STUDENT HANDBOOK
2017-2018
Division of Student Services
Morehouse College
Suite 200, Kilgore Campus Center
830 Westview Drive, S.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30314
Morehouse College published the student handbook annually for the purpose of informing students about their rights, responsibilities and privileges on campus. Morehouse College does not accept custodial responsibility for any enrolled student or campus visitor. The College Student Handbook does not constitute a contract between the college and the student. While policies and programs are presented accurately within this handbook, the college reserves the right to revise any section or part without notice or obligation.
Harold Martin, Jr.
Interim President of Morehouse College
I am Harold L. Martin, Jr., Interim President of Morehouse College. At Morehouse, our mission is and has always been clear— to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service. We stand for excellence in all things that we do. For 150 years, we have educated leaders who make noteworthy contributions to their families, their communities, their professions, and to the world.
Harold L. Martin, Jr. ’02
Interim President of Morehouse College
Timothy Sams
Senior Vice President for Student Development
Greetings,
On behalf of the dedicated and experienced staff in the Division of Student Services and at the College, I want to say thank you for choosing Morehouse for your higher education experience.
First and foremost, student well-being is our highest priority. During the course of this year and every year that you are here with us, it is our intent to establish a partnership with you by working together to help you realize your present and future goals and aspirations. Students are the reason we are here. We understand that, and we ask for your patience, support, advice and feedback as we continue to work to provide a quality educational experience.
The Morehouse faculty, administration and staff are working very hard to improve the “quality of life” for our students. We have committed faculty and staff, all of whom are here to team with you. Regardless of your academic interest, there are strong programs that will challenge you and help prepare you for your chosen career or graduate and professional study. We are here to provide the support to help you meet and exceed the challenge. Students come to Morehouse because of the great college education, but also to experience the “Morehouse Mystique.” The Morehouse Experience involves your classroom instruction, as well the numerous co-curricular activities and initiatives that you will get involved in to help shape your mind, body and soul, and enable you to serve on this campus and in the community.
The hallmarks of Morehouse College are leadership and service. However, there are a great number of expectations that you must meet before you earn your degree and become a ‘Morehouse Man.’ This experience that new students are about to undertake and that upperclassmen are undertaking is special indeed. It is our expectation that you will continue to learn and grow, to challenge yourself and your classmates, and to strive for excellence. We expect no less! We promise to give you our best and we expect your best, at all times, on and off campus. We expect that you will represent Morehouse well and uphold its high ideals and legacy.
We will reinforce the importance of having a sense of moral and ethical values in your lives and in the way you carry yourselves and interact with others. You will come to appreciate the importance of community service -- reaching out to help others less fortunate and making a real difference in people’s lives.
Gentlemen, your leadership and service are needed today as much as any previous time in the history of this world. Claim your rightful place as the leaders that the good Lord placed you on this Earth to be. Don’t just live the dream, Be the Dream! Stand and deliver my brothers, for God, for mother Morehouse, and for the world.
Your family and community are depending on you. Make us proud. Live up to the legacy of Morehouse College!!!
Sincerely,
Timothy Sames, Ph.D.
Timothy Sams, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Student Development
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Calendar VI - VII
Introduction 8-9
History 10 - 13
Traditions 15
Official College Hymns 16-17
General Administration 18-19
College Committees 20
Thomas Kilgore Jr. Campus Center 21
Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel 21-22
Student Services 28
Student Conduct & Student Life 29
Student Grievances 30-33
Student Rights & Responsibilities 34-35
Appropriate Attire Policy 36-38
Housing & Residential Life 81-90
Health Services 91
Disability Services and Counseling Services 92-96
Bonner Office of Community Services 97
Career Development & Engagement 98
International Student Services 100
Archer Hall Recreation & Fitness Center 100-101
Intercollegiate Athletics 102
Student Life Organizations 104-108
Guidelines for Student Travel 124-125
Student Safety/Security 126
Parking 127-130
College Resource Directory 131-135
Appendix – Most Frequently Asked Questions 136-140
FIRST SEMESTER
COMMEMORATING THE 147th ANNIVERSARY OF MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
2017
AUGUST
14-15 Official Registration
16 First Day of Classes
28 End Drop/Add
25 Last day to ADD/DROP courses
26 Withdrawal Period Begins
SEPTEMBER
4 Labor Day
14 Opening Convocation
OCTOBER
2-6 Mid-term Week
9-10 Fall Break-No Morehouse Classes
11 Classes resume
12 Mid-Semester Grades Due
27 Last Day to Withdraw
30-Nov 3 Academic Advising Week
NOVEMBER
6 Web Registration for J-mester and Spring 2018 begins
22-24 Thanksgiving Holiday Break
29 Last day of classes
30-Dec 1 Reading Period
DECEMBER
4-8 Final Examination
8 Semester Ends
14 All Final Grades due in Registrars’ Office by noon
22 College Closed
SECOND SEMESTER
COMMEMORATING THE 147th ANNIVERSARY OF MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
