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General Information
This section includes an alphabetical listing of information important to all students. Detailed descriptions of academic policies and procedures are found in The Navigator and the Graduate Student Handbook. These detailed handbooks are available at the college office for undergraduates and the department office for graduate students.
Academic Integrity
All members of the UCSC academic community have an explicit responsibility to present as their original work only that which is truly their own. Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty are contrary to the ideals and purposes of a university and will not be tolerated. Note that plagiarism includes the deliberate misrepresentation of someone else’s words and ideas as your own, as well as paraphrasing without footnoting the source. Students and faculty are jointly responsible for assuring that the integrity of scholarship is valued and preserved.
To view the full text of the policy on academic dishonesty, see oasas2.ucsc.edu/avcue/integrity.
Due Process
Students charged with academic dishonesty have the right to due process through established policies and regulations concerning student conduct and discipline. Copies of these policies and regulations can be found in the UCSC Student Policies and Regulations Handbook (www2.ucsc.edu/judicial/).
Academic Standing (Undergraduates)
To measure academic standing, the Academic Senate has set a minimum number of credits in which a student must receive a grade of P, A, B, or C each quarter to remain eligible to continue enrollment. Most students maintain good academic standing, but it is important to understand the minimum progress standard in case difficulty occurs. There are two criteria for determining minimum progress: cumulative progress and current progress. You must meet both criteria each quarter to satisfy minimum progress. It is a good idea to discuss any academic problems you may have with an academic preceptor at your college. Informing one of them of anticipated difficulties, special needs, and unusual circumstances that might affect your academic work is the best way to avert academic censure. See also Evaluating Undergraduate Academic Performance for changes in grading and academic standing policies.
It is important for UCSC offices to have access to accurate address information for all UCSC students. UCSC relies on the addresses on the UCSC Student Portal to send you official information. You must update your address each time you change your residence, or you will miss important documents and deadlines. Read through the definitions below to understand the different types of addresses maintained by UCSC before making changes.
College address (fall, winter, spring quarters): This address is assigned by your college. The Financial Aid Office uses this address as a secondary address for mailings to students who do not have a local address or whose mail is returned.
Please remember you must separately register a forwarding address with your college for your United States Postal Service (USPS) mail to be forwarded. Colleges can forward USPS mail for a period of one year in case of graduation or leave of absence.
Local (year round): This should always be your current address. It is your responsibility to keep this address up-to-date and prevent important campus mail from being misdirected.
- Billing statements are mailed to the local address unless you establish a third-party billing address. Other mailings to this address may include credit balance refunds and general mailings from campus units. The Financial Aid Office uses this address as the primary address for all mailings.
- During fall, winter, and spring quarters, you may use a college address as your local address. Summer: After spring quarter ends and before fall quarter begins, a college address is not a valid local address. For this reason, it is important to keep your local address updated during the summer, so you do not miss important communications and deadlines. Students in residence for the summer should check at their place of residence (college, the Village, the UCSC Inn, or University Town Center [UTC]) for specific summer mail policies.
Please remember you must separately register a forwarding address with your college for your USPS mail to be forwarded. Colleges can forward USPS mail for a period of one year in the case of graduation or a leave of absence.
Permanent (year round): This address may be the same as your local address or the address of a relative, but it may not be your college address. Your diploma will be sent to this address. The Financial Aid Office uses this address during the summer; and, if mail is returned, and they have been unable to contact you using other addresses.
Billing (year round): If you would like your Statement of Account mailed to a third party, such as your parents, grandparents, or guardian, you must establish a billing address. Billing addresses are used only for statements going to someone other than you.
A Release of Information (ROI) allows the Student Business Services office to discuss your Statement of Account with whomever you authorize. No specific information regarding financial activity will be released to or discussed with a third party, including parents, without the consent of the student. The ROI applies only to the Statement of Account and does not release you from financial responsibility.
Administrative Cancellation
Your student status may be cancelled by the campus administration at any time for the reasons listed below. If you
- are barred from enrollment for one or more quarters for academic deficiencies;
- are disqualified for academic deficiencies;
- receive disciplinary action;
- fail to respond to official university notices;
- fail to settle financial obligations; or
- fail to enroll in classes.
Cancellation for any of the first three reasons will be noted on your official academic record.
