Academic Appeal

Academic Probation

The following academic probation policy will apply to all students with 12 or more cumulative academic credits. A student will be placed on probation when their overall cumulative grade point average (CGPA) is less than 2.00. If a student changes programs, courses transferred from the previous major will count in "new" CGPA calculations. If a student is on probation prior to changing programs, they will remain on probation. While on probation, a student will be allowed to enroll for no more than 14 credits in a semester. The maximum number of consecutive semesters a student can be on probation without being suspended will be two, not including summer school. The first suspension will be a suspension from the program, but the student will be allowed to enroll for courses in another program during this time. The length of the first suspension is one semester. The second (and any subsequent suspensions) will be a suspension from school. The length of the second suspension (and any subsequent suspensions) is one semester.

Academic Retake

The number of times a student can enroll in the same course is two (first time plus one retake). Students retaking a course more than twice must have approval from their program advisor or academic counselor prior to enrolling in the same course for a third time. If a student appeals or asks for a variance of this retake policy, that appeal or variance will be acted on by a special school-wide board containing at least one member from the occupational area containing the program the student is enrolled in. A student must notify the Records Office when retaking a course. Both grades will show on the transcript, but only the second attempt will be figured into the cumulative grade point. In certain courses, instructors may allow the student to restudy and retest information. The final grade may reflect multiple attempts to retest.

Affirmative Action

Auditing a Course

Students auditing a course do not take the tests or write the papers required of students who take the course for credit. Students must still pay full tuition and class fees to audit a course. Forms for auditing a course are available at the Student Services Office. Audits may only be made on a space available basis.

Changing Career Programs

Students who wish to change their career program should see their College Advising Specialist in Student Services. This change must be requested in writing. When changing career programs, some credits may transfer to the new program. The Records Office will send a list of the courses and credits that have been transferred to the new career program. Students have six weeks to respond to the Records Office's decision. After that time, the transfer of credits is official.

Computer Use Policy

Acceptable Use
To be used exclusively to advance the College’s mission.

Impermissible Use

• Harassment
• Libel or slander
• Fraud or misrepresentation
• Destruction of or damage to equipment, software or data belonging to the College or others
• Disruption or unauthorized monitoring of electronic communications
• Unauthorized copying or transmission of copyright-protected material
• Use of the College’s trademarks, logos, insignia or copyrights without prior approval
• Violation of computer system security
• Unauthorized use of computer accounts, access codes (including passwords) or network identification numbers (including email addresses) assigned to others
• Use of computer communications facilities in ways that unnecessarily impede the computing activities of others (such as randomly initiating interactive electronic communications or email exchanges, overuse of interactive network utilities and so forth)
• Development or use of unapproved mailing lists
• Use of computing facilities for private business purposes unrelated to the mission of the
• College or to College life
• Academic dishonesty
• Student Code of Conduct violations
• Violation of software license agreements
• Violation of network usage policies and regulations
• Violation of privacy
• Displaying or sending obscene, pornographic, sexually explicit or offensive material
• Displaying or sending material that is contrary to the mission or values of the College
• Intentional or negligent distribution of computer viruses
• Overuse of connect time, information storage space, printing facilities, processing capacity or network services
• Use of sounds and visuals which might be disruptive or offensive to others 
• Unauthorized use of departmental or individual computing resources

Computer Lab Use
Priority will be given to the following users in assigning computer workstations in a lab:

• NTC students registered for the computer-based class scheduled in the lab
• NTC students working on computer-based assignments
• NTC students working/ researching assigned classroom projects
• Other NTC users may be asked to relinquish workstations based on these priorities
• Only those computer resources designated as in the Library are accessible and can be used by the public (16 years and older)
• No food or beverages are allowed at NTC computer workstations.
• No unauthorized persons may use NTC computer and network resources - authorized persons are NTC employees and currently enrolled students.
• Downloading files or installing unauthorized software of any kind to computer hard drives is forbidden. Files or programs may be downloaded to floppy disks, an instructor assigned drive and folders, or zip disks as directed by faculty.
• Game playing and chat rooms are not allowed unless part of a class assignment.
• An NTC employee must be present to supervise appropriate use when NTC students are present in the computer lab. Only Internet video products authorized by your instructor can be used.

The Policy 643 document may be reviewed in full by contacting ISIT at 715.803.1101, or strebe@ntc.edu.

Sanctions
Violations of this policy shall subject users to the regular disciplinary processes and procedures of the College for students, staff, administrators and faculty, and may result in loss of their computing privileges. Illegal acts involving College computing resources may also subject violators to prosecution by local, state and/or federal authorities. Typical sanctions include:

• Temporary or permanent revocation of access to some or all computing and networking resources and facilities
• Disciplinary action according to applicable College policies and executive limitations
• Legal action according to applicable laws and contractual agreements

Student Printing Procedure
Each student will be allocated a one-time $25 printing allowance, which equates to 500 black and white pages. When a print job is sent to a printer at any of NTC’s printing facilities the cost of the print job will be subtracted from the user's allocation. If the user’s allocation is exhausted, it will be easy to purchase additional pages at a nominal cost of 5 cents for black and white pages, and 25 cents for color printing. These costs fairly represent the actual cost per page for printing services at NTC, and are considerably lower than typical page rates at commercial printing services. Accounts can be replenished in the Library, Student Life, Cashiers Office, Regional Campuses and PayPal. Money remaining on the account will not be refunded.

Drugs and Alcohol
Rules Regarding Use
NTC adheres to goals and policies geared toward providing an alcohol/drug-free educational environment. The College has adopted rules for both students and staff that promote such an environment:

• The manufacture, possession, use, sale or delivery of alcohol and other drugs upon College premises or while participating in any College-related activities off campus by an employee or student in violation of any applicable federal, state or local alcohol and other drug-free law is prohibited.
• Any employee or student violating this policy, or seeking to promote, encourage, aid, or abet any other employee or student in the violation of this policy shall be subject to discipline and/or discharge. The administration and the District Board may invoke such discipline and/or discharge whether or not the employee or student may also be prosecuted under criminal law.
• Any employee or student who is convicted of violating any criminal alcohol or other drug statute on District premises or while participating in any employee duties while off campus must, in accordance with the Drug-Free Workplace Act, notify the Human Resources Office no later than five days after the conviction. The Human Resource Office will then notify the agency within 10 days after the report of this conviction is received, and within 90 days take appropriate disciplinary action against the employee as outlined in the employee handbook.

As a condition of employment and course enrollment at NTC, employees and students must abide by the terms of this policy. Support services are available for any student or staff that need assistance with a drug or alcohol problem. This policy is not intended to preclude the approved use of alcohol and other drugs for instructional purposes or as part of technical assistance.

In addition to school rules, there are legal sanctions under local, state and federal law for the unlawful possession or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol:

• County penalties: All county law enforcement agencies in the NTC District process illicit drug and alcohol charges through the Wisconsin court system. These courts of justice impose State of Wisconsin penalties.
• State of Wisconsin penalties: The laws of Wisconsin prohibit drug possession and delivery through the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, Wis. Stat. 161, and mandate stiff penalties that include up to 15 years of prison and fines up to $500,000. A person with a first-time conviction of possession of a controlled substance can be sentenced up to one year in prison and fined up to $5,000 (Wis. Stat. 161.41[2r]b).
• Federal penalties: The federal government has recently revised the penalties against drug possession and trafficking through its Federal Sentencing Guidelines that reduce the discretion that federal judges may use in sentencing offenders of federal drug statutes. Under these guidelines, courts can sentence a person for up to six years for unlawful possession of a controlled substance, including the distribution of a small amount (less than 250 grams) of marijuana. A sentence of life conviction for possession of a controlled substance that results in death or bodily injury. Possession of more than five grams of cocaine can trigger an intent to distribute penalty of 10 to 16 years in prison, U.S.S.G.s.2D2.1(b)(1).

Health Risks
There are dangerous health risks associated with the use of illicit drugs and the abuse of alcohol. Health hazards include profound alterations in sensation, mood and consciousness that may involve the senses of hearing, touch, smell or taste, as well as experiences that depart from reality. Because the effects are highly unpredictable, including bizarre behavior and disorientation, there is a significant risk of accidental injuries. Extreme hazards include suicide and homicide.

Drug and alcohol consumption can affect the brain’s ability to learn, remember, recall, integrate, and evaluate outside data and sensory experiences. For pregnant women, drug and alcohol usage can result in malformation of the fetus. Drugs and alcohol are highly addictive.

