Fielding Graduate University

Policies specific to students concerning their rights and responsibilities. Students are also subject to the global standards of behavior in the Institutional Policy section of this handbook.

• authorizing Fielding Graduate University to accept all correspondence transmitted via electronic mail from the student's @email.fielding.edu account, as a valid electronic message from said student;
• authorizing that all communications sent from the student's @email.fielding.edu account is acceptable as a replacement for the student's written signature, including but not limited to financial transactions.;
• authorizing that all requests that confidential information be transmitted to the student's @email.fielding.edu account releases Fielding Graduate University from all liability related to the release of the requested confidential information.

Students with @email.fielding.edu accounts should understand that Fielding staff and faculty consider those accounts to be the official email address and the email account to which to send all official email communications to students.

Fielding Graduate University assumes no liability for the event or the consequences of another party gaining access to a student's e-mail account, and electronically "impersonating" the student; therefore, students should protect their login and password information.

All psychology students should be aware of Section 7.04, Student Disclosure of Personal Information, in the APA's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2002). This section states:

Psychologists do not require students or supervisees to disclose personal information in course- or program-related activities, either orally or in writing, regarding sexual history, history of abuse and neglect, psychological treatment, and relationships with parents, peers, and spouses or significant others except if

(1) the program or training facility has clearly identified this requirement in its admissions and program materials or

(2) the information is necessary to evaluate or obtain assistance for students whose personal problems could reasonably be judged to be preventing them from performing their training- or professionally related activities in a competent manner or posing a threat to the students or others.

The School of Psychology at Fielding Graduate University places considerable value on personal exploration, requiring students to self-reflect and to be self-aware. As a result, it is the expectation that students will disclose personal information as part of their participation in the doctoral program in psychology. If you have any questions regarding this issue, please contact the Assistant Dean for Student Development in the School of Psychology.

Policy Effective 06/01/2003

Enrollment and participation at the Fielding Graduate University creates a contract of education between the student and Fielding. The terms, conditions, and policies of this agreement are set forth in the program brochure and are more fully explained in this Policy Bulletin. Further, students enrolling in Fielding Graduate University are held accountable to the professional standards of their discipline. Fielding Graduate University may recommend and implement sanctions against students who do not conduct themselves in such a manner.

Policy Revised 12/11/1997

Fielding Graduate University adheres to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, concerning student access to files and the release of student information. This and all other Fielding policy statements regarding student rights under FERPA is not intended to be fully explanatory of student rights under FERPA or California law.

The items listed below are designated as "Public" or "Directory" information and may be released at the discretion of Fielding.  Students have the right to restrict disclosure of ANY or ALL of the items of public information listed below.  Students who decide to inform the institution not to release any or all of these public information items, should know that the specified item(s) will be treated as if they were confidential, and any future requests for this information for purposes other than official Fielding business will be refused. A form for the purposes of restricting directory information is available to students from the Registrar's Office. The request for nondisclosure remains in effect until rescinded by the student. Fielding assumes that failure on the part of any student to specifically request the withholding of public information indicates individual approval for disclosure. 

• Name
• Home Address
• Home Telephone Number
• Work Address
• Work Telephone Number
• Fax Number
• Email Address
• Mobile/Cell Phone Number
• Date of Birth
• Place of Birth
• Previous Institution(s) Attended
• Class Roster/Schedule of Classes
• Dates of Attendance
• Grade Level
• Major/Area of Study
• Dissertation/Research Topic
• Degrees/Certificates Awarded/Dates
• Photograph

Students are welcome at any time to review directory information holds they have in place, release those holds, and/or make changes to which items they wish held.

Student educational records are available to school officials who have a legitimate need for them in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility, as determined by the administrator of the office responsible for maintenance of the record. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. Except for directory information items as listed above, and expect for certain parties listed in the FERPA act, the University will not release to outside parties any student's files or information contained in such files unless prior written consent has been obtained from the student concerned, personally signed and dated. Such writing must specify the records to be released, the reasons for such release, and the names of the parties to whom such records may be released. The outside parties excepted by the act generally consist of certain federal and state officials, accrediting organizations, and educational agencies that need the information for valid educational purposes. Also, the University is authorized to release information contained in student files in any emergency situation where the information is needed to protect the health or safety of the student or other persons.

Students have the right to file complaints with the Department of Education concerning alleged failures by institutions to comply with FERPA. Written complaints should be directed to the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202-4605.

Related Policies

• Student Complaints and Grievances
• Student Files

Policy Revised 07/01/2007

Pursuant to Fielding Policy

A student complaint/grievance is an allegation by a student that there has been, in an individual case, an arbitrary or discriminatory application of, or failure to act pursuant to, the policies of Fielding Graduate University (specifically within the School of ELC) in relation to students. To start this procedure, the student sends a formal written request to a designated academic or administrative officer for which specific remedies are requested.

The parties to a grievance are the student filing the grievance and the person(s) against whom the grievance is filed.

Definitions

An academic complaint/grievance is one involving faculty members, associate deans, the program director of a particular program, or the Dean of a particular program. Faculty evaluations and grading of student work are based upon the substantive judgment of the faculty and are not subject to a complaint/grievance.

An administrative complaint/grievance is one involving staff of Fielding Graduate University.

The informal complaint/grievance procedure within the School of ELC is the process a student initiates prior to filing a formal grievance with the University. The student initiating this process must be the individual against whom the alleged infraction has occurred.

