There are enormous benefits to be had from enrolling in a Continuing Education (CE) program. Even taking a single course can help you move up at work. Earning certification in a subject like Digital Marketing might be enough to start an entirely new career. At a minimum, you get the satisfaction of learning something new, of knowing something more, of proving that old—well, “old-er”—dogs can still master new tricks.
Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, though. College and university courses are always challenging, but your degree of difficulty as a CE student is particularly high. You aren't just taking classes, studying, and writing papers. You're doing all that while juggling a career, raising a family, and paying a mortgage. The good news is that Auburn's Office of Professional and Continuing Education is set up with you in mind. There's a wide range of educational opportunities, and most let you earn credits while working around your busy schedule. You'll also find that faculty are generally eager to help you succeed and will work with you to deal with problems as they come up.
There are those professors, though...you know the ones. Maybe you encountered them when you were an undergraduate: the ones who refuse to excuse an absence when your kids are sick or who insist “the due date is the due date” even if you've got a big expense report to hand in at work on the same day. What do you do when you run into them?
You can contact the Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or online. The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm understand the pressures you're under, and we're committed to helping you make it through your CE program. We know the law as it applies to education. More importantly, we know how the Auburn CE program works. When you've got a problem, we can help you navigate the system, make sure you're treated fairly, and get you the best possible outcome.
Academics
Problems for CE students generally come in two flavors. Some students struggle to meet academic expectations. Others have issues with “the rules.” You'll find information below about both. You came to Auburn to learn, though, so let's start with academics.
Educational Options
Your journey at Auburn starts with deciding just what it is you want to study. What do you want to know more about? What's going to help you most with your career path? What's going to fit in best with your schedule?
The Office of Professional and Continuing Education offers courses in subjects as diverse as handgun safety, using Photoshop, and paralegal work, and there are a variety of learning formats. For example, you can take a two-day seminar on the subject of Worker's Compensation. Or, spend four months of Mondays learning to write and perform Indian music. There are test prep courses for tests such as the ACT and LSAT, or you can earn certification in subjects like Court Reporting. Most courses can be taken online, and many learning modules are self-paced, so you can fit studying and completing assignments into your individual schedule.
Educational Requirements
No matter what program you sign up for, you'll have educational requirements to meet. Of course, those will vary depending on the specifics of the program.
If you're working towards certification, for instance, you may need to meet the requirements of Auburn's Academic Standing policy. This policy sets clear goals for your progress and defines the penalties you face when you aren't meeting those goals. If you're taking undergraduate courses, for example, you'll need to maintain a minimum 2.0 grade point average. Anything under that number, and you can be issued an Academic Warning, Suspended, or even Dismissed from the program entirely. Graduate students must maintain a 3.0.
Of course, even if you've just signed up for a weekend seminar, you can expect the work to be rigorous and the instructors demanding. This is Auburn University, after all. You won't get credit if you can't meet course requirements, and while you can retake a failed course, it will cost you more money. Passing isn't always as easy as it sounds, either. Again, most faculty will work with you to make sure you meet standards, but you will occasionally run across an instructor who wants to hold you to unreasonable expectations. When you do, keep in mind that the attorneys at the Lento Law Firm are here to help. They can coach you in negotiating a better grade, help you file a grade appeal, or, if necessary, fight to make sure your instructors treat you fairly.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Financial Aid Policy
Some CE students are responsible for meeting an additional set of academic requirements. If your studies are supported through financial aid, you'll likely be subject to Auburn's SAP policy. The federal government requires all colleges and universities to develop a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy to prevent anyone from abusing the aid system.
The Auburn policy includes three standards.
- You must earn a GPA in line with Auburn Academic Standing policy. If you're an undergraduate, that means you need a 2.0. If you're a graduate student, you'll need a 3.0.
- You must pass at least 67 percent of all your coursework. Failures count against this percentage, and so do course withdrawals and incompletes.
- You must complete your program within 150 percent of the published program requirements. If, for example, your program requires 30 hours, you will lose aid once you've exceeded 45 hours.
SAP has to do with aid, not enrollment. As long as you meet Auburn's Standing policy, you can take courses at the university indefinitely. However, unlike the Standing policy, there are no “warnings” when it comes to SAP, and most students who lose their financial aid package find it difficult to finish their programs of study.
AU does offer an appeals process for students whose deficiencies are the result of extenuating circumstances. Successful applicants earn an additional probationary semester of financial aid. The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm have experience filing such appeals. They know exactly what sort of evidence committees look for and how to make you look your best on paper. However, financial aid is always time-sensitive, so you want to contact the firm the very moment you think your aid might be in jeopardy.
Academic Misconduct
Finally, you have yet one more policy to worry about as a student in the Auburn CE program: the Academic Integrity policy. That policy contains a long list of prohibitions against everything from plagiarism to asking another person to take an exam for you. In simple terms, though, anything that might potentially give you an unfair advantage in completing your program of study can get you into trouble.
