COBA Policies

ADA Accommodation & Alternative Testing
Under ADA, any student requiring alternative formats for testing and/or handouts for this course, or other types of accommodation, due to a handicapping condition, should advise the instructor within the first week of classes and must present the appropriate documentation.

University Attendance Policy (Effective Fall Semester 2009)
Each student is expected to attend all lectures, seminars, laboratories and field work for each registered class, including the first class session, in order to verify registration with instructors and to complete all work assigned for the course. Failure to observe this policy may seriously jeopardize a student’s academic standing.

If a student does not attend class during the first week (first five instructional days) of the semester and does not give prior notification to the instructor of reasons for absence and intent to attend the class, the student will be dropped from the course.

A student is permitted one (1) unexcused absence for each credit hour generated by the class. For example, two (2) absences are allowed in a two-hour class. Excessive absenteeism, whether excused or unexcused, may result in a student’s course grade being reduced or given an assignment of a grade of “F”.

At the beginning of the class, the instructor is responsible for having listed on his or her syllabus the University Attendance Policy. The student will be held responsible for adhering to the University Attendance Policy. Instructors of courses are not obligated to provide makeup opportunities for students who are absent, unless the absences have been officially approved.

An officially approved absence, however, merely gives the individual who missed the class an opportunity to make up the work and in no way excuses him or her from the work required.

Official excuses are granted by the Office of Student Affairs for authorized university activities, verified personal illness or illness or death in the immediate family. Absences will count from the first day of registration for each course. Students receiving veteran’s benefits are required to attend classes according to the regulations of the Veterans Administration in addition to those regulations set by the university for all students. It is the responsibility of the instructor to keep an accurate attendance record of all students enrolled. Students should understand that absences may jeopardize their grades. It is the responsibility of the student to withdraw from the university or drop a course.(Adopted by the ASU Board of Trustees on May, 2009.)

Tardy Policy
A student is expected to be in his/her classroom seat before the scheduled start time of the class. A student will be considered absent if he/she is not in the classroom when the instructor starts calling roll.

Code of Conduct
All Alabama State University (ASU) students are expected to conform to recognized university standards of conduct, behave with decency, and dress appropriately while attending on and off campus functions and in academic settings, social events, extracurricular activities and other public functions.

Appropriate Dress

  • No student will be allowed to enter any university building with their pants hanging below the waist, without a belt, wearing spaghetti straps, or with hats and/or “doo” rags on their heads; and
  • No student will be allowed in any university building with pajamas on, except in the residence halls and excluding the lobby areas; and
  • Students are to refrain from using profanity in any university building or on campus.

Cheating and Academic Dishonesty
Cheating on a test, plagiarism, submitting someone else’s work as your own or other forms of academic dishonesty will result in an “F” for the course. This pertains to drafts of documents submitted as well as final assignments. ANY work turned in to the instructor at ANY time during the semester must be documented and not plagiarized. Please refer to the APA Manual if you have questions concerning documentation of sources. All written assignments are submitted through Blackboard SafeAssign. Students are encouraged to plan assignments so that they have time to review the SafeAssign report for matches and revise the assignment as necessary.

Electronic Devices
Laptops, Blackberry’s, and cell phone use is not allowed in this class. Students observed using a texting device will lose credit for that day’s attendance. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL TEXTING DEVICES BE PRESENT DURING EXAMS. ANY STUDENT WITH A TEXTING DEVISE IN VIEW DURING AN EXAM WILL BE ASSUMED TO BE USING IT FOR THE EXAM AND SUBJECT TO COBA POLICY REGARDING CHEATING.