A calendar day is any day of the week. For purposes of computing the time periods specified under steps 1 - 3 below, if the last day of this time period falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the last day will be construed as the Monday following that Saturday or Sunday. If the last day falls on a holiday, the last day will be construed as the next regular calendar day following the end of the holiday time period. If the next regular calendar day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the last day will be the following Monday.

ELC Informal Procedure for Filing Academic and Administrative Complaints

Specific Scope

This procedure is designed for dealing with issues relating to knowledge areas/courses; comprehensive assessments; dissertations and dissertation committees; cluster activities; mentor relationships; satisfactory academic progress; ELC sessions; and related organizational work.

1. The student raises the issue of concern with the faculty, administrator, student or other person(s) involved. This should be done within 14 calendar days after the student becomes aware there allegedly has been an arbitrary or discriminatory application of, or failure to act pursuant to, the policies of Fielding Graduate University (specifically within the School of ELC).
2. If the issue is not resolved between the parties within 14 calendar days, the student may contact, in writing or email, the appropriate ELC Associate Dean (AD) or Program Director (for Academic matters contact the AD for Academic Affairs; for student services matters contact the AD for Student Affairs; for matters within masters or professional development programs contact the Associate Dean/Program Director).
3. The AD/Program Director will mediate the dispute, within 14 calendar days after being contacted by the student, with the purpose of finding a resolution. During this process, the student may select another person (no faculty, staff or administrator) to assist them in preparing for and presenting their position at the mediation.
4. If the issue is not resolved, the student may take the matter to the University's formal grievance procedure within 14 calendar days after the mediation.

Related Policies

• Student Complaints and Grievances

Policy Posted 10/18/2007

Students are to follow an informal complaint procedure prior to filing a formal academic grievance involving a faculty member. If a student has difficulty with one or more faculty members over an academic matter, these informal procedures can assist the student in resolving the difficulty without the need to file a formal grievance.

1. The student should discuss the problem directly with the faculty member(s) with whom the student has a problem and/or ask the student's faculty advisor or AD to intercede. Faculty members are expected to respond to such an inquiry within five business days. It is recommended that any written correspondence between parties be saved.
2. If the student is not satisfied with the results of (a), the student should contact a faculty or student member of the Psychology Personnel Committee. The informal complaint to the Personnel Committee member must be made within 45 days of the incident. The committee member contacted must inform the Personnel Committee as a whole within five days of being notified.
3. If an unresolved dispute is with a member of the Personnel Committee, that member will not be included in the discussion by the committee as a whole and will be treated as any other non-committee faculty member in the complaint process. The faculty member who is the subject of the complaint will have an opportunity to respond to the complaint before any action is taken by the Personnel Committee.
4. The Personnel Committee may assign one or more of its members to serve as mediator(s) with the student and faculty member(s). If the mediator(s) are unable to resolve the problem, the student may file a formal grievance.
5. The Personnel Committee must resolve the matter satisfactorily with the student within 75 days of the original incident, so the student can still file a formal complaint within the 90 day time limit required by the formal grievance procedure.

Related Policies

• Student Complaints and Grievances

Policy Revised 07/01/2006

It is the policy of Fielding Graduate University that if any student, because of an apparent medical or psychological condition, poses a threat to the physical well-being of him/herself or any other member of the Fielding Graduate University community, or a threat of serious destruction of property, such student may be placed on an involuntary leave of absence. This policy applies to medical and psychological problems only, and not to matters solely of a disciplinary nature.

Procedures

1. When evidence is brought to the Dean of any of the Fielding Schools (hereafter the "Dean"), that the behavior manifested by a Fielding student poses a threat to the physical or psychological well being of him/herself or another individual, or a threat of serious damage to property, the Dean may place the student on an involuntary leave of absence for an appropriate period of time. The student will be notified in writing of this action. Again, this policy applies to medical and psychological problems only, and not to matters solely of a disciplinary nature.
2. If the student agrees with the decision made by the Dean, no further action is necessary and procedures (5) through (6) will be followed.
3. If the student believes that an error in judgment was made in issuing the involuntary leave, he/she must so state in writing within three days following receipt of notice (sent through "certified-return receipt requested") of the suspension. A hearing must be held by the Provost within five working days after receipt of the aforementioned notice provided by the student (or as soon thereafter as the student is available). The purpose of such a hearing is to allow the student the opportunity to present evidence indicating that a leave is unwarranted. Evidence to the contrary may also be presented by the faculty, staff, administration, and/or students of Fielding. The following individuals must be given written notice of the date, time, place, and purpose of the hearing: the student, the Dean, the Registrar, the student's Graduate Program Advisor, the student's Faculty Advisor (if applicable), the Program Director for the program in which the student is enrolled, and each of the faculty members in whose classes the student is currently enrolled. After all evidence has been presented, the Provost must notify all parties listed above in writing of his/her final decision within three days of the hearing.
4. A student who has been on involuntary leave of absence may apply for reinstatement at the end of the leave period and will be subject to the official reinstatement procedures found in the Fielding Graduate University Policy Bulletin.
5. Questions regarding appropriate refund of tuition and fees paid for the term in which the leave began, payment of outstanding tuition/fees, and the like, are left to the discretion of the Dean and the CFO in cases such as those described herein. In general, students will be held responsible for tuition incurred through the effective date of the involuntary leave.
6. The transcript of such a student will be annotated in the following manner: "Involuntary Leave "MM/DD/YYYY."
   

