ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
PLEASE NOTE: Academic policies described in this section are those most commonly referenced by students, faculty, and staff. For the full codification of BCC academic policies, please consult the BCC Academic Rules and Regulations at on the College website.
CLASS ATTENDANCE
Class attendance and participation are significant components of the learning process and play a major role in determining overall student academic achievement. Therefore, students are strongly encouraged to attend and participate in all class sessions of the courses in which they are registered. For further details, please refer to course syllabi.
In the event of excessive absences, faculty have the option to lower the grade, request completion of additional assignments, or assign a failing grade.
Through the Verification of Enrollment (VOE) process, faculty members will submit their completed rosters indicating those students who have never attended any of the classes since the beginning of the term nor are otherwise active and participating in the course (e.g., by submitting assignments, attending a required study group, academic conference or tutorial). The VOE process begins immediately following the program adjustment period, with faculty members required to submit completed rosters within seven (7) days.
Afterwards, faculty are encouraged to monitor class participation in order to facilitate and support the College’s student retention efforts.
LATENESS
Classes begin promptly at the times indicated in the Schedule of Classes. Arrival in class after the scheduled starting time constitutes lateness.
GRADING POLICY
Mid-Term and Final Grades
Instructors assign and inform students of midterm and final grades during a period designated in the Academic Calendar.
The following grades may be assigned by instructors:
Grade | %Equivalent | Achievement | Value point |
|---|---|---|---|
A+ | 97-100 | Exceptional | 4.00 |
A | 93-96.9 | Excellent | 4.00 |
A- | 90-92.9 | Very Good | 3.70 |
B+ | 87-89.9 | Very Good | 3.30 |
B | 83-86.9 | Good | 3.00 |
B- | 80-82.9 | Good | 2.70 |
C+ | 77-79.9 | Above Average | 2.30 |
C | 73-76.9 | Average | 2.00 |
C- | 70-72.9 | Below Average* | 1.70 |
D+ | 67-69.9 | Below Average* | 1.30 |
D | 63-66.9 | Below Average* | 1.00 |
D- | 60-62.9 | Below Average* | 0.70 |
P** | Pass | - | |
CR | Credit Earned | - | |
NC** | No Credit | - | |
F** | 0-59.9 | Failing | 0.00 |
* Students should be aware that although these grades are considered passing, they have the effect of lowering the GPA below the level necessary for graduation. Consistent performance at this grade level will result in probation and subsequent dismissal from the College.
**For policy governing P and NC grades, please refer to the Academic Rules and Regulations. www.bcc.cuny.edu/ academics/academic-rules-regulations/
***See "F Grade Policy" later in this section for more information
Grade Appeals
Students have the right to appeal a final course grade with which they disagree. The full policy governing grade appeals is outlined in the BCC Academic Rules and Regulations (section 8.8.3), available on the BCC website. Before taking the step to file a formal appeal, it is typically best for a student with a question about a course grade to first contact their professor to better understand how it was calculated. If a student still has a question about or objects to the grade after speaking to the professor, the next step is to contact the academic department chairperson.
F Grade Policy
When a student receives the grade of “F” or an administrative failing grade and that student subsequently retakes that course and receives a grade of “C” or better, the initial grade will no longer be computed into the Grade Point Average. The original grade will remain on the transcript with the notation Exclude Credit and GPA. The number of failing credits that can be deleted from the Grade Point Average is limited to 16 for the duration of the student’s undergraduate enrollment in The City University of New York. All 16 credits may be used at the associate degree level, but once used, they are unavailable at the CUNY senior college level. For this reason, students should be advised of the desirability of holding some or all of the credit bank for later studies at the senior college. Once a student earns a C or better in a previously failed course, the first failing grade is automatically removed from the GPA. If a student has failed the course more than once, the student should make a written request for such exclusions to the Registrar who is responsible for informing students of their rights with regard to this regulation. This policy is effective Sept. 1, 1990, at all colleges of CUNY. For additional information, contact the Registrar’s Office.
First-Year Freshman Forgiveness Policy
On the basis of authority granted by CUNY, BCC has instituted a “First-Year Freshmen Forgiveness Policy.” The BCC policy limits students to 12 credits of F, WU, FIN grades that may be forgiven (converted to a non-GPA “NC” grade) for a First-Year Freshmen in their first year at the college level. This forgiveness is not automatic: It must be requested of the Committee on Academic Standing and an academic plan completed by an advisor or faculty member. A personal statement is required.
