Apr 19, 2024  
2016-2017 Student Handbook 
    
2016-2017 Student Handbook [ARCHIVED PUBLICATION] Use the dropdown above to select the current catalog.

Academic Policies



The HMC Catalogue is the primary resource for all academic requirements and policies. Information in the catalogue supersedes all academic information found here.

Academic regulations are established by the faculty and appear in the HMC Catalogue.

Scholarly Standing Committee

The Scholarly Standing Committee (SSC) consists of four faculty members selected by the Faculty Executive Committee. The associate dean for academic affairs, vice president for student affairs/dean of students and the registrar sit on the committee as non-voting, ex officio members. The committee serves to vote on behalf of the entire faculty on all matters relating to academic regulations and academic records of each student. The committee is also responsible for considering student concerns for such things as waiving existing deadlines, academic appeals and academic standing. The SSC meets periodically during the academic year on posted days. Preceding the meeting there is a posted petition deadline, usually a few days earlier. Petitions for the SSC or subcommittees should be submitted to the registrar. For information on the committee, see the registrar’s web page.

Faculty Advisors

Incoming first-year students are assigned a first-year advisor. In the spring semester of their first year, students are assigned a second advisor from the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts. When a student declares a major, an advisor from the major department is assigned to the student, replacing the first-year advisor. To change a major and/or advisor, the student should contact the Office of the Registrar. Advisors must approve students’ schedules each semester before preregistration, but it is the student’s responsibility to make certain all degree requirements are satisfied. In addition, many other procedures require an advisor’s signature, such as dropping or adding a course or registering a course as pass/fail. If an advisor goes on sabbatical or extended leave, a temporary advisor will be assigned.

Student Portal

Current academic information is available for students through the student portal at portal.hmc.edu. Each student must have a user ID and password to use the portal. Students can view their class schedules, academic record and transcripts and can perform a degree audit and GPA projection. Students can also view The Claremont Colleges course schedule, which is displayed in real time. For example, it will display whether a course is open and how many seats are still available. Information on special requirements, such as prerequisites, is also available for each course if applicable. The registrar’s office does not send out grade reports or copies of class schedules to students. Students can log in to the student portal to see their grades and to check their class schedules. For technical assistance, including help with login issues, contact the Help Desk at 909.607.7777 or help-desk@hmc.edu.

Home Address Changes

Report any changes in home address or home phone number to the registrar’s office. Students will be asked annually to confirm home information that is on file.

Emergency Contact Changes

Report any changes in emergency contact information to the registrar’s office. Students will be asked annually to confirm the emergency contact information on file. It is important that this data be kept accurate and up-to-date so that the College can contact the appropriate person(s) in the event of an emergency. Students should have at least three emergency contacts on file.

Enrollment Verifications

If students need verification of their student enrollment at HMC, they should contact the registrar’s office to obtain verification. Enrollment verifications are sometimes needed for such situations as good student driver discounts for auto insurance, health insurance and scholarship renewal.

Cross Registration With Other Claremont Colleges

As members of The Claremont Colleges, HMC students may take courses at any of the other four undergraduate colleges. At registration time, the complete listing of courses, including within the 5-Cs, is available on the College website and the portal. Students should consult with their academic advisors about the appropriate courses for degree and major requirements.

Transcripts

Official copies of student transcripts are available through the Office of the Registrar. Fees apply for each official copy, whether provided to the student or sent to a third party at the student’s request. Transcripts can only be issued if the student’s financial obligations to the College have been paid in full or satisfactory arrangements have been made to do so. Requests for transcripts may be made electronically by following the instructions at hmc.edu/registrar. Unofficial transcripts are available at no charge to students and alumni online through the campus portal.

Academic Advisories

Academic advisories are distributed to students who appear to be having difficulty with their work at the midterm. These advisories are sent to the student, the associate dean for academic affairs and the student’s academic advisor. In some cases, the student is requested to meet with their professor or the associate dean for academic affairs to discuss their progress.

Not all faculty send academic advisories, and it is possible for a student to fail a course despite not having received an advisory. Students are encouraged to meet with their professor if they have any concerns about their current course status.

Student Absentee Notices

Any student who knows that they will miss a class should contact their professors in advance. Within such notification there should be a plan for completion of missed work. In the case of a serious illness or an emergency, when it is known that a student will miss classes, student affairs staff will send a notice to the professors of those classes. The student or their proctor should contact student affairs with all relevant information, and the student must be seen at Student Health Services. Notices cannot be sent out after the fact, and all missed work must be made up at the discretion of the professor.

Involuntary Disenrollment Due to Non-Attendance

If a student fails to attend the first two meetings of a course (or one course meeting for courses meeting only one time per week) and the absences were not approved in advance by the instructor, the faculty member of record may ask the student’s registrar to drop the student from the course. However, students will not automatically be dropped from a course they do not attend. The student may appeal to the home college for reinstatement into a dropped course before the add deadline only in instances when documented circumstances beyond the student’s control prevented the student from attending the course and communicating with the instructor.

Involuntary Disenrollment Due to Student Conduct

When a prompt response may be essential, the Dean of Faculty has the authority to intervene in cases in which a student, after warning from the instructor, continues to engage in conduct which results in the substantial impairment of teaching or learning in a course. In such rare cases, the Dean of Faculty will interview the student, the instructor, other students in the course, and any additional persons deemed relevant, to determine a course of action—up to and including an involuntary withdrawal from the course. The student may invite any member of the Harvey Mudd community to act as an advocate on her or his behalf. This process is intended to remedy a situation that is disturbing the educational opportunities of other students and should not be interpreted as a disciplinary process. It thus does not preclude a case being filed with the appropriate judicial body by any party that believes the disruptive conduct constitutes a violation of any College code or policy.

Laboratory Equipment

No laboratory equipment or material may be removed from laboratories without appropriate academic department approval.

Access to Academic Buildings

The Libra Complex is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Entrance to the complex at other times is obtained by using the swipe card locks. Permission to enter individual rooms in the academic complex during off hours is determined by the academic departments. Keys may be obtained through the departments.

A list of persons authorized to have access, and the special regulations applying to the use of the facilities, may be posted by the appropriate academic department, shop or computer laboratory personnel. Authorized persons must be familiar with these regulations and observe them responsibly.

Authorized persons are also responsible for closing doors and preventing access by unauthorized persons. Buildings are checked periodically by Campus Safety. If doors are found propped open or if unauthorized persons are present, the building may be cleared of people and access privileges may be revoked.

Those students, faculty or staff who possess keys to any building or classroom may not copy or transfer the key. According to the California Penal Code, Section 466, possession of any unauthorized key or one that has been illegally duplicated is prohibited.