Student-Athlete Handbook 2017-2018
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Student-Athlete Handbook 2017-2018 Table of Contents Welcome from Jamie Pollard 3 Office of Student-Athlete Development 4 Academic Integrity Policy 10 Statement of Inclusion 17 Financial Aid/Scholarship Information 18 Sports Medicine Services 20 ISU Athletics Department Policies 25 Drug Testing Policy 25 Discipline Policy 32 Discipline Policy Appeals Resources 35 Transfer Policy 36 Social Network Policy 40 Exhausted Aid Policy 42 ISU Sexual Misconduct Policy & Information 43 Important Contact Information 57 2 Dear Cyclones, Whether you are a returning Cyclone or a first-year member of our team, I want to personally welcome you to campus. It is our department’s goal to provide necessary resources for you to reach your potential as a student and athlete. Our commitment starts as the top of the institution's organizational chart with interim President Ben Allen. It's his vision to make sure that Iowa State University provides a rewarding opportunity for you to study, compete in athletics and enjoy campus life. As an athletics department, we continue to invest in your experience. Nearly $150 million in facility construction has taken place in Iowa State Athletics since 2005, including the Hixson- Lied Student Success Center, which houses the Rod and Connie French Student-Athlete Academic Center. Finally, we continue to work hard to increase our investment in support areas that are critical to your success: academic services, strength and conditioning, video services, health care, travel and publicity. We are very appreciative of the countless hours that you dedicate to developing your skills as a student and athlete. We are hopeful these very special years are the beginning of a lifetime relationship with the Cyclones. The remainder of this publication outlines our support services for student-athletes and our expectations for you. It takes a dedicated and talented individual to meet the challenges of a world-class academic institution while striving for championships in the Big 12 Conference. You are not, however, attacking those challenges alone. Our staff is ready to assist in making your intercollegiate experience something you'll cherish. Good luck this year and Go Cyclones! Sincerely, Jamie Pollard Director of Athletics 3 Office of Student-Athlete Development Mission Statement The Office of Student-Athlete Development (OSAD) serves to empower Cyclone student- athletes to positively impact the world around them through education, service, and integrity. We provide services and programming that foster academic success, holistic personal growth and development, graduation and preparation for life beyond intercollegiate athletics. Academic Enrichment Rod and Connie French Athletics Academic Center OSAD provides educational and study environments for its student-athletes at the Hixson-Lied Student Success Center. Student-athletes are strongly encouraged to utilize the academic center, as often as necessary, to develop appropriate study and learning skills and to become better students. Mentors, tutors, computers, and free printing are available in the French Athletics Academic Center, which is located on the top floor of Hixson-Lied. Academic Center Hours Monday – Thursday: 7:00am – 10:00pm Friday: 7:00am – 5:00pm Saturday: Closed Sunday: 5:00pm—10:00pm Mentoring Academic mentors are assigned to all new student-athletes. Mentors typically have an education background, are experienced in a variety of academic areas, and are experts in teaching study skills. Mentors assist student-athletes by refining time management, study and organizational skills to help optimize the first-year performance. Tutoring The Office of Student-Athlete Development provides course-specific tutorial services to all student-athletes. Tutoring sessions are provided free of charge to all student-athletes. However, financial consequences may arise if a student-athlete does not attend his or her tutoring sessions. Student-athletes will be responsible for all fees incurred for unexcused absences. Learning center hours and tutorial appointments are managed through GradesFirst. 4 Eligibility OSAD regularly monitors academic progress towards the ultimate goal of graduation. Areas that are monitored include grade and attendance reports, continuing eligibility projections, and NCAA, Big 12 Conference, and University academic standards. OSAD staff maintains frequent contact with academic advisors and the Office of the Registrar to ensure the rules and policies are followed. The following is a summary of important academic eligibility rules from the NCAA, Big 12 Conference, and University that apply to all student-athletes. Questions regarding these rules should be addressed with your Academic Coordinator. Major Declaration Student-athletes must declare a major before the first day of classes of their fifth semester of college attendance to remain eligible. Student-athletes must visit with their departmental academic advisor and get paperwork approved through the Office of Student-Athlete Development before they may officially change their major. Major Change When a student-athlete wants to change their major, they will need to complete the following steps: 1. Talk with an OSAD staff member about possible eligibility concerns. 