Support

• ELP students are registered for courses by the English Language Program. 
• ELP students retaking one or more courses will be advised by the ELP Director as to necessary changes to their schedules.  

• Exams are only held on the scheduled date.
• Exams start on time. If students are late, they will not be allowed to enter the exam room
• No early exams or make-up exams will be administered with RARE exceptions, such as childbirth or extended hospitalization. 

Promotion 

Students who successfully complete their courses with a minimum grade of 80% will progress to the next level of the program.

• Once students successfully complete the academic requirements of the program, they are fully admitted into Miami University, and their status will be changed to University Studies majors or transferred into their graduate degree program.
• Undergraduate students may now declare majors in consultation with the division and department. (*Some restrictions apply for select majors in select divisions.)

Grading Scale

All ELP students will be assessed with the same grading scale in each of their core courses: 

Occasionally, some students may fail to make progress and progress to the next level. This is not uncommon. However, if a student is still unable to move ahead to the next level after two sessions, they will not be able to continue in the program.

• Levels 1-3: Repeating ELP Courses
  • Students who do not meet the benchmarks in their level will be given the opportunity to repeat that level one additional time.
  • Students who fail to meet the benchmark after the end of the second session will be asked to leave the program for failing to make progress.

• Level 4 – Academic Probation, Repeating ELP Courses
  • For a student’s status to be changed from conditional admission to regular enrollment, the student must complete and fulfill all criteria established by the approved program.  ELP students, who fail to meet the requirements for successful completion of the program in one semester, will be required to retake the necessary course(s) again in the following semester.
  • Students retaking one or more ELP courses will continue to be considered a part of the program.  Consequently, they are responsible for fees, expectations and activities associated with the functioning of the program. Students retaking ELP courses will have their schedules manually adjusted to include the requisite class(es).
  • In addition to retaking ELP courses, students in Level 4 who earn below a 2.0 overall GPA during their semester will be placed on Academic Warning by the University, per University regulations governing students in Undergraduate - Grades & Scholarship.
  • Students retaking courses will be manually registered for those courses and their schedules adjusted accordingly as needed.
  • Conditionally admitted students who fail to complete the Program are unable to matriculate to Miami University and are ineligible to return to the ELP in the future.
    • There will be a hold placed on their BannerWeb account to ensure that they are unable to register until they have re-applied to the University for direct admission.
    • There is a two-year wait period for reapplication to the University.
    • They are unable to enroll in ELP.

1. Students who either voluntarily withdraw from the ELP program or who have a medically authorized reduced course load prior to completion will need to petition to return to the ELP for a subsequent semester.
2. In writing, a petition will require the following:
   • Personal statement explaining the reasons for the petition and why you were unable to attend class.
   • Documentation of personal circumstances that are outside the student’s control and have or are likely to have had a significant impact academic performance in any type of assessment.
   • Details of any support services used (physical or mental health professionals, learning specialists, academic advisers, faculty members, etc.).
   • Two letters from ELP instructors stating current performance and last date of attendance or non-attendance .
   • Academic plan for future success.
   • Personal wellness plan for future success.
3. A committee within ELP will review petitions, and the outcome will be shared with ISSS and Enrollment Management.
4. Petitions to re-enroll in ELP must be submitted by:
   • June 15th in order to return for the start of the fall semester
   • November 15th in order to return for the start of spring semester.
5. Re-enrollment in ELP cannot be deferred for more than one semester.  Students would need to reapply to Miami if their absence exceeded this.
6. Students may withdraw and petition to return no more than once. Students admitted to ELP must complete the program within three semesters, if they do not attend for one of those semesters.
7. I-20’s will not be approved until after a petition is approved.

ELP students are required to attend classes, both in order to succeed academically in the program and to maintain compliance with University expectations and the requirements of their F-1 visa.  

Students who miss 20% from all of their ELP classes may be dismissed from the program. This equals:

• 60 hours in Fall/Spring

1. 1. • For example:
        • 18 hrs each in Writing and Grammar, Speaking and Listening and Reading and Vocabulary (total of 3+ weeks of class time)
        • 9 hours in Special Topics

• 48 hours in Summer

1. • For example: 
     • 14 hrs each in Writing and Grammar, Speaking and Listening and Reading and Vocabulary
     • 6 hours in Special Topics
2. A late arrival of more than 10 minutes counts as one absence.  This also applies to leaving a class in session and returning after 10 minutes or more.
   • Three late arrivals (of 10 minutes or less) are equal to one absence.

Attendance Notification Process

Step 1: Attendance Notice (7% hours missed = 5x6hrs or 3x3hrs)

• Meet with Director and Instructor(s)
• ISSS notified

Step 2: Warning Notice (15% hours missed = 13x6hrs or 6x3hrs)

• Meet with Director and Instructor(s)
• ISSS notified
• Sponsor notified (if applicable)

Step 3. Dismissal from Course(s) (20% hours missed)

• A grade of F will be recorded on the official transcript for the course(s) from which a student is dropped.
• ISSS will be notified in order to terminate the student’s I-20
• Sponsors will be notified of the student’s status as applicable

Absences: Excused and Unexcused

1. You are required to notify your instructor as soon as possible, and provide evidence (e.g.: a doctor’s note),  if you are unable to attend class.
   1. Examples of the types of circumstances that could be considered acceptable reasons for not attending a class and being allowed to make up missed work:
      1. More than two days out sick with a doctor’s note
      2. The death of a family member in student’s home country
      3. Childbirth
      4. Extended hospital stay
      5. Issue deemed serious by the ELP Director
   2.  Examples of reasons that would NOT be considered acceptable for making up work:
      1. Overslept and/or alarm clock did not work
      2. Court date 
      3. Picking up a friend at the airport
      4. Issues with transportation
      5. Personal errands
      6. Didn’t complete the homework/project
2. For ALL absences, you are expected to complete as much of the missed work as possible in a timely manner. You should meet with your instructor if you miss multiple days, so that you can work out a timeline for completion for work the instructor is willing to accept late. If you do not make up for missed work in the time allocated, you will not be awarded credit for those assignments and will receive a zero for each. 
3. If you miss a test, quiz, presentation or other major assignment during any class, your instructor will NOT allow you to make up this work. If you miss a major assignment with an excused absence, your instructor might allow you to make up the assignment at a later date.

Cell Phones and Other Tech Devices 

Make sure your cell phone and any other device (except for a laptop or an electronic dictionary only when appropriate and allowed by the instructor) is turned off before you come to class. If your cell phone rings during class or if I see you using your laptop or other electronic devices for anything not related to class work (FB, chatting, surfing the web, texting), you will be asked to leave the classroom and will be counted as absent.

ELP Classroom Etiquette

• Showing respect for instructors and fellow students at all times
• Arriving for class on time
• Being attentive during class, and participating constructively in class discussion
• Arriving to class prepared and having completed any assigned material in advance of class
• Cell phones and other electronic devices are silenced during class and only used with the explicit permission of the instructor for that class.
• Working to ensure that the learning environment is free from all forms of prejudice that negatively influence student learning, such as those based on age, ethnicity, gender, mental or physical impairment, race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
• Refraining from behaviors which could disrupt or distract self or others through inappropriate comments, talking while others are presenting, interrupting the instructor, inappropriate language, and etc.

Read more about disruptive classroom behavior and its consequences (Office of Community Standards): 

While attending any Miami campus, students are responsible for following the Miami Student Code of Conduct. Review the Student Code of Conduct.

• Students who violate the Code of Student conduct will meet with the Program Director and/or Student Affairs for adjudication of the alleged infraction. Students found to be responsible for a violation, and who are suspended, will be dismissed from the program.