Related Policies

• Re-Enrollment
• Student Impairment - School of Psychology only
• Student Complaints and Grievances

Policy Effective 07/01/2008

The Clinical Psychology PhD program curriculum is designed to be consistent with APA accreditation guidelines. The post-doctoral Respecialization Certificate program curriculum is a subset of the Clinical Psychology curriculum. Requirements for licensure usually are similar to APA accreditation guidelines. Nevertheless, specific requirements for licensure do vary from state to state and change over time. Our curriculum may not contain all of the pre-doctoral requirements for licensure in a given state. Respecialization students may not have had all of the non-clinical coursework required for licensure in their doctoral programs. Prospective students are responsible for determining the licensing requirements in the jurisdictions where they intend to practice, for monitoring changes in those requirements while they are completing their program, and for acquiring any additional academic or training background necessary for licensure. Fielding will provide licensing boards with official information to support graduates applications for licensure.

Please note that Clinical Psychology students may not advertise themselves as psychologists (in the yellow pages, on business cards, or otherwise make public statements offering services) until they have received their license.

Other Fielding programs are not intended or designed to meet licensure requirements in any specific field or profession.

Policy Revised 07/01/2005

Fielding Graduate University considers the student's legal name as the one supplied by the student on their signed enrollment application.  The Registrar's Office requires one item of documentation that your legal name has been changed to process a legal name change in our own records. The following forms of identification will be accepted as documentation for name changes: marriage license, divorce decree, driver's license, state ID card, military ID card, passport, or court order. In cases where other documentation than what is listed is being used, or the documentation supplied is unclear, we reserve the right to ask for additional documentation.

A copy of the new social security card is required for changes in social security number.

Fielding Graduate University is dedicated to maintaining an environment that provides equal access to its educational services for all students. Fielding is committed to developing the independence of people with disabilities in the wider community through full and equitable participation in higher education.

Within that context, Fielding will foster among its faculty, staff and student populations, informed and positive attitudes towards individuals with disabilities. Fielding will continue to develop training and resources to encourage and increase awareness and sensitivity regarding disability issues.

While the support of students with disabilities is a responsibility shared with all members of the Fielding community, Fielding has designated the Director of Student Advising as the initial point of contact for students with disabilities. The Director of Student Advising will facilitate requested support and services for students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. To ensure that individual needs are addressed, students with identified needs are encouraged to contact the Director of Student Advising as early as possible to appropriately document disabilities and make any requests for accommodations.

Requests for services for students with appropriately documented disabilities will be evaluated on an individual basis, within a reasonable time frame. A student's preference for accommodation will be considered first, but all types of reasonable accommodation will be considered. At times, alternative methods of accommodation may be used, depending upon the resources available to Fielding. While Fielding takes the needs of students with disabilities seriously, it is not able to guarantee that all services or resources requested by the student can be provided. Fielding will make every effort to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with appropriately documented disabilities, provided that such reasonable accommodations do not include measures that fundamentally alter the academic program of Fielding Graduate University, or that place undue financial burden on Fielding.

To read about the complete process for documentation of disability and to make requests for reasonable accommodations, including required forms, please go to: Students with Disabilities - Procedures

Fielding Graduate University respects the independence, rights, and dignity of people with disabilities. Therefore identifying oneself and/or requesting accommodations is completely voluntary.

Student Rights & Responsibilities

Students with disabilities at Fielding have the right to:

• Equal opportunity to learn and to receive reasonable accommodations;
• Equal access to courses, programs, services, activities and facilities offered through Fielding;
• Information available in accessible formats;
• Confidentiality of all information regarding disabilities, and the ability to choose to whom that information may be disclosed (except disclosures as permitted by law).

Students with disabilities at Fielding have the responsibility to:

• Voluntarily identify oneself as an individual with a disability when an accommodation is needed, and to seek information, counsel, and assistance as needed;
• Contact the Director of Student Advising to make requests for reasonable accommodations, and to provide complete documentation from an appropriate source that describes the nature of the disability and the resulting limitations;
• Meet qualifications and uphold Fielding standards (e.g., courses, programs, services, activities).

Fielding Graduate University Rights & Responsibilities

Fielding has the right to:

• Request documentation to identify the need for reasonable accommodations;
• Deny a request for accommodations if appropriate documentation is not provided, or if the documentation does not support the need for accommodations;
• Decide upon equally effective accommodations/alternatives;
• Refuse an unreasonable accommodation that would impose a fundamental revision of a program or activity of the University, or cause an undue financial hardship for the University.

Fielding has the responsibility to:

• Present information to students with disabilities in accessible formats;
• Provide reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities in courses, programs, services, activities, and facilities;
• Maintain confidentiality of records and communication, except where permitted or required by law.

Inquiries regarding this policy may be directed to:

Director of Student Advising
Fielding Graduate University
2112 Santa Barbara Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
805-687-1099
advisors@fielding.edu

Employment issues at Fielding Graduate University related to ADA compliance are to be directed to the Office of Human Resources.

Related Policies

• Equal Opportunity Statement
• Student Complaints and Grievances 
• Leaves and Elective Withdrawals
• Affirmative Action Statement
• Student Impairment (School of Psychology)

Policy Revised 07/01/2005

• Definition
• Informal Procedure
• Formal Procedure

The purpose of this procedure is to assure prompt and equitable resolution of problems arising from the implementation of academic and administrative policies of Fielding Graduate University as they affect students. If possible, it seeks to find resolution through mutual agreement between the parties and by a process as close to the original difficulty as possible. At the same time it attempts to be responsive to student concerns and to provide a thorough review and due process with regard to any difficulty that has arisen.

Whenever possible, students will utilize the informal procedures for addressing and resolving complaints. When necessary, students may file a formal grievance according to the procedures described below.