Administrative cancellation means that your enrollments are dropped, financial aid is cancelled, and you are ineligible to use campus services reserved for students. The registration fee refund, if applicable, is determined by the effective date of the administrative cancellation.
Advance Course Information
Advance Course Information (ACI) is designed to complement advance enrollment. It supplies more course information online than is available through the UCSC General Catalog.
Also available via ACI are book lists for the current quarter. These are arranged by department and are provided by the Bay Tree Bookstore. To get to the ACI web page directly, go to reg.ucsc.edu/soc/aci.
Faculty participation in ACI is voluntary; therefore, information is not available for all classes. If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, you can e-mail ACI at aci@ucsc.edu.
Advising
Advisers are available in the colleges to assist undergraduates with general planning issues, such as choosing appropriate course loads, maintaining good academic progress, and integrating majors and minors in an overall academic plan. Advising for specific major and minor programs is offered at the departments. Students may also consult with faculty, career counselors, educational opportunity advisers, psychological counselors, and disability resource specialists, among others.
Announcing Candidacy to Graduate
To be a candidate for the bachelor’s degree, you must file an Announcement of Candidacy at the Office of the Registrar by the posted quarterly deadline.
If you announce your candidacy for a degree but do not complete the requirements for graduation, you will not automatically be considered a continuing student for the subsequent quarter. Go to the Office of the Registrar to cancel or reschedule your announcement of candidacy and to receive enrollment and fee payment instructions.
Auditing of Classes
You may audit (sit in on) a regular course with the permission of the instructor in charge. The instructor may allow you to attend course meetings but only if adequate facilities are available after all students who wish to enroll officially have done so. The instructor is not obligated to devote time to your work. Auditors ordinarily do not write papers or take exams. Since you are not enrolled in the class, there is no record kept; and you receive no grade notation, evaluation, or credit. You are not eligible to audit classes if you’ve been barred or disqualified for academic or disciplinary reasons, have withdrawn, or are on leave of absence.
Cancelled Courses
Occasionally, it is necessary for a sponsoring agency to cancel a course after students have advance enrolled. Whenever possible, the course-sponsoring agency will notify enrolled students about the cancellation. Check the Schedule of Classes (reg.ucsc.edu/soc) on the web for updates. Go online to the Student Portal to check your enrollments for cancellations or changes in meeting times, days, or location.
Certification of Student Status for Outside Agencies
The Office of the Registrar is the only agency on campus authorized to certify student status and academic standing for outside agencies such as student loan institutions, insurance companies, child care programs, banks, and employers. You may request enrollment certification in person or by mail.
If you need a certification of student status to defer a federally insured student loan, your request will be forwarded to the National Student Loan Clearinghouse for processing. Most lenders contact this agency directly for confirmation of student status.
If you are registered and enrolled, a certification for the current academic year will be produced as you wait at 190 Hahn from 9 A.M. to noon. Valid photo identification is required. Certifications requested after noon will be ready for pickup after 1 P.M. the following day.
Computing Facilities and Services
UC Santa Cruz is rapidly expanding its computing environment. We want you to be aware of computing facilities and services so that you can take full advantage of the campus computing resources. Here are the key points:
- Students are expected to communicate via e-mail using a UCSC e-mail account. Your account is assigned when you enroll for classes the first time. There is no cost for the e-mail account. Mail may be accessed via the web on CruzMail.
- The campus is rapidly expanding its CruzNet wireless network to reach many points on the campus by early 2004. This means that if you have a laptop computer with a wireless network card, you’ll be able to sit down with a group of classmates in a serene setting among the redwoods or at a cafe with an ocean view to do your homework and still have Internet access.
- Because of the ubiquitous wireless access being developed, we highly recommend that you purchase a laptop computer. We have included minimum specifications below.
- The campus offers a high-speed data residential network called ResNet to all students living in university residential areas. The service cost is included in the housing fees. There are no additional fees for students who live in university residential areas to use the service which includes technical support (by phone or office visits when necessary) provided by ResNet staff.
- There are 15 instructional computing labs across the campus with high-speed network service and specialized hardware and software. Each lab is open to all students.
Purchasing
a Computer?
If
you are planning on buying a new computer and using it for at least four
years while on campus, UCSC recommends purchasing a laptop with both
wired and wireless network capability. In 2003–04, 98 percent
of students who came to campus had a personally owned computer in his/her
residential housing room.
An excellent source for purchasing computers and computer products is the university’s Bay Tree Bookstore, right on campus (slugstore.ucsc.edu); phone (831) 459-2082. Through university negotiated contracts, the bookstore offers a full line of Apple and Dell computers as well as software and peripheral equipment. Because of your student status, pricing is almost always below outside market prices. And, the bookstore works closely with campus computing specialists to be certain the equipment you buy will meet campus specifications, both wired and wireless. As an added convenience, Apple products can be ordered in advance through the bookstore and be ready for pickup when you arrive on campus.
Technology vendors frequently use the “Back-to-School” time frame for additional special pricing, so you might want to check with the Bay Tree Bookstore in July and August as you begin thinking about shopping for a computer. The Bay Tree Bookstore staff can help you make the right choices for your campus computing needs.
The campus community embraces both PCs and Macs, and, in some circles, Unix-based Sun Solaris and Linux are popular. The Divisions of Humanities and Arts are both heavily Mac-oriented. The Divisions of Social Sciences and Physical and Biological Sciences use both Macs and PCs. The School of Engineering is primarily PC/Windows and PC/Linux (as well as Sun Solaris), and there is an emerging interest in Macintosh with the Unix-based OS X environment.
If you are purchasing PC, we recommend that you purchase a Pentium 4 with a minimum 800MHz or equivalent microprocessor, 256MB or more of RAM (512K is best), and a minimum 20GB hard drive. In general, if you are purchasing a PC (and are not interested repairing a computer yourself), we recommend that you purchase a computer manufactured by a major vendor such as Dell that is highly rated for reliability and service. For software on a PC, we recommend Microsoft Office that includes Microsoft Word. Most faculty are accustomed to receiving student papers in Microsoft Word files.
If you are purchasing a Macintosh, a 400+MHz PowerMac G4 or an iMac, also with 256MB or more of RAM and a 20GB hard drive, is recommended running Mac OS 9 or better. UCSC recommends Microsoft Windows XP and Apple OS X for new machines. For more recommendations on computer hardware and software, please visit the ResNet web site at resnet.ucsc.edu.
UCSC Computer
Accounts and CruzMail
Students are expected to communicate via e-mail using a UCSC e-mail
account. E-mail is a useful tool for communicating with faculty, teaching
assistants, and other students. In many cases, e-mail is the most timely
method of communication on campus.
To use the computing and networking resources at UCSC, you must first activate your UCSC computer account that was assigned when you enrolled for your first quarter at UCSC. You can activate your account by following the instructions at www2.ucsc.edu/cats/sc/help/intro/accounts.shtml, or receive assistance in any staffed instructional computing lab. See ic.ucsc.edu/labs/. If you have any questions about your account, visit the Communications and Technology Services (CATS) Information Resource Center, 50 Communications Building; call (831) 459-4357 (459-HELP); or e-mail help@ucsc.edu.
All students should activate a UCSC e-mail account even if they use another e-mail address. A UCSC account is an online ID that gives access to secure online resources. Faculty expect students to have a UCSC account to receive class information.
CruzMail is web mail service for UCSC accounts. Students can access their UCSC e-mail by opening a web browser and going to cruzmail.ucsc.edu/. E-mail may be stored and managed on the CruzMail server.
Campus academic divisions also may provide computing facilities and services to serve their specific disciplines. There may be additional rules or policies associated with these discipline-specific services and facilities.
Because the Internet is a dynamic environment, you should be aware of the following:
- Students using UC Santa Cruz computing facilities and services must comply with the University of California state and federal policies and laws referenced at www2.ucsc.edu/cats/sc/help/policies/. While this policies web page lists many of the university policies, it in no way is meant as an exhaustive and complete list. New regulations, policies, and procedures are constantly evolving. Also, laws, policies, or other regulations on aspects not specific to networks or computing may apply, e.g., student conduct, personnel policy or contract, sexual harassment, chain letter laws, or other regulations.
- Web pages at UCSC (and beyond) are expanding and changing rapidly. Please send questions regarding any information found on the web to the web page author listed at the bottom of each web page.
