.
2. Honor Code: The Washington College Honor Code was established by vote of the faculty and students in 1976. In 1994, the Honor Code was redrafted to reflect student and faculty sentiment that a single Code should address both academic and social conduct.
   1. The Honor Code: We at Washington College strive to maintain an environment in which learning and growth flourish through individuals' endeavors and honest intellectual exchanges both in and out of the classroom. To maintain such an environment, each member of the community pledges to respect the ideas, wellbeing, and property of others. Thus, each member of the Washington College community abides by an Honor Code.
   2. The Washington College Honor Code sets standards for the entire College community. The intention of the Honor Code is to encourage honest academic achievement and the highest standard of social conduct in all members of the institution. Those who agree to this honor system promise to uphold it and abide by it. All students are required to sign the Honor Code upon enrollment at Washington College, signifying that they have read and understood the Honor Code, that they are willing to abide by its principles, and that they understand the sanctions they may incur if they violate the Code. There are two kinds of violations: academic and social.
   3. Academic Violations of the Honor Code
      1. Plagiarism: Presenting the language, the ideas, or the work of another as one’s own, without proper attribution. Plagiarism can occur in all forms of academic work, including papers, lab reports, homework, computer programs, visual and creative arts projects, and other assignments.
      2. Dishonesty in Exams and Quizzes: Cheating or in any way attempting to gain an unfair advantage in a quiz or exam. Examples include (but are not limited to): attempting to secure a copy of or information about a future examination or quiz without authorization from the instructor; copying another’s answers during an in-class or take-home examination or a quiz; using unauthorized materials, information or study aids during an examination or quiz; or communicating with other students, either through voice, written or electronic means, during in-class or take-home examinations or quizzes without authorization from the instructor.
      3. Falsification and Fabrication: Perpetrating fraud or deceit of any kind in the course of the completion of one’s academic work or in one’s interactions with faculty or other college officials. Examples include (but are not limited to): inventing or falsifying information, such as citations or laboratory data; submitting identical or similar papers in more than one course without the permission of the instructors of both courses; or lying to a faculty member or other college official for the purposes of gaining an academic benefit.
      4. Aiding and Abetting Dishonesty in Academic Work: Assisting or enticing another student to commit an act of academic dishonesty. This includes (but is not limited to): revealing the form or content of an examination or quiz; providing material, information, or other assistance to another person during an in-class or take-home examination or a quiz; or giving assistance to another person with written work that results in plagiarism.
      5. Bribes, Threats, or Favors: Attempting to induce any member of the college community, through bribes, threats, or the offering of favors, to alter a grade, to change the evaluation of any academic work, or to gain any other academic benefit.
      6. Computing Fraud: Participating in any kind of illicit or dishonest use of information technology. This would include (but is not limited to): gaining unauthorized access to academic or administrative records; tampering with computer programs or systems; or interfering with the use or availability of computers and computer systems.
      7. Interference with the Academic Work of Students or Faculty: Engaging in activities that effectively interfere with, deny access to, or inhibit the academic work of either faculty or students. This includes (but is not limited to): physically or verbally disruptive behavior in the classroom or lab; altering the contents of someone else’s academic work without their knowledge; purposefully impeding someone else’s access to materials necessary for scholarly work; or stealing, damaging, or concealing materials or equipment necessary to the academic well- being of the College community at large, such as library books, computer files, and audio-visual equipment.
   4. Social Violations of the Honor Code
      Behavior that harms or threatens the physical, emotional, or social well-being of any member or guest of the College community is a social violation of the Honor Code. Such violations include but are not limited to the following:
      1. Sexual Misconduct: For purposes of the Honor Code, sexual misconduct is defined as either deliberate sexual behavior, contact or the threat of sexual contact without the other person’s consent. Examples include but are not limited to:
         1. Crude, obscene or sexually offensive gestures
         2. Unwanted touching, fondling, or groping of a sexual nature or coercion to force someone else to touch, fondle, or grope.
         3. Rape, forcible sodomy, or penetration with an inanimate object, sexual intercourse without consent
         4. Coercing a person to consume alcohol or other drugs for the purpose of inducing sexual activity
         5. Any act involving sexually-related behavior which places another person in a degrading, exploitative, abusive or humiliating situation including (but not limited to): placing photographs of a sexual nature on the Internet without permission.
         6. Consent exists when a person freely and knowingly agrees, at the time, to participate in a particular sexual act with a particular person. There is no consent when force, threat, or coercion is used. In addition, consent cannot be given when a person is unable to make a reasonable judgment because of consumption of alcohol or other drugs, sleep deprivation, or captivity.
            
