Addendum to 2019-2020 College Catalog

Addendum to 2019-2020 College Catalog

Several policies and procedures were modified or adjusted for the Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 semesters to support Hudson Valley students in light of the interruption experienced due to COVID-19. Below are changes to the relevant policies and procedures during Spring and Summer 2020 based on guidance from federal, state and SUNY stakeholders.

Changes to Campus Operations

Transition to Distance Learning

Effective March 30, all traditional Spring 2020 courses were transitioned to a distance learning format with instruction provided either online asynchronously or remote synchronously. The College was committed to continuing to provide excellent instruction. Courses for which instruction could not be offered in this format were scheduled to resume in summer months. Summer 2020 courses were also offered in a distance learning format.

Remote Services

Since campus occupancy was restricted effective March 20 following guidance from the Governor’s office, student service and academic support offices transitioned all services and supports to an online format.

Changes to Instructional Calendar

Extended Spring Break

Originally scheduled for Monday, March 16 through Sunday, March 22, Spring Break was extended through Sunday, March 29. Classes resumed on Monday, March 30.

Commencement

The traditional Commencement ceremony scheduled for Saturday, May 16 was cancelled. A Virtual Commencement Celebration was streamed from the website on Saturday, June 6 at 7pm. All candidates who submitted a degree/certificate application prior to June 6 were invited to participate.

Changes to Fees

Spring 2020

The Vehicle Registration and Records and Activity Fees were reduced on student accounts based on the portion of the semester which took place prior to the transition to distance learning and remote services.

Summer 2020

The Vehicle Registration Fee was not charged. Lab fees were charged only for courses that met on campus and for courses that require a lab kit to be sent to a student who is learning online or remotely.

Changes to Policies and Procedures

Course and Total Withdrawals

The withdrawal deadline for Spring 2020 Parts of Term 1, 4 and 5 (full-term online and traditional courses) was extended from April 17 to May 1. The withdrawal deadline for Fall 2019 Part of Term 8A (full-year college in the high school courses) was extended from April 22 to May 1.

Graduation and Certificate Completion Requirements

The Spring 2020 Degree/Certificate Application deadline was extended from March 31 to April 24. Although the same deadline was noted on the Summer 2020 Degree/Certificate Application for the student’s name to appear in the Commencement program, the names of students who applied by May 6 were included.

Academic Standing

No students were academically suspended or dismissed following the Spring 2020 or Summer 2020 semesters; students who would have been academically suspended or dismissed were assigned academic probation. Such a student can continue as a matriculated student or seek re-matriculation if recently returned from academic suspension or dismissal.

Students who maintained or regained good academic standing or academic probation from the previously attended term were assigned that standing. Students whose academic standing was measured at suspension or dismissal were assigned academic probation and informed of the requirement to meet with an academic advisor to develop an academic intervention plan.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Financial Aid Eligibility

Federal SAP:

In accordance with College policy, SAP was measured at the end of the Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 semesters. However, students were provided an opportunity to have qualifying credits excluded from the SAP measurement (see section on communication).

New York State SAP:

NYS HESC coordinated with SICAS to develop programming that will protect a student’s NYS financial aid eligibility following the Spring 2020 semester. Students who indicate they have been affected as outlined below under the section on communication will be assigned an attribute so eligibility for NYS financial aid will not be negatively affected.

Academic Standing/Satisfactory Academic Progress Communication

Students who did not maintain or achieve good academic standing or satisfactory academic progress following the Spring 2020 semester received an e-mail indicating as such. A link to a web form for the student to self-identify as having been affected by COVID-19 was included. The academic record of students who submit the web form and qualify was adjusted as described below.

Qualifying grades indicating non-completion (“W” or “Z”) were permanently removed from attempted credits. Since both academic standing and progress policies use attempted credits as a primary indicator, courses that were not completed do not affect an impacted student’s status at the end of Spring 2020 or future semesters. Federal guidance indicates that “an institution of higher education may, as a result of a qualifying emergency, exclude from the quantitative component of the [satisfactory academic progress] calculation any attempted credits that were not completed by such student without requiring an appeal by such student.”

A similar but abbreviated communication was sent to Spring 2020 students with qualifying grades of “W” or “Z” who were measured at good academic standing and making satisfactory academic progress since they may benefit in future semesters by having qualifying credits excluded. The same communication was sent to Summer 2020 students with qualifying grades of “W” or “Z.”

Courses that qualify for such adjustments include:

• courses from which a student withdrew on or after March 13 (includes Summer 2020 courses)
• courses in which a student received a grade of “Z” if the assigned midterm grade was “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “P”
• courses that began after March 13 in which a student earned a grade of “Z” (includes Summer 2020 courses)

Waivers for Maximum Timeframe for Title IV Aid were extended one semester for affected students.

Fresh Start

Students with Spring 2020 grades of “I” were afforded the opportunity to complete courses and, if term criteria is met upon completion, granted a Fresh Start.

Typically, a student who does not meet term criteria is not permitted another opportunity for a Fresh Start unless he/she waits another two years to return. Such students who applied for Fresh Start in Spring 2020 will be allowed to reapply for a Fresh Start even in the event that he/she returns within the next two years. This will provide another opportunity to demonstrate academic success without requiring the student to wait two additional years to attend.

Waivers

Students who were diagnosed with COVID-19 or whose immediate family member was diagnosed with COVID-19 may qualify for a waiver if appropriate documentation is provided.

College policy allows an appeal to be granted to each student only once. At the conclusion of the Spring 2020 semester, any student who received financial aid on appeal due to performance in a previous semester was allowed to submit a waiver and receive a second appeal if circumstances are related to COVID-19.

Refund Exception Requests

The Refund Exception Policy was expanded for the Spring 2020 semester to accommodate first responders (police, fire fighters and healthcare personnel) who were unable to complete the semester due to work obligations. Request were reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Transcript Indicator

A term comment was added to the Spring 2020 semester on all student transcripts indicating an interruption in studies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.