ACADEMIC POLICIES

General University and Campus Policies

The Board of Trustees of the University of Puerto Rico and the authorities of the Río Piedras Campus have set policy in a number of areas that are pertinent to the work and well-being of graduate students. The system-wide policies are summed up in a brochure entitled Políticas institucionales: información general de interés para la comunidad universitaria, 2001-2002 (Institutional Policies: General Information of Interest to the University Community, 2001-2002), which is available at the Office of the President and the Dean of Students Office of the University of Puerto Rico. The Río Piedras Campus subscribes to these general policies and continues to establish its own as need arises. A number of relevant policies appear below.

Language of instruction

Spanish is the language of instruction in most courses, and students are required to have a working knowledge of English as well.

Equality of opportunity

The Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico guarantees equal opportunity to its applicants for employment and academic admissions. It also guarantees students and employees equal study and employment opportunities, as well as equality in the benefits of the services and academic programs offered and the terms and conditions of employment.

The Río Piedras Campus does not exclude from participation, or deny benefits to, or discriminate against any person for reasons of age, race, sex, color, place of birth, social origin or condition, physical or mental handicap, or political or religious belief.

Applicants for academic admission or employment, or students or employees, who feel they have been discriminated against for any of the reasons previously set forth, may file a complaint in writing with the Dean for Academic Affairs. The establishment of and compliance with this policy, as well as its publication, is pursuant to the federal regulations for the implementation of Title IX, Educational Amendments of 1972, and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act.

Privacy of educational records

The University of Puerto Rico fully complies with the provisions of the Buckley Amendment (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended). This act protects the privacy of students’ educational records and establishes each student’s right to examine his or her files. It also provides guidelines for correcting the accuracy of the information contained in those files through informal and formal hearings. Students wishing to do so may file complaints with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office, Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201, in relation to the alleged violations of the act by the institution.

Copies of the institutional policy established by the University of Puerto Rico in compliance with the act may be obtained at the Dean of Students Office, the Financial Aid Office, and at the Student Affairs Office of each college and school.

Sexual harassment and discrimination

The Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico adheres to the principles and statutes concerning sexual harassment and discrimination for reasons of sex in the areas of employment, conduct in the workplace, and provision of services. Grievance procedures are spelled out in Circular Letter 88-07 (May 27, 1988), signed by the president of the University of Puerto Rico.

Rights and responsibilities of students

The law and academic tradition recognize the rights and responsibilities of students as members of the university community and also the obligation of moral and intellectual responsibility and concomitant to these rights and responsibilities. Law and tradition also recognize the responsible participation of students in guaranteeing and maintaining the order, safety, and normal conduct of academic life. These rights and responsibilities, the disciplinary procedures for dealing with violations, and many other matters of interest are described in the Río Piedras Campus Student Regulations, available from the Dean of Students Office. Some of them are the following:

Article 1. To the extent that students are participants in the university’s mission of culture and service, they are members of the university community, and as such shall be entitled to participate effectively in the life of the community. They shall have all the moral and intellectual responsibilities of members of the community.

Article 2. Students have the duty and the right to engage in the search for truth and strive for its expression, always respecting different opinions. Academic discipline and behavior intrinsic to the academic community, and the dictates of conscience itself, shall serve as guides.

Article 3. University students have the duty to seek the elements of intellectual and spiritual formation which can lead to their full development as persons. They also have the right to demand them, in view of their responsibility as servants of the Puerto Rican community. Also incumbent upon them is the duty and the right to preserve, enhance and disseminate the values of learning and culture, both universal and Puerto Rican.

Article 4. Students may hold, pursuant to established standards, any public function, meeting or ceremony, and invite any person they wish to hear and speak on any subject of interest, provided that the exercise of any of the aforementioned rights does not interrupt the educational, technical, or administrative work of the institution, and that there is compliance with the provisions of the regulations in effect.

Article 5. Students may associate freely, and may publish and circulate publications, always in accordance with the prevailing standards.

Article 6. No students may be deprived of the right of association or of the services and programs offered by the university for reasons of race, gender, religion, creed, ethnic origin, class, or political beliefs.