            Specific information about sexual harassment, (which includes sexual assault/violence) and sex discrimination and the complaint procedures associated with these violations is described in the section on Discrimination and Harassment Policies in the Faculty Handbook. For more information about support services for victims of sexual assault, please see section on Policy on Sexual Assault -- Available Resources for Victims of Sexual Assault in the Student Handbook.
      2. Acts of Violence: Any physical conduct directed towards another that causes physical harm to the targeted individual or group.
      3. Endangering the Well Being of a Member of the College Community: Any conduct that jeopardizes the physical or emotional well-being of any member of the College community.
      4. Threat of Violence: Any language or conduct that could be reasonably interpreted as an effort to intimidate or threaten a member of the College community.
      5. Harassment Based on Protected Class: Unwelcome verbal, written or physical conduct based on a protected classification (race, sex, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, handicap or disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other legally protected classification) that has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or education (including living conditions, extracurricular activities, and social life); creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment; or constituting a threat to an individual’s personal safety. Sexual harassment includes sexual violence/assault.
      6. Harassment Other Than That of a Protected Class: Unwelcome behaviors that are persistent or repetitive and create an unreasonably uncomfortable educational, work, or living environment for an individual, or unreasonably interfere with an individual’s academic or job performance and opportunities.
      7. Retaliation for filing a discrimination or harassment complaint – Retaliation against anyone for filing a complaint of discrimination or harassment, including sexual violence/assault, or participating in an investigation or hearing regarding such a complaint, is prohibited.
      8. Disorderly Conduct: Any conduct that unreasonably interferes with the activities of individuals or groups in the College community.
      9. Stealing, Vandalizing, Damaging, or Tampering with Personal or College Property
      10. Alcohol and Other Drug Violations: Any violation of the alcohol and other drugs policies including policies outlined in the Residence Hall or the Social Event policies. For more information, see section on Sanctions for Alcohol and Other Drug Violations.
      11. Violations of the College's Residence Hall Policies: Any violation including (but not limited to): violations of the residence hall contract; unlawful discharging of fire extinguishers; excessive noise; unlawful entry into residence halls, suites, or rooms. For more information, see section on Residence Hall Policies.
      12. Unauthorized Presence or Forcible Entry into College Facilities
      13. Misuse of the Internet or Other Electronic Resources: Misuse of electronic recording devices includes misuse of computers, camera phones, digital and film cameras, audio recorders, etc., in such a way that violates the principles of academic honesty, personal respect, applicable laws, or the expectation of privacy of members of the campus community.
      14. Failure to Comply with Sanctions or Requirements of the Honor Board
      15. Failure to Comply with a College Official: Non-compliance with the directives of college officials, including but not limited to: Public Safety officers, administrators, faculty members, and residence hall staff or any other person who has been designated and authorized by the College to perform an institutional function within the scope of their responsibilities.
      16. Violations of any Local, State or Federal Statutes
      17. Any Other Violation of a Policy of the College
   5. Reporting Honor Code Violations: While the Honor Code is meant to encourage the highest standards of personal conduct, the College recognizes that well-intentioned people sometimes make mistakes. Therefore, the College provides a grace period wherein and a method whereby students can acknowledge wrongdoing and take responsibility for their actions. Violators who do not report their wrongdoings within the grace period will be judged more severely than those who do.
      1. Reporting Academic Violations of the Honor Code: Faculty members are asked to discuss the implementation of the Honor Code at the beginning of each semester in every class. In addition, they are expected to have students attach the following pledge (or an abbreviation suggested by the instructor) to any credit-bearing work:
         
         I pledge my word of honor that I have abided by the Washington College Honor Code while completing this assignment.
         
         A student who commits an academic violation of the Honor Code should report that violation to the appropriate faculty member or to the Provost and Dean of the College within forty-eight hours. Offenses committed and reported within this forty-eight-hour period may not necessarily be referred to the Honor Board; the appropriate faculty member will resolve the case personally, unless the student has previously been found responsible for a violation of the Honor Code, or if, in the judgment of the faculty member, the infraction may warrant more severe punishment than they are empowered to impose, or if the student chooses to have the case heard by the Honor Board. To ascertain that the accused student has committed no prior offense, the faculty member should check the record in the Office of the Provost and Dean. If the student has previously been found responsible for an Honor Code violation (either social or academic), subsequent offenses will be referred automatically to the Honor Board for review. A faculty member, having found that a student has violated the Honor Code, must forward the name and a brief description of the violation and sanction to The Assistant Dean for Student Achievement and Retention so that an accurate record may be kept of a student's history of compliance with the Honor Code.
         
