Undergraduate Academic Resources

An academic advisor will:

• Protect and secure the integrity of the SLU degree by enforcing University and departmental policies and requirements.
• Understand and effectively communicate the curriculum; graduation requirements; and University and college policies and procedures to provide helpful and appropriate advisement and mentoring.
• Be available, approachable, personable, and demonstrate concern for and interest in an advisee.
• Assist students in working closely with their faculty mentors and their professors.
• Make appropriate referrals within the University; encourage advisees to develop skills that will lead to self-responsibility.
• Have profound respect for each advisee and serve as a model of the educated person.
• Maintain confidentiality (will not discuss issues with parents and non-University persons without the student’s written permission).

An advisee will:

• Display respect for the advisor and has a positive attitude toward the advising process.
• Meet the advisor at appropriate times and come to advising appointments prepared to assume responsibility for degree planning.
• Clarify personal values and goals and provide the advisor with accurate information regarding academic interests and abilities.
• Seek to become acquainted with the academic structure of the University/school/college program.
• Become knowledgeable about academic programs, policies, and procedures and utilize available University resources and services.
• Ask questions if he or she does not understand an issue or has a specific concern.

• Access information about campus resources
• Identify the academic advisor and faculty mentor
• Understand prerequisites and course sequences
• Know how to access information about academic success
• Understand registration policies and procedures
• Register using Banner Self-Service
• Calculate a SLU semester and cumulative GPA
• Locate and use the University academic calendar and the undergraduate catalog
• Identify information about the Jesuit model of education and the five dimensions

• Understand the degree requirements
• Work effectively with a faculty mentor to review the academic progress in an intended or declared academic program
• Develop attainable academic goals
• Understand appropriate formal academics processes
• Identify internship opportunities

• Integrate elements of the Jesuit model of education and the five dimensions of the SLU experience into curriculum
• Understand the application for the degree conferral process
• Access information about the post-graduation employment opportunities
• Access information about professional school and graduate school opportunities
• Understand commencement and the degree conferral process

Academic Integrity

The University is a community of learning, whose effectiveness requires an environment of mutual trust and integrity, such as would be expected at a Jesuit, Catholic institution. As members of this community, students, faculty and staff members share the responsibility to maintain this environment. Academic dishonesty violates it. Although not all forms of academic dishonesty can be listed here, it can be said in general that soliciting, receiving or providing any unauthorized assistance in the completion of any work submitted toward academic credit is dishonest. It not only violates the mutual trust necessary between faculty and students but also undermines the validity of the University’s evaluation of students and takes unfair advantage of fellow students. Further, it is the responsibility of any student who observes such dishonest conduct to call it to the attention of a faculty member or administrator.

Examples of academic dishonesty would be copying from another student, copying from a book or class notes during a closed-book exam, submitting materials authored by or editorially revised by another person but presented as the student’s own work, copying a passage or text directly from a published source without appropriately citing or recognizing that source, taking a test or doing an assignment or other academic work for another student, tampering with another student’s work, securing or supplying in advance a copy of an examination without the knowledge or consent of the instructor, and colluding with another student or students to engage in an act of academic dishonesty.

Where there is clear indication of such dishonesty, a faculty member has an obligation to uphold the school’s standards of academic integrity and to apply the school’s academic misconduct policy. The faculty member bears primary responsibility for determining how acts of academic dishonesty will affect the student’s academic performance in the faculty member’s course. This is consistent with the responsibility of the faculty to determine when course requirements have been met and what grades will be assigned to individual students. While faculty members must not make prejudiced or capricious academic evaluations of students, they may apply academic penalties, including course failure, as appropriate sanctions for incidents of academic dishonesty.

Faculty members also are responsible for informing the associate dean of incidents which they believe constitute likely violations of the school’s standards of academic integrity. The responsible faculty member will determine, after consultation with the associate dean, whether the incident necessitates the filing of a formal complaint of academic misconduct. Such a complaint may then provide the basis for a disciplinary hearing. If the hearing then determines that a student has violated the school’s academic integrity standards, this finding may then provide the basis for further sanctions, which may include, but are not limited to, disciplinary probation, suspension and dismissal from the University. The dean of the school holds final authority regarding such further sanctions when the student or students affected are enrolled within the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business. In cases in which the student or students are members of another academic unit of the University (e.g., College of Arts and Sciences), the dean of the business school will recommend sanctions to the appropriate University officials.

The Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business holds our students to a high academic standard. Our policies are meant to help produce students who are rooted in honest and original academic work that exhibits their true potential and creativity.

Probationary Status

Students whose cumulative SLU grade point average falls below 2.0 are required to apply for probationary status, which allows for no more than two consecutive semesters to improve scholastically and to demonstrate evidence of the capacity to proceed toward a degree. A student on academic probation may not register for more than 12 to 15 semester hours, depending on the probation term, and may not make application for a degree.

Suspension

A student may be suspended from a course, a school or college, or from the University for academic or disciplinary misconduct. At the time suspension is imposed, the conditions for reinstatement are explained. While under suspension, a student is barred from further registration. Reinstatement after academic suspension requires the approval of the student’s academic dean.

