Student Rights & Responsibilities
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Table of Contents
At the Whidbey Writers Workshop, students have the responsibility to do their own work, represent their work honestly, respond honestly and with consideration to the work of others, participate fully in activities, follow directions of instructors in meeting course and assignment requirements, and follow overall program requirements in seeking the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Because this is a graduate degree program, students are expected to be and to conduct themselves as mature adults.
Academic Dishonesty
Cheating, plagiarism, and other academic dishonesty are grounds for grade reduction, failure, or dismissal from the Program. All such actions will become a part of the student's permanent record.
Academic Probation
Any graduate student carrying a grade point average below 3.00 will be placed on academic warning for the following term. Students carrying a grade-point average below 3.00 for a second term, whether or not consecutive, will be placed on academic probation and dropped from the program. After a full calendar year, students may re-apply to the program.
Advising
The MFA Program Director is the primary faculty advisor for entering students and for registration. Faculty serve as Thesis Advisers; each student will select a Thesis Adviser from among the available faculty in her/his genre. A faculty member may refuse such an assignment if already working with several Thesis students or for some other reason unable to function effectively as Thesis Adviser to that student.
Class Enrollment
Students must enroll through the Institute's registration system. An unenrolled student may not participate in any class. Waiting lists are established for full courses; replacements for students dropping out will be enrolled from those lists, with preference given to those nearest completion of the program. Students may not add Online courses after the tenth day following the first day of the term; Residency courses may not be added after a course's second meeting.
College Closure
The Program Director has the authority to close the Workshop temporarily if, in her/his judgment, safety or health of students, faculty, staff, or the general public is threatened. In the absence of the Program Director, this decision will fall to the Services Coorindator. Faculty, staff, and students will be notified as rapidly as possible in any of several ways, including by telephone, e-mail, postings on the college web site, and public service announcements over Seattle area radio and television.
Confidentiality of Student Information
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, also known as the Buckley Amendment, neither personal records (name, address, numbers such as social security or student number, or any personal characteristics or information) nor education records (including files, transcripts, or course work) may be submitted to anyone other than the following or under the following conditions without the student's permission:
a. Financial aid organizations
b. Accrediting agencies during the accreditation process
c. Under judicial order after written notification of student
d. Under subpoena.
e. In response to an emergency involving the health or safety of the student or
others.
f. Parents or legal guardians of financially-dependent students under 18.
Discrimination on the basis of age, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual preference
The Whidbey Writers Workshop regards discrimination of the above types as anti-creative, un-American, generally illegal, and always reprehensible, and it will not tolerate any such activity by faculty, staff, or students. Incidents of discrimination should be reported immediately to the MFA Program Director or the Services Coordinator.
Distance Education
See Online Courses.
Drug-Free Workplace
The Institute maintains a drug-free educational and work place. This includes all illegal drugs.
Evaluation of faculty, courses, and Residency offerings
Students will evaluate each full-time faculty member at least once a year and will evaluate part-time faculty as well. In addition, students will evaluate presentations, programs, classes, and activities offered during Residencies. All evaluations will be anonymous and instructors will see only type-written summaries prepared by staff.
Grades
Normally, all online courses will be graded. Residency courses may or may not be graded, depending on the appropriateness of grading to the particular activity. Grades or reports of participation will be sent to students through e-mail following the end of the regular semester.
Grading Scale and Meaning of Grades
Meaning of Grades
A (4.0) Excellent work for graduate courses; high level of achievement
B (3.0) Average work for graduate courses; acceptable but not excellent
C (2.0) Less than average work for graduate courses
Plus (+) and minus (-) notations are used to indicate more specific levels of achievement.
To remain a student in good standing on the graduate level, a student must sustain a cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.00 or better.
Other grades:
I Incomplete.
Student has satisfactorily completed most requirements for a course, but for a good reason has not completed all requirements. Given only if arrangements have been made with instructor to submit missing requirements. Course must be completed by the end of the following semester. A written report, signed (electronically for Online courses) by student and instructor, including plans to complete the course, must be submitted to Registrar and MFA Program Director prior to end of term.
S Satisfactory
Indicates B or higher level of achievement in a course taken on an S/U basis. Has no grade point value and is not used in figuring grade point average, but credit toward graduation is allowed for the course. Instructor's permission required to register on an S/U basis.