2018
JANUARY
1 New Year’s Day
2 J-Mester Classes Begin
7 End One Week Courses; Two Week Courses Continue
13 J-MESTER CLASSES END
15 MLK Holiday
16 Last day of Registration
17 Classes begin
26 Last day to Drop/Add courses (After this date a student who withdraws from a course will receive a grade of “W”
FEBRUARY
15 FOUNDERS DAY CELEBRATION
29 – March 4 Mid-term Week
MARCH
5-9 Mid-Semester Examinations
12-16 Spring Break Week College Open-No Classes
19 Classes resume at 8 a.m.
20 Mid-Semester Grades due by 12pm
30 Good Friday- College Closed
APRIL
2-6 Academic Advising Week
9 Web Registration Begins for Fall 2018 Semester
22 Last Day to Withdraw
27 Last day of Classes
28-29 Reading Period/Senior Final Exams
MAY
2 Last Day of Class
3-4 Reading Period and Senior Final Examinations
7-11 Final Examinations
9 Senior Grades due by 5 P.M.
11 May Semester Ends
17 All Final Grades due by noon
19 Baccalaureate Services
20 Commencement Services
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
IV
INTRODUCTION
The Morehouse Mission
Morehouse College claims certain foundational principles upon which its entire existence stands. These include an appreciation for the ideals of justice, equality, democracy, liberation, the humane treatment of all people, and the development of the spiritual self and community. Although these standards defy most tools of quantitative measurement, they serve as prime motivators for most of what is done at the College.
Guided by a commitment to excellence, Morehouse, a historically black liberal arts college for men, assumes a special responsibility for teaching students about the history and culture of black people. The College seeks to develop men with disciplined minds, emphasizing the continuing search for truth as a liberating force.
Morehouse prepares its students for leadership and service through instructional programs and extra-curricular activities that:
· develop skills in oral and written communications, analytical and critical thinking, and interpersonal relationships
· foster an understanding and appreciation of the elements and evolution of various cultures and the nature of the physical universe
· foster understanding and appreciation of the specific knowledge and skills needed for the pursuit of professional careers and/or graduate study
· cultivate the personal attributes of confidence, tolerance, morality, ethical behavior, humility, a global perspective and commitment to social justice
Equal Opportunity
Morehouse College is a private institution……..race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era in its programs and activities.
The person designated to handle inquiries regarding the College’s non-discrimination policies is the associate vice president for Human Resources, 830 Westview Dr., S.W., Atlanta, GA 30314, and (470) 639-0358.
The College supports Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964… The College supports and complies with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. The College also supports Title IV of the Education Amendments of 1972 which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in education programs and activities.
The Vice President for Student Services is the College’s Section 504 Coordinator. The office is located in Suite 200, Kilgore Campus Center, 830 Westview Drive, S.W., Atlanta, Georgia, 30314-3773. The telephone number is (470) 639-0979. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 provides that no person on the basis of sex or gender shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefit of, or be subjected to discrimination, including sexual harassment and violence, in any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. The College’s coordinator for Title IX (relating to Atlanta University Center students attending courses at Morehouse College) is the director of institution compliance. The office is located in Gloster Hall, Room 109; telephone number is (470) 639-0584.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
No qualified individual with a disability shall be discriminated against or excluded from participation in, or be denied the benefits of the services, programs or activities at Morehouse College. All student requests for accommodations and assistance should be directed to the Office of the Vice President for Student Services. Students who feel they have been discriminated against because of their disability should contact the Counseling Center, Sale Hall Annex, (470) 639-0901.john
Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. They are:
(1) The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access.
Students should submit to the registrar, dean, academic department chair or other appropriate official written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The College official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where records may be inspected. If the College official to whom the request was submitted does not maintain the records, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
(2) The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that a student believes is inaccurate or misleading.
Students may ask the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the College officials responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading.
If the College decides not to amend the records as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
(3) The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
One exception that permits disclosure without consent is to school officials with legitimate educational interest. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic research or support staff position (including law enforcement personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor or collection agent); a person serving on the Morehouse Board of Trustees; or a student serving on a official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.
A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
Upon request, the College discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
(4) The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
600 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-4605
THE HISTORY OF MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
(Updated May 2009)
Morehouse College: Then and Now
In 1867, two years after the end of the Civil War the Augusta Institute was established in the basement of Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga. The school’s primary purpose was to prepare black men for ministry and teaching. Today, Augusta Institute is Morehouse College, which is located on a 66-acre campus in Atlanta and enjoys an international reputation for producing leaders who have influenced national and world history.
Augusta Institute was founded by the Rev. William Jefferson White, an Augusta Baptist minister, cabinetmaker and journalist, with the encouragement of the Rev. Richard C. Coulter, a former slave from Augusta., and the Rev. Edmund Turney, organizer of the National Theological Institute for educating freedmen in Washington, D.C. White appointed the Rev. Dr. Joseph T. Robert, a minister and physician, as the Institute’s first president.
In 1879, the Institute was invited by the Rev. Frank Quarles to move to the basement of Atlanta’s Friendship Baptist Church and changed its name to Atlanta Baptist Seminary. The Seminary later moved to a four-acre lot in downtown Atlanta. Following Robert’s death in 1884, David Foster Estes, a professor at the Seminary, served as the institution’s acting president.
When Dr. Samuel T. Graves was named the second president in 1885, the institution relocated to its current site in Atlanta’s West End community. The campus’ new site was a gift from John D. Rockefeller and encompasses a Civil War site, where Confederate soldiers staged a resistance to Union forces during William Tecumseh Sherman’s famous siege of Atlanta in 1864. In 1897, the Atlanta Baptist Seminary became Atlanta Baptist College during the administration of Dr. George Sale, a Canadian who served as the third and youngest president from 1890 to 1906.