Academic Life
UAS believes that the educational process takes place in all phases of campus life, and important parts of this process occur both inside and outside of the classroom. In recognition of this, the university places the strongest priority on fostering an atmosphere of academic freedom in which students, staff, and faculty all share the responsibility of upholding the highest of ethical standards in their pursuit of knowledge. All relationships on campus ideally serve as partnerships in which both parties strive to be open-minded even in the light of differences and in which mutual respect and honesty prevail at all times.
Students who choose to become more involved in campus affairs and the experiential learning process tend to persist longer in their postsecondary studies, to perform better academically, and to feel more connected to the university community. Opportunities for leadership, research, and participation in student activities abound at UAS and will greatly advance a student’s personal growth and development during their college years. The decision to live on campus further enhances these positive learning experiences as seamless learning environments are created between the classroom and the residences, and students feel more at home within the institution.
Campus residency provides students with a multitude of supportive resources, social outlets, significant peer interactions, and leadership opportunities that commuter students do not have access to. Residential students live amongst neighbors who share a similar commitment to their higher education and benefiting from a living environment conducive to learning and personal development. Residents are encouraged to seek employment in Residence Life and Housing, to participate in the residential governing board (see “Community Council”), and to attend the vast number of social, recreational, cultural, and educational events that take place within the student housing community. In residence, it is very easy to find support and fairly difficult to get bored.
Student Practices
Successful students attend classes and seek to establish positive working relationships with instructors, professors, and academic advisors. Being awake, prepared, and actively engaged in class will yield the most from tuition dollars. Note-taking skills, study skills, time management, and test-taking strategies also help to improve academic performance; for assistance in improving these and other skills, visit the Learning Center in the Egan Library. Students should feel comfortable approaching professors if they need assistance with course materials or special accommodations.
As a general rule, a student can expect to spend two hours studying outside of class for every hour spent in lecture or lab. Utilizing spare time when on campus to study is a good way to manage one’s time, and there are many quiet places to study on campus. Additionally, students can expand the breadth of their education by seeking opportunities for research, internships or practica, and teaching assistantships.
Academic Integrity
Honesty in academic endeavors is a central tenet of the UAS philosophy. One may feel proud of accomplishments and success attained honorably through hard work. Knowledge gained in this way often leads to later success in professional pursuits and in personal life. Unfortunately, academic stress and anxiety sometimes impact the individual in ways that produce dishonest behavior, or taking an “easier” route to fulfilling academic responsibilities. Infractions of academic dishonesty can lead to serious consequences. Refer to the 2007-08 UAS Student Handbook for more details.
Residence Life staff observing academic dishonesty outside the classroom are required to report such behavior, and these cases may be referred directly to the campus Judicial Officer for a conduct hearing. Programs offered through the Learning Center and the Student Resource Center address topics such as study skills and time management to reduce stress and thus help to prevent dishonest behavior.
Computer Ethics
UAS’s computer resources provide a vital service to all segments of the university. In using the system, therefore, we ask that you do so conscientiously. The individual and the university have fundamental rights and responsibilities to foster the mission of the educational community. UAS recognizes the ownership rights of a user’s own intellectual work and that all files (programs, documents, mail messages, directories, etc.) are the private property of individuals who create them, or to whom they are legally sent or assigned. As such, electronically stored information is considered confidential and will only be examined or disclosed when authorized by the owner of the information, approved by the appropriate university official, or as required by local, state or federal laws.
It is a most serious offense for any user to attempt to degrade the performance of the university computer/information system, to seek to penetrate its security or in any way to deprive or attempt to deprive other users of resources or access to the computer. The intent of the following list is to give an overview of unacceptable uses of UAS’s computing resources especially as related to the on-campus residential environment of Student Housing.
Computer misuse includes, but is not limited to:
- Using a computer account or username belonging to another individual
- Tampering with the operation of the UAS computing system or other computer systems available through the network, including both equipment and programs
- Using the system for commercial purposes and/or for personal profit
- Modifying, copying, or deleting programs or data without proper authorization
- Using the electronic mail system to send abusive, obscene, or otherwise harassing communications
- Using the electronic mail system to distribute chain letters or broadcasting to lists of individuals in such a manner that might cause congestion and performance degradation of the network
- Specifying false or misleading identification when required to do so for any purpose associated with use of the system
- Using a computer account to download copyrighted material
- Using a computer account to view pornographic materials in public areas
In order to insure system performance, data integrity and security, UAS Information Technology personnel may read, copy and/ or delete files when operationally necessary. Operational privileges may not be used to abuse user rights. Persons discovered in violation of the principles stated above or any other provisions established by the Information Technology Department shall be reported to the appropriate judicial authorities and subject to disciplinary action.