U Unsatisfactory
Indicates less than B level of achievement in a course taken on an S/U basis. Has no grade point value and is not used in figuring grade point Average. Carries no credit toward graduation. Instructor's permission required to register on an S/U basis.
W Withdraw.
Students may officially withdraw from a course within the time period specified in the Institute's Catalogue. After that period, only "hardship" withdrawals will be allowed (for reasons of health, family emergency, and the like).
Y Continuing
Course has not yet officially ended and the student is still actively engaged in completing the course work. Must be completed within one year of date grade is given. Often used for enrollment in thesis credits when student has made satisfactory progress but has not finished a completed thesis manuscript during the semester of registration. Because a thesis manuscript must be of publishable quality, this becomes a grade upon acceptance of the thesis by the thesis committee.
Z Administrative Withdrawal
Indicates that the student has been withdrawn from class because of a policy or procedural infraction, including failure to pay tuition.
Complaints and Grievance Process
If a student believes him- or herself to have been unfairly treated by a member of the Institute faculty or staff, the following process must be followed:
1. Meet and discuss problem with faculty or staff person involved. Faculty or staff member issues written response.
2. If unsatisfied, student meets and discusses problem with MFA Program Director if complaint is about faculty, or with Chair of Governing Board if complaint is about staff or MFA Program Director. Written response is issued.
3. If still unsatisfied and this step not taken as part of 2, student meets and discusses problem with Chair of Governing Board.
4.If at this point the student is still unsatisfied, the complaint becomes a grievance and the Formal Grievance Process begins.
5. Student files a formal, written Grievance using Grievance Form supplied by Services Coordinator.
6. Grievance Committee considers Grievance. Committee normally consists of MFA Program Director (unless Grievance is about MFA Program Director), Services Coordinator (unless Grievance is about Services Coordinator), and one member of Governing Board.
7. Grievance Committee issues determination within five working days.
Mailboxes
During Residencies, each faculty member, student, or other participant will have a mailbox to facilitate communication. It is a good idea to check this at least once a day during Residencies.
Office Hours
Because of the Low-Residency nature of our program, the Whidbey Writers Workshop does not require specific posted office hours of its faculty. However, faculty are expected to make possible communication from students during the regular semester. This can be done by accepting e-mails from students at a college or home e-mail address, by setting up an open conferencing time as part of an online course, or in other ways comfortable for faculty and student. An instructor's method for allowing student communication must be included in the Course Description sent to the MFA Program Director and the Student Services Coordinator prior to the beginning of the term. During the Residency period, both permanent and visiting faculty are expected to participate in activities and to be available for informal conversations and appointments with students.
Online Courses
In a Low-Residency MFA Program, most student course work will be done away from the Program site. In the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA program, that work is done online through the Internet and E-mail. Online courses will include a detailed course description and schedule.
Residency Periods
Each semester is preceded by an intensive ten-day Residency at the Whidbey Writers Workshop. Students and full-time faculty are expected to participate along with Visiting Adjunct Faculty. Residencies offer many one-, two- and three-session activities for which the grade of "Pass" is appropriate, but will also include some Workshops and other Course activities which may be part of the following Semester's course grade.
Sexual Harassment
The Whidbey Writers Workshop regards sexual harassment, whether of or by visitors, guests, students, staff, faculty, administration or others, as anti-creative, un-American, generally illegal, and always reprehensible, and it will not tolerate any such activity by faculty, staff, students, guests, or visitors. Incidents of sexual harassment should be reported immediately to the MFA Program Director or the Services Coordinator.
Smoking
Smoking is forbidden within all buildings used by the Whidbey Writers Workshop
Textbooks
Courses for an upcoming Residency and Semester will normally be posted at the mid-point of the previous semester and must include book titles, authors, publishers, and ISBN numbers (without an ISBN number, some students will purchase editions whose page numbering, etc., do not correspond with that of the edition used by the instructor and in the course reading schedule).
For a Low-Residency program, students will normally have to secure their own textbooks either by ordering them from a bookstore in the student's local area (recommended) or by ordering them from an Online bookstore. Faculty using textbooks for Semester or Residency courses must include information sufficient to inform students and the Student Services Coordinator of textbook titles, authors, publishers, and ISBN numbers.
Some text and other books, including books by faculty, will normally be on sale during Residencies.