PDF version of this chapterAcademic Policies
University Policies
Academic Integrity at USC
The university as an instrument of learning is predicated on the existence of an environment of integrity. As members of the academic community, faculty, students and administrative staff share the responsibility for maintaining this environment. Faculty have the primary responsibility for establishing and maintaining an atmosphere and attitude of academic integrity such that the enterprise may flourish in an open and honest way. Students share this responsibility for maintaining standards of academic performance and classroom behavior conducive to the learning process. Administrative staff are responsible for the establishment and maintenance of procedures to support and enforce those academic standards. Thus, the entire university community bears the responsibility for maintaining an environment of integrity and for confronting incidents of academic dishonesty.Specific guidelines governing academic integrity are described in SCampus. Additional information can also be found on the Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards Web site at www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
The University of Southern California maintains the privacy of student education records and allows students the right to inspect their education records as stated in the university's Student Education Records policy, consistent with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). The entire text of the university's policy is located in the Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Registrar's Office. A summary also appears in the current edition of the student guidebook, SCampus. Additional information regarding FERPA is also available on the Registrar's Web site, www.usc.edu/registrar.Faculty and staff who request access to student academic records in order to execute their normal duties must first review the information found on the university's FERPA Web site and complete the tutorial before access will be granted.
Students wishing to review or seeking to amend their educational records should submit a written request to the university office in which the record is maintained.
At the discretion of university officials, USC may release certain information classified as directory information unless the student requests that such information not be released. A complete listing of directory information is published in SCampus in the Student Education Records section and is also found in the FERPA section of the Registrar's Web site, www.usc.edu/ferpa.
Students wishing to restrict release of directory information may do so by completing the appropriate form provided by the Registrar's Office (JHH Lobby). Such requests remain in effect for the academic year. Students wishing only to have their information withheld from the online USC Student Directory should contact the Registrar's Office (JHH 104).
Parents who wish information from the education record of their son or daughter will not be provided the information unless the student has completed a "Records Release Authorization" form and submitted it to the Registrar's office. Students who complete this form authorize the university to release specific information from their education records to approved individuals. The form is available in the Registrar's office and may be downloaded on the university's FERPA Web site at www.usc.edu/ferpa.
Policy on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
The University of Southern California is committed to full compliance with the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As part of the implementation of this law, the university will continue to provide reasonable accommodation for academically qualified students with disabilities so that they can participate fully in the university's educational programs and activities. Although USC is not required by law to change the "fundamental nature or essential curricular components of its programs in order to accommodate the needs of disabled students," the university will provide reasonable academic accommodation. It is the specific responsibility of the university administration and all faculty serving in a teaching capacity to ensure the university's compliance with this policy.The general definition of a student with a disability is any person who has "a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person's activities," and any person who has "a history of, or is regarded as having, such an impairment." Reasonable academic and physical accommodations include but are not limited to: extended time on examinations; substitution of similar or related work for a nonfundamental program requirement; time extensions on papers or projects; special testing procedures; advance notice regarding booklists for visually impaired and some learning disabled students; use of academic aides in the classroom such as notetakers and sign language interpreters; accessibility for students who use wheelchairs and those with mobility impairments; and need for special classroom furniture or special equipment in the classroom.
Procedures for Obtaining Accommodations
Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact Disability Services and Programs (DSP) prior to or during the first week of class attendance or as early in the semester as possible. The office will work with Classroom Scheduling, the course instructor and his or her department, and the student to arrange for reasonable accommodations. It is the student's responsibility to provide documentation verifying disability.Academic Accommodations
Students seeking academic accommodations due to a physical, psychological or learning disability should make the request to the course instructor prior to or during the first week of class attendance or as early in the semester as possible. Course instructors should require that a student present verification of documentation of a disability from Disability Services and Programs if academic accommodations are requested. The USC Gould School of Law has a unit-specific policy for handling requests for academic accommodations; however, all students with disabilities should register with DSP. Refer to the Law School Student Handbook.For assistance in how to provide reasonable accommodations for a particular disability, course instructors are encouraged to consult with the staff at DSP. Students requesting academic accommodations must have verification of disability.