It’s the third week of classes and you’ve finally settled down for the year at U of C. With your schedule finalized, your fees paid and a yet another large stack of textbooks piled on your desk, you’re ready to buckle down and learn something. As you glance over your course outlines to determine how much longer you can continue to party Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights away until you’re overcome with work, keep in mind that there are some University Calendar regulations to help make sure that your educational experience is as smooth and fair as possible. There are tons of rules to protect students that most of you don’t know about–so pay attention! Here’s just a few of them:
• Once a course begins, the course outline is “final.” A professor can’t change the mark breakdown (for example add another test or make the final exam worth more) without the OK from everyone in the class.
• That being said, you also can’t have a final exam towards the end of a course. That’s why there’s a final exam period and if you find that you have a massive test in the last week of class and no final exam during the scheduled period, contact your instructor.
• For those of you conscious about the environment and the amount of money you spend on printing, an instructor can’t require you to submit multiple copies of an assignment.
• Finally, and most importantly, you have the right to appeal things. If you really feel like you deserved a better grade on a test or in a course, you can appeal the decision. Also, if you’re ever required to withdraw, you can appeal that decision as well!