         A student who knows of an academic breach of the Honor Code is expected to inform the violator at the first opportunity that the violation has been discovered, and to advise them to report either to the appropriate faculty member or to The Assistant Dean for Student Achievement and Retention within forty-eight hours. At the conclusion of this forty-eight-hour period, the student who knows of the violation should check with the appropriate faculty member or The Assistant Dean for Student Achievement and Retention to see if the alleged violator has reported their wrongdoing. If the alleged violator has not self-reported, it is the responsibility of the witness to inform the faculty member or The Assistant Dean for Student Achievement and Retention of the observed violation. The faculty member or The Assistant Dean for Student Achievement and Retention will then refer the case to the Honor Board.
         
         A faculty member who witnesses or learns of a violation of the Honor Code that has not been reported within forty-eight hours should report the violation either to the Provost and Dean of the College or to the Chair of the Honor Board.
      2. Reporting Social Violations of the Honor Code: Any student who commits a social violation of the Honor Code should report the offense within forty-eight hours to one of the following College officials: the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, the Associate Dean of Students/Director of Residential Life, or the Director of Public Safety.
         
         A student or other member of the College community who knows of a social violation of the Honor Code is expected to inform the alleged violator at the first opportunity that a violation has been discovered and advise them to report within forty-eight hours. At the conclusion of the forty-eight-hour period, the individual who knows of the violation should check with the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs to see if the alleged violator has self-reported. If the alleged violator has not self-reported, it is the responsibility of the witness to inform the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs of the violation. Minor offenses committed and reported within this forty-eight-hour period may not necessarily be reported to the Honor Board; the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs has the authority to handle such cases administratively.
         
         In all cases the alleged violator has the right to have the case heard by the Honor Board rather than by an individual administrator, if the Honor Board is available or it is possible at the time the case is heard.
   6. Structure of the Honor Board: The Student Government Association Review Board appoints nine students to serve as members of the Honor Board. The Faculty elects six faculty members to serve as members of the Honor Board. At any given hearing, three students and two faculty comprise the panel and determine whether a student is responsible for violating the Honor Code, and if so, assign sanctions. In cases of alleged sexual misconduct, a subset of the Honor Board will hear those cases. Advisory members of the Board are The Assistant Dean for Student Achievement and Retention or designee, the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs or designee, and the Honor Board Chair or designee.
      
      The Chair of the Honor Board is a student appointed by the Student Government Association Review Board and confirmed by the Senate. The Chair presides over all meetings of the Honor Board and reports activities of the Honor Board to the Student Government Association. The Chair works with The Assistant Dean for Student Achievement and Retention and Associate Vice President of Student Affairs to ensure that proper procedures are followed in the adjudication of all cases.
      
      The Vice Chair of the Honor Board is a faculty member elected by the other faculty members of the Honor Board and will serve as a liaison between the faculty and the Honor Board.
      
      The Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, as designated by the Vice President of Student Affairs, has primary responsibility to coordinate all aspects of responding to social violations of the Honor Code and refers cases to appropriate bodies for adjudication.
      
      The Assistant Dean for Student Achievement and Retention, as designated by the Provost and Dean of the College, has primary responsibility to coordinate all aspects of responding to academic violations of the Honor Code and works with the Faculty Coordinator for Academic Integrity to refer cases to appropriate bodies for adjudication.
      
      Normally, to proceed with a hearing, the Honor Board Chair or designee, three student members, two faculty members, and The Assistant Dean for Student Achievement and Retention and Associate Vice President, or their designees must be present. In some instances, however, (with the consent of the student being brought before the Board), a hearing may proceed without a full board.
      
      When classes are not in session, cases normally adjudicated by the Honor Board may be handled by an administrative board as determined by the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs or The Assistant Dean for Student Achievement and Retention in consultation with the Honor Board Chair and Vice Chair, unless a student requests to be heard by the Honor Board when classes resume.

More information and guidelines for Honor Board proceedings, violations, sanctions and the appeals procedures are detailed in the Student Handbook online at: https://www.washcoll.edu/people_departments/offices/student-affairs/student-handbook/index.php