2014-15-Undergraduate-Catalog

Academic Policies • 55Diplomas will be mailed to the address provided by the student on his/her graduationapplication within six to eight weeks after graduation, as long as all academic requirementshave been verified and the student has met all necessary obligations and requirements tothe university.Transcripts and Student RecordsShenandoah University accords to students all rights under the law. No one outside theinstitution shall have access to, nor will the institution disclose any information from,students’ education records without the written consent of students, except to personnelwithin the institution, persons or organizations providing student financial aid, accreditingagencies carrying out their accreditation function, persons in compliance with a judicialorder and persons in an emergency in order to protect the health or safety of otherpersons. All these exceptions are permitted under the Family Educational Rights and PrivacyAct of 1974. School policy explains in detail the procedures to be used by the institution forcompliance with the provisions of the Act. Copies of the policy can be found in theAcademic Policies section of the univeersity’s catalogs, in the Office of the Registrar and inthe Student Life Office.Official transcripts of a student’s record may be released to a third party only upon receiptof written authorization from the student. Requests for transcripts, certifications, and othersimilar information will not be honored unless all financial obligations due the university aresatisfied. Financial obligations include, but are not limited to, items of tuition and fees,overdue library materials and unpaid library fines, checks returned to the bookstore andmusical instruments that have been loaned and not properly returned to the Conservatory.Non-Discrimination StatementShenandoah University values the unique and diverse perspectives of individuals andcommunities locally and globally and seeks to foster mutual understanding in an invitingcommunity where individuals are welcome and respected. The university does notdiscriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, physical ormental disability, veteran status or sexual orientationStudent RightsShenandoah affirms the right of academic freedom for the university community. Freedomof assembly, freedom of the press and freedom of speech are constitutional rights.Shenandoah reserves the right to specify the time, place and manner of the exercise ofthese rights on university facilities. Shenandoah insists that every member of the universitycommunity abide by the laws of the United States, the Commonwealth of Virginia andestablished institutional rules and regulations.Members of the university community should be aware of the inherent responsibility offree speech and the possible consequences when free speech is used as a license to disruptthe normal academic activities of the institution. Demonstrations that disrupt normalactivities of the institution will not be tolerated at Shenandoah. Any student whoparticipates in any form of disruptive action is subject to immediate interim suspension andlawful prosecution in the courts. Shenandoah does not at any time tolerate and will notpermit uninvited persons to remain on campus for the purpose of inciting students to