Academic Integrity is at the heart of the mission and values of Miami University and is an expectation of all students. Maintaining academic integrity is a reflection of your character and underpins your learning and understanding of the course material.

Cheating will result in not learning what you need to learn in this class. Cheating now may lead to a future of cheating and other unethical behaviors to cover up the fact that you didn’t learn what you were supposed to learn. Try your best, manage your time well, ask questions, and be ethical.

Academic integrity is a partnership between me, as the instructor, and you, as the student. My role, as instructor of this course, is to facilitate learning and to provide you with clear guidelines and feedback to help you maintain your academic integrity. Your role in this course is to take responsibility for your learning and to complete all assignments in an honest manner and ask for clarification from me if you are unsure of how to do so.

Turnitin: Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com (or equivalent) for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com site. 

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY includes, but is not limited to, the following acts.

• Cheating: using or attempting to use or possessing any aid, information, resources, or means in the completion of an academic assignment that are not explicitly permitted by the instructor or providing such assistance to another student. 
• Unauthorized collaboration: working with another individual or individuals in any phase of or in the completion of an individual academic assignment without explicit permission from the instructor to complete the work in such a manner.
• Plagiarism: presenting as one's own the work, the ideas, the representations, or the words of another person/source without proper attribution; not crediting/citing authors for their ideas (e.g., Works Cited page on PowerPoint), direct or indirect.
• Gaining an unfair advantage: completing an academic assignment through use of information or means not available to other students or engaging in any activity that interferes with another student's ability to complete his or her academic work.
• Misunderstanding of the appropriate academic conduct: not accepted as an excuse for academic misconduct (e.g. “I did not know” will not be accepted as an excuse).
• Submitting work from previous semesters (whether your own or someone else’s even if some things have been changed).
• Submitting the same paper (or nearly the same paper) for two courses without both instructors’ permission: This includes courses being taken at the same time, or a paper that was used for any course taken previously. Repeating a course for a second time requires that students must submit new work for the course and may not submit their own work again for credit. 

Maintaining academic integrity means being serious about your learning, being responsible for your own learning, and making good choices about what kind of student you will be. I promise to uphold my end of our academic partnership in this class, and I hope you choose to do the same.

Student Guide to Academic Integrity

Suspected Dishonesty

Any suspected instances of academic dishonesty will be handled under Miami University’s Academic Integrity policy.

• It is a student’s responsibility to read this policy. Please note that lack of knowledge or understanding of the appropriate academic conduct is not an excuse for committing academic dishonesty.

Students who are found responsible for committing academic dishonesty will receive a sanction that ranges from a zero on the assignment to an F in the course, which could contain the AD transcript notation. Students who are found responsible for committing two acts of dishonesty (academic or Code of Student Conduct section 102 (Dishonesty)) automatically will be suspended from Miami University.

If you have an issue with your instructor, here are steps you can take to address the situation:

• Step One

Talk to your instructor. First try to talk with your instructor about the situation. For example, if you disagree with a grade, have questions about the amount of homework, etc. Instructors in the ELP want your experience to be a positive one, so they are committed to working with you and supporting you in solving any problems.

• Step Two

Meet with the Program Director. If you and your instructor are unable to solve the problem together, then make an appointment with the Program Director. The Program Director will want to talk with your instructor to find out more information and to understand the instructor’s perspective on the situation. In some cases, the Program Director will want to have a meeting with you and your instructor together. The Program Director will work with you and your instructor to solve the problem.

• Step Three

Submit a formal letter of complaint.  This is a formal process for adjudicating complaints about grades or adjudicating alleged violations of instructor obligations listed in the Statement of Good Teaching Practices.