2. Contact an academic advisor in the new major to gather more information. 3. A student-athlete must run an alternative degree audit. This can be done on AccessPlus or with the help of an OSAD staff member. 3. An OSAD staff member will review the degree audit, and if it is satisfactory, he or she will sign the change of major form. 4. All remaining campus signatures on the form must be obtained before a student- athlete's major is changed. Basic Eligibility Requirements Each semester, student-athletes must pass 6 credit hours of degree applicable coursework to remain academically eligible. They must also meet the designated NCAA gpa requirements shown in the chart below. On a yearly basis, student-athletes must pass a total of 18 degree applicable credit hours. Only courses taken during the fall and spring semester can count towards this requirement. Credits taken toward a formally declared minor or certificate can now be counted toward the 6 and 18 hour rule. The minor or certificate must be formally declared before the start of the term and be visible on the student-athlete’s degree audit. Credits taken toward a minor or certificate cannot be used to satisfy Progress Towards Degree requirements. 5 HOURS Degree % GPA Needed Needed Needed End of 1st Sem 6 NA Beg of 2nd Year 6/18/24 1.80 Beg of 3rd Year 6/18 40% 1.90 Beg of 4th Year 6/18 60% 2.00 Beg of 5th Year 6/18 80% 2.00 Progress Toward Degree NCAA regulations require that student-athletes make progress toward a specific degree program every semester they are enrolled. Credits earned toward a formally declared minor, a second major, teaching certification, and coaching endorsements can be counted for progress toward degree credits, only if a student-athlete's degree has room in its "electives" pool. The regulations vary according to the types of courses a student-athlete might take; therefore it is important to work closely with OSAD staff. Some non-credit courses, such as Math 10 and Span 97, can be counted as Progress Toward Degree credits if taken during the first year of college, and if a student-athlete's academic advisor considers them to be part of the student-athlete's degree requirements. Other noncredit courses, such as SOC 115 and AN S 110, may also count as Progress Toward Degree credits during the first year of college, but not in other academic years. If a student-athlete chooses to audit a course (attend class and pay fees but not earn a grade), the course does not count for Progress Toward Degree credit or full-time status. If a student-athlete repeats a course they have passed, in hopes of improving the grade, the designated repeat course cannot count twice for Progress Toward Degree credit or the 6/18 hour requirement. However, if a student-athlete failed the course the first time it was taken, they may repeat the course for Progress Toward Degree credit. A student-athlete can pass a course but not earn the minimum grade required by their major, and therefore, the course does not count as Progress Toward Degree credit or the 6/18 hour requirement. For example, many majors require a minimum grade of C- or better in English 150 and English 250. Student-athletes may be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more) but may not have 12 credits that count as Progress Toward Degree credits. A student-athlete may be eligible in the current term but will need to discuss plans for earning eligibility for future terms and academic years with an OSAD staff member. Check with your departmental academic advisor and your Athletics Academic Coordinator should you have questions. 6 Monitoring Academic Performance A student-athlete's academic performance each term and academic year will determine athletic eligibility in subsequent terms. During each term an OSAD Academic Coordinator, in consultation with the student-athlete’s sport coach, will decide if the student-athlete will have their academic performance closely monitored. All student-athletes will be given an academic scoreboard (or a grade check) for all courses twice during the term. The student-athlete needs to speak with each of their instructors and obtain current grades, recommendations, and instructors' signatures on an academic scoreboard. Student-athletes should see instructors after class to arrange a meeting to have their scoreboard completed. Check course syllabi to see when the instructor's office hours are each week. If the instructor office hours do not fit into the student-athlete's schedule, they should contact their instructor to arrange a time to meet. Please return the academic scoreboard to a staff member of OSAD by the deadline stated on the form. Exit Interviews Exit interviews are to be completed by student-athletes who graduate, exhaust their eligibility, transfer, or quit their teams.