Department of Mathematics

Other Important Policies

MSU Important Semester Dates

  • MSU maintains this calendar of important university dates such as the open add period, last day to drop a class, holidays, etc.
  • In addition, the Math Department allows students to contact the Undergraduate office (517-353-0844), to initiate Mathematics enrollment changes (Late add’s, drop to lower course, section changes) for up to one week after the “Open Add Period Ends” date.
Assignments for the Semester Stay in the Semester
  • No assignments for this class will be required to be completed before the "Classes Begin" date found in the RO calendar above.
  • Apart from the Final Exam, no assignments will have a due date after the "Classes End" date found in the RO calendar above. In addition, with the exception where a student is granted an incomplete for the course, no assignments will be accepted after the "Classes End" date so that we may adhere to the Code of Teaching Responsibility and submit grades to the University in a timely manner.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services, and activities. Requests for accommodations by persons with disabilities may be made by contacting the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at 517-884-RCPD or on the web at rcpd.msu.edu. Once your eligibility for an accommodation has been determined, you will be issued a Verified Individual Services Accommodation (”VISA”) form. Please present this form to your instructor at the start of the term and/or two weeks prior to the accommodation date (quiz, exam, etc.). Requests for accommodations with less than two weeks notice may not be granted. Requests for accommodations with less than two days notice typically cannot be granted.

Attendance Policies

Students are expected to attend all class meetings and are responsible for all of the material covered in class and in the homework. Any changes in this syllabus or in the scheduling of exams, quizzes, etc. will be announced during class meetings. Students whose names do not appear on the official class list for this course may not attend this class. Students who fail to attend the first four class sessions or class by the fifth day of the semester, whichever occurs first, may be dropped from the course.

Excused Absences

All assignments must be completed in a timely manner. For many of the assignments, the solutions are released shortly after the due date therefore it is not possible to grant extensions, makeups, or retakes. Instead, many assignment types have built-in leniency to account for most special situations such as weddings, short-term illness, work, emergencies, job interviews, funerals, University Grief Absences, travel, technology issues, sporting events, club events, sorority/fraternity events, etc. In extreme cases, that require you to miss more assignments in a category than the leniency has built-in, please reach out to your instructor.
Exceptions to this rule are limited to late adds and religious holidays. In these cases, the instructor and student will work together to decide between an alternative make-up assignment or to drop the assignment from the student's grade calculation (whichever seems most appropriate for the situation).

Grief Absence Policy

The Mathematics faculty and staff work hard to be sensitive and to accommodate the bereavement process of a student who has lost a family member or who is experiencing emotional distress from a similar tragedy so that the student is not academically disadvantaged in their class. According to the University's Grief Absence Policy, it is the responsibility of the student to:
  1. notify the Associate Dean or designee of their college of the need for a grief absence in a timely manner, but no later than one week from the student’s initial knowledge of the situation,
  2. provide appropriate verification of the grief absence as specified by the Associate Dean, and
  3. complete all missed work as determined in consultation with the instructor.
It is the responsibility of the Associate Dean or designee to:
  1. determine with the student the expected period of absence – it is expected that some bereavement processes may be more extensive than others depending on individual circumstances,
  2. notify the faculty that the student will be absent, and
  3. receive verification of the authenticity of a grief absence request upon the student’s return.

Late Add Policy

Students who join the class late must reach out to the instructors about making up any missed assignments within the first 3 business days of being enrolled in the course. After this, no additional make-up opportunities will be granted.

Religious Holidays

Students who celebrate a religious holiday on the date an assignment is due may reach out to their instructors and request an alternate due date. This must be done at least 2 business days before the due date. After this, no additional alterations can be granted.

Travel Policy

Dates and times for the majority of the assignments have been displayed since the beginning of the semester, therefore travel is not typically considered an excused absence. Students are expected to work ahead to turn in any unproctored assignments (homework/projects) on time. If however, a student has made travel plans prior to the beginning of the semester for the date of a midterm exam and has documentation showing this they may request to use the final exam percentage score in place of the midterm exam score. However, students must request this from their instructor during the first week of the semester. After the first week, no travel accommodations will be granted.

Time Zone Policy

All times specified in the syllabus, emails, D2L announcements, verbal announcements during class, etc. are in Eastern Daylight Time unless explicitly stated otherwise. If the student is in another timezone it is their responsibility to accurately determine all time conversions. No makeups / retakes / extensions can be granted for timezone conversion issues.

Regrade Requests and Retention of Assignments

If you suspect an assessment has been incorrectly graded or a grade has been incorrectly recorded please notify your instructor within one week of receiving your grade. After this typically no grade changes can be made. In addition, it is the responsibility of the student to retain any and all handed back material in case of any questions or concerns including grade computations.

When an assignment is requested to be regraded typically the grader will re-examine the entire assignment. Because grades are meant to reflect the student's knowledge displayed on the assignment the grader may both increase or decrease the overall score if it is a more accurate reflection of the student's knowledge and more consistent with grading decisions made by the instruction team.

Spartan Code of Honor

"As a Spartan, I will strive to uphold values of the highest ethical standard. I will practice honesty in my work, foster honesty in my peers, and take pride in knowing that honor is worth more than grades. I will carry these values beyond my time as a student at Michigan State University, continuing the endeavor to build personal integrity in all that I do." More information can be found at http://honorcode.msu.edu/.

Academic Integrity

Overview

Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states that ”The student shares with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards.” In addition, the Mathematics Department adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades; the all University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades; and Ordinance 17.00, Examinations. (See Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide and/or the MSU Web site: www.msu.edu.) Therefore, unless authorized by your instructor, you are expected to complete all course assignments, including homework, quizzes, projects, and exams, without assistance from any source. You are expected to develop original work for this course; therefore, you may not submit coursework you completed for another course to satisfy the requirements for this course. Also, you are not authorized to use the www.allmsu.com website to complete any coursework in this course. Students who violate MSU academic integrity rules may receive a penalty grade, including a failing grade on the assignment or in the course and an Academic Dishonesty Report will be filed to the University. Contact your instructor if you are unsure about the appropriateness of your coursework. (See also the Academic Integrity webpage.)

Proctored Assignment Policy

We believe strongly that all students should have equal resources and opportunities during proctored assessments. Therefore, in addition to the University academic dishonesty policy stated above, the Department of Mathematics has a list of class policies to help promote academic honesty and fairness. The following list applies to all proctored assignments.
  • There is no communication allowed between students or between a student and a third person. If you have a question you need to address an instructor/TA in the course.
  • Students are not permitted to use any additional devices / websites / tabs during the proctored assignment unless the assignment explicitly states otherwise.
  • Students must have their MSU ID (or other photo ID) to take a proctored assignment.
  • Students must comply with all reasonable requests of the proctors.
  • Bathroom breaks are discouraged and they take away from your time on the assignment. Please plan ahead and use the bathroom beforehand.
  • Students may not discuss the content or explicit problems on Quizzes / Exams for at least 48 hours after the assignment is due with anyone other than their instructor.
This list is by no means exhaustive. Students who violate any of the class policies may receive a penalty grade determined based on the severity of the action by the instructor and course supervisor. Grades received as a penalty are not eligible to be replaced/dropped via any other course policies.

Technology Issues

Unverified Technology / Internet issues are the student's responsibility. Students should complete assignments significantly before the due date/time so that any possible technical issues will not be a concern. If you are having extreme Technology / Internet issues, please record the event on your cell phone for evidence, including your attempts to fix the problem. Try to collect as much documentation as possible (such as service reports from your internet provider or https://servicestatus.msu.edu/) to help support your claim. Typically no extensions can be made; however, these are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Help with Technology

Many times doing a Google search for a specific issue works well. However if you are having a problem you cannot find the answer to please consider reaching out for support:

Privacy Policies

Here is a collection of links to the privacy policies for many platforms currently being used:

Ignorantia Juris Non Excusat

Students should read the syllabus and be familiar with our policies and how they will be graded. No make-ups or extensions will be granted for students on the basis of not knowing.

Limits to Confidentiality

Essays, journals, and other materials submitted for this class are generally considered confidential pursuant to the University’s student record policies. However, students should be aware that University employees, including instructors, may not be able to maintain confidentiality when it conflicts with their responsibility to report certain issues to protect the health and safety of MSU community members and others. Instructors  must report the following information to the Department of Police and Public Safety if you share it:
  • Suspected child abuse/neglect, even if this maltreatment happened when you were a child,
  • Allegations of sexual assault or sexual harassment when they involve MSU students, faculty, or staff, and
  • Credible threats of harm to oneself or to others.
These reports will trigger contact from the Department of Police and Public Safety who will want to talk with you about the incident that you have shared. In almost all cases, it will be your decision whether you wish to speak with that individual. If you would like to talk about these events in a more confidential setting you are encouraged to make an appointment with the MSU Counseling Center.

Disruptive Behavior

Article 2.III.B.4 of the Academic Freedom Report (AFR) for students at Michigan State University states: ”The student’s behavior in the classroom shall be conducive to the teaching and learning process for all concerned.” Article 2.III.B.10 of the AFR states that ”The student has a right to scholarly relationships with faculty based on mutual trust and civility.” General Student Regulation 5.02 states: ”No student shall . . . interfere with the functions and services of the University (for example, but not limited to, classes . . .) such that the function or service is obstructed or disrupted. Students whose conduct adversely affects the learning environment in this classroom may be subject to disciplinary action through the Student Judicial Affairs office.