Note: Only WU grades assigned prior to fall 2021 can be appealed under this policy.
Pass/No Pass Policy
This BCC policy allows for course-level, pass/no pass grading: An earned letter grade of A, B, C, D is recorded as a “P” and a failing F grade is recorded as an “NC” (no credit). With a P grade, a student earns credit for the course, but with no effect on GPA. With an NC grade, a student does not earn credit, but there is also no effect on GPA. There are limitations on this policy, including (1) professor and student agreeing to this grading and filing the appropriate form with Registrar by the last day to
withdraw from classes, (2) certain courses are excluded due to minimum grade and/or accreditation requirements, and (3) the policy can be used a maximum of two times by each student at BCC.
Temporary Grades
An instructor may assign a temporary grade at the end of the semester only for one of the reasons given below:
Grade | Explanation |
|---|---|
INC | Incomplete Work in course incomplete (but student otherwise passing in course). Absent from the final exam (but student otherwise passing in course). No impact on GPA. May resolve to A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F or FIN. This grade should be given by the instructor in consultation with the student. (Refer to Regulations below.) |
PEN | Grade Pending The final grade requires further evaluation. PEN is also used to facilitate the implementation of the Procedures for Imposition of Sanctions whereby the college must hold a student’s grade in abeyance pending the outcome of the academic review process |
Administrative Grades
During the semester and under circumstances described below, the following special grades may be assigned:
Grade | Explanation |
|---|---|
*AUD | Audit - Course not taken for credit or grade |
W | Withdrew Officially—Student initiated grade. Received when students officially withdraw from a course in which they have participated in an academically related activity. This action is possible beginning with the end of the registration period and up until the last day of classes, as listed in the academic calendar, for a particular semester. This excludes final exam week. No impact on GPA. |
WA | Administrative Withdrawal—non-punitive grade assigned to students who had registered for classes at the beginning of the term but did not provide proof of immunization by compliance date. No impact on GPA. |
WD | Withdrew Drop - Assigned by the Registrar's office for Drops after financial aid certification date during the program adjustment period. Student participated in an academically related activity at least once. No impact on GPA. |
WN | Withdrew / Never Attended-Assigned to students who register for courses but do not attend. No impact on GPA. |
WU | Withdrew Unofficially. To be assigned to students who participated in an academically related activity at least once, and completely stopped participating in any academically related activities any time before the culminating academic experience of the course, i.e., final exam, final paper, etc. No impact on GPA (effective Fall 2021). |
* AUD - Once classes have begun, students cannot change a course from audit status to credit status or from credit status to audit status. Credits in audited courses are not counted for financial aid but do carry full tuition and fee charges.
Please note that students are responsible for tuition/fees for courses even when Withdrawal grades listed in the preceding table (W, WA, WD, WN, and WU) are assigned.
Registration in subsequent level courses: A student with the grade of INC or PEN in any course may not register for the subsequent level course in a sequence without written permission to do so from the Chairperson of the Department in which the course is given.
The deadline for a student to resolve a temporary grade (INC) by completing coursework shall be the end of the semester immediately following the one in which the grade was given (Exclusive of Summer Term).
The INC grade will automatically convert from INC to FIN (Failing from Incomplete) at the end of the semester immediately following the one in which the grade was given. The student or instructor may appeal this administrative action. An FIN grade counts as a failure and will impact the GPA.
The PEN grade will not lapse to F. Final determination of a grade will depend on final evaluation by the instructor or the outcome of college’s academic review process.
ACADEMIC STANDING
CUNY policy requires that all students must achieve the following minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) standards to be considered in good academic standing
Credits Attempted | Minimum Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|
.5-12 | 1.5 |
13-24 | 1.75 |
25-Higher | 2.0 |
PROBATION/DISMISSAL
Students are placed on academic probation for the following semester if they do not meet the minimum GPA listed in the above chart. Students who are unable to bring their GPA to the required standards while on probation will be dismissed and must be separated from the University for at least one semester. Students who have been dismissed twice may not be readmitted at BCC.
At-Risk Academic Standing Chart
Credits Attempted | Probation must be assigned if cumulative index is lower than that listed. | Dismissal if cumulative index is lower than that listed and the student has been on probation* |
|---|---|---|
.5-12 | 1.50 | 1.50 |
13-24 | 1.75 | 1.75 |
25-Higher | 2.00 | 2.00 |
*See Section 4.5 of the Academic Rules and Regulations for detailed policy on probation and dismissal.