Emergency School

NTC values the wellbeing of its students and staff and does not wish to have lives endangered while traveling to or from NTC during inclement weather. Northcentral Wisconsin weather is unpredictable and weather conditions may change throughout the day. Keep in mind that morning weather conditions may differ greatly from evening forecasts.

In cases of extreme inclement weather, announcements regarding campus closings will be made for day classes by 5:30 a.m. in an attempt to have messages aired on radio and select TV stations by 6 a.m. The decision to cancel evening classes will be made by 1 p.m. in an attempt to have messages aired on the radio and select TV stations by 2 p.m.

Students have several ways to determine if the college is closed:

1. Call the College at 715.675.3331 after 6 a.m. and listen for special weather updates.
2. Visit www.ntc.edu.
3. Visit Wausau Daily Herald website at www.wausaudailyherald.com.
4. Television announcements will be made on WSAW (Channel 7), WAOW (Channel 9) and WJFW (Channel 12).
5. Radio announcements will be made on WSAU/WIFC, WRIG/WDEZ, WOFM, WIZD, WHRM, WYCO/WXCO, and WJMT/WMZK. Additional radio stations may be used for regional campus closings: Medford - WKEB/WIGM, WAXX; Spencer - WDLB, WAXX, WCCN; Phillips – WCQM, WAXX.

Equal Opportunity Education and Employment Policy

Parking

Students are welcome to park within the marked stalls in all parking lots on campus. Parking Lots are designated as Lots A, B, C and E. Parking on roads, driveways, walkways, service areas that are posted no- parking areas, yellow curbed areas, outside marked parking stalls and any unpaved area is prohibited. There are several handicap parking stalls available. Parking in a handicap area requires a Wisconsin Department of Transportation parking permit. A $10 to $30 City of Wausau Police Department parking citation will be issued for parking violations.

Privacy and Access to Student Records

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access.Students should present to the Registrar, or appropriate Vice President, or head of the academic department, or other appropriate College official assigned, written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The College official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the College official to whom the request was submitted does not maintain the records, that official shall advise the student of the official to whom the request should be addressed. At the time of viewing, the student will present some form of picture identification, such as a valid driver’s license, before being allowed to view the record.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records, which the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.Students may ask the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the College officials responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading.If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to appeal the decision through the College Appeal Process. Information on the appeal process can be obtained at the Student Success Office at the main campus.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures of the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:

Procedure for Resolving Discrimination and Harassment Complaints

Except in the case of cancellation or discontinuance of courses, students must request a refund within the time period indicated.

Course Cancellation Refunds
A student shall receive 100 percent refund of program fees, material fees and out-of-state tuition for courses that are canceled by the District.

Course Section Drop/Adds
A student who drops one section of a course and, at the same time, enrolls in an equivalent section of the same course shall not receive a refund of course fees for the dropped section or be charged course fees for the added section. An equivalent section is one offered for the same credit value, is subject to the same dollar amount of student fees and is at substantially the same point in the course curriculum at the time of the drop/add.

Student-Initiated Refunds
A student shall receive 100 percent refund of program fees, material fees and out-of-state tuition for a course, if the student submits an application for refund prior to the first scheduled meeting of the course and the student does not add another course.

Refunds shall be:

• 80 percent of program fees, material fees and out-of-state tuition if application for refund is made before or at the time 10 percent of the course’s total hours of instruction have been completed.
• 60 percent of program fees, materials fees and out-of-state tuition if application for refund is made after 10 percent but before more than 20 percent of the course’s potential hours of instruction have been completed.
• No refund shall be granted if application is made after 20 percent of the course’s total potential hours of instruction have been completed.
• Students who are no-shows or cease to attend without notifying the Records and Registration Office are responsible for payment of course fees and tuition, and are not eligible for a refund. The College will not automatically drop or reverse/refund tuition and fees to students for non-attendance.

Refund requests should be directed to the Records and Registration Office:
Northcentral Technical College
Attn: Registrar
1000 W. Campus Drive
Wausau, WI 54401
Email: registration@ntc.edu

You may be eligible for a Hope Tax Credit or Lifelong Learning credit on your taxes. If you are in an associate degree or technical diploma program, or were enrolled in six credits or more and paid tuition in a calendar year, you will receive a 1098T form stating how much tuition you paid and the amount of any scholarship or grant aid you received. If all of your tuition was paid by scholarship or grant funds, a 1098T will not be generated for you.