Dismissal

The dean of each degree-granting unit of the University has the authority and responsibility to dismiss a student from the school or college and the University for academic reasons.

The conditions under which a student is dismissed are:

• Inability to eliminate probationary status within the two semesters subsequent to the assignment of probation; or
• A total grade point deficit of more than 15 points.

A student notified of dismissal for these reasons may apply for transfer to another school of the University under the condition that he or she is eligible for special probationary status in the school into which transfer is requested.

To be eligible for this status, the student must:

• Have a grade point deficit of no more than 20 points.
• File a Request for Change of Major form available in room 130 of Cook Hall, and attach a written petition for this status.
• Enclose two letters of recommendation from previous instructors.

Saint Louis University
Chaifetz School of Business
Student Grade Appeal Procedure

The procedure outlined below has been developed in order to provide students of the Chaifetz School of Business with a process for appealing course grades that they believe were based on prejudice, discrimination, arbitrary or capricious action, or other reasons not related to academic performance. 

This policy does not cover instances where students have been assigned grades based on an academic dishonesty or academic misconduct policy. 

Also excluded from this policy are grade appeals alleging discrimination, harassment or retaliation in violation of the University’s equal opportunity, sexual harassment or disability discrimination policies. Allegations of violations of the University’s equal opportunity, sexual harassment or disability discrimination policies shall be referred directly to the appropriate dean. The Dean shall notify the University’s Director of Diversity and Affirmative Action who shall coordinate a review of such allegations and provide a report of findings to the Dean and appropriate University officials. After reviewing the information contained in the report, the Dean will notify the parties of his or her decision. Any grade change by the Dean based on these finding requires the concurrence of the department chair. If the decision is that the grade was not assigned because of discrimination, harassment or retaliation in violation of University policies, and the grade did not result from academic dishonesty or academic misconduct policy, then the student may proceed to pursue the grade appeal based on any remaining allegations, as specified below.

The following procedures shall apply for claims not based on allegations of violation of the University’s equal opportunity, sexual harassment or disability discrimination policies. The student shall have the burden of proof with respect to the allegations in the complaint and in the request for a hearing. The procedure will be terminated at the level at which the teacher and the student are brought into agreement on the appealed grade. All correspondence and records will be retained in the office in which the complaint is finally resolved.

Step One

The student shall first consult with the teacher in an effort to resolve the complaint. The student must contact the teacher within thirty days after the start of the regular semester following the recording of the disputed grade.* If the student cannot schedule a meeting with the teacher, the department chairperson may be asked to do so.  If the teacher is no longer employed at the University or, for some other reason is unavailable so that it is impossible to complete Step 1 within forty-five days, the student may proceed directly to Step 2.

Step Two

If the complaint is not resolved in Step 1, it should be presented in writing to the chairperson of the department in which the course was offered no later than forty-five days after the start of the regular semester following the recording of the disputed grade. In consultation with the teacher and the student, the department chairperson will attempt to resolve the complaint within a fifteen-day period dating from the formal presentation of the written complaint. If the chairperson needs additional time to pursue a resolution, both the student and the faculty member shall be notified as to the estimated time needed for resolution. If it seems desirable, the chairperson may confer with other members of the department. If the chairperson was the teacher of the course involved in the complaint—or, for any other reason, is disqualified to hear the complaint—the student’s written complaint shall be submitted to the Dean of the Chaifetz School of Business for undergraduate and professional students, or to the Graduate School for graduate students.
 
The student’s grade may be changed in Step 2 by the written consent of the teacher and the student.

Step Three

If the complaint is not resolved in Step 2, the student may request in writing that the chairperson forward the complaint to the appropriate dean. This request must be made by the student within five days following the notification to the student that the complaint was not resolved. The chairperson must forward the complaint to the Dean within five days together with a copy of all correspondence and records relating to the complaint.
 
The Dean may utilize any available resources to resolve the grade conflict within a fifteen-day period. If the Dean needs additional time to attempt a resolution, the student, the faculty member, and the chairperson will be notified as to the expected completion date. If the Dean and the chairperson agree that the grade should be changed–raised or lowered–the Dean shall be empowered to change the grade with out the teacher’s consent; otherwise the grade shall remain as recorded. The Dean shall notify both the student and the teacher of the decision in writing.

Step Four

Following notification of the Dean’s decision, either party may, within fifteen days, appeal the decision to the provost.
 
The Dean of the Chaifetz School of Business shall report orally to the school’s Executive Committee, at its next regular meeting, any grade changes that are made without consent of the faculty member. The Dean will report the grade change that occurred along with a general description of the circumstances leading to the change. Names of the students and faculty members will not be included in the report.

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* If an appeal based on the University’s equal opportunity, sexual harassment or disability discrimination policies is made and rejected, the date of the rejection shall be used instead of the original recording date for the grade in establishing deadlines.

Approved by the Faculty Assembly December 2, 1999, updated Summer 2018 to reflect school name change.