Records and Registration

The Registrar’s Office is responsible for the maintenance of educational records at Western New Mexico University . Records include, but are not limited to, student transcripts and faculty grade reports. The academic folders for students are also maintained by the Registrar’s Office. These folders are maintained for a minimum of five years after a student last attends and then are destroyed.

As electronic data and on-line systems make student data more readily available on campus, the issue of who legally and ethically should have access to the data presents itself. The following reflects the Western New Mexico University policy regarding access to student data:

1. The University permits the release of a student’s records to school officials at the university who have a legitimate educational interest in the student.

a) A school official is defined as a person employed by the institution in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position. Also included are persons under contract to the institution to perform a special task, such as an attorney or an auditor.

b) A school official is determined to have a legitimate educational interest if the information requested is necessary for that official to perform appropriate tasks that are specified in his/her position description or by a contract agreement or to perform a task related to a student’s education or a task related to the discipline of the student or if they are involved in providing a service relating to the student or the student’s family such as health care, job placement or financial aid.

2. Students can access their own data for informational purposes. This policy does not override other policies which require students to follow specific procedures to obtain their data i.e., transcript requests, student records folder review, etc.

In order to assist faculty and staff in interpreting this policy, the following guidelines are presented:

1. A student’s advisor can access the academic information required to provide accurate and effective academic advisement. The advisor may not release the information to a third party. The information is for the purposes of working with the student only.

2. An instructor may access the record of a student to determine if the student has the proper prerequisites as stated in the course schedule or catalog for the course they are teaching. The information may not be released to a third party.

3. Administrative and support staff assigned responsibilities for working with students in general may access the data appropriate to perform their job in an accurate and effective manner.

4. Because of the nature of the student information database (BANNER), faculty and staff may have the capability of accessing data on students who are not assigned to them as advisees. In order to be in compliance with privacy regulations, data retrieval should be restricted to advisees information only or as stated in number 2 above. If in talking with a student, he/she gives consent to the review of his/her records by the faculty or staff member, the member may review the records in the student’s presence.

5. Directory information may be released without the student’s written consent unless the student has requested that directory information be withheld. A form may be obtained at the Registrar’s Office. Directory information includes name, address, telephone listing, email address, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, date of attendance, degrees and awards received, most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by student, and weight and height of members of athletic teams.

6. A record is kept of all persons (except WNMU faculty and staff) who are given access to a student’s records without written authorization from the student.

Once registered, students may change their schedules according to published procedures during appropriate periods. Procedures and deadlines are published in the Schedule of Classes. The following refer to regular semester courses:

Add. Students may add courses or change sections only through the third week of the semester (see the University Calendar). After the first week of class, Instructor permission is required to add a course. For tuition costs, see the “Student Expenses” section of the catalog.

Completion of Courses. Students are responsible for completion of all courses in which they are enrolled. Changes in enrollment must be officially recorded on WNMU records. A student not following proper course or WNMU withdrawal procedures will receive a failing grade and will be subject to tuition and fees associated with the course.

Drop. A student may drop a course or courses without a grade through the third week of the semester (see the University Calendar). Instructors may drop a student from the class rolls when the student accumulates unexcused absences in excess of the number of credit hours offered for the course. Students who are auditing a course will be expected to attend class regularly. After the first week of class, advisor permission is required to drop a course. For refund policy, see the “Student Expenses” section of the catalog.

Instructors may also drop a student from the class rolls when the student has not fulfilled any prerequisite for the course.

Withdrawal. A student may withdraw, with a grade of W, from a course after the third week of the semester through the eleventh week of the semester. Grades of W are not computed in the grade point average.

After the eleventh week of the semester, instructor course withdrawals are subject to grades WF. The WF will be computed as a failing grade in the student’s grade-point average.

A student may withdraw from all courses up to the last day of class with a grade of W (see complete withdrawal from WNMU in the "Student Expenses or Academic Support Center " sections of this catalog).

The instructor has the option of withdrawing a student for not attending class.

A student found insufficiently prepared to complete a regular course may be transferred to a lower level course in the same discipline prior to mid-term upon the recommendation of the course instructor and with the approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the receiving instructor.