Article 7. University students are entitled to have the university refrain from disclosing information related to their political, religious, or philosophical beliefs. The university shall not keep records of these beliefs.

Academic and disciplinary files shall be kept separate from one another. The information contained in the academic and disciplinary files shall be confidential and shall not be made available for use by unauthorized persons within or outside the university without the written consent of the student or the student’s parent or guardian, unless a court order to that effect has been obtained.

Article 8. Students shall have the right to meet with teachers at specially designated hours in order to receive guidance and clarification on matters related to their academic work.

Article 9. Students shall have the right and duty to participate actively in classes and related activities, consult their teachers, express their doubts and differences on criteria, and be informed of their deficiencies and achievements in academic work.

Students shall be entitled to receive proper guidance on oral or written contents of the course, which shall include: explanations of academic objectives, teaching methods, topics of study, reading assignments, and other work requirements, grading criteria, and other pertinent data. All this must in no way affect the necessary flexibility of the courses.

Students shall have the right to discuss tests taken, the grades received, and the evaluation of the course as an essential part of the learning process.

Article 10. Students have the duty to exercise, in a thorough and responsible manner, all the rights and duties established by these regulations, so that the example they set, inside and outside the classroom, may serve as a bulwark for the enjoyment of such rights and duties.

(Copies of the full regulations are available from the Dean of Students Office.)

The Office of the Ombudsperson

One of the fundamental objectives of the University of Puerto Rico is to provide the appropriate conditions to foster the integral development of its students. The Office of the Ombudsperson was established to guarantee a fast, effective, and informal process for the resolution of conflicts confronted by students in their academic life. It was created as a result of a belief in dialogue and communication as a means of arriving at the source of any problem that may arise on campus.

The responsibility of the ombudsperson is to investigate and examine the facts and rights that apply to members of the student community and to orient students about their rights and responsibilities as members of the university community; this may be done by the way of talks, meetings, or workshops. Finally, the duty of the ombudsperson is to create a favorable atmosphere for all individuals involved and provide support needed to enhance the quality of teaching and efficiency in services offered by the institution to the student population.

Smoking and drugs

Smoking is forbidden in all enclosed campus areas, including but not limited to classrooms, laboratories, lecture rooms, elevators, auditoriums, offices, museums, and all other places where groups of persons regularly meet. Smoking is permitted in areas identified and approved as appropriate for non-smokers as well as smokers, such as open hallways and other open spaces.

The Río Piedras Campus pursues a vigorous policy in combating the manufacture, distribution, supply, possession, and illegal use within its grounds of controlled substances as defined by Puerto Rico Law No. 4 of June 23, 1971, and further treated in subsequent Federal and Commonwealth legislation. The policy and the means and procedures for enforcement are detailed in Circular Letter 89-01 (June 6, 1989), signed by the president of the University of Puerto Rico.

Protection of human subjects in research

The Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico complies with all Federal regulations regarding human subjects in research, including those set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Health and Human Services, Title 45 (Public Welfare), Part 46: Protection of Human Subjects (revised June 23, 2005).

Use of vertebrate animals in research

The Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico complies with all applicable provisions of the Animal Welfare Act and other Federal statutes and regulations concerning animals. It also complies with the Public Health Service policy on the humane care and use of laboratory animals by contributing institutions. Its practices are guided by the U.S. government policy, “Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training.”

Intellectual and scientific misconduct

It is the institutional policy of the Río Piedras Campus to observe the highest standards of intellectual and scientific integrity and to prosecute all violations thereof. The lack of integrity and the perpetration of academic and scientific fraud include plagiarism, falsification, false attribution, and all violations of the canons and practices of honesty generally accepted in the academic community, always excepting those which may result from involuntary errors or legitimate differences in the interpretation or handling of data or information. Norms, responsibilities, and procedures for dealing with possible violations of the principles of intellectual scientific honesty outlined above are detailed in Circular Letter No. 17 (May 21, 1990), signed by the chancellor of the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico.