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( ) CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS AT THE COLLEGE OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF PROBLEMS, PROPOSALS AND GRIEVANCES (Adopted by the Board of Trustees on February 18, 1973) From the inception of the College of the Virgin Islands, the College has recognized the necessity of open and readily available channels of communication to meet the needs of the individual student, a group of students, the staff, the teaching faculty, and the administrative faculty of the institution, The student body represents the core or heart of the College, and it is imperative that ideas, constructive change, and grievances emanating from that body be fully considered. To this end, the College has encouraged and supported the establishment of various means of communication, which are readily available to students. The established channels of communice- tion are listed below: 1. The Student Association of the College was created in part to provide the students with a voice in the development of the insti- tution and with the formulation of its policies and practices. Its elected officers--who form the Student Council-—-and its various standing and ad hoc committees can and should be utilized by students as a means of communicating ideas and grievances to the administration and faculty of the College. The President and Treasurer of the Student Council are voting members of the College's Administrative Council. 26 The Student Council nominates student representatives to almost all of the College's standing committees. These representatives are voting committee members and are expected to speak for and on behalf of the student body as a whole. The student point of view, including student grievances, can find a forum in the following College councils and committees: Ge be. Ce d. The Administrative Council which is concerned with the admin- 73 istrative and operational aspects of the College. The Council, chaired by the Provost, is composed of the administrative officers of the College, together with two representatives of the Student Council-—~its President and Treasurer. The Academic Standards Committee which consists of seven faculty and two students. It has two tasks: (1) to study and make recommendations on academic standards, such as grading, probationary rules, attendance, etc., and (2) to review petitions of academically dismissed or probationary students. The Accreditation Self-Study Committee which is composed of nine faculty and one student. Although the College was fully accredited for five years by the Middle States Association during 1970-71, the group continues to up-—date the self- study document in anticipation of the next accreditation review. The Athletics Committee which is composed of nine faculty and three students. The committee evaluates the athletic e- €e f. &e a ie je program of the College and makes recommendations and provides leadership in this area. The Caribbean Studies Program Committee which is comprised of 12 faculty and three students. This committee studies all matters related to the development of a program in Caribbean Studies, including the Black Studies program. The Charter Day Committee which has four faculty and three student members. This committee plans and expedites Charter Day activities. The Commencement Committee which is comprised of five faculty and two male and two female senior students. This committee plans and expedites all aspects of the commence-— ment activities. The Library Committee which is composed of 10 faculty and three students. This committee is concerned with library development and acquisitions. It works with the College Librarian in the formulation of policy and direction of the library. The Long-Range Planning Committee which is composed of 12 faculty and two students. This committee works out detailed plans and projections covering the growth of the: finance, physical plant, student enrollment, faculty requirements and curriculum, The Programs Committee which is composed of five faculty and four students. This committee meets to plan the Ideas 74 36 4. be and Issues seminars and, where funds are available, to obtain special lecturers and artists for evening programs. There is, in each academic division, a Grievance Committee to which a student has recourse. The committee consists of either a faculty member appointed by the Division Chairman, or a faculty member and a student. A student has the right of appeal from the Grievance Committee to the Division Chairman and through him to the Dean of the College. Additionally, each Division Chairman and his faculty meet formally at least once each month to discuss division matters. Student representatives are included in these meetings in the several Divisions of the College. Each full-time student is assigned a faculty advisor. Students are encouraged to seek their advisors' advice, not only on academic matters but on personal problems as well, The advisor, in turn, has recourse to the academic and administrative channels at the College available to meet student needs. The Board of Trustees has established a Conference Group composed of the important elements of the College--the Board of Trustees, the teaching faculty, administrative faculty, staff, and the student body. Six students are elected annually by the student body to this group in addition to the Student Body President, who is an ex officio sccicee, The Conference Group meets at least once per semester and provides students with direct access to the highest policy levels of the College. 70 Te The Dean of Student's office is organized to render a variety of assistance to students. Grievances may be expressed to a house manager and from him or her to either the Assistant to the Dean of Students (Men) or Assistant to the Dean of Students (Women). Students, of course, are also able to approach the Assistants to the Dean , as well as the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students hes organized a Student Affairs Tean composed of volunteer students, faculty and administrative staff. The team's purpose is to identify dit cies affecting students, investigate, and then make problem-solving recommendations to the appropriate authorities. Individual students, or a group of students, are welcome to present grievances or problems to the Student Affairs Team for investigation. Students may also take problems to the person they have elected as their representative on the Inter-—Dormitory Council. The foregoing procedures should not be interpreted to mean that a student, or a representative of a group of students, may not seek assistance in matters of concern directly from any member of the faculty or administration, including the Provost and Dean of the College and the President of the College. The College encourages proposals from the student body for constructive change for the betterment of the College as a whole, and the doors of the Provost and Dean of the College and the President of the College are open for this purpose. On a day-to-day basis, perhaps the most expeditious channel Oo ge f) v7 is through the Student Council which has representatives on the College's Administrative Council. This body meets frequently (usually every two weeks) and a majority of the time of these meetings is spent discussing student problems and areas of student concern. However, any one of the above communication channels which suits a particular situation may be used, and students are actively encouraged to use these channels which are available to them.