Jenzabar University

All full-time students who attend Centre for the entire academic year are required to earn a total of 12 convocation credits. Students who fulfill the requirement have one hour of ‘A’ figured into their grade point average and noted on their transcript. Students who fail to accumulate 12 convocation credits will have one hour of ‘U’ figured into their GPA and noted on their transcript. Students who are not enrolled on a full-time basis for the full academic year still may complete the requirement by accumulating 12 credits. However, they will not receive a ‘U’ if they do not. (NOTE: Convocation credits are not credit hours and do not count toward the 111 credit hours necessary for graduation.)

Students may submit a written appeal to the Convocation Committee Chair requesting changes in their final convocation grade. The petition must explain all the circumstances of why the student did not fulfill the 12 credit requirement.

Exceptions to the requirements are granted only when health issues or special academic circumstances arise; otherwise, appeals are rarely approved.

There are over 50 convocations during the year, and students are required to follow the letter of the policy and be very careful about monitoring convocation credit.

Students who abuse the system by swiping a card for a person who is not present, swiping multiple cards, or by behaving in violation of stated policy will lose convocation credit. Such deceit is considered a violation of academic honesty and the people involved are subject to disciplinary action by the Associate Dean or the Student Judiciary.

As members of an audience, students are expected to be attentive and demonstrate mature, polite, and civil behavior. Computers and books should not be brought to convocations and cell phones should be turned off during the presentation. Students exhibiting inappropriate behavior will be told to leave by members of the audience, faculty, staff, or student convocation workers and will not receive convocation credit.

To receive convocation credit, students must:
1) swipe his or her own Centre College ID card at a convocation station;
2) be seated before the program begins;
3) remain present throughout the full program;
4) swipe his or her own Centre College ID card before leaving the event.

Convo credit can only be given if ID cards are accurately swiped in and swiped out. Student ID cards may need to be replaced in the Student Life Office if the card does not register in the computer swipe system. It is the student’s responsibility to bring Centre ID cards to convocations and to make sure the card swipes accurately. This policy will be strictly enforced, and convocation credit will not be given to students who arrive late or who leave early or whose cards do not work in the convocation system.

Students participating onstage or working backstage at an event can receive convocation credit by signing a Convocation Credit Form for Student Participants and Workers, available in the Dean’s Office. The responsible faculty or staff member must submit the completed form to the Convocation Coordinator the day following the event. Most events given convocation status are worth one credit. Special events designated as campus-wide convocations are worth two credits. Any event worth more than one credit will be indicated as such in the Convocation Calendar. Normally, the Opening Day, Founders Day, and Honors convocations are worth 2 credits.

Convocation credit is entered and maintained by computer. Students may check their convocation credit status by going to the current students listing on the Centre home page and selecting Personal/Convocation Credit. The individual student is responsible for verifying the computer record’s accuracy and for notifying the Convocation Coordinator in the Dean’s Office within one week of the convocation in question. Students are urged to check their convocation credits frequently throughout the academic year. Students are encouraged to not wait until the end of the year to obtain the required 12 credits.

Students participating in Centre sponsored off-campus study programs receive convocation credit as follows:
• London/Strasbourg/Mexico Programs (fall term: 6 credits)

• Strasbourg/London Programs (spring term: 6 credits)

• Centre-Sponsored CentreTerm off-campus study programs (1 credit)

Students who participate in off-campus internships or non-Centre study abroad programs may petition the Convocation Committee for convocation credit. The Convocation Committee will consider such requests on a case-by-case basis.

• Convocation Proposal Form