Military Call to Service

Policy 407

Purpose

Pursuant to the provisions of North Carolina’s General Statutes (SL 2005-445; 2003-300; 2017-155) and the University of North Carolina System Policy Manual (700.7.1(R)), the following policy provides guidelines for all Appalachian State University (Appalachian) constituents when Appalachian students who are admitted and enrolled, are required to participate in active military service.

Scope

This policy applies to active military service members and to family members of individuals called to active service. For the purpose of this policy, Appalachian students impacted by this policy are referred to as service members, or, in the case of family members, military affiliated students.

Definitions

3.1 Active military service - any circumstance, other than pre-planned training exercises, requiring a service member to report for duty. Active military service (duty) may include deployment abroad, deployment stateside, activation within the state, and/or response to a national emergency.

3.2 Admitted and enrolled - refers to any currently enrolled student or a student who has been offered admission to Appalachian, who has accepted the offer of admission, and has begun enrollment steps.

3.3 Appalachian student - any student who is admitted and enrolled at Appalachian State University.

3.4 Feasible - for the purpose of this policy, feasibility refers to both the convenience and probability relative to providing accommodations. For example, it may not be feasible to expect laboratories (or other hands-on courses) to be converted to an online modality.

3.5 Military affiliated student – any person who is the dependent child (biological, adoptive, or step) or spouse of a service member.

3.6 Service member - any person who is contractually obligated to a component of the United States Armed Forces. This contractual obligation may be for service in an active duty component or in a reserve component (including the national guard).

3.7 United States Armed Forces - represent the military forces of the United States of America. There are six branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, and each branch has both active duty (full time obligation) and reserve (part time obligation) components.

Policy Statements

Service Member/Military Affiliated Student

Service Members or Military Affiliate Students are required to contact Student Veteran Services as soon as possible, but in no event longer than seventy-two hours, after notification of requirement for active service.

4.1.1 Notification must also include an official copy of the service member’s orders.

4.1.2 A service member who does not have time to make the necessary arrangements prior to departure for active service may authorize another person to act on his/her behalf. A letter signed by the student or a power of attorney is required and must be attached to the military orders.

Student Veteran Services

Upon receipt of the notification of required active service and a copy of their official orders, the Program Director of Student Veteran Services shall:

1. Notify the service member or military affiliated student of the receipt of all required documentation.
2. Submit a Class Absence Notification Request Form to the Office of the Dean of Students (Case Management) on behalf of the student.

Accommodations

4.3.1 In accordance with North Carolina General Statutes, Appalachian State University, and its representatives, shall provide support and accommodations to service members and military affiliated students whose enrollment is disrupted by active military service. Such accommodations include, but may not be limited to:

1. Excused absences.
2. Making up missed assignments.
3. Revised due dates, including permitting the service member to turn assignments in early OR submitting assignments past the original due date.
4. Conversion of course materials to online modalities (where possible).
5. Provision of an Incomplete (I) at the conclusion of the term when necessary.
   1. Incomplete grades must be resolved by the end of the next semester, per published university guidelines.
6. Individual course drops or complete withdrawal without academic or financial penalty when applicable.

Service Member/Military Affiliated Student Obligations

4.4.1 To the greatest extent possible, service members and military affiliated students are expected to maintain open communication channels with their faculty, Case Management and Student Veteran Services. If the nature/conditions of the active service will not permit the student to complete academic work, the service member/military affiliated student must make that known as early as possible. When requesting accommodations listed above, the service member/military affiliated student must:

1. Notify their faculty, in writing, of any requests, other than a course drop or withdrawal, for accommodations stemming from their active military service.
   1. Carbon copy Case Management and Student Veteran Services on all requests.
   2. Articulate their request and include the specific type of accommodation(s) they are seeking.
2. When requesting a course drop or complete withdrawal, the service member/military affiliated student must contact Student Veteran Services.

Faculty Obligations

4.5.1 Faculty members shall:

1. Provide accommodation(s), when feasible, in consultation with the student’s request(s) and Student Veteran Services for accommodation(s).
2. If the faculty is unable to provide the requested accommodation(s), they shall:
   1. Provide the service member/military affiliated student, in writing, with any available alternatives and/or
   2. Provide, in writing, an explanation for why requested accommodations are not feasible.
   3. If accommodation is denied, documentation must be provided to the Office of Student Veteran Services which includes: (i) the accommodation sought, (ii) efforts made to accommodate, and (iii) reasons why accommodation is not feasible.

Timing of Service Obligation

4.6.1 Before the term:

4.6.1.1 In the event a service member or military affiliated student shall miss the beginning of a term, the student shall be given the opportunity to make up missed work and shall be provided with any course materials they miss due to their service obligation.

4.6.1.2 In the event service members/military affiliated students are eligible to engage in their coursework in alternative modalities, the service member/military affiliated student and their faculty shall discuss options for alternative course delivery.

4.6.1.3 In the event the service member/military affiliated student, in conjunction with their faculty, determines they will be unable to catch up on missed course work, the student shall be granted the option of dropping the course(s) without penalty.

4.6.2 During the Term:

4.6.2.1 When service members are called for active military service during a term, the student (service member/military affiliated student) has three options:

Option 1: Continue working on coursework through alternative modalities. The student may still need modified due dates and/or other accommodations.

Option 2: Complete the course early or take an incomplete. The service member and their faculty are responsible for determining completion timelines, assignment due dates, and when the course is to be completed.

Option 3: Drop the course (or courses). If the student, and their faculty, determine that completing the course is not in the student’s best interests, individual courses, or all courses may be dropped.

Decisions regarding which option is most appropriate, must be decided in conjunction with the faculty member teaching the course, and Student Veteran Services.

4.6.3 At the end of the term:

4.6.3.1 If a service member is called for active military service at the conclusion of the term (within one week of the last day of exams), every effort should be made to permit the service member/military affiliated student to complete their courses in advance of their departure. If time constraints prohibit early completion of the courses, a grade of incomplete shall automatically be granted to the student. If the student is unable to complete the courses, a retroactive withdrawal may be requested for the term.