Religious Accommodations for Students
NTC has a policy that addresses how to resolve potential conflicts that may occur with academic requirements and a student’s observance of sincerely held religious beliefs. For more information on this policy, contact the Human Resources Office at 715.803.1064.

Safety and Security Policies - Cleary Act

In compliance with the Jeanne Cleary Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, NTC provides campus crime and security information on an annual basis. For a detailed account of any and all incidents reported on campus, visit http://ope.ed.gov/security/ and search for “Northcentral Technical College.”

Student Code of Conduct

NTC believes in creating an environment conducive to the academic and personal development of our students and expects that students will conduct themselves appropriately at all times at school sponsored activities, both on and off campus.

Students may be disciplined for violating federal, state, county and municipal laws, regulations and policies, as well as the rules of the College, which shall include, but are not limited to, the following categories:

• Failure to comply with any reasonable request by an NTC staff member acting within the scope of his or her job duties
• Failure to present college-issued identification, or any other form of identification if asked
• Providing false or misleading information to the College or District
• Forgery, alterations or misuse of College documents, records or identification
• Obstruction or disruption of teaching, administration, disciplinary procedures, College activities or other authorized activities on College premises
• Physical or verbal abuse of any person or conduct which threatens or endangers the health or safety of any such person
• Theft of or damage to property of the College or of a member of the College community or campus visitor
• Willful or persistent smoking in any area on College property where smoking has been prohibited by law or by regulation of the NTC Board of Trustees
• Unauthorized entry into College facilities, or unauthorized use of College supplies or equipment
• Use, possession, sale or distribution of controlled substances, illicit drugs or alcohol by any student, employee or vendor on College property or at any College-sponsored student activity is strictly prohibited

        Further policies regarding alcohol or other illegal substances include:

• For off-campus, College-sponsored, student activities, alcohol use is prohibited during the time en-route to and from the activity and during the time of the College-sponsored activity as defined by the advisor.
• No student or employee shall be under the influence of alcohol and/or illegal substances or in possession of drug paraphernalia on College premises or at any College-sponsored activity. If there is reasonable suspicion of alcohol consumption, a student will be asked to submit to a PBT (Portable Breath Testing Device) and/or asked to leave NTC premises. 
• Drugs and paraphernalia, as defined by Wisconsin statutes, may be used in training demonstrations in law enforcement programs.
• The use of any beverage containing alcohol on NTC premises is prohibited with the exception of providing beverages by NTC Foodservice at functions authorized by the President of the College, and controlled use in law enforcement training. No alcohol will be provided by the College at any other college-sponsored activity.

• Disorderly, lewd, indecent or obscene conduct on College owned or controlled property or at College sponsored or supervised functions
• Continued disruptive behavior, failure to comply with directions of College officials acting in performance of their duties, continued willful disobedience, habitual profanity or vulgarity, open and persistent defiance of authority or persistent abuse of College personnel requiring inordinate drains on staff time, resources or supervision
• Possession and/ or use of any deadly weapon, threatening persons on College property or at College-sponsored events
• Assault, battery or any threat of force or violence upon a student or College personnel, either physical or sexual in nature
• Persistent, serious misconduct where other means of corrections have failed to bring about proper conduct
• Failure to observe precautions which the College deem necessary to insure the safety of the student or others
• Engaging in harassing or discriminatory behavior based on race, sex, religion, sexual orientation or any other protected status
• Violation of the College’s computer use policies including unauthorized downloads, viewing obscene or pornographic material on NTC computers and/or installing programs or files on NTC computing equipment without express authorization of an NTC instructor or staff member

Consequences for violating these policies may include, but are not limited to:

• Loss of privileges
• Temporary or permanent removal from a class or program
• Suspension or permanent expulsion from NTC

Student Due Process

Students at NTC facing disciplinary action are entitled to the following due process rights:

• A presumption of innocence, unless responsibility can be established by preponderance of evidence
• Notification of any charges
• A meeting with The Director of Student Relations or his/her designee upon request and prior to sanction
• The ability to review the written report that describes allegations of the policy violation
• The ability to present evidence and witnesses
• To be notified of the decision resulting from the behavior meeting, including any potential sanctions
• To request an appeal

How the Behavior Process Works
Many instances of disruptive behavior can be managed by an instructor or staff member, and no reporting is necessary. Many programs have specific protocols for dealing with student behavior. If you observe troubling behavior, please call NTC Student Security at Ext. 1111. 

