7-12 Student Short-Term Military Service Policy

• Effective date of this revision: October 16, 2016
• Contact for more information: Veterans' Resource Center

BACKGROUND

Under Executive Order 13607 and as a signatory to the Principles of Excellence, Central Michigan University seeks to promote Military and Department of Homeland Security Reserve and National Guard education by supporting and protecting those students who may be called to service for short periods of time because of their affiliation with our state and national military services.

PURPOSE

To ensure that the following students can continue their education even in the face of performing mandatory duty:

• Members of the Military Reserve
• Members of the National Guard
• Members of the Department of Homeland Security Reserve

DEFINITIONS

Military Reserve is a person who:

• Is currently serving in one of the following services:

        o United States Army Reserve

        o United States Navy Reserve

        o United States Marine Corps Reserve

        o United States Air Force Reserve 

National Guard is a person who:

• Is currently serving in one of the following services:

        o Michigan Army National Guard

        o Michigan Air National Guard

        o Army or Air National Guard of any other state or territory of the United States of America 

Department of Homeland Security Reserve is a person who:

• Is currently serving in the United States Coast Guard Reserve

POLICY

Central Michigan University recognizes that those students who are actively serving in the Reserves or National Guard are required by their military contract to attend to military orders requiring mandatory training or serve at the request of the Governor of their state to respond to natural disasters or other occurrences in which the use of the National Guard is in the best interest of the state. Failure to attend these orders is punishable under law. The University therefore provides the following rights to students required by their military contract to respond to military orders through the Student Short-Term Military Service Policy.

PROCEDURE

Central Michigan University will not penalize students for complying with mandatory military orders and will give the opportunity to earn equivalent credit and to demonstrate evidence of meeting the learning outcomes for missed assignments or assessments in the event of a schedule or class conflict due to mandatory military orders. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor at the earliest possible time of the existing schedule or class conflict.

Students are eligible for up to fifteen (15) days of short-term, military required absence per academic year with no more than ten (10) academic calendar days taken consecutively. Total absences, including travel, may not exceed 1/3 of the course meetings for any course.

Students may be granted additional absences to account for travel considerations, to be determined by the distance of the verified military service from the CMU campus where the student is registered, as follows:

        Within a 150 mile radius of campus or center: no additional excused absence days 

        Between a 150 – 300 mile radius of campus or center: one additional excused absence day 

        Beyond a 300 mile radius of the campus or center: two additional excused absence days 

        Outside the continental United States: four additional excused absence days

A student must contact the office of the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs to request that a notice of the leave be sent to instructors as soon as he or she is informed of the dates of military service. The student must provide documentation of the mandatory military service in the form of orders or equivalent documents as proof of legitimate absence to the office of the AVP for Student Affairs as soon as these documents are available. When documentation is presented to the office of the AVP for Student Affairs a verified absence notification will be sent to the student’s instructors.

With a verified absence notification for the office of the AVP of Student Affairs, instructors will not penalize the student for missing class and will provide the opportunity to earn equivalent credit and to demonstrate evidence of meeting the learning outcomes for missed assignments or assessments or will negotiate with the student for additional time to complete assignments or alternative dates for required assessments.

Should a student not be satisfied with the agreed upon plan, he or she shall provide, within 10 days, a written statement to the instructor clearly explaining their objection and suggesting an alternative accommodation. If the instructor and student cannot expediently resolve this written objection, then the student may appeal for further review or consultation of his or her case to the Department Chair of the course or courses in question. In a case where grades are negatively affected, the student may follow the established grade appeals process.

In courses with extensive laboratory exercises, group projects, group performances, or participation requirements, equivalent exercises or assessments may not be possible as determined by the instructor and subject to review by the Dean of the college offering the course, or their designee. In such a case, the student may be eligible for retroactive withdrawal. The student should always consult with the instructor to determine the potential impact of any absence. Students should also contact Central Michigan University’s Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid and the Veterans’ Resource Center to determine if retroactive withdrawal has any impact on financial aid awards or Veteran Administration education benefits.

Central Michigan University reserves the right to make exceptions to, modify or eliminate this policy and or its content. This document supersedes all previous policies, procedures or guidelines relative to this subject.