Graduation Accommodations Due to Spring 2020 Course Disruptions

The Faculty Senate of Rice University resolves that students (undergraduate and graduate) will not be unduly penalized academically in the case that courses in progress in Spring 2020 are not offered for completion in Spring 2020 as a result of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
The Faculty Senate empowers the Dean of Undergraduates and the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies to examine applied Spring 2020 degree candidates under their respective jurisdiction that are unable to complete course credits in the Spring 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to prepare requests for graduation requirement exemptions to be presented at Plenary Meetings of the Senate. 
 
For Spring 2020 graduates, the Faculty Senate further resolves that as long as the exemptions requested are consistent with SACSCOC (and where appropriate, ABET) requirements, the exemptions are expected to be approved at the May 14, 2020 Plenary Meeting.  The Senate further resolves that for continuing students for whom Spring 2020 course cancellations result in the students not receiving credit, an undue burden should not be placed on these students to fulfill all graduation requirements impacted in Spring 2020.  As a result, the Dean of Undergraduates and the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies will have wide latitude to prepare graduation requirement exemption requests consistent with SACSCOC requirements for these students in future years, and it is expected these exemptions will be approved at the appropriate Plenary Meeting.  For continuing undergraduate students, the Senate empowers the Dean of Undergraduates to work with EX&S to identify, to the extent possible, potential exemptions from the Spring 2020 semester and bring them forward for approval of an exception at the December 2020 Plenary Meeting.  For continuing graduate students, the Senate empowers the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies to identify, to the extent possible, potential exemptions from the Spring 2020 semester and bring them forward for approval of an exception at the December 2020 Plenary Meeting.
 
Approved by the Faculty Senate March 25, 2020