When a report regarding a potential violation of the Student Code of Conduct occurs, it may need to be investigated further by the Director of Security. Every effort will be made to finalize any investigation within 14 calendar days of the date of the incident.

Once an investigation (if necessary) is finalized, a written report will be submitted outlining the alleged behavior. The Director of Student Relations or his/her designee will review the report and make one of the following determinations within seven calendar days of receiving the report:

• A meeting is not deemed necessary: If a meeting is not deemed necessary a letter will be sent to the student’s NTC email and the mailing address on file with NTC, explaining general information about the incident and the behavior process, including any policy clarification necessary. As a matter of due process, students have the right to discuss an incident at any time with the Director of Student Relations, and are encouraged to do so, if they have questions or concerns.
• A meeting is deemed necessary to discuss an incident: If a meeting is deemed necessary, the student will be sent a letter via their NTC email and the mailing address on file with NTC, scheduling a meeting to discuss the matter. If a student fails to come to a scheduled meeting, a decision will be made regarding student responsibility without the benefit of student input.

During a behavior meeting, students will have the opportunity to:

• Hear the specific allegations and read the Incident Report
• Present their view of the incident in question and supply additional information
• Ask questions relevant to the behavior process

Following the meeting, the student will be notified via letter to their NTC email and the mailing address on file with NTC, of the outcome of the investigation/behavior meeting containing:

• The specific policy/policies from the Student Code of Conduct that were violated
• Any behavior sanctions issued in response to the violation(s) of the Student Code of Conduct

Students have the right to appeal a decision made within the Behavior Process to a Board of Review if a student believes:

• There was not substantial evidence to support the conclusions reached
• A substantial error in due process was made where the student did not receive adequate notice of the behavior meeting or standard College procedures were not followed
• The sanctions imposed were too severe or not appropriate for the violation
• There is new evidence of a substantive nature that came to light after the original behavior meeting

A student requests an appeal by submitting a Behavior Appeal Form to the Vice President of Learning outlining their reason(s) for the appeal, based on the above criteria. Requests must be received by the Vice President of Learning within seven calendar days of the sanction being issued by the Director of Student Relations or his/her designee. The Board of Review may decide to uphold the original decision, change the original decision to a less severe sanction, or overturn the original decision.

The appeal hearing is the student's opportunity to present their perspective, based on the reason(s) outlined in their appeal. The student has the burden of proof in this proceeding.

Students are not able to bring legal counsel. Only persons directly involved in the situation in question are allowed at this meeting. If a student wishes to bring a staff member for support, they are able to do so, though unless directly involved, the staff member may not actively participate.

Students will have the opportunity to present evidence, including the testimony of other involved parties and to hear any evidence presented by the staff of NTC.. Based on this meeting, the Board of Review may render a decision or may request additional information before issuing a decision. The decision of the Board of Review is final.

Student Bill of Rights

NTC students have the right to:

• Be free of discrimination based on sexual orientation, race, color, national origin, gender, disability, religion or any other applicable legislated category
• Be safe on NTC’s property
• Have the occupational skills, technology, equipment, and resources available to ensure success upon graduation
• Have access to counselors
• Have adequate access to properly equipped labs
• Have privacy regarding personal information
• Evaluate college facilities and services provided by faculty and staff
• Have learning activities/objectives begin and end at scheduled times unless a mutually agreed upon alternative is established
• Hold faculty to the standards or policies to which they hold students, including attendance and office hours
• Have inclement weather considered in regard to attendance, testing, labs or other class-related issues

Student Printing Procedure at NTC
Each student will be allocated a one-time $25 printing allowance, which equates to 500 black and white pages. When a print job is sent to a printer at any of NTC’s printing facilities the cost of the print job will be subtracted from the user's allocation. If the user’s allocation is exhausted, it will be easy to purchase additional pages at a nominal cost of 5 cents for black and white pages, and 25 cents for color printing. These costs fairly represent the actual cost per page for printing services at NTC, and are considerably lower than typical page rates at commercial printing services. Accounts can be replenished in the Library, Student Life, Cashiers Office, Regional Campuses and PayPal. Money remaining on the account will not be refunded.