Section 7: Academic Policies

The complete academic calendar is published on the Daemen web page. Access the calendar at daemen.edu/calendar.

The Student Activities Office and the Conferences Services Office maintain the Facilities and Events Database for non-academic events and activities on campus. Remember to notify these offices about your upcoming event so that it may be included on the Daemen University website calendar.

Each term, the University publishes electronic schedules of course offerings, which are accessible to all students. Schedules are just-in-time and are updated as revisions occur. Schedule search options include the ability to search for offerings by academic level (undergraduate or graduate); course type (course subject; individual core requirements; learning communities), offering days and times; and instructor. The schedules also provide course descriptions, course seat availability, and textbook information. Access the schedules at selfservice.daemen.edu/Student/Student/Courses.
 

Regular and prompt attendance is expected at all classes and officially scheduled programs and activities. A student who is absent from class for any reason whatsoever will be required to make up the work to the satisfaction of the instructor. A student anticipating or having a prolonged absence from class (i.e., three or more class days) due to illness, accident, or death in the family should report this absence to the Registrar, who will convey the information to the appropriate instructors. Upon return, it is the student’s responsibility to discuss their standing in the course with the instructor, who will advise of the appropriate course of action to be taken.

When the University is officially closed due to a snow emergency, do not attempt to drive on or to campus unless you have been designated as essential personnel. If you find it is absolutely necessary to visit, park your car off campus so that parking lots can be plowed and cleared of snow.

If a snowstorm or other event results in the cancellation of classes, the following stations will carry this information:

• TV channels: 2, 4, & 7.
• AM radio stations: WBEN 930, WGR 550.
• FM radio stations: WKSE 98.5, WTSS 102.5, WJYE 96.1, WYRK 106.5, WECK 100.5, WBLK 93.7, 97 ROCK, WNSA 107.7.

Closings will also be posted on the University’s website: daemen.edu and a mass notification message will be sent to phone numbers and email addresses requested by the student. Notices received from faculty of individual class cancellations are posted on the web at my.daemen.edu.

Academic dishonesty, of which cheating and plagiarism are the most common examples,
is a serious violation of the principles of higher education. Daemen University takes the
position that academic honesty is to be upheld with the highest degree of integrity. The
University has a responsibility to support individual thought and the generation of new
ideas. This cannot be done when violations of academic honesty go unchallenged..
Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to:

1. Use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations;
2. Dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments; or
3. The acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic material belonging to a member of the University faculty or staff;
4. Any form of plagiarism, which includes, but is not limited to:
   • the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person or entity (such as generative AI) )without full and clear acknowledgement; or
   • the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling or distributing of term papers or other academic materials; or
   • submitting previously or simultaneously submitted work–in whole or in substantial part–from another course for academic credit in a second course, without prior and expressed consent of the instructor
5. Completing assignments with prompt-based generative AI tools, e.g., ChatGPT, without permission from the instructor, and unless specifically allowed by the assignment as directed in the syllabi. Instructors reserve the right to request an explanation of any assignment response. Daemen University’s Position Statement and Guidance regarding Generative AI Tools can be found on Daemen University’s website.

In an instance where there has been a violation of the principles of academic honesty, the
instructor may choose to follow one or more of a number of possible alternatives
including but not limited to: (1) automatic failure of the work; (2) automatic failure of the
entire course; (3) recommending expulsion from the degree program; or (4)
recommending expulsion from the University. The student may appeal the instructor’s
determination in accordance with the Grade Appeal Procedure.

When a faculty member determines a violation of academic honesty has occurred, he/she
will first notify the student in writing. A copy of this letter, together with a written
description of the case with supporting evidence will also be submitted to the Office of
the Assistant Vice President for Student Success. Should there be no additional
notifications of academic dishonesty, the initial record will be destroyed one year after
the student’s graduation from Daemen University.

