1. Overview

   Ohio university has developed the following guidelines for military and military-affiliated students impacted by deployment orders or permanent change of station (PCS) assignment. Military-affiliated students are defined as a student whose spouse, partner, or parent is in the military.

2. Policy

   When a student, or the parent, spouse, or partner of a student is called to active military duty, or receives a short-notice PCS assignment, it often is not possible for the military or military-affiliated student to have anticipated the effect this has on their enrollment status. Therefore, faculty and staff are encouraged to be as flexible as possible with the students who wish to make arrangements to complete coursework for credit. Following are options available to these students.

   If a registered student, or the parent, spouse, or partner of a student is called to active duty, or receives a short-notice PCS assignment, during the course of a semester or session (defined as the first day of classes through the last day of classes), the military or military-affiliated student has the option of withdrawing from the university with a full tuition refund. The university registrar will process the withdrawal as effective within the first two weeks of the semester or first week of a session (courses removed from the student's record) and issue a full tuition refund. If the class withdrawal (drop) deadline has passed, and the instructor agrees, the student has the option of arranging for Incomplete grades in one or more of the classes in which they are enrolled and dropping without financial penalty from the other classes, if any.

   If the final examination week has begun, then neither cancellation nor withdrawal is an option. Students may be able to complete the final exams and those not able to do so will be given incompletes.

   The duration of incompletes resulting from any of the above provisions will be the normal two weeks into the next semester in which the student is enrolled (not counting summer) or two years from the end of the term in which the grade of "I" was given, whichever comes first, or the "I" converts automatically to an "F." Grades of incomplete convert to "F" upon graduation.

   Students receiving veterans educational benefits will have to comply with any regulations issued by the veterans administration relative to the timing of their benefits. During past conflicts, the veterans administration "applied mitigating circumstances" where appropriate, as presented by the student, and they paid veteran benefits based on enrollment up to the date of withdrawal which, at Ohio university, was the date on which the student was required to report to active duty or proceed to the PCS assignment.

   Students receiving financial aid who choose the full withdrawal option will be treated as a withdrawal in accordance with the return of title IV funds regulations. The date of withdrawal will be the earlier of the date the student begins the withdrawal process, or the date that the student otherwise provides the notification. Federal and state funding agencies may issue specific guidelines which must be followed.

   For financial aid recipients choosing the partial withdrawal option (incompletes in one or more courses), financial aid eligibility will be based on the criteria of the specific aid program (i.e., number of credit hours).

   Students living in university housing will be charged on a week-by-week prorated basis determined by the date on which they must leave the university.

3. Process

   In order to effect these policies, the military student must present proof of having been called to active duty or PCS orders showing this is a short-notice move, the militaryaffiliated student must present proof of their parent, spouse, or partner having been called to active duty or PCS orders showing this is a short-notice move. To do this, the student should fax (740-593-4145) or mail a copy of the call-up orders to the veterans and military student services center, baker university center 350, Ohio university, Athens, OH 45701. Along with this, the military or military-affiliated student should include a written statement indicating which of the options described in the policy section they choose to exercise, for each course in which they are enrolled. If a military-affiliated student is electing to effect these policies, then documentation of the relationship must also be provided.

   In the case of incomplete (I) grades the arrangements must be worked out by the student and the instructor.

Reviewers

    Proposed revisions of this policy should be reviewed by:

1. Faculty Senate

2. Director of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships

3. Bursar

Forms, References, and History

1. Forms

   There are no forms that are specific to this policy.

2. References

   The following item is relevant to this policy:

   1. Policy 12.055, "Deadlines for Adding and Dropping Classes."

3. History

   Draft versions of this policy that were circulated for review, their cover memos, their forms, and Reviewers' comments on them are available on the password-protected Review site.

   Prior versions of this policy were approved on:

   1. May 10, 2012

   2. July 31, 2003