How much trouble? First offenses are usually dealt with through in-class sanctions. That is, if your instructor decides you've cheated in some way, they'll generally assign a punishment that's related to your coursework.
- Oral or written warnings
- Makeup assignments or rewrites
- Extra assignments on the nature of academic integrity
- Lowered grades on assignments, up to a zero
- Lowered course grades, up to an F
That can be harsh enough. Instructors are also required, though, to report instances of misconduct to the Office of the Provost. That office can assign additional disciplinary penalties to students with multiple violations, including
- Probation
- Suspension
- Dismissal
Your instructors have almost total authority when it comes to deciding if you've committed an offense and determining the most appropriate punishment. However, you always have the right to challenge their decisions through the Academic Honesty Committee's hearing process. As part of this process, you're allowed to make opening and closing statements, to present evidence in your defense, and to call witnesses to testify. You may also raise questions for any witnesses against you, including your instructor.
Importantly, you have the right to an advisor during this process, someone to help you prepare your case and to accompany you to the hearing. Further, this advisor can be an attorney. Cases don't always go this far. The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm are skilled in negotiating fair sanctions if you've been caught in a mistake. They can also work with you to develop an airtight defense, though, should you need it.
Disciplinary Misconduct
The other flavor of educational issues has to do with your general conduct. University campuses are communities, and schools maintain rules to ensure those communities work effectively.
Auburn University's rules are contained in its Student Code of Conduct. It's full of restrictions on things like hazing, disorderly conduct, weapons possession, and public intoxication. Many of these won't apply to you as a CE student. If you're an adult, for instance, you don't need to worry about the underage drinking policy. And if you're taking online courses or attending a weekend seminar at the local Hyatt Regency, you probably aren't going to wind up accused of trespassing or vandalism.
Nevertheless, there are some important rules that do apply to you.
- Violations of State or Federal Law: The Code of Conduct includes a specific prohibition against any violations of state or federal law. Any criminal conviction, even for something small like drinking and driving or domestic abuse, can lead to school sanctions up to and including dismissal. And the violations don't have to occur on campus. You can be taking a CE course in an entirely other state and Auburn will still hold you accountable if you break the law.
- Sexual Misconduct: All educational programs that receive federal monies are subject to Title IX, a federal law that bars sexual discrimination and harassment. That includes universities like Auburn. Any form of sexual misconduct, from simple verbal harassment to spousal abuse and rape, can lead to an accusation. The minimum penalty in such cases is usually suspension. More often, students who are found Responsible for a violation are simply dismissed.
- Online Misconduct: Many CE courses take place entirely online. That doesn't make you immune from misconduct allegations. Sexual harassment, for instance, can happen just as easily in an online course forum as it can in a brick-and-mortar classroom. In general, you want to be careful about all of your online behavior.
- Act professionally.
- Treat others with respect.
- Avoid profanity and other types of socially offensive language.
- Dress appropriately if others can see you.
- Avoid video chat in inappropriate surroundings.
If you're charged with these or any other policy violations, you always have the right to defend yourself. Auburn must conduct an investigation, it must give you a hearing, and you have some important due process rights to help you through the process.
For example, you have the right to a presumption of “Not Responsible” (innocence); you have the right to review evidence in the case; you have the right to advanced notification of all meetings and proceedings; and you have the right to appeal the final verdict if the school doesn't follow its own procedures.
Your most important, right, though? The right to select an attorney to advise you during the investigation and hearing. A Lento Law Firm attorney can't speak for you during these proceedings. However, they can play a vital role in helping you prepare your defense, and they can be on hand to offer advice at every step of the way.
The Lento Law Firm: Continuing Education Student Defense
If you've been out of school for a few years, you need to know that things have changed in education.
- Cheating is on the rise, so professors are more hyper-vigilant.
- Academic expectations grow higher every year.
- In today's political climate, no school can afford to be seen as soft on discipline, and every school conducts rigorous investigations and doles out stiff penalties.
It's worth recognizing, though, that you've changed too. Sure, you care about passing your courses and getting your degree, but that's not the highest priority in your life anymore. You've got a partner, a mortgage, and kids to worry about. Satisfying your boss's demands is probably far more important to you than pleasing your professor.
Most continuing education faculty understand the particular kinds of stresses you're under, and most are willing to work with you to make your educational experience rewarding. If you should run into issues, though, it's important you know that there's help available.
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team has helped hundreds of students just like you deal with school-based issues. Lento Law Firm attorneys know the law as it applies to education, and they're practiced in dealing with faculty and administrators. Whatever problem you might be facing, from issues with technology to accusations of sexual misconduct, don't wait to see what will happen. If you're in trouble, contact the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or use our automated online form.