- Please send questions or concerns about electronic abuses or harassment via e-mail to abuse@ucsc.edu.
CruzNet Wireless, Ethernet, Modem, and Telephone Access
CruzNet
Wireless Network
Wireless access to the campus network is available in selected public
areas. See its.ucsc.edu for more information.
Network
and Phones for Students Living on Campus
Student Communication Services (SCS) is a partnership between Housing,
Dining, and Child Care Services and Communications and Technology Services
that provides in-room Internet access (called ResNet) and a university-owned
and operated telephone system. Network services are available to undergraduate
and graduate students living in university housing (except for the Camper
Park). For assistance with network connections, students can contact ResNet
at resnet@ucsc.edu or (831) 459-4638.
Please check the web site at resnet.ucsc.edu for more information.
Local telephone service is provided in every student room (except for the Camper Park and Family Student Housing). Students must use calling cards to place long distance calls. Call (831) 459-3865, or e-mail scs@ucsc.edu for more information on phone services.
Modem
Access for Students off Campus
If you want to connect your computer from off campus, you can connect
via a university modem pool at no charge, but with limited connection
hours per week. See www2.ucsc.edu/cats/sc/services/remote.access.shtml
for more information on this topic and information on configuring your
computer software for these options.
Security
Software to Prevent Viruses and Worms
Student-owned computers coming to campus may be vulnerable or already
infected with worms like Blaster and Welchia viruses, and worms target
Windows more than other operating systems. A computer that is infected
with a virus or worm can infect many others when it is connected to the
network. Note that if you use the campus modem pool, you are connecting
to the campus network.
The UCSC Security Team and ResNet have tools in place to identify vulnerable and infected computers. If you live on campus, contact ResNet for assistance; and if you live off campus, go to its.ucsc.edu for assistance. Vulnerable or infected computers will be disconnected from the network.
Computing
Labs for Drop-in Use and Academic Classes
Instructional Computing (IC) manages 15 computer labs throughout the campus.
These include the Digital Media Lab in the Arts and the Solaris Unix labs
for students in the sciences and engineering. There is a wireless laptop
lab at the Academic Resources Center where you can check out an Apple
laptop and have a network connection while sitting in the meadow overlooking
the ocean (see ic.ucsc.edu/labs/labdescriptions/arc/).
The 15 labs have over 340 computers available for students to use including
PCs, Macs, and Sun workstations.
The computing labs are used like classrooms and may be reserved by faculty or teaching assistants for instruction. When not reserved for instruction, the labs are available to students on a walk-in basis. Even if they are not teaching in the labs, many faculty request to have academic software installed in the labs so that their students can complete homework assignments. Every IC lab is open to every student, no matter what his or her major.
Technical training is available for students in the computer labs. In addition, faculty or teaching assistants can request that CATS/IC staff conduct training sessions as part of an academic course. Contact Robin Ove, Faculty Instructional Technology Center manager, fitc@ucsc.edu, for more information.
More extensive lab information, including hardware and software specifications and hours of operation, is available at ic.ucsc.edu.
Academic
Course Materials on the Web
The WebCT course management system is a tool to create sophisticated web-based
course materials to supplement classroom instruction, not to replace
it. WebCT uses a web browser as the interface for the course. Faculty
using WebCT can incorporate a wide variety of tools in their course site
such as a course calendar, student conferencing system, electronic mail,
group projects with student-created web pages, and quizzes. Outside of
class time, students can use WebCT to view course materials, participate
in web-based class discussions, collaborate on student group projects,
and take quizzes. Faculty can use WebCT to see what materials students
have viewed before they arrive in class. When faculty administer pre-class
quizzes on WebCT, they can see what concepts students understand before
class and tailor the lecture accordingly. Students must have established
their UCSC account to be enrolled in WebCT courses. See more information
about WebCT and other UCSC course web sites at ic.ucsc.edu/docs/webct
and ic.ucsc.edu/courses.
Need Disability
Accommodations for Computing?
If you have a disability and will require adaptive or assistive technology
to use lab computers, library facilities, or other campus services, please
contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) right away so that they can
coordinate services for you. Instructional computing labs have common
adaptive technologies, such as enlarged type for students with low vision
and Dvorak keyboards for students with repetitive strain injuries. If
you need accommodations, please call the DRC at 459-2089 (voice) or 459-4806
(TTY).
