Catalogue 07-08: Attendance
Please note that this is the March 2007 version of the 2007-2008 Catalogue. Information within is accurate as of this date. Subject to change without notice.
Communicable Diseases
Drop/Withdraw from Class
Withdraw from Midwifery Program
Leave of Absence
Maternity Leave
Attendance is required at all classes, the "Welcoming Reception" and “Orientation” on the first Monday of the academic year, and the "Meet and Greet" gathering held each year on the Friday before Thanksgiving. Missing one of these events constitutes an absence, excused or unexcused, depending upon the circumstance.
Absences are excused only for serious illness (yourself or your children), death in the immediate family, or attendance at a birth. Attendance at prenatal, postpartum and other client care is not excused. This policy is based on the realities of midwifery practice -- those are the same reasons why you would excuse yourself from attending a client in labor. Anything less is unacceptable under the midwifery model.
For an absence to be excused, the student must contact the course instructor, or the College office, by phone or by leaving a voice message including the reason for the absence PRIOR to the beginning of the class session. Failure to do so will result in an unexcused absence.
Although excused absences will not cause dismissal from the program, missing more than 25% of class hours in any course, for any reason, will cause a student to be withdrawn from the course due to lack of attendance. The student must make up all missed work and remains responsible for all course content.
If a student is withdrawn from a course due to lack of attendance, she/he will be responsible to retake it at a future time paying all tuition and fees current at the time the course is retaken. No refund of tuition or fees will be made beyond the normal tuition refund policy.
Tardiness will be noted and will accrue towards total hours absent from the course.
One unexcused absence per course, or a total of two per term, or four per academic year, will be allowed before a student may be asked to leave the program.
Course instructors have discretion to assign an enhanced value to particular class sessions, such as exam grading, or special guest speakers. In this case, missing the class session counts as two absences. Because two unexcused absences in one course automatically results in a withdrawal, if a student misses a specially designated class session with an unexcused absence, the student will be withdrawn from the course. Students will be informed on the first class day if a designated class will occur during a course.
The College recognizes that students come from diverse backgrounds, and may need time off to celebrate spiritual holidays at times other than scheduled vacations. Students should provide the Student Affairs Coordinator with a list of dates of anticipated holidays at the beginning of each academic year. Students will receive excused absences if they miss class on those pre-arranged dates. This will still be part of your TOTAL absences. See GRADING AND EVALUATIONS for more information.
Communicable Diseases
In the interests of the health of all students and staff at Birthingway, students who display symptoms of a serious communicable illness are required to refrain from attending classes until free of the disease or certain serious symptoms as listed below.
Students should be free from symptoms such as vomiting, fever over 100°F, rash or other possibly contagious skin irritations, and severe or prolonged coughing fits for 24 hours before returning to classes.
Examples of illnesses that should prevent a student from attending classes include, but are not limited to:
Chickenpox, Measles, Meningococcal Disease, Mumps, Pertussis, Pneumonia, Rubella, Scabies, Staphylococcal Skin Infections, Streptococcal Infections, and Tuberculosis.
The common cold does not preclude a student from attending classes. However, students should use common sense when deciding if their own health, or the health of those with whom they will be coming in contact, would be adversely affected by their attendance.
Missing class due to a serious communicable disease is an excused absence.
Drop / Withdraw from class
Students may drop a course by completing a drop slip and giving it to the Registrar. Drop slips are available in the front office, or on our website. Students may also submit a signed letter including the class, term and effective date and giving it to the office. If you drop before 25% of the class sessions have passed, it will be recorded as a drop. If more than 25% of the class sessions have passed, it will be recorded as a withdrawal.
Your eligibility for financial aid is based on your enrollment on the Monday following the second week of classes. Please see the FINANCIAL AID section for details.
Withdraw from the Midwifery Program
Students who wish to withdraw from the midwifery certification or degree programs must submit a letter to the Student Affairs Coordinator stating their intention and the date of withdrawal. Tuition refunds, if any, will be made according to the refund schedule in the FINANCIAL INFORMATION section of this catalogue.
Students who choose to return after withdrawing from the program must reapply, pay the application fee, and repeat the admission process. If accepted for admission they will be invited to re-enroll. The enrollment fee must be paid upon acceptance of the invitation to re-enroll. Credit from Birthingway courses taken within 7 years may be transferred to the current program if the same course is still offered and is substantially the same as when it was initially taken. The returning student will be held to the graduation requirements at the time of re-enrollment. All fees and tuition will be charged at the rate in effect at registration for each term. The date of re-enrollment will become the matriculation date of record.
Leave of Absence
We strongly recommend that you speak with your advisor before deciding to take time off from school!
Birthingway has no “Leave of Absence” status as such. Any enrolled student may choose not to take classes during a particular term or terms. To maintain their enrollment, they must continue to turn in the registration form and pay the registration fee each term. A student will retain their position in their original cohort year, but their place will not be guaranteed in any other core class. By missing a term or more of classes, students will automatically lose the advantages of following Birthingway’s recommended course sequence. (see COHORT YEAR/CATALOGUE YEAR) Extended time-off may result in credits expiring prior to graduation (See CREDIT EXPIRATION).
If a student chooses to withdraw from all courses during a term, they remain an enrolled student, unless they choose to formally withdraw from the College (See WITHDRAWAL FROM MIDWIFERY PROGRAM). Any refunds of tuition and fees will follow Birthingway’s standard refund policy (see REFUND POLICY)
Withdrawing from core for one or more terms is a serious decision. Returning to classes after a leave of any period of time can be challenging. It typically requires more time to make up the classes that were missed than was actually taken off. Some courses require prerequisites, which the student may have to wait a year to take. Also, the course offerings often change year to year. Students will still be responsible for completing the courses required at matriculation, even if the format of these courses has changed.
For purposes of financial aid, a student not taking credits is considered “withdrawn from all classes,” and “less than ½ time.” This may mean that funds must be returned to the Department of Education. It may also affect the repayment terms of loans (including exhausting the grace period). See FINANCIAL AID.
Maternity Leave
Birthingway College of Midwifery strives to provide an environment of support for each individual in the College community. A pregnant student should meet with the Student Affairs Coordinator and discuss the unique needs of her pregnancy, birth, and postpartum in terms of academic workload, apprenticeship, and requirements for time off. While a student remains responsible for missed material, students may miss up to three classes of each core course and receive “excused” absences for those weeks. A longer maternity leave is strongly encouraged.