ACADEMIC APPEALS
Students may appeal their probationary or dismissal status to the Appeals Agent of the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS). Students should contact the Appeals Agent at AppealsAgent@bcc.cuny.edu or speak to their advisor. Appeals are intended for students who can recover in one or two semesters, who have WU’s from prior to Fall 2021 that could be converted to W’s, or for students who have poor academic grades that are older than seven years and who have shown academic progress seven years after those grades were earned. FIN grades are resolved with the instructor who issued the grades. Usually, a student has 10 weeks into the semester following the semester in which the grade was given to resolve the INC grade, but an instructor may file an extension form to allow a student more time to complete the coursework.
Committee on Academic Standing
The Committee on Academic Standing formulates policy on matters regarding the maintenance of matriculation, grading structure, satisfaction of requirements for degrees and certificates and advanced standing. It adjudicates and takes final action on waivers of dismissal, statute of limitation and administrative grade appeals. Communications with the Committee should be made through the Registrar, who serves as its Executive Secretary. The College Community may review a copy of the Codification of Academic Rules and Regulations on the College website.
GRADUATION
Graduation Requirements
To be considered for graduation at Bronx Community College, students must meet five requirements.
They must have:
Completed all the required courses in the curriculum.
Met program-specific academic requirements, if applicable.
Earned an overall academic index of at least C (2.0).
Completed the minimum degree credits required, including 30 credits in residency at BCC for an associate degree.
Completed two designated Writing Intensive (WI) courses (students who entered BCC in Fall 2004 or later).
To Apply for Graduation
Students are required to apply for graduation via the CUNYfirst Self-Service at the beginning of their final semester. Applying for graduation is not a guarantee that degree or certificate requirements are met. Students who fail to apply for graduation may not be evaluated for graduation purposes.
If all requirements are not met by the end of the final semester of attendance, the student must reapply for graduation in order to be considered for a subsequent semester.
In addition, the diploma will be dated the semester that the degree is conferred, not necessarily the semester that the coursework was completed.
It is strongly recommended that students periodically review their DegreeWorks - Online Advisement System degree audit and meet with their Advisors regarding degree requirements and academic progress.
Multiple Degrees
An applicant for a second degree must complete a minimum of fifteen (15) additional credits required by the second degree at BCC. The 15 additional credits required by the second degree can be completed either before or after the awarding of the first degree. A student may earn only one Associate in Arts (AA) degrees. However, a student may earn multiple Associate in Science (AS) degrees, or multiple Associate in Applied Sciences (AAS) degrees where the curricula is distinct.
Course requirements for the second degree are those curriculum requirements in effect when application for the second degree is approved. For more information, consult the Codification of Academic Rules and Regulations available on the College website.
BCC PREAMBLE TO CUNY ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
Academic dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarizing (e.g., paraphrasing or copying from the internet without attribution), obtaining unfair advantage (e.g., gaining early access to exam materials), falsifying records and official documents (e.g., changing an exam/assignment grade), or deceiving a professor or evaluator for academic gain (e.g., using unauthorized assistance with the intent of deceiving a professor or evaluator, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication, cheating, and sabotage). Academic dishonesty is prohibited by The City University of New York and violates the ethical and academic standards of Bronx Community College (BCC). Students will be held responsible for acts of academic dishonesty, even when unintentional. Academic dishonesty is punishable by penalties ranging from a grade of “F” on a given test, research paper, or assignment, to an “F” in the course, or even suspension or expulsion from the College.
Faculty members at BCC believe that developing students’ abilities to think through issues and problems by themselves is central to the educational process. To avoid unintended violations of academic integrity, students should consult with their instructors and advisors as to how to avoid committing acts of academic dishonesty. Further information and guidelines on this subject can be obtained from the BCC Library (http://www.bcc.cuny.edu/library/library-services/) and the BCC Writing Center (http://www.bcc.cuny.edu/services/writing-center/).
Since academic integrity is vital to BCC as an institution of learning, faculty members will uphold the “CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity”, which can be found following this preamble. BCC Faculty and all relevant administrative offices will act in accordance with the CUNY Policy and all applicable bylaws (see Article 15.4 of the Bylaws of the CUNY Board of Trustees). For questions about the BCC implementation of the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs at 718.289.5139.
CUNY POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York. Penalties for academic dishonesty include academic sanctions, such as failing or otherwise reduced grades, and/or disciplinary sanctions, including suspension or expulsion.
