Student
Athlete HandbookAll incoming first-year students are members of the School of Arts and Sciences and do not have declared majors. All students at the University are required to complete 120 hours in order to graduate. Included in these 120 hours are general education, field of study, major, and elective hours. All students should retain a copy of the catalog under which they entered the University in order to determine the exact requirements for their specific degree.
GENERAL EDUCATION AND FIELD OF STUDY REQUIREMENTS
Except for certain recipients of academic scholarships, all students must complete general education and field of study requirements. All incoming first year students are enrolled in Core 101 and 102 in consecutive semesters. Transfer students are not required to complete the Core classes. English 103 - Expository Writing is also required of all students unless exempted by Advanced Placement or SAT II Writing scores. Within the remaining field of study requirements, students are free to choose from a variety of classes in different departments. All students must complete a foreign language through the intermediate level, two different natural science classes, and one of each of the following requirements: literary studies, historical studies, symbolic reasoning, visual and performing arts, wellness, and social analysis. Courses fulfilling these requirements are designated with a four letter code starting with FS__ in the listing of classes.
DECLARATION OF MAJORS AND MINORS
All undergraduate degrees at the University of Richmond require satisfactory completion of one major. Multiple majors and/or minors may also be pursued, and upon completion will be recorded on the permanent academic record. With the exception of leadership studies, student-athletes have the option to declare a major as early as the end of the first year. One must apply to be admitted to the School of Leadership Studies for a major or minor in leadership.
Student-athletes are encouraged to declare a major during their second year; NCAA rules require student-athletes to declare a major before the beginning of their fifth semester (third year) of enrollment. Majors and minors may be declared in the Office of the Registrar in Sarah Brunet Hall.
GRADING SYSTEM
The University of Richmond uses as standard 4.0 grading scale. An "A" grade is worth 4 grade points, a "B" is worth 3, and so on down to an "F" worth 0 points, and also no credits. A "+" grade adds .3 points to a grade (except an A+ is still worth only 4 points), a "-"subtracts .3 points from a grade. A grade point average is calculated by multiplying the number of grade points earned in a class by the number of credits the class is worth. The total number of grade points earned are then added together and divided by the number of credits earned, producing a grade point average between 0 and 4.
There are other letter grades that may also appear on an academic
transcript from the University of Richmond. They are all worth
0 grade points:
P = pass (credit received) Z = audit
S = satisfactory (no credit) U = unsatisfactory
W = withdrew passing X = grade not available from professor
M = withdrew failing V = failure due to excessive absences
I = punitive incomplete Y = non-punitive incomplete
M's, V's, and I's are averaged in to the GPA as failures. If completed within 45 days, the I will become a letter grade. There is no deadline for completion of a Y. An I and a Y will continue to appear on the transcript even after a letter grade is received and credit is given.
CLASS ATTENDANCE
Class attendance is an integral part of academic success. On occasion, student-athletes are required to miss classes for athletic contests; it is extremely important, therefore, that student-athletes limit any other class absences to situations of an emergency nature (i.e., illness, death in family).
Each student-athlete is expected to attend all meetings of all classes, laboratory periods, and drill sessions of the courses in which he/she is enrolled. The specific attendance policy in each course of study is to be determined by the instructor of the course. It will be announced and distributed to the students at the beginning of the course.
A student-athlete may be held responsible for the work of a class or laboratory missed during an absence. Acceptance of any excuse for an absence and any provision for make-up, will be at the discretion of the instructor (consistent with the announced policy for the course). Missed classes, work, or tests may result in a poorer grade, or failure, in the course.
Student-athletes will be provided with Dean's Excuses for absences
related to athletics participation. These letters will be acquired
by your coach and be available to you before each road trip. You
should discuss absences with professors before you leave, not
after your return. You are still responsible for work missed during
your absence. Your athletic absences are not in addition to any
absences allowed by professors under their attendance policy.
FINAL EXAMS
Most classes have examinations at the close of each term, according to a published schedule. Each student-athlete is responsible for taking final examinations as scheduled. No rescheduling, excuse for absence, and/or provision for making up final examinations will occur without the written approval of the student's dean. Such approval shall be made only for illness certified by a physician, participation in authorized University activities, and/or personal emergencies.
ACADEMIC ADVISING
All University of Richmond students are assigned an academic advisor. This person is a resource for you to use as a student. Your academic advisor can help you in everything from selecting courses to choosing a career path. Some of you may have a member of the athletic department staff as your advisor when you first arrive while others may not. The summer before you arrive on-campus you will receive notification of your advisor. After you have selected a major, you will be assigned an advisor within your major department.
REGISTERING FOR CLASSES
All students must meet with their academic advisor each semester prior to registering for classes. In addition to providing guidance and assistance in course selection, the advisor will provide the student with a four digit "term PIN." You will not be able to register without this PIN (Personal Identification Number).
Prior to the registration period for each term, the University produces Spider Web, which contains a schedule of all courses being offered by the University for the upcoming term. Spider Web contains lists of days, times and instructors for all courses, as well as information such as credit value and course prerequisites. Each course is identified by a Course Number (CRN). This number is vital for registration purposes. You may register for classes over the telephone or via the Internet. The exact registration procedures are outlined below.
Telephone registration
You may register for classes by calling 6600 from on campus, or
287-6600 from off campus. You must know the CRN of any class for
which you would like to register. Detailed instructions for phone
registration are printed in the front of Spider Web.
Online Registration
You may also register for classes online. In order to do so, go
to the University's website, www.richmond.edu, then click on student
at the bottom of the page. Click on Bannerweb. From there you
will have to enter your student ID number (your social security
number) and your permanent and term PIN numbers. From there you
may add and drop courses.
Overrides
It is possible to still get into courses even if they are listed as full. This is done by completing an override form. The forms need to be signed by the department chair for the department sponsoring the class you are trying to enter. Chairs are NOT OBLIGATED TO SIGN THE FORM. There is NO GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL GET INTO A CLASS BY THIS METHOD. DO NOT COUNT ON GETTING CLASSES THIS WAY.
Each student-athlete is responsible for registering individually. After meeting with your academic advisor, you must develop a schedule for the upcoming semester, keeping in mind: a primary goal of obtaining a degree; a manageable course load (considering all of your activities combined); relevant practice schedule (in season or out of season); NCAA minimum course hour requirements per semester; and future goals that may be affected by undergraduate performance and choice of course study. In most cases you are advised to take courses ending at or before 2:00PM to avoid schedule conflicts with practices and competitions. All registration should take place within the designated times set forth for all students. Registering late puts you at a serious disadvantage.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND THE HONOR CODE
All students are subject to severe disciplinary action for academic dishonesty (i.e., lying, cheating, and plagiarism) including separation from the University. Examples of violations of the University of Richmond Honor Code include: cheating, plagiarism, lying, academic theft, registration irregularity, failure to report an honor code violation
If there is any doubt as to what constitutes an honor code violation, ask your instructor before any action has been taken. It is your responsibility to know the honor code. Please refer to the University of Richmond's Honor Code (on the web) and Student-Athlete Code of Conduct for a complete listing on violations and sanctions.
Student
Athlete Handbook