Formal Letter of Complaint

1. The student must give the program director written notice of his or her dissatisfaction with previous attempts for redress and again voice the complaint. This notice must be received by the program director on or before the twentieth school day of the fall or spring semester following the semester in which the disputed grade was issued or in which the alleged violation occurred.
2. If the written complaint and any written response from the instructor submitted as part of process has not been engaged, the student must submit to the director a written, dated, and signed complaint stating the name of the instructor, the course, a precise description the Good Teaching Practices alleged to have been violated, a brief description of the incident(s) giving rise to the grievance, any supporting documents and the remedy requested.  If the Director is the instructor, the complaint should be filed with the Dean’s office. The letter should also describe the remedy requested, and it should be accompanied by any supporting documents. Anonymous or unsigned complaints must be disregarded and destroyed. 
3. After receiving a letter of complaint and before acting on it, the director will promptly inform the instructor of the complaint and give him or her an opportunity to submit a written response that rebuts the allegations or explains the circumstances as viewed by the instructor; at a minimum, the instructor should forward to the director the syllabus for the course and/or a statement of her/his course policies and procedures. If the instructor wishes to submit a response, s/he will have ten working days from the date of the director’s letter to do so, not counting days when school is out of session (e.g., the weeks between the end of fall semester and the beginning of the winter term, or during the week of spring break). The director then attempts to resolve the complaint.  
4. All signed and dated complaints written by students are filed in the departmental student complaint file. If an instructor submits a written response, it is also placed in the departmental student complaint file, as is the director’s report on the actions s/he took to resolve the complaint. The director will provide the student with the instructor’s written response and the director’s report.  

Grievance Procedure

When a student approaches the program director with a complaint, the director shall encourage the student to confer with the instructor in order to seek a resolution. 

1. If the student has previously filed a letter of complaint but is dissatisfied with the results, that letter of complaint forms the basis of the grievance; the instructor’s response (if any) and the director’s report on the resolution procedure are part of the grievance procedure record.
2. If the student did not previously file a letter of complaint, s/he must submit to the program director a written, signed, and dated grievance letter. The letter must state the name of the instructor, identify the course, describe the incident(s) giving rise to the complaint, and cite, if appropriate, the provision(s) of the Statement of Good Teaching Practices alleged to have been violated. The letter should also describe the remedy requested, and it should be accompanied by any supporting documents. Anonymous or unsigned grievance letters must be disregarded and destroyed. 
3. The director will promptly forward a copy of the student’s grievance to the instructor, together with a request for information relevant to the review. The instructor may also make a written reply to the student’s statement.  
4. The instructor shall have ten days in which to respond to the student’s charge.  
5. Once all documents have been filed, a grievance committee will hold a hearing, and determine recommendations.

When a student withdraws from Miami University, the tuition and other course fees will be refunded according to the below schedule. The schedule is based on actual school days. Weekends and holidays are not taken into consideration, and the withdrawal must be processed by 5 p.m. ET. For example, if the withdrawal is processed by 5 p.m. ET on the fifth day of the term, the student would receive a 100% refund. If the withdrawal is processed at 6 p.m. ET on the fifth day of the term, the student would be refunded 90%.

Miami University has vaccination requirements and recommendations. Incoming students, including international students and U.S. citizens, must submit documentation of medical forms as proof of immunization.

Tuberculosis (TB) Test

International students will have the tuberculosis (TB) blood test done by Student Health Services as part of their initial medical screening. Note: TB tests or documentation from outside of the United States will not be accepted. Those who need the TB blood test should have their appointment at Student Health Services after their arrival.

• During your time at Miami, you may receive notification about additional TB testing if you travel out of the U.S. for over 6 weeks.
• If you have any questions concerning state and university requirements for TB testing requirements, please contact Health Service at [email protected]. 

There is no smoking on Miami University’s campuses. Students, staff and faculty may not smoke on campus.

Miami has a strict policy related to the use of alcohol and drugs on campus. The unlawful possession, use, consumption, or distribution of drugs and/or alcohol by students or employees on University property or as a part of any University activity is prohibited. 