1. Definitions and Examples of Academic Dishonesty:
1.1. Cheating is the unauthorized use or attempted use of material, information, notes, study aids, devices, or communication during an academic exercise. Examples of cheating include:
• Copying from another student or allowing others to copy work submitted for credit or a grade. This includes uploading work or submitting class assignments or exams to third party platforms and websites beyond those assigned for the class, such as commercial homework aggregators, without the proper authorization of a professor.
• Unauthorized collaboration on assignments or examinations.
• Taking an examination or completing an assignment for another person or asking or allowing someone else to take an examination or complete an assignment for you, including exams taken on a home computer.
• Allowing others to research and write your assigned papers or other assignments, including using commercial term paper services.
• Submitting someone else’s work as your own, including, but not limited to, material obtained in whole or in part from commercial study or homework help websites, or content generated or altered by digital paraphrasing tools.
• Fabricating and/or falsifying data (in whole or in part).
• Giving assistance to acts of academic misconduct/dishonesty.
• Altering a response on a previously graded exam or assignment and then attempting to return it for more credit or a higher grade without permission from the instructor.
• Submitting substantial portions of a paper or assignment to more than one course for credit without permission from each instructor.
• Unauthorized use during an examination of notes, prepared answers, or any electronic devices such as cell phones, computers, smart watches, or other technologies to copy, retrieve, or send information.
1.2. Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person’s ideas, research, or writing as your own. Examples of plagiarism include:
• Copying another person’s actual words or images without the use of quotation marks and citations attributing the words to their source.
• Presenting the ideas of others in your own words without acknowledging the source or insufficient paraphrasing, whether or not the source is cited.
•Failing to acknowledge collaborators on homework and laboratory assignments.
• Internet plagiarism, including submitting downloaded term papers or parts of term papers, paraphrasing or copying information from the internet without citing the source, or cutting and pasting excerpts from various sources without proper attribution.
1.3. Obtaining Unfair Advantage is any action or attempted action that gives a student an unfair academic advantage over another student or students. Examples of obtaining unfair advantage include:
• Stealing, reproducing, circulating, or otherwise gaining advance access to examination materials.
• Depriving other students of access to library materials by stealing, destroying, defacing, or concealing them.
• Retaining, using, or circulating examination materials which clearly indicate that they should be returned at the end of the exam.
• Intentionally obstructing or interfering with another student’s work.
1.4. Falsification of Records and Official Documents
Examples of falsification include:
• Forging signatures of authorization.
• Falsifying information on an official
academic record.
• Falsifying information on an official document such as a grade report, letter of permission, drop/add form, ID card, or other college document.
• Falsifying medical documentation that has a bearing on campus access or the excuse of absences or missed examinations and assignments.
2. Methods for Promoting Academic Integrity:
2.1. The CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity, and, if applicable, the college’s procedures for implementing the Policy, shall be posted to each college’s website with a link provided in the Learning Management System (LMS) shell. It is recommended that the link also be included in each course syllabus. Orientation sessions for all new faculty (full- and part-time) and students shall incorporate a discussion of academic integrity.
2.2. All college catalogs, student handbooks, faculty handbooks, and college websites shall include the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and, if applicable, college procedures implementing the policy and the consequences of not adhering to the Policy.
2.3. Each college shall subscribe to an electronic plagiarism detection service and shall notify students of the fact that such a service is available for use by the faculty. Colleges shall make faculty aware of the availability of such services and faculty should inform students of their use.
3. Reporting
3.1. Each college’s president shall appoint an Academic Integrity Officer in consultation with the elected faculty governance leader. The Academic Integrity Officer shall serve as the initial contact person with faculty members when they report incidents of suspected academic dishonesty. The Academic Integrity Officer may be the college’s Student Conduct Officer, another student affairs official, an academic affairs official, or a tenured faculty member. Additional duties of the Academic Integrity Officer are described in Sections 4.1., 4.2.1., 4.2.2., 4.3 and 4.4.
3.2. A faculty member who suspects that a student has committed a violation of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy shall review with the student the facts and circumstances of the suspected violation whenever feasible. Thereafter, a faculty member who concludes that there has been an incident of academic dishonesty sufficient to affect the student’s final course grade shall report such incident on a Faculty Report Form in substantially the same format as the sample annexed to this Policy and shall submit the Form to the college’s Academic Integrity Officer, copying his/her Department Chair. Each college shall use a uniform form throughout the college, which shall contain, at a minimum, the name of the instructor, the name of the student, the course name and number, the date of the incident, an explanation of the incident and the instructor’s contact information. All instances of academic dishonesty that are reported to the Academic Integrity Officer shall be recorded for documentation and tracking purposes.
3.3. The Academic Integrity Officer shall update the Faculty Report Form after a suspected incident has been resolved to reflect that resolution. Unless the resolution exonerates the student, as described in Section 4.4, the Academic Integrity Officer of each college shall place the Form in a confidential academic integrity file created for each student alleged to have violated the Academic Integrity Policy and shall retain each Form for the purposes of identifying repeat offenders, gathering data, and assessing and reviewing policies. Unless they exonerate the student, written decisions on academic integrity matters after adjudication also shall be placed in the student’s academic integrity file. The Academic Integrity Officer shall be responsible for maintaining students’ academic integrity files.
4. Procedures for Imposition of Sanctions
4.1. Determination on academic vs. disciplinary sanction.
The Academic Integrity Officer shall determine whether to seek a disciplinary sanction in addition to an academic sanction. In making this determination, the Academic Integrity Officer shall consult with the faculty member who initiated the case and may consult with student affairs and/or academic affairs administrators as needed. Before determining which sanction(s) to seek, the Academic Integrity Officer also shall consult the student’s confidential academic integrity file, if any, to determine whether the student has been found to have previously committed a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy, the nature of the infraction, and the sanction imposed or action taken. Prior violations include both violations at the student’s current college and violations that occurred at any other CUNY college. In making the determination on prior violations, the Academic Integrity Officer shall determine whether the student previously attended any other CUNY college and, if so, shall request and be given access to the academic integrity file, if any, at such other CUNY college.
The Academic Integrity Officer should seek disciplinary sanctions only if (i) there is a substantial violation; (ii) the student has previously violated the Policy; or (iii) academic sanctions may not be imposed because the student has timely withdrawn from the applicable course. Examples of substantial violations include but are not limited to: forging a grade form or a transcript; stealing an examination from a professor or a university office; having a substitute take an examination or taking an examination for someone else; having someone else write a paper for the student or writing a paper for another student; sabotaging another student’s work through actions that prevent or impede the other student from successfully completing an assignment; and violations committed by a graduate or professional student or a student who will seek professional licensure. The college also should consider any mitigating circumstances in making this determination.
4.2. Procedures in Cases Involving Only Academic Sanctions.
4.2.1. Student Admits to the Academic Dishonesty and Does Not Contest the Academic Sanction.
If a faculty member wishes to seek only an academic sanction (i.e., a reduced grade) and students do not contest either their guilt or the particular reduced grade the faculty member has chosen, then the student shall be given the reduced grade, unless the Academic Integrity Officer decides to seek a disciplinary sanction. The reduced grade may apply to the particular assignment as to which the violation occurred or to the course grade, at the faculty member’s discretion. A reduced grade may be an “F” or another grade that is lower than the grade that the student would have earned but for the violation. The faculty member shall inform the Academic Integrity Officer of the resolution via email and the Officer shall update the applicable Faculty Report Form to reflect that resolution.
4.2.2 Student Admits to the Academic Dishonesty but Contests the Academic Sanction.
In a case where a student admits to the alleged academic dishonesty but contests the particular academic sanction imposed, the student may appeal the academic sanction through the college’s grade appeal process. The student shall be allowed, at a minimum, an opportunity to present a written position with supporting evidence. The committee reviewing the appeal shall issue a written decision explaining the justification for the academic sanction imposed.
4.2.3. Student Denies the Academic Dishonesty
In a case where a student denies the academic dishonesty, a fact-finding determination shall be made, at each college’s option, by an Academic Integrity Committee established by the College’s governance body or by the Student-Faculty Disciplinary Committee established under Article XV of the CUNY Bylaws. Each college’s Academic Integrity Committee shall adopt procedures for hearing cases. (If a college opts to use its Student-Faculty Disciplinary Committee for this purpose, that Committee shall use Article IX procedures.) These procedures, at a minimum, shall provide students with (i) written notice of the charges against them; (ii) the right to appear before the Committee; and (iii) the right to present witness statements and/or to call witnesses. Those procedures also shall provide the faculty member with the right to make an appearance before the Committee and/or present supporting documents. The Committee may request the testimony of any witness and may permit any such witness to be questioned by the student and by the administrator presenting the case. Academic Integrity Committees and Student-Faculty Disciplinary Committees, as applicable, shall issue written decisions and send copies of their decisions to the college’s Academic Integrity Officer. The Academic Integrity Officer may not serve on a college’s Academic Integrity Committee.
