Policies

• Peru State College takes privacy seriously and requests only the personal identifiable information (PII) needed to conduct the business of the college. This privacy policy discloses the privacy practices for https://www.peru.edu. By using this website, you consent to our collection and use of information in accordance with this privacy policy.

  Information Collected
  Peru State collects, stores and uses the following types of personal information:

  Cookies
  Cookies are small files that are stored on your computer (unless you block them). We use cookies to understand and save your preferences and may compile aggregate data about site traffic and interaction for the purpose of improving the user experience.

  Personal Identifiable Information (PII)
  We collect PII from you for the sole purpose of providing the services you request. The types of information requested may include: email addresses, name, address, phone numbers and academic background. When providing information other than your own PII (information about a third party), you certify that you have permission to share such information, and that this privacy policy has been shared with the applicable third party.

  University of Nebraska Supported Systems
  Peru State College is closely affiliated with the University of Nebraska for the student information system and financial and human resource systems. You consent to the University of Nebraska policies when accessing these systems.

  Partners and Service Providers
  When appropriate, the College may use service providers to collect data for services including, but not limited to, services associated with athletics, college transfers, scholarships, assessment, information security training, email, and payment card processing. While Peru State uses care in selecting service providers, we are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of service provider websites. We encourage users to be cautious when leaving our website and to evaluate third party privacy policies. Some of these service providers have access to personal data about you that Peru State may not otherwise have, and the service providers may share some or all of this personal data with us as needed to provide you with the services you request.

  Collected Information Use
  We will not share, sell or authorize any third party to use the information that you provided without your permission unless required by law. No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All other categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties. The information that you provide is used to deliver the services necessary to conduct college business. We will not share your information with any third party outside of our organization, other than as necessary. We also use the email addresses and phone numbers that you provide for sending you public information about the College. We may also provide your information to third parties in circumstances where we believe that doing so is necessary or appropriate to satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request. The information may also be used to detect, prevent or otherwise address fraud, security, or technical issues and to protect the rights and safety of others.

  Information Protection
  Peru State uses reasonable security measures to help protect the information within our control from loss, misuse, and alteration. Peru State complies with applicable state and federal privacy statutes including the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Nebraska Public Records Law, and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA). Only college representatives who need the information to perform a specific job are granted access to personally identifiable information (PII). The computer system used to store PII are contained within a secure environment. While reasonable security and compliance measures are used, we recognize that no method of internet data transmission and electronic data storage is completely secure.

  Data Correction, Review, Retention and Contacting Peru State
  Peru State will retain information about you as needed for the purposes set out in this policy unless a longer period is required under applicable law or as otherwise required to comply with legal obligations. You can request to review and revise the information that Peru State has maintained about you by submitting the associated revision form on this website, or by contacting the Peru State Registrar listed within this website.  If you need to contact Peru State for reasons other than to update information that Peru State maintains about you, please visit the contact page on our website.

  Policy Revisions
  This privacy policy may be amended at Peru State’s discretion with changes posted at this webpage.

• Summary of Civil and Criminal Penalties for Violation of Federal Copyright Laws

  Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, without permission or legal authority, one or more of the exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner under section 106 of the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). These rights include the right to reproduce or distribute a copyrighted work. In the file sharing context, downloading or uploading substantial parts of a copyrighted work without authority constitutes an infringement. Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or “statutory” damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed. For “willful” infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed. A court can, in its discretion, also assess costs and attorneys’ fees. For details, see Title 17, United States Code, Sections 504, 505. Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense. For more information, please see the website of the U.S. Copyright Office at (www.copyright.gov).

• Criteria for Accreditation

  Assumed Practices

• Academic Calendar Policy and Procedure

  3100: Conduct and Discipline, Students

  3200: Due Process — Students

  3300: Student Organizations; Conduct & Discipline

  3650: Student Records

  4050: Academic and Professional Organizations

  4140: Academic Program and Degree Requirements

  4141: Credit Hour Definition and Assignment to Course Modalities

  4150: Degrees; General

  4200: Academic Program Approval and Review Process

  4220: Assessment; Policy and Procedures

  4430: Transfer of Credits and Degrees

  4650: Academic Freedom; Faculty

  4651: Academic Responsibility; Faculty

  Complete NSCS Policy Manual

• Grade Decision Review

  This process is available only to review allegedly unfair final course grade decisions, not mere differences of opinion regarding the professional judgment of the instructor who made the grade decision, or to dispute grades on assignments, tests, or other work within a course. A grade decision may be considered unfair if the decision:

  • Was based on factors other than performance in the course and/or compliance with course assignments and requirements;
  • Involved more exacting or demanding standards than were applied to other students in the same course section;
  • Constitutes a substantial departure from the instructor’s standards as articulated in the course syllabus, catalog descriptions, and/or other written materials.
    
    

  Procedures

  A student who wishes to appeal a grade decision must proceed as follows:

  1. Informal Meeting
  The student must attempt to resolve the matter directly with the instructor through a personal conference as soon as possible after the grade decision is known, but no later than the end of the first full week of the following regular academic term. If the student is unable to arrange a conference or is not satisfied with the instructor’s explanation of the grade, the student may request in writing that the Dean of the school which offered the course convene a conference with the student and instructor. If the instructor is unavailable or unwilling to confer with the student, the student may request a formal review by the appropriate Dean.

