Student Policies

This section contains academic policies and procedures relating to students.

A student who believes that he or she has an academic grievance should discuss the concern with the classroom teacher in charge of the course in which the concern has arisen. If a mutually satisfactory resolution is not reached, the student should confer with his or her academic advisor and should take the matter to the relevant department chair. If no resolution occurs at this level or if the department chair is the classroom teacher in question in the first instance, then the student should take the concern to the relevant area chair. Concerns remaining unresolved at this level should be taken to the Provost. Students shall take all concerns regarding graduation requirements and their fulfillment to the Registrar.

Academic Appeals

A student who wishes to appeal a policy or decision by the Office of Academic Affairs concerning interpretations of, or exceptions to, rules, procedures or decisions governing registration in courses and the management of academic records must make that appeal to the Committee on Academic Appeals. Examples of such appeals would include an appeal to drop a course with no mark after the no mark deadline or an appeal to withdraw from a course with a W after the W deadline.

To pursue such an appeal, the student should submit a formal petition in writing to the Registrar. This appeal should state the specific request being made and include some explanation of the situation relating to the request. The Registrar forwards the student’s petition to the Committee on Academic Appeals, which reviews and rules on the appeal. The Committee notifies the student of the decision. Committee decisions are final.

Soon after their arrival on campus in August, Hendrix first-year students receive placement recommendations and take placement exams in some academic area. Placement recommendations are made by the English and mathematics Faculty based on high school records, application information, and ACT/SAT scores. Placement exams are given by the language and music Faculty during New Student Orientation. All placement results appear in a student's CampusWeb account.

English Course Placement for International Students

All entering, degree-seeking international students are given an English placement test by Hendrix College. The purpose of the test is to evaluate international students’ English language skills in reading, listening, speaking, and writing. It is designed and administered by the English Evaluation and Placement Committee. An international standardized test such as TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) does not substitute.

Based on its review of appropriate materials, the English Evaluation and Placement Committee will:

1. Place the student in ESOL 118 English for Academic Purposes I, or
2. Place the student in ESOL 119 English for Academic Purposes II, or
3. Recommend the student for ENGL 110 Introduction to Academic Writing, or
4. Recommend the student for a 200-level English Literature course.

The Committee also reviews students’ English skills at the end of their semester in ESOL 118 or ESOL 119 to determine proper placement or recommendation, and students may be required to repeat a course if insufficient progress has been made. ESOL 118 and ESOL 119 are taught for credit/no credit, and students receive a grade of NC (no credit) until placed into or recommended for a higher course.

Students are enrolled in ESOL 118 or ESOL 119 the semester they receive such placement. Students shall not enroll in ENGL 110, ENGL 210, or an ENGL/ENGF 200-level course before they have received recommendation from the Committee. A recommendation of ENGL 110 or a recommendation of ENGL/ENGF 200-level class, however, is a recommendation only. Each advisee should know that the recommendation is based on review of the student’s writing by Hendrix Faculy and is considered to be in his or her best interests relative to academic success at Hendrix.

International, degree-seeking students who do not test out of the ESOL sequence after two academic semesters at Hendrix will be required to attend and pay for an intensive Hendrix summer language course at the end of which they will retake the English Placement Test.

Test Accommodations Option

Students currently enrolled in ESOL 118 or 119 have the option of requesting extra time (time and a half) on tests in their other classes. Students wishing to receive this help must contact their Classroom Teacher and the Office of Academic Support at least three days before the test on which they would like extra time.

English Placement and the College's Graduation Requirement in Writing

Neither ESOL 118 nor ESOL 119 may be used to meet the College's Level I writing requirement (W1). Upon recommendation for ENGL 110 or a 200 level English literature course, students must complete and pass with a grade of C or better one such course coded W1. The one exception to this rule concerns international students who transfer from an accredited U.S. university with a course credit in English composition; such transfers may elect to satisfy the W1 graduation requirement by passing the W1 Writing Exam administered through the College's Writing Center.

Hendrix College endeavors to create an atmosphere in which diversity and individual rights of each member of the college community are respected. Students with disabilities have met the same rigorous admission standards as all other students. Some enter college aware of their problems and needs, while others discover them as they become engaged in the academic and social endeavors of college life. All Hendrix students are expected to uphold the College’s Code of Conduct regardless of condition or disability. Consequences for violating academic policy or the Code of Conduct are applied equally to all students.

Hendrix College is committed to providing “reasonable accommodation,” in keeping with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992. Students requesting accommodations should contact Academic Success at (501) 505-2954 or brownj@hendrix.edu to make an appointment and begin the review process.

Students requesting accommodations must provide appropriate documentation of the disability, which should include a diagnostic assessment and a recommendation report prepared by a qualified professional outside Hendrix College. “Reasonable accommodation” is determined on an individual basis by College staff in consultation with the student, the classroom teacher, and/or staff member. Accommodations are not retroactive.

Procedures

Students requesting accommodation must complete the following steps:

Step 1. Students should meet with the Director of Academic Success in an intake session. Information pertinent to their coursework and academic performance is discussed, and supporting documentation may be reviewed at that time.

Step 2. Students must provide appropriate documentation (diagnostic assessment and recommendation report) to proceed further with accommodation requests. Additional documentation may be requested by the College. Eligible students may apply for limited financial assistance for testing. Details and application for assistance are available through the Director of Academic Success.

Step 3. Following review of the documentation, accommodations may be recommended and communicated to the students’ classroom teachers confidentially.

Step 4. It is the students’ responsibility to discuss accommodation needs with individual classroom teachers on an ongoing basis, including testing and out-of-class assignments.

Accommodations and Resources

Accommodations, as determined on an individual case-by-case basis, may include such things as:

• Note takers
• Textbooks in electronic format
• Tutors
• Extended time on tests
• Test environment with fewer distractions
• A reader during exams
• A scribe to write dictated test answers
• A computer for writing test answers

Other accommodations may be established on an individual basis in consultation with the student, counselor, classroom teacher, and/or staff, and others as needed.

A number of resources are available to support a student’s success at Hendrix, including academic tutoring, career services, counseling services, computer services, instructional media resources/facilities, library facilities and the Writing Center.

Students who believe that they have not received adequate or appropriate accommodation in an academic matter or classroom teachers who are not satisfied with the proposed accommodations are encouraged to consult with Julie Brown (505-2954). Should this consultation not produce the desired results, the concern may be taken to the Provost of the College. In case of a non-academic matter, the Dean of Students should be contacted.