Need Computing
Help?
You may find the answer to your question at
- its.ucsc.edu for a general description of Information Technology Services (ITS) services, with links to web sites from a variety of UCSC organizations;
- ic.ucsc.edu/help for frequently asked questions and answers; and
- www2.ucsc.edu/cats/sc/help/intro/ for an introduction to CATS computing services, such as UCSC accounts, networking, and other topics.
If you need additional help with computer accounts, network access, or general computer questions, please contact the CATS Information Resource Center (IRC). The IRC is located at 50 Communications Building and is open Monday through Friday, 8 A.M. to noon and 1 P.M. to 5 P.M. You can contact them via
- drop-in consulting (up to 15 minutes per session);
- phone at 459-4357 (459-HELP); or
- e-mail at help@ucsc.edu.
Need a
Job?
Instructional Computing has about 100 student staff positions including
lab consultants, who staff labs and assist students; technical support
specialists, who maintain lab hardware and software; and web developers,
who work on project teams to produce academic course sites. Please see
icweb.ucsc.edu/apply/ for more
information about the lab consultant and technical support specialist
positions.
See ic.ucsc.edu/faculty/webdev/ for information about the web developer program, and e-mail fitc@ucsc.edu if you want to apply.
The Information Resource Center hires student consultants through the UCSC Career Center. For more information, see www2.ucsc.edu/careers/.
Related
Information
UCSC hosts a number of interesting and informative web pages. A useful
starting place is the UCSC home page (www.ucsc.edu);
other useful sites include the following.
- Student Portal (students.ucsc.edu) puts an array of customized information at students’ fingertips.
- Library home page (library.ucsc.edu), is a starting point for the UCSC and UC-wide library catalogs, CruzCAT, and Melvyl.
- Campus Housing home page (cuhs.ucsc.edu) provides information on UCSC Colleges, Housing, Dining, and Child Care Services.
- Financial Aid home page (www2.ucsc.edu/fin-aid/) provides financial aid information.
- Career Center home page (www2.ucsc.edu/careers/) provides help finding on-campus jobs and information about careers, student employment, and internships.
Computing
Use Policies
Students using UCSC computing resources are subject to policies that state
expected behaviors for electronic communication and electronic conduct,
in general. The University of California has adopted an electronic communications
policy that clarifies the applicability of law and other university policies
to electronic communications. The UC Electronic Mail Policy can be reviewed
online at www.ucop.edu/ucophome/policies/ec.
UCSC has adopted the Computing Use Policies and the ResNet Responsible
Use Policy (RUP) which indicate responsible use of computing resources,
in general, and in the residence halls, respectively. The Computing Use
Policy is Appendix L of the UCSC Student Policies and Regulations Handbook
(www2.ucsc.edu/judicial/handbook.html),
and the ResNet RUP is online at resnet.ucsc.edu/ResNetPolicy.shtml.
Cross-Enrollment
The cross-enrollment program permits UCSC students who meet certain eligibility criteria to enroll in one undergraduate course, on a space-available basis each quarter or semester, at a California community college or California state university. The host campus may charge a $10 administrative fee each quarter, and students must reapply each quarter they wish to cross-enroll at another campus.
Note: not all community colleges participate in the cross-enrollment program; contact the institution where you wish to enroll in for information.
Lost and Found
The first place to go for lost and found items is the nearest college or department office. Items that are not claimed from these offices are taken to the University Police Office, located in the H Barn near the main entrance to the campus, 459-2231.
Name Change
Name Change petitions are available at the Office of the Registrar. A student who is currently enrolled or announcing candidacy and is requesting an official name change on their academic records must complete this form and present it, in person, at the Office of the Registrar. You must submit documentation showing legal change of name (court order) or use of requested name on official documentation (e.g., drivers license, social security card, passport, marriage certificate, etc.). You may also correct your name at the Office of the Registrar if, for example, it is misspelled or the punctuation is incorrect. Be prepared to show proof of the correctly spelled name.
When you file a Name Change petition, you may also order and pay for a new student ID card at the Bay Tree Bookstore Building.
Nonrelease of Public Information
The following information is considered public information and may be disclosed: name, college or local address, e-mail address, local telephone number, college and major field of study, dates of attendance, class level, enrollment status, intercollegiate athlete’s height and weight, and degrees and honors received.
To have this information withheld from release, file a Request for Nonrelease of Public Information at the Office of the Registrar by the date specified in the calendar at the front of this schedule. Be sure that you understand the implications of filing this request. Every single item listed above will be withheld.
Once a Request for Nonrelease of Public Information is filed, it remains in effect—even after you are no longer attending UCSC—until you request to rescind it in writing.
Student Identification Card
A plastic card bearing your picture is issued the first quarter of enrollment, generally during college orientation.
Each quarter the college (department for graduate students) issues a validation sticker to be affixed to your ID card. The sticker is issued once you have completed registration and is available beginning the first day of the quarter. The card with the current quarter sticker is proof that you are registered. The college or department will not issue a sticker if your quarterly fees are unpaid. Go to the Office of the Registrar to complete your registration, and a sticker will be provided.
Student Identification Number (SID)
UCSC utilizes the Social Security number as the student number. If you would prefer to use an assigned number rather than the Social Security number, file a request at the Office of the Registrar, free of charge.
Transcript Information
A transcript is an official copy of a student’s academic history at UCSC and is embossed with the registrar’s seal and the signature of the university registrar. Official transcripts are mailed in sealed university envelopes. A transcript includes undergraduate, graduate and/or summer session courses, degrees awarded, degree honors, grades and notations, and transfer credit.
Transcripts are available for $5 without evaluations and $10 with evaluations. A transcript with evaluations includes evaluations of courses passed in chronological order and an evaluation of the comprehensive examination or senior thesis.
Transcripts are processed on a first-in, first-out basis. Transcripts must be requested well in advance to meet deadlines. Allow 10 business days for processing from the date we receive your request. During busy periods (November through February), processing time may take longer.
You may request and pay an additional fee for your transcript to be mailed via next-day service. This service provides fast delivery and a receipt that the transcript was received by the recipient. This service expedites transit time, not processing time. Federal Express is used for all destinations, and they will not deliver to post office box addresses or on weekends. The additional charge for Federal Express within the U.S. is $15 for up to three transcripts going to the same address. The additional charge for Federal Express outside the U.S. is $20 per transcript (with or without evaluations). Please note that if the appropriate fee has not been received for next-day service, your transcript will be sent via regular mail.
Instructions and Transcript Request Forms are available at the Office of the Registrar or via the web at reg.ucsc.edu. For recorded instructions, please call (831) 459-4412.
Transcript requests will not be processed if you have outstanding obligations to the university. Contact the Office of Student Business Services, (831) 459-2136 or (831) 459-2940, for questions regarding a university hold on your records. In this instance, the request form will be returned to the student.
For a $5 fee, you may request a Certificate of Completion of Degree, which includes your name, the date your degree will be awarded/was awarded, major, college, and honors, if any. A certificate can be prepared if you have announced candidacy for the quarter, and all requirements have been completed as verified by the Office of the Registrar and your department. Its use is limited to providing verification of a pending/awarded degree. Universities usually require a complete official transcript.
Veterans and Veterans’ Dependents
Veteran Services staff, located at 190 Hahn Student Services Building, serves as a liaison between students and the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), certifying enrollment and academic progress for veterans, veterans’ dependents, and reservists. The staff also assists with the Cal Vet program, which offers fee waivers to dependents of veterans who died or are disabled due to a service disability.
As a veteran or veteran’s dependent, you should contact Veteran Services as soon as you receive notification of admission here to ensure timely processing of your benefits claims.
Veterans and veterans’ dependents who are eligible for educational benefits from the DVA are expected to make satisfactory progress towards completion of the degree objective. If you remain on academic probation beyond two quarters without improvement, your benefits will be subject to suspension. Your academic standing may be affected if you attempt less than 15 credits each quarter. Dropping a course or requesting a W grade may affect the amount of your payments and must be reported immediately to Veteran Services. Please note that you cannot be paid for auditing a course. For more information about the DVA’s requirements, click on the Veteran Services link at reg.ucsc.edu.
Please call
459-2754 should you have questions.