1. Semester and session structure
Definitions
Updated
by Melissa Thomas, Registrar

2. by Melissa Thomas, Registrar
Semester structure
Semester Dates
Official start and end dates for the University
Semester begins on Monday of week 1
Semester ends on Friday of week 16
Session Dates
Official start and end dates for sessions, which are sub-units within the semester dates
Sessions begin on Mondays and end on Sundays (end on Fridays at end of semester)
Class dates must start the first week of a session and end the last week of a session
Class Dates
Official start and end dates for all academic activity associated with a class
Must be within the semester start and end dates
Must fill either the full semester or one of the sessions
Meeting Dates
Face to face meeting dates, used for room scheduling and/or student planning.
Updated
by Melissa Thomas, Registrar

3. Academic activity - policy
Definition of Academic Attendance or Attendance at an Academically-related Activity for George Fox University
Includes:  Physical class attendance, reading assignments, written assignments, group assignments, other assignments, active participation in class discussions both in person and online where applicable.  This is consistent with regulatory language below:
CFR   (7)(i) “Academic attendance” and “attendance at an academically-related activity”—
(A) Include, but are not limited to—
( 1 ) Physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students;
( 2 ) Submitting an academic assignment;
( 3 ) Taking an exam, an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction;
( 4 ) Attending a study group that is assigned by the institution;
( 5 ) Participating in an online discussion about academic matters; and
( 6 ) Initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course; and
(B) Do not include activities where a student may be present, but not academically engaged, such as—
( 1 ) Living in institutional housing;
( 2 ) Participating in the institution's meal plan;
( 3 ) Logging into an online class without active participation; or
( 4 ) Participating in academic counseling or advisement.
(ii) A determination of “academic attendance” or “attendance at an academically-related activity” must be made by the institution; a student’s certification of attendance that is not supported by institutional documentation is not acceptable.
Updated
by Melissa Thomas, Registrar

4. Academic activity - examples
Meets academic activity definition, therefore constitutes a class start or end date
Physically attending class and interacting with instructor
Assignments (any format)
Reading
Writing
Group
Exams
Discussion
Is NOT enough academic activity to constitute a class start or end date by itself
Logging in to FoxTALE without active participation
Distributing syllabus
Orientation
Advising
Housing/Meal Plan
Updated
by Melissa Thomas, Registrar

5. Semester date assumptions
Fall Semester
Start of Fall Semester — Last Monday in August
End of Fall Semester — Friday 16 weeks after start of fall semester
Mid-Year Commencement — Saturday following end of fall semester (latest should be December 19th)
Mid-Semester Holiday — Second Friday in October (matches Oregon Teacher In-Service Day)
Spring Semester
Start of Spring Semester — second Monday of January (3-4 week winter break between fall and spring semesters; MLK Holiday falls on the second Monday of spring semester)
End of Spring Semester — Friday 16 weeks after start of spring semester
Spring Commencement — Saturday following end of spring semester
Spring Break — Week ending with the last Friday in March (matches Oregon University System calendar)
Summer Semester
Start of Summer Semester — Monday following end of spring semester
May Term — First three weeks of summer semester
End of Summer Semester — Friday 16 weeks after start of summer semester (may be a one-week break before next start of fall semester)
Each Semester
Last day to withdraw from a full-semester class – 10th Sunday of the semester
Mid-semester grade entry – Wednesday through Friday of the 9th week of fall and spring semesters
Final grades due — seven days after the end of each class
Updated
by Melissa Thomas, Registrar