Definition

A student complaint is an allegation by a student that there has been, in an individual case, an arbitrary or discriminatory application of, or failure to act pursuant to, the policies of Fielding Graduate University in relation to students.

An academic complaint is one involving faculty members, associate deans, the program director of a particular program, or the Dean of a particular program. Faculty evaluations and grading of student work are based upon the substantive judgment of the faculty and are not subject to a complaint or grievance.

An administrative complaint is one involving staff of the Fielding Graduate University.

A grievance is a formal written request by a student to a designated academic or administrative officer for which specific remedies are requested. In their written request, students must use the terminology that they are filing a "formal grievance."

The parties to a grievance are the student filing the grievance and the person(s) against whom the grievance is filed.

Informal Procedure for Resolving Student Complaints

A student is encouraged to discuss her/his complaint with the person(s) who is(are) directly involved in the complaint, in an effort to come to a satisfactory resolution.

If these informal direct discussions are not successful, then the student may pursue one of several different informal avenues. If the matter is an academic complaint, the student may contact 1) her/his Graduate Program Advisor; 2) her/his Faculty Advisor; 3) the head or the head's designee of the student's academic program; or 4) the Personnel Committee of the student's academic program, or the student representative to that committee. If the matter is an administrative complaint, the student may contact 1) her/his Graduate Program Advisor; or 2) the administrative department head or the program head. Each program may develop procedures for how that program addresses informal academic complaints, see links at the end of this paragraph for any formalized procedures dealing with complaints. The Graduate Program Advisors can be of assistance in directing a student to the appropriate person, if a student is unclear about who performs these functions.

Informal Complaint Procedure Links for Schools

• Educational Leadership & Change
• Psychology

Formal Grievance

a. Academic:
If the informal procedure described above does not resolve the student's issue, s/he may initiate a formal grievance no later than 90 days from the precipitating event or action. For academic complaints, the formal grievance shall be submitted to the Dean of the School, in writing, stating the nature and time of the offending action and the person(s) involved in the action or failure to act. If the grievance involves the Dean, the grievance should be addressed to the Provost.

The Dean, or his/her designee, will follow the academic grievance procedures developed by that program. If the program has not developed grievance procedures, the following procedures will apply: the Dean, or his/her designee, will review the grievance with the associate deans of the academic program, if any, omitting an associate dean if s/he is the object of the grievance. Together, the Dean, or his/her designee, and any associate deans will gather information from the parties to the grievance and keep a record or summary of this information. After their review, they will recommend a solution by mutual agreement of the parties, and, if that is not acceptable, they will reach a decision on the grievance. In either case, they will state, in writing, the basis for their recommendation or decision, within 30 calendar days.

b. Administrative:
Grievances involving non-academic matters must be addressed to the administrative leader involved with that function, e.g., Marketing & Recruitment, Business Administration, Academic Resources, Student Services, etc. The relevant administrator will review the grievance in conjunction with relevant staff other than the person(s) complained against. Together they will gather information from the parties to the grievance and keep a record or summary of this information. After their review, they will recommend a solution by mutual agreement, and, if this is not acceptable, they will reach a decision on the grievance. In either case, they will state, in writing, a basis for their recommendation or decision, within 15 calendar days.

If the grievance involves an administrative leader who reports to the Provost, the grievance should be addressed to the Provost.

c. Appeals:
For both academic and administrative grievances, if the parties accept the recommendations of the review group in writing, the formal process terminates. If the recommendations are not accepted, the student grievant(s) will indicate, within 15 calendar days of receipt of the decision, whether s/he/they desire(s) to appeal for a further review. If s/he/they accept(s) the decision, the formal process terminates.

If the grievant(s) elect(s) to appeal the decision of the Dean, his/her designee, or administrative leader, the appeal will go to the Provost, along with the written record from the previous steps.

If the Provost was the original arbitrator of the grievance, the appeal will be referred to the President.

Within 15 calendar days from receipt of the appeal, the Provost will constitute a Special Hearing Committee ("Committee") to hear the grievance. The Committee will arrange for a hearing via teleconference or web-enabling software; there is no requirement that the hearing must be one where all parties are physically present. The Committee will be composed of a Fielding administrator not from the student's program as chair of the committee, and a faculty member and a student from the student's program. The Committee will function as an administrative committee, and it will establish its own rules of procedure, of which it will inform the parties to the grievance at the outset of the hearing. The hearing, and report of its outcome, must be conducted within 45 calendar days after the formation of the Committee has occurred.

At the hearing, all parties to the complaint will participate and testimony will be invited from each. Parties to the complaint may request to be accompanied by another person for support and/or assistance. Any parties to the complaint may not act in the capacity of an attorney. The student may not be represented by an attorney at the hearing. If any party to the complaint wishes to involve an additional person, they should inform the chair of the Committee in advance, so that other parties may be informed. A written and/or taped record of the Committee's proceedings will be maintained. The written record may be a summary of testimony and proceedings, or may be a verbatim transcript, at the discretion of the Committee.

The Committee will either recommend a decision or broker an amicable mutually acceptable potential solution between the involved parties. In either case, the recommendation/solution will be provided in writing to the Provost.

Within 15 calendar days, the Provost will accept, reject, or revise the decision of the Hearing Committee and communicate it to the student grievant(s). This decision will be based on the record of the previous hearing and the Provost will not reopen the hearing for new testimony.

The Provost may:
a. uphold the Committee's decision;
b. revise the Committee's decision;
c. take other appropriate action.

The action of the Provost will be final.

Where a grievance directly involves and is shared by more than one student, the grievances may be joined in a single grievance and treated in a single process, if all parties to the grievance agree to this procedure.