Any student attending under Veterans’ Educational Assistance must notify the Veteran’s Certifying Officer in the Registrar’s Office if making course changes which affect benefits.

Changes in grading options (audit to grade or grade to audit) must be made during the first eight weeks. Grading option is indicated at the time of registration. The change is processed at the Registrar’s Office. It is the student’s responsibility to make certain that s/he is registered with the proper grading option. Students who wish to audit a course must have the instructor’s signature prior to registration.

Non-disclosure or misrepresentation in filling out applications or other WNMU records will result in disciplinary action, including possible dismissal from WNMU.

Payment of tuition and fees is required to complete registration. Instructions for payment and payment deadline dates are published in the Schedule of Classes. For specific information about tuition and fees, refer to the “Student Expenses’’ section of this catalog.

Registration Procedure

Details of the registration procedures are contained in the Schedule of Classes. Registration materials are prepared by the Registrar’s Office and distributed to students and faculty before each registration period.

The act of registration on the part of the student is regarded as a commitment to comply with all the regulations of WNMU. In addition to the regular registration period, WNMU offers continuing students an opportunity to advance register at an earlier date to allow time for effective use of academic advising services and to permit access to classes which fill up early in the regular registration period. Advance registration for the fall semester typically begins in late March, and for the spring semester in late October.

Late Registration

A student should complete registration (including payment of or arrangement to pay fees) prior to the first day of classes. Although a student may register during the first two weeks of classes, classes may be closed and a full schedule may be difficult to obtain. A student is expected to make up work in the missed classes.

Late fees are assessed in accordance with WNMU regulations and must be paid by the last day of the Late Registration. Refer to the Schedule of Classes for the date when late fees begin. Students who fail to make financial commitment by census date, will be disenrolled from all classes.

Schedule of Classes

The “Schedule of Classes’’ is the official publication of the Registrar’s Office each semester. The schedule lists the semester’s course offerings, dates, times, places, and procedures for registration, along with other important information relating to the semester. Refer to the Schedule of Classes for up-to-date information each semester.

Change of Address

The student is expected to keep WNMU informed of his/her mailing and local address. Any change of address should be reported immediately to the Registrar’s Office. A student may also change his/her address via Mustang Express.

Change of Name

Students may initiate a change of name for their academic records by providing appropriate documentation. A copy of their Social Security Card showing the new name is required, to the Registrar’s Office. Examples of such documentation are a marriage certificate, birth certificate, or court order for legal name change. One form of documentation must be a photo ID.

Use of Social Security Numbers as Student ID

At the time of Admissions and Financial Aid application, Western New Mexico University will capture the student’s Social Security Number. Federal law requires students to provide a Social Security Number so that it may be included on an information return prepared by the institution, 1098T. The Social Security Number is used for record-keeping purposes only and is not displayed in public. Once entered, a student will be given a Generated ID. The Generated ID will be used as the individual student’s identification number.

Summer Session and Short Courses

Deadlines for processing drops, adds, withdrawals, and grade options for summer and short courses vary according to the length of the course. Consult the Schedule of Classes for specific dates.

Transcripts will be issued to eligible students or to their designees, if authorized by the student, upon presentation of proper identification, a written request, and fee payment to the Registrar’s Office. Request must be made at least 20 days before transcript is needed. No on demand transcripts will be processed.

Official copies of the permanent academic record may be withheld until all financial obligations to WNMU have been satisfied. These obligations include, but are not limited to, loans, fines, tuition and fees. Transcripts may also be held for non-financial reasons such as loan default.

The preferred methods of payment include money orders, credit cards (Visa/Mastercard), cashier’s check or cash. Fees are as listed below:

Official Transcript $2.00

Official Rush Transcript $10.00*

Unofficial Faxed Transcript $4.00

*Please note: Official rush transcript requests must be submitted by the close of business in order to be processed and available within 2-3 business days. This service will not be available the first week prior to or the week of each semester; nor the end of the semester.

Students are encouraged to review their academic records at least once a year with their advisor. Any discrepancies noted should be brought to the attention of the Registrar’s Office as quickly as possible.