GENERAL POLICIES FOR ADVANCEMENT AND GRADUATION

A NOTE ABOUT THIS SECTION:

We are working hard to create a Healing School, a School that not only provides training in Healing Arts, but also is in and of itself a Healing experience. We strive to maintain a loving, nurturing community. It is not our desire to be disciplinarians or tyrants. We much prefer a mutually supporting atmosphere, one where we learn from the students as much as they learn from us. This section should be viewed as a guide to the flow of the stream, not a dam controlling the river. If you need more information, have any questions or need assistance, our staff is here to help.

Policies on Provisional or Probationary Status

Students will face provisional or probationary status for the following:

1. A grade point average of less than 70% 2. Excessive tardiness (defined as being more than 10 minutes late for class more than three times.) 3. Poor attendance (absence for more than 20% of classes unless a special dispensation is granted). 4. Inappropriate behavior in clinical settings, which may include insufficient interpersonal skills. 5. In cases where there is an issue, conduct will be assessed by the clinical supervisors on duty. 6. Decreased general performance due to severe emotional stress. 7. Breech of ethics, which includes cheating on examinations, plagiarism, using commercially prepared academic material and/or breech of confidentiality in either the clinic or classroom setting. 8. Hostile or aggressive behavior against any faculty member, fellow student, or clients.

The severity of a breech will be assessed by the Dean of Students. In the case of a minor breech the student will be notified in writing. This notification will indicate clearly the nature of the complaint, names of any individuals involved if appropriate, recommendations and means of rectifying the problem(s) and outcomes if problems remain unchanged. A written plan for improvement will be arrived at between the student and the Dean. This provisional probationary status will continue for one semester and will be reevaluated at the end of that time by the Dean of Students to determine if the problem has been resolved.

If the problem involves poor academic performance the Dean will assign an advanced student mentor to the student in question to assist in needed improvement. Remedial course work or tutoring may also be suggested. If the problem regards personal stress which is affecting performance, psychological counseling may be required.

If the problem is determined by the Dean to be of a more serious nature, or if a provisional probationary status as defined above has not been rectified within one semester, the student will be re-notified and given a period of one week from the receipt of the notification to issue a formal written response. At this time the student will meet with the Disciplinary Committee to determine the course of action to be taken. This committee will consist of the Dean of Students, a student representative, the Academic Dean and one faculty member.

Research Requirements

There are no research requirements for any of our programs.

Residency Requirements

Our programs are residency programs, as opposed to correspondence courses. Our students come from a wide area of Chicago, the surrounding suburbs (as far south as Joliet) and Northern Indiana. All classes are held in Chicago or at Glastonbury (our 80 acre private nature sanctuary in rural Indiana - 110 miles southeast of Chicago). Beginning in 2008 the Foundations in Herbalism Class will be offered in a web-cam format so that distance learners can attend the weekly lecture classes long distance. The weekend parts of the program will still need to be taken on-site. An additional weekend of medicine making will be required (at no extra cost) for distance learners. All tests and quizzes will be taken on line.

Comprehensive Examination

There are no comprehensive examinations for any of our programs.