• Violators will be prosecuted in accordance with applicable laws and ordinances and will be subject as well to disciplinary actions by the University, in conformance with all University policies, guidelines, and procedures, including, without limitation, all applicable sections of the Student Handbook and Code of Student Conduct. 
• Sanctions for violations may include suspension and/or termination/dismissal, as well as compulsory attendance at drug/alcohol education programs or other appropriate disciplinary measures.  The Miami University Police Department is responsible for the enforcement of state underage drinking laws and the enforcement of Federal and State drug laws on the Oxford Campus.  
• The Hamilton Police, Middletown Police, West Chester Police, and Cincinnati Police are responsible for the enforcement of state underage drinking laws and the enforcement of Federal and State drug laws on the respective branch campuses.

Review Miam's Sexual Misconduct Protocol for Students.

Report an Incident.

1. Academic Advising is provided by ELP to guide students in accessing resources for support.  
2. Academic advisors support students in understanding the registration process through workshops and one-on-one meetings as students prepare to transition to Miami as fully matriculated students.
3. Midterm notifications for students in danger of not succeeding in ELP are issued to all students falling below the required B- in ELP courses or C in their American Culture Course (UG) or Independent Study (GR).  They are referred to ELP and university resources as appropriate to support their success over the remainder of the semester. 

Peer tutors in grammar and editing are available throughout the semester, via the English Language Learner Writing Center.

English Language Cafe

This is held weekly for students in Levels 1-3 and is an opportunity to engage with a broader community to practice casual conversation in English.

ELP Peer Mentoring

This is an interactive program where peer mentors work with international students in the ELP as a component of their ELP 112 class. Each mentor will work with 2-4 ELP students over the course of the semester. The role of the mentors is to facilitate weekly discussions centered around cultural topics and themes relevant to life in the United States and at Miami University.  

Additionally, peer mentors are expected to engage with ELP students outside of the Tuesday meetings in a mentorship capacity, by checking in with them electronically each week, as well as taking their group into the Miami and Oxford Community to engage more broadly in their first semester. 

Meet Miami

A requirement for the ELP Special Topics course that is woven into the curriculum. This program structures student engagement with campus, and ensures that they are familiar with support resources as well as the social and cultural programming available across the campus and community.  By requiring students to engage actively with campus across the semester, students are able to better transition fully to the Miami community.

English Language Learner Writing Center (ELL Writing Center)

The ELLWC offers editing and grammar support that are specifically structured for international students. Working with the ELLWC is also required as a means of establishing successful practices as a writer in English.

Excursions

These are developed by instructors and the program as a whole in order to support student engagement outside of the classroom.  

Residence Hall Programs 

Each residence hall offers regular programming to bring students together as a community.

Students admitted conditionally to Miami University - Oxford, or who are attending Miami exclusively for the ELP program, will live in campus residence halls

There are exceptions to this residency requirement. You are not required to live in university housing if any of the following situations. 

• If you will commute from your parents' or legal guardian's home (who had guardianship at time of admission), and if you are within commuting distance (50 miles) from the Oxford campus); 
• If you are married or live with dependent children; 
• If you have matriculated full-time for at least two years at another institution;
• If you are at least 21 years of age before the first day of classes.

• August/January/May:  
  • ELP intro and overview
  • Orientation Workshops Part 1:
    • Accessing campus and community resources
    • Campus Life:  Student Conduct, Safety, and Expectations
    • Health & Wellness:  Accessing health and wellness resources/student support 
• October/March:  This session is held off campus as a way to explore the region and includes co-curricular activities and social elements.
• Orientation Workshops Part 2: Options
  • Classroom Life:  Academic Integrity and/or Academic Advising
  • Future Planning:  Career Exploration
  • Campus Life:  Residence Halls and campus engagement
• November/April: Registration Workshops with ELP Advisors for Level 4 students
• Ongoing:  EL Cafe and ELP Peer Mentoring activities and discussion groups