No reprisal of any kind shall be taken against any participant involved in a grievance procedure.

Georgia Residents

Students who are/were living in the state of Georgia during their Fielding enrollment may file a written complaint with the state of Georgia regarding any grievance that was not resolved to the student's satisfaction, but only after the student has exhausted the University's grievance procedure as outlined above. Such complaints should be addressed to: Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission, 2082 East Exchange Pl., Ste. 220, Tucker, GA 30084 Phone: 770-414-3300.

Policy Revised 01/01/2009

Fielding Graduate University adheres to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, concerning student access to files and the release of student information.

Students have the right to inspect and review their educational records. Educational records include any data or information about a student, regardless of the media used to create or maintain the record. Educational records include those records maintained by the institution but exclude records maintained by individuals and available only to those individuals or designated substitutes (e.g. "personal files"). Student educational records are located and maintained by administrators in one or more of the following offices:

Admissions Files: The Admissions Office staff is responsible for maintaining files that contain letters of recommendation for admissions to the University, transcripts of work performed at other institutions, the student's statement of purpose, application materials, admission agreements, and other materials as necessary for admission purposes. All materials submitted become the property of the University. The Admissions Office staff and members of the admissions committees of the various programs have access to these files for the purpose of carrying out the admissions function. After a student has been admitted to the University and actually matriculated for study at Fielding, these files are transferred to the Office of Records/Registrar. The files of applicants who do not matriculate are destroyed one year after the applicant file is determined to be inactive.

Registrar's Files: The Office of Records/Registrar is responsible for maintaining files that contain official transcripts of work performed by Fielding students at other institutions, documentation supporting the official Fielding transcript entries, and copies of occasional correspondence written by faculty and administration along with student replies. Such correspondence is generally related to the students academic program or progress in that program. Members of the administration and faculty have access to these files as permitted by their student advisement roles. Also, the records office staff have access to these files in order to maintain them and to provide data to authorized persons. After graduation or withdrawal, Fielding maintains only those student records necessary to verify the transcript.

Financial Aid Files: The Office of Financial Aid is responsible for maintaining files that contain applications and award letters for all forms of federal and institutional aid, correspondence with lenders, loan-tracking documents, and information regarding awards from previous institutions. The staff of the Financial Aid Office have access to these files in order to process financial aid applications and advise students.

Students with Disabilities Files: The Director of the Office of Student Advising maintains files on students who have registered their disabilities with him/her and/or requested accommodations under our policy. Advising and Records office staff have access to those files as necessary to implement approved accommodation requests.

Committee on Academic Integrity Files: The chair of the Committee on Academic Integrity (CAI) maintains files of alleged dishonesty/plagiarism cases that are adjudicated by the CAI.

Provost Files: The Office of the Provost is responsible for maintaining files that contain background information and official documents about alleged student misconduct, disciplinary hearings, and student grievances arising to his/her level. Information about alleged student misconduct, disciplinary hearings, and student grievances is considered to be confidential and is divulged on a strict "need-to-know" basis. The provost and his/her administrative staff have access to the files for the purpose of conducting necessary investigation charges, administering disciplinary or grievance hearings and maintaining institutional records of such hearings. As each investigation is resolved, the file is transferred to the Registrar for permanent maintenance.

Student Accounts Files: The Office of Student Accounts is responsible for maintaining files that contain payment agreements, student and third party payments, authorization to charge or reverse charges, correspondence with the student and with third party sponsors, collections information and bankruptcy documentation. Student Accounts staff as well as members of the University's administration have access to these files in order to justify all data activity and remain complaint with auditors as well as to advise students. Student account files are destroyed seven years after a student has been determined inactive.

In addition to the persons named above, the administrators of the University - the President, Provost, the Associate Provosts- have access to all records directly related to Fielding students. The deans of each school have access to all records directly related to students enrolled in their school's programs. Fielding Graduate University faculty and staff, including school attorneys, may access student records in which they have a legitimate education interest, as determined by the keeper of that record in consultation with the Registrar as necessary. Students and former students should contact the Office of Records if they wish to review any of their personal files.

Students will be provided access to their educational record file whenever requested within 45 days. Fielding Graduate University reserves the right to deny copies of transcripts or copies of records not required to be made available under FERPA in any of the following situations:

• The student has an unpaid financial obligation to Fielding Graduate University;
• The student is in default in the repayment of a loan obtained while in attendance under Fielding;
• There is an unresolved disciplinary action against the student.

In addition, Fielding Graduate University is not required under FERPA to permit students to inspect and review the following:

• confidential letters and recommendations placed in their files prior to January 1, 1975;
• confidential letters and recommendations placed in their files after January 1, 1975, to which the student has waived his or her rights to inspect and review and that are related to the student's admission, application for employment or job placement, or receipt of honors;
• education records containing information about more than one student; however, we may permit access to that part of the record which pertains only to the inquiring student.

To request access to your educational record, please contact the Records Office in writing. If copying of any portion of the student record is requested, we reserve the right to charge a reasonable fee based on the number of pages and mailing costs.

The University reserves the right to remove and destroy any material from any student's files, except under the following circumstances: when a student's request to review and inspect their records is pending; or when a student's proposed amendment to the record is pending.

If a student wishes to challenge or amend the contents of any portion of the educational record which they consider to be inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of their privacy or other rights they must follow normal grievance procedures; please see the Student Complaints and Grievances policy. The exception to this is grade changes; for those please see the Grades and Credit policy. Whether or not a student files a grievance, and regardless of the outcome of any such grievance, the student may insert into his or her files a personal written explanation concerning any material the student believes is inaccurate, misleading or otherwise inappropriate.

For University policy on data items considered public information, and the disclosure of same, see FERPA: Sudent & Institutional Rights Regarding Public Information.

Policy Revised 01/01/2009

Introduction

This document provides policies and procedures for managing problematic student conduct or performance. These policies are consistent with accreditation standards of the American Psychological Association and also incorporate human resources policies of the Fielding Graduate University and the protocol for response to students with academic and/or clinical difficulties approved by the faculty of the School of Psychology. These policies emphasize due process in the school's decisions about students. There are avenues of appeal that allow students to file grievances and to dispute school decisions.

The APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2002) clearly stipulates the requirement that psychologists meet certain standards of competence and that they be free of personal impediments that could impair professional performance based on generally accepted standards of care. It further stipulates that training programs have the obligation to apply these standards of performance to students, taking remedial action when possible, and dismissing students when such efforts fail to improve performance to the stipulated levels.

Two types of difficulties and terms denoting them have been noted in the literature:

• Incompetence is reserved for situations where the skills necessary for adequate professional performance is lacking;
• Impairment is reserved for situations of diminishing functioning.

Both types of difficulties may be manifest in graduate students, in either academic, clinical, research, or all components of their programs.

In addition, for purposes of this document student problems are defined broadly as an interference in professional functioning which is reflected in one or more of the following ways: 1) an inability and/or unwillingness to acquire and integrate professional standards into one's repertoire of professional behavior, 2) an inability and/or unwillingness to acquire professional skills in order to reach an acceptable level of competence, and/or 3) an inability to control personal stress, psychological dysfunctions, and/or excessive emotional reactions which interfere with professional functioning.

While it is a professional judgment as to when a student's behavior becomes more serious (i.e., problematic) rather than just of concern, for purposes of this document a concern refers to a students' behaviors, attitudes, or characteristics which, while of concern and which may require remediation, are perceived to be not unexpected or excessive for professionals in training. Student behaviors become identified as impairments when they include one or more of the following characteristics:

1. the student does not acknowledge, understand, or address the problem when it is identified;
2. the problem is not merely a reflection of a skill deficit which can be rectified by academic or didactic training;
3. the quality of academic or clinical work delivered by the student is sufficiently negatively affected;
4. the problem is not restricted to one area of professional functioning;
5. a disproportionate amount of attention by faculty is required,
6. the student's behavior does not change as a function of feedback, remediation efforts, and/or time;
7. the problematic behavior has potential for ethical or legal ramifications if not addressed;
8. the student's behavior negatively impacts the public view of the Fielding Graduate University;
9. the problematic behavior negatively impacts the student population.

The School of Psychology Program continually assesses each student's performance and conduct. Feedback from the assessments facilitates students' professional growth by acknowledging strengths and identifying performance or conduct areas that need improvement. At a minimum, faculty cluster leaders provide written evaluations and meet with the student at specific intervals (e.g., Annual Reviews) to discuss the assessments and offer recommendations. In the meetings, differences between students' and faculty appraisals are expected to surface and, in most cases, are resolved. After the review, the faculty and student sign the annual plan and forward it to Santa Barbara. Faculty will be required to provide documentation of problems encountered.

Students are evaluated within the three components in the clinical psychology PhD program: academic, research, and clinical. The academic component consists of a curriculum of areas of study called knowledge areas as well as the comprehensive assessment. The research component includes the research practicum, proposal and dissertation, and the final oral review. The clinical component includes the practicum, psychological assessment labs, pre-internship evaluation, and internship. Each student is evaluated by the faculty and given feedback and evaluation throughout their student career.

Each component aims to provide the student with the opportunity to begin assuming the professional role of a psychologist consistent with the scholar/practitioner model. This role entails the integration of previous training and further development of the scientific, professional, and ethical bases involved in professional functioning.

School of Psychology Expectation of Students

The expectations of students are divided into three areas:

1. knowledge of and conformity to relevant professional standards,
2. acquisition of appropriate professional skills, and
3. appropriate management of personal concerns and issues as they relate to professional functioning.

Professional Standards

Students are expected to:

1. Be cognizant of and abide by the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, Specialty Guidelines and any other relevant, professional documents or standards which address psychologists' ethical, personal and/or legal responsibilities.
2. Be cognizant of and abide by the laws and regulations governing the practice of psychology. Such documents include but are not necessarily limited to the appropriate state regulations governing the practice of psychology; relevant local, state and federal statues; and relevant case law.

It is recognized by the clinical psychology program that mere knowledge of and exposure to the above guidelines and standards are not sufficient. Students need to demonstrate the ability to integrate relevant professional standards into their own repertoire of professional and personal behavior. Examples of such integration include a demonstrated awareness of ethical issues when they arise in work with clients, appropriate decision making in other ethical situations, and awareness of ethical considerations in their own and other's professional work.

Personal Functioning

There is a relationship between the level of personal functioning and effectiveness as a professional psychologist, for example, most notably in one's role delivering direct services to clients. Physical, emotional, and/or educational problems may interfere with the quality of a student's professional and/or educational work. Such problems include but are not limited to 1) educational or academic deficiencies, 2) psychological adjustment problems and/or inappropriate emotional responses, 3) inappropriate management of personal stress, 4) inadequate level of self-directed professional development, 5) inappropriate use of and/or response to supervision/ guidance, 6) violations of civil rights or harassment violating federal, state, and Fielding policies, and 7) violations of any criminal laws.