Upon receipt of additional reported offenses, materials in the file will be formally
presented to the Committee on Academic Standards (CAS) for review and
recommendation of any additional sanctions beyond those imposed by the instructor. The
Chair of the CAS will also notify the student that the materials will be the subject of CAS
deliberation and will recommend that the student write a letter regarding the offense to
the CAS for purposes of clarification, explanation or denial. CAS review will be held in a
timely manner as determined by CAS. All faculty members who have reported offenses
on the part of the student will be invited to participate in the deliberations. In cases where
expulsion is recommended, either from the degree program or the University, final
authority rests with the Dean of the University..

1. A student with questions or complaints about an assigned final course grade shall first discuss the matter with the course instructor within 30 days of the posting of the grade. In the event of the serious illness or absence from Western New York (or other instructional site vicinity) of either the student or the faculty member, an extension may be granted by the appropriate divisional dean. The instructor is expected to provide an appropriate explanation of the student's grade and, if the student's appeal is meritorious, to be willing to change the grade. If the student's concerns remain unresolved following discussion with the instructor, the student may appeal in writing to the chair of the department in which the grade was given. This written appeal must be made within 15 days of the instructor’s determination in Step 1 above. All supporting documentation must be submitted at this time, with the written appeal. The department chair shall review the student's appeal and consult with the course instructor. The department chair may support the instructor's evaluation or may recommend to the instructor that the grade be changed. (If the department chair is the course instructor whose grade is under appeal, the divisional dean shall handle the appeal at this stage.) It will be the responsibility of the student to demonstrate that the grade should be changed. 
2. Should the complaint still remain unresolved, the student’s appeal shall be forwarded to an ad hoc grade appeal committee, comprising all full-time faculty within the department, including the department chair and, if fewer than three full-time faculty, members of the Departmental Personnel Advisory Committee (see Faculty Handbook section V, C for composition of a DPAC); the dean of the division in which the department is housed, unless the grade under appeal has been given by said dean (or the dean is a member of the departmental faculty as described above), in which event, the dean of the other division shall serve; and two faculty members from the Committee on Academic Standards – one to be chosen by the student and one by the course instructor. If the grade under appeal is given by a part-time faculty member, he or she will be invited to join the committee. Formal minutes will be taken of the meeting. The first committee meeting will be called by the department chair. If the grade under appeal has been given by the department chair, the first meeting will be called by the divisional dean. The committee shall convene within two weeks of receiving the student’s written appeal. Members who are unable to be physically present may participate electronically. At the discretion of the divisional dean, a member with extenuating circumstances may be excused from participation and/or allowed to furnish his/her input in advance of the meeting. In cases where fewer than three departmental faculty are in attendance, the dean may appoint faculty from the same division to serve.
3. This committee shall examine all pertinent documentation and may interview the student and the course instructor, in person or electronically, or consult with any other parties it may deem appropriate. The divisional dean shall act in a non-voting, advisory capacity with regard to observance of all pertinent University policies and procedures. The ad hoc grade appeal committee shall render its written decision to the student and faculty member within seven days. The committee may recommend that the instructor change the grade; if the instructor refuses, s/he shall provide a written explanation to the committee within seven days. In the event of extenuating circumstances, this deadline may be extended at the discretion of the divisional dean. Should the committee find the explanation unpersuasive, it will recommend to the department chair that the grade be changed. If, following consultation with the instructor, the instructor still refuses to change the grade, the department chair shall have authority to change the grade notwithstanding the objection of the instructor. (If the instructor is the department chair, the divisional dean shall handle the chair's duties here described.)

Grade appeal procedure for Interdisciplinary (IND) courses: The "department chair" shall be either the chair of the department in which the instructor is housed, if applicable, or the Core Director, at the discretion of the department chair (if applicable). Departmental faculty members of the ad hoc grade appeal committee shall be appointed by the Educational Policy Committee; both divisional deans shall serve; and two members of the Committee on Academic Standards shall be selected.

Daemen University prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion and is committed to providing a work environment that respects the religious beliefs and practices of all students. As part of that commitment, the University will make good faith efforts to fulfill a requested accommodation for such observances when a reasonable accommodation is available that does not create an undue hardship for the University. 

(Please see Section 5: General Policies for the full Religious Accommodation Policy)