  2. Dean Review

  1. If the student and the instructor cannot reach a mutually satisfactory resolution to the problem, the student may file a formal appeal. The appeal must be presented in writing, together with relevant documents, to the appropriate Dean no later than the 20th day of college instruction in the following academic term. The student must describe the appeal, identify which of the three (3) reasons the appeal is based on (See Grade Decision Reviewed above), detail the reasons the student believes the decision unfair, and document the student’s attempts to resolve the appeal informally. For purposes of this section, fall semester and spring semester shall each constitute an academic term. The student shall send a copy of the appeal to the instructor. The instructor shall have ten (10) working days to respond after receipt of the appeal. If the instructor does not respond within that time frame, the Dean will consider the appeal and documents formally submitted by the student.
  2. The Dean shall review the appeal and all of the submitted documentation, interview persons relevant to the appeal when necessary, and render a written decision within ten (10) working days of receipt of the instructor’s response. A copy of the Dean’s decision will be given to the instructor and the student. If the Dean is also the instructor whose grade is the subject of the appeal, the Vice President for Academic Affairs shall select another Dean to conduct the appeal process.

  3. Faculty Senate Review
  The student or the instructor may appeal the Dean’s decision. Such appeal must be filed in writing and submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs within five (5) working days of receipt of the Dean’s decision, with copies to the instructor, the student, and the Dean. The written appeal shall deal only with the part or parts of the Dean’s decision that the appellant disputes. New evidence, information, or supporting documents cannot be included as part of the appeal except when, by clear and convincing evidence, it is established that such information was not available at the time of the original appeal. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will submit the appeal to the Faculty Senate for review. The Faculty Senate may interview the student, the instructor, the Dean and other appropriate persons, but only to discuss the issues in dispute in the appeal. The Faculty Senate will submit a written decision to the student, the instructor, and the Dean. The decision of the Faculty Senate is the final decision of the College.

• Administrative Withdrawal — No Show

  Students are considered “no shows” if they do not attend, log in to, and complete a scheduled assignment and/or have an instructional interaction in a course during the first week of class. Upon receiving attendance records, the Student Records Office will administratively drop and notify those students not attending or participating in their courses.

  Administrative Withdrawal — Past Due Balance

  Payment must be made in full for the semester’s charges by the due date established by the Business Office. Enrollments will be cancelled if the balance has not been paid. Please be advised should the enrollment be cancelled, students will not be allowed to attend classes until their past due balance is paid in full. A student may appeal in writing to the Business Office for approval to pay fees after the due date in order to avoid an administrative withdrawal. The appeal should include the reasons for late payment and the plan to make progress toward the degree.

  Administrative Withdrawal/Drop — Prerequisites

  Students who do not meet the prerequisites of a course as stated in the current catalog and who have not received permission to enroll from the appropriate Academic Dean may be administratively dropped from the course. Students who are so identified after registering for a course will be notified within the drop/add period by the appropriate Academic Dean that they do not meet the prerequisites and should institute the procedures for dropping the course. Students who do not drop will be notified by the appropriate Academic Dean that they are being withdrawn. The appropriate Academic Dean will notify the Student Records Office to have the student withdrawn.

  Administrative Withdrawal — Probation Students

  Students who are on academic probation and fail to meet the requirements of the Academic Probation Contract may be subject to administrative withdrawal. 

• Peru State College Policy on Academic Integrity

  The College expects all students to conduct themselves in a manner that supports an honest assessment of student learning outcomes and the assignment of grades that appropriately reflect student performance. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to understand and comply with instructions regarding the completion of assignments, exams, and other academic activities. At a minimum, students should assume that at each assessment opportunity they are expected to do their own original academic work and/or clearly acknowledge in an appropriate fashion the intellectual work of others, when such contributions are allowed. Students helping others to circumvent honest assessments of learning outcomes, or who fail to report instances of academic dishonesty, are also subject to the sanctions defined in this policy.

  Instances of academic dishonesty may be discovered in a variety of ways. Faculty members who assign written work ordinarily check citations for accuracy, run data base and online checks, and/or may simply recognize familiar passages that are not cited. They may observe students in the act of cheating or may become aware of instances of cheating from the statements of others. All persons who observe or otherwise know about instances of cheating are expected to report such instances to the proper instructor or Dean.

  In order to promote academic integrity, the College subscribes to an electronic service to review papers for the appropriate citations and originality. Key elements of submitted papers are stored electronically in a limited access database and thus become a permanent part of the material to which future submissions are compared. Submission of an application and continued enrollment signifies your permission for this use of your written work.

  Should an occurrence of academic misconduct occur, the faculty member may assign a failing grade for the assignment or a failing grade for the course. Each incident of academic misconduct should be reported to the Dean and the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA). The VPAA may suspend for two semesters students found to be responsible for multiple instances of academic dishonesty. The reason for the suspension will be noted on the student’s transcript.

  A faculty member need present only basic evidence of academic dishonesty. There is no requirement for proof of intent. Students are responsible for understanding these tenets of academic honesty and integrity. Students may appeal penalties for academic dishonesty using the process established for grades appeals.

  First Policy Recommended by Faculty Senate – September 3, 2009 — First Policy Approved by Administration – September 8, 2009
  First Policy Revision Recommended by Faculty Senate – December 7, 2010 — First Policy Revision Approved by Administration – December 10, 2010
  Second Policy Revision Recommended by Faculty Senate – February 17, 2011 — Second Policy Revision Approved by Administration – February 28, 2011