When such problems significantly interfere with a student's professional functioning, such problems will be communicated in writing to the student during annual reviews or when necessary. The Dean or his designee, in conjunction with the student, will formulate strategies for ameliorating such problems and will implement such strategies and procedures. If such attempts do not restore the student to an acceptable level of professional functioning within a reasonable amount of time, discontinuation in the program may result. The specific procedures employed for the notice and acknowledgement and amelioration of student deficiencies will be described later in this policy.

General Responsibilities of the Clinical Psychology Program

A major focus of this program is to assist students in integrating their personal values, attitudes and functioning as individuals with their professional functioning. We are committed to providing the type of learning environment in which a student can meaningfully explore personal issues which relate to his/her professional functioning. The responsibilities correspond to the three general expectation areas (Professional Standards, Professional Competency, Personal Functioning) and are described below:

1. The program will provide students with information regarding relevant professional standards and guidelines as well as providing appropriate avenues to discuss the implementations of such standards.
2. The program will provide students with information regarding relevant legal regulations which govern the practice of psychology as well as providing appropriate forums to discuss the implementations of such standards. The program will further provide students with information regarding academic standards as well as information regarding academic policies of the university. Students will be reminded to review laws and regulations which govern the practice of psychology in their state.
3. The program will provide periodic written evaluation of the student's program with the content of such evaluations designed to facilitate student's progress and growth as professionals. Academic evaluations will address the students' knowledge of each particular knowledge area as determined by the competency standards established by the School of Psychology, as well as personal functioning consequences. Clinical evaluations will address the students' knowledge of and adherence to professional standards, their professional skill competency, and their personal functioning as it relates to the delivery of professional services.

In accepting the above responsibilities, the Dean or his designee will maintain ongoing communications with the student's cluster faculty regarding the student's progress in all components of the program. The program will provide appropriate mechanisms by which inappropriate student behavior affecting professional and/or educational functioning is brought to the attention of the student.

Student Impairment

Similar to practicing psychologists, students of professional psychology have a responsibility to address personal issues which may impair their performance in academic and/or clinical training, or may jeopardize the well-being of clients.

Students who come to the attention of faculty and administration as experiencing impairment issues will be treated with compassion, support, and dignity. It is a goal of the School of Psychology to help students successfully complete program requirements. Whereas it is clearly preferable for impairment to be dealt with through prevention or voluntary intervention, at times, the School of Psychology is called upon to intervene and assist in a student's remediation of impairment issues.

Student impairment is defined as significant interference in functioning at the academic or professional training level to or associated with a health or mental health condition. More specifically, such health or mental health conditions often include, but are not limited to, the following:

• physical and emotional hardships
• chemical dependency
• stress, burnout
• extreme personal/relationship difficulties
• emotional and mental disorders
• cognitive impairment due to injury or illness

Finally, it is important to point out that impairment is not equivalent to incompetence or problematic behavior. Although individuals experiencing impairment may display problematic or incompetent behavior, such actions are closely linked with a health or mental health condition. Further, a person may experience health or mental health difficulties without being considered impaired.

Dismissal Policy

The dismissal of a student from the School of Psychology is a significant event for both the student and program faculty. It represents the conclusion of the faculty that the student has cognitive, affective, and/or behavioral impairments that interfere with professional and/or educational functioning or, that the student has not demonstrated an adequate level of competency in either academic, clinical or research skills, or professional conduct. Dismissal action is generally the final outcome of several informal and formal communications (as detailed below) with the student regarding his or her unsatisfactory progress through the program and, when appropriate, special efforts at helping the student meet program requirements and training objectives.

Reasons for Dismissal from the Program

At any point during the student's matriculation through the program, the faculty retains the right to review any student circumstances or personal performances that may negatively affect the student's competencies for independent professional practice or that may threaten client welfare. The following are offered as examples of circumstances or performances may be the basis for dismissal action under this policy; many other instances of misconduct (e.g., academic dishonesty) are covered in other University policies, and these policies should be consulted as appropriate:

• Failure to maintain minimum academic standards
• Unsatisfactory performance in practice courses (e.g., practicum or internship)
• Criminal misconduct
• Unethical practices and/or unprofessional conduct as specified in APA or state guidelines for ethical behavior
• Cognitive, affective, and/or behavioral impairments that obstruct the training process and/or threaten client welfare.

Interim Suspension

Any of the Associate/Assistant Deans or a Program Director in the School of Psychology may recommend to the Dean an interim suspension when a student's behavior threatens to disrupt the educational process of the school, or when such behavior places the welfare of clients or others in jeopardy. Upon this recommendation, the Dean may suspend the student when the student's behavior threatens to disrupt the educational process or when such behavior threatens the welfare of others. Interim suspension will become effective immediately, without prior notice, and may be terminated by the Dean at any time prior to or after the outcome of disciplinary proceedings. Students placed on an interim suspension will not be permitted to participate in some or all of the school's activities, nor will they be allowed to take examinations or submit papers or other course work without written permission from the academic leader who recommended the interim suspension. Interim suspension will remain in effect until the Impairment/Incompetence committee recommends another course of action.

Reporting Impairment/Incompetence

Students are welcome to come forward on their own to discuss any difficulties they believe may impair their ability to function in academic and/or clinical settings. Students who wish to discuss such difficulties can contact any psychology faculty member.

Faculty, students, or staff who are concerned about possible impairment in a School of Psychology student should proceed according to the following procedures:

• First, if possible, talk directly with the student to express concerns about possible impairment/incompetence and to encourage the student to remediate the problem. Provide the student with specific behavioral examples that support concerns.
• Encourage the student to approach an Associate/Assistant Dean or Program Director to discuss the issues involved.
• If faculty, student, or staff is unwilling or unable to talk to the student, they may report the concerns by speaking with either the Dean of the School of Psychology, an Associate Dean or Assistant Dean, or a Program Director. This may come to the administration as a specific complaint, observation at an event at Fielding Graduate University or outside the university, or a circumstance that suggests impairment/incompetence. Be prepared to provide specific behavioral examples that indicate a change in previous functioning.

Once such concerns have been brought to the attention of either the Dean of the School of Psychology, an Associate/Assistant Dean, or a Program Director, a committee chaired by the Dean or Associate Dean will examine the information in order to determine if there are reasonable grounds to suspect student impairment/incompetence. If the committee finds that a student is in its judgment impaired/incompetent, the committee will decide on a plan to address the concerns. The student will be notified by the committee chair of the committee recommendation(s) (see procedure below) for addressing the student impairment/incompetence.

Review Procedures

To protect student due process rights as well as the rights of faculty to uphold the academic and professional standards of the School of Psychology, the following steps will be taken as part of the retention and dismissal review process:

• The student will be informed in writing by an Associate/Assistant Dean, or Program Director of any complaint, event, or circumstance that suggest impairment/incompetence or violation of University, legal, ethical, or professional codes. Such complaints may emanate from members of the program, school or University faculty, clinical supervisors, clients, students, or professionals and agents outside the university community.
• As part of the above communication, an Associate/Assistant Dean or Program Director may initially advise the student to seek an informal resolution of the complaint with the accusing party, and to inform the Associate/Assistant Dean or Program Director of the outcome of this action within 30 calendar days.
• If, however, informal methods at problem resolution are inappropriate or unsatisfactory, the Associate/Assistant Dean or Program Director will inform (in writing) the student, the student's cluster faculty, and other interested parties that the student's status in the program is being reviewed and that a formal meeting of the Impairment/Incompetence Committee will be necessary to evaluate the nature of the problem and to decide on a course of action. Depending on the nature of the complaints, event, or circumstance, a student's status in the program may be in immediate jeopardy and the goal of the review would then be for the committee to decide whether to retain or dismiss the student from the program.
• The Associate/Assistant Dean or Program Director may invite any persons judged to have relevant information to submit such information either in person (either physically, or by conference call) at this meeting or in writing prior to the meeting. The student will be given copies of all written materials under consideration in advance of the meeting. The student would be invited to attend this meeting (physically or by conference call) and to present testimony. In addition, the student may invite other individuals who have relevant testimony to present material to the committee. The student will provide the Associate/Assistant Dean or Program Director with a list of these individuals at least 7 calendar days in advance of the scheduled meeting. The student has no right of cross examination. A student may have counsel present but counsel many not speak or advocate on behalf of the student.
• Following the presentation of testimony and evidence, the committee will convene separately to deliberate and to arrive at a decision regarding the student's standing in the program. This decision may result in either (a) retention of the student in good standing, (b) a judgment to allow the student to continue in the program on probationary status until specified conditions are met, or (c) immediate dismissal of the student from the program. The decision of the committee shall be a collegial decision through reason/judgment of the committee. The decision shall not be subject to civil/criminal standards of proof.
• Following completion of the committee's decision-making, the Associate/Assistant Dean or Program Director will inform the student and the student's cluster faculty (in writing) of the committee's decision and, if appropriate, clearly specify what if any conditions must be satisfied by the student to maintain his or her good standing within the program. The entire process from the point that it has been determined that an informal resolution could not be reached and a formal meeting of the Impairment Committee was necessary, to the written decision, should not exceed 45 calendar days.
• The student will also be advised that if he or she wishes to appeal the outcome of the committee's decision, he/she will be allowed to appeal to the Dean of the School of Psychology within 10 calendar days. Failure to appeal within 10 calendar days renders the committee's recommendations final. The written appeal must state the reason(s) why the student believes the committee's recommendations are inappropriate. The Dean will review the case and will provide a decision to the student within 10 calendar days after the receipt of the written appeal. The decision of the Dean will be final.

Policy Effective 01/01/2009

This policy is a companion to the faculty timely response policy. Just as students can contact faculty, staff, and administrators with the expectation of receiving a timely response, it is the student's responsibility to attend to communications from the institutional personnel that request a response. Student timely communication is necessary for effective institutional functioning and to provide appropriate educational supports.

As a distributed learning environment, faculty, staff, and administrators may send students a communication that requires a response by email, postal mail, or by phone. It is the student's responsibility to respond in a timely manner to those communications. The expectation is that a student will respond within ten calendar days. If there is no response, the sender should make a second attempt. If there is no response within ten calendar days, the sender should notify the Dean of the School of Psychology immediately.

The Dean will attempt to contact the student via registered letter to the student's address on record requesting a response to the last communication in question. Lack of response to the registered letter after two weeks will result in an immediate suspension of 30 days. The Dean's office will continue to make a good faith attempt to contact the student to determine if there are mitigating circumstances that are preventing a response from the student. If circumstances warrant it, the Dean may simply reinstate the student. If unable to make this determination within 30 days or circumstances do not warrant non-response, the Dean will dismiss the student. Dismissal under these conditions requires an application for reinstatement.

Related Policies

• Student Complaints and Grievances
• Faculty/Staff Timely Response Policy

Policy Effective 07/01/2006

Fielding relies upon the statements made and documents supplied by its applicants and students. If discrepancies appear between statements or documents provided to Fielding and information otherwise obtained, applicants may be rejected for admission and students may be dismissed without recourse.

Policy Revised 11/01/1997