4.3. Procedures in Cases Involving Disciplinary Sanctions.
If the college decides to seek a disciplinary sanction, the case shall be processed under Article XV of the CUNY Bylaws. If the case is not resolved through mediation under Article XV, it shall be heard by the college’s Faculty-Student Disciplinary Committee.
If the college seeks to have both a disciplinary and an academic sanction imposed, the college shall proceed first with the disciplinary proceeding and await its outcome before addressing the academic sanction. The student’s grade shall be held in abeyance by using the PEN grade established for this purpose, pending the Committee’s action. If the Faculty-Student Disciplinary Committee finds that the alleged violation occurred, then the faculty member may reflect that finding in the student’s grade. The student may appeal the finding in accordance with Article XV procedures and/or may appeal the grade imposed by the faculty member in accordance with section 4.2.2. If the Faculty-Student Disciplinary Committee finds that the alleged violation did not occur, then no sanction of any kind may be imposed.
Where a matter proceeds to the Faculty-Student Disciplinary Committee, the Academic Integrity Officer shall promptly report its resolution to the faculty member and file a record of the resolution in the student’s confidential academic integrity file, unless, as explained below, the suspected violation was held to be unfounded.
4.4. Required Action in Cases of No Violation
If either the Academic Integrity Committee or the Faculty- Student Disciplinary Committee finds that no violation occurred, the Academic Integrity Officer shall remove all material relating to that incident from the student’s confidential academic integrity file and destroy the material.
5. Implementation
Each college shall implement this Policy and may adopt its own more specific procedures to implement the Policy. Colleges’ procedures must be consistent with the policy and procedures described in the Policy.
CUNY BOT adopted a revised “Policy on Academic Integrity” on June 27, 2011, which went into effect on July 1, 2011 (6.27.2011.Cal.5.L).
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND CLASS ATTENDANCE
Education Law Section 224-a.
No person shall be expelled from or be refused admission as a student to an institution of higher education for the reason that he or she is unable, because of his or her religious beliefs, to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study or work requirements on a particular day or days.
Any student in an institution of higher education who is unable, because of his or her religious beliefs, to attend classes on a particular day or days shall, because of such absence on the particular day or days, be excused from any examination, any study or work requirements.
It shall be the responsibility of the faculty and of the administrative officials of each institution of higher education to make available to each student who is absent from school, because of his or her religious beliefs, an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study or work requirements which he or she may have missed because of such absence on any particular day or days. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to the said student such equivalent opportunity.
If classes, examinations, study or work requirements are held on Friday after four o’clock post meridian or on a Saturday, similar or make-up classes, examinations, study or work requirements shall be made available on other days, where it is possible and practicable to do so. No special fees shall be charged to the student for these classes, examinations, study or work requirements held on other days.
In effectuating the provisions of this section, it shall be the duty of the faculty and of the administration officials of each institution of higher education to exercise the fullest measure of good faith. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student because of his or her availing himself or herself of the provisions of this section.
Any student who is aggrieved by the alleged failure of any faculty or administrative officials to comply in good faith with the provisions of this section shall be entitled to maintain an action or proceeding in the supreme court of the county in which such institution of higher education is located for the enforcement of his or her rights under this section.
It shall be the responsibility of the administrative officials of each institution of higher education to give written notice to students of their rights under this section, informing them that each student who is absent from school, because of his or her religious beliefs, must be given an equivalent opportunity to register for classes or make up any examination, study or work requirements which he or she may have missed because of such absence on any particular day or days. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to such student such equivalent opportunity.
As used in this section, the term “institution of higher education” shall mean any institution of higher education, recognized and approved by the regents of the State University of New York, which provides a course of study leading to the granting of a post-secondary degree or diploma. Such term shall not include any institution which is operated, supervised or controlled by a church or by a religious or denominational organization whose educational programs are principally designed for the purpose of training ministers or other religious functionaries or for the purpose of propagating religious doctrines. As used in this section, the term “religious belief” shall mean beliefs associated with any corporation organized and operated exclusively for religious purposes, which is not disqualified for tax exemption under section 501 of the United States Code.