Student Rights

Basic Rights:

As provided by University policy or by law:

• Students have the right to free inquiry, expression, and association.
• Students should be free from discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, protected disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, height, weight, or marital status.
• Students should be secure in their persons, living quarters, papers, and effects.
• Students are protected against improper disclosure of, and access to, education records as provided for in the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.
• Students are free to participate in the governance of the University through membership in appropriately designated University and college committees.
• Students have the right to access their personal records and other University files as provided for under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.

Academic Rights and Responsibilities:

Students have those academic rights and responsibilities as described in the University catalogs, including but not limited to the following:

• Student performance will be evaluated solely on academic criteria.
• Students have protection against prejudiced or capricious academic evaluation.
• Students are free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study and to reserve judgment about matters of opinion, but they are responsible for learning the content of any course of study for which they are enrolled.
• Students will be informed by the faculty about course requirements, evaluation procedures, and the academic criteria to be used in each class. This information will be provided at the beginning of the semester or sufficiently in advance of actual evaluation.
• Students can expect to be treated civilly by others and in turn they are expected to demonstrate civility toward others.