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Several policies and procedures were modified or adjusted for the 2020-2021 academic year to support Hudson Valley students in light of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Below are changes to the relevant policies and procedures based on guidance from federal, state and SUNY stakeholders.
Academic Standing
No students were academically suspended or dismissed; 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 fall, spring and summer 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 Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters. 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.
Communication
Students with final grades of “W” or “Z” received communication including a link to a web form for the student to self-identify as having been affected by COVID-19. 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 the recent 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.”
Courses that qualify for such adjustments include:
- courses from which a student withdrew after March 13
- courses that began after March 13 in which a student earned a grade of “Z”
Waivers for Maximum Timeframe for Title IV Aid were extended one semester for affected students.
Students with 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 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.
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. During the 2020-2021 academic year, 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.
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