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Academic Progress




Satisfactory Academic Progress

Vincennes University is required under Title IV of the Higher Education Amendments to define and administer standards of satisfactory academic progress for students receiving financial aid.
Recipients must maintain sufficient progress to assure successful completion of their educational objectives as measured by qualitative and quantitative standards.
 
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Qualitative and Quantitative Standards

After attempting 12 credits, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 1.8 and complete at least 60% of their cumulative attempted credit hours with passing grades.

After earning 30 quality hours, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 1.9 and complete at least 60% of their cumulative attempted credit hours with passing grades.

After earning 45 quality hours, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 and complete at least 60% of their cumulative attempted credit hours with passing grades.

Students who do not meet these conditions will be placed on financial aid probation.
 
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Financial Aid Probation.

While students are on probation, they must finish 100% of all courses attempted with a semester GPA of at least 2.0. If they do not achieve this standard at the completion of their next semester of enrollment, they will be placed on financial aid suspension.

For this purpose an “earned F” counts as a finished course as does a grade of DE in a developmental reading course. Students “earn an F” when they stay in the course and try to pass but fail in this effort. In this case a student does not earn credits, and any Fs in non-developmental courses count in the GPA. Students who receive any grades of W, WN, WF, or I do not finish 100% of courses attempted. Courses attempted are those courses in which a student is enrolled after the first week of classes (add/drop week).

Students will receive a letter clearly stating these requirements, and they must sign and submit an acknowledgement that they understand their status and what they must do to avoid suspension of their
financial aid. While they are on probation, they will receive the financial aid for which they are eligible.
Thus, there is no appeal of probationary status.

Students will be removed from probation after they achieve at least (added: at least) the 60% completion rate and at least the minimum GPA relevant to the number of hours they have earned.
 
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Financial Aid Suspension.

Students who, while on financial aid probation, do not meet the semester GPA and completion standards stated above will have their financial aid suspended. Since this means they will not receive the
financial aid for which they would otherwise be eligible, they may appeal their suspension. If their appeal is granted, they will receive the financial aid for which they are eligible, but they will remain on financial aid probation.

If a grade of I during a semester of probation is the only reason students have been placed on financial aid suspension, after they submit proof that they have completed the course with a grade other
than W, WN, or WF, their financial aid will be reinstated as long as the changed grade enables them to meet the minimum semester GPA of 2.0.

To appeal financial aid suspension, students must be able to cite and document significant extenuating circumstances that prevented them from meeting the minimum semester requirements.
Significant extenuating circumstances include but are not limited to extended illness, a death in the family, or some other serious personal or familial situation. Examples of acceptable documentation
include death certificates, diagnostic statements from physicians, and written statements from a third party familiar with the situation. Appeals will not be granted unless significant extenuating circumstances can be documented.
 
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Maximum Time Frame.

U.S. Department of Education rules allow colleges and universities to provide federal financial aid for a maximum of up to 150% of the credits needed to complete an academic program. For example, students working toward a degree that requires 64 credits, may receive federal financial aid for attempting up to 96 credits (64+32), and students working toward a certificate of completion that requires 30 credits may receive federal financial aid for attempting up to 45 credits (30+15). Once students have surpassed these limits at the completion of a semester or summer term, they will be on financial aid suspension and will no longer be allowed to receive federal financial aid.

Notice that we must count credits attempted and not just credits successfully earned. We must count the credits for courses in which students receive a grade of F, W, WF, WN, DE, RD, or I. We must
also count the credits for all courses attempted at Vincennes University whether the courses meet degree requirements or not.

There are some exceptions that might make it possible for Vincennes University to provide federal financial aid for additional credits.
• The university may exclude up to 30 credits of developmental courses attempted.
• The university may exclude some credits that are transferred from another college or university. Specifically, transfer credits that do not meet any requirements for the degree or certificate toward which a student is working at Vincennes University may be excluded.
• The university may include credits attempted or earned more than five years ago if enrollment has not been continuous.
• For students who have already earned one degree or certificate from Vincennes University and are working on a second degree or certificate, credits that are unique to the first degree or certificate earned may be excluded. Purely elective courses are not unique to the first degree or certificate earned and will be counted toward the 150% maximum.

Since significant extenuating circumstances may contribute to a student’s failure to complete a degree or certificate program within the 150% maximum time frame, we will accept appeals of suspension of federal financial aid. To appeal financial aid suspension, students must be able to cite and document significant extenuating circumstances that prevented them from meeting the maximum time frame requirements. Significant extenuating circumstances include but are not limited to extended illness, a death in the family, or some other serious personal or familial situation. Examples of acceptable documentation include death certificates, birth certificates, diagnostic statements from physicians, and written statements from a non-family third party familiar with the situation. Appeals will not be granted unless significant extenuating circumstances can be documented.
 
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Returning students:

The financial aid award shown in your award notification assumes that you have met the standards of academic progress at the end of your last semester of attendance at Vincennes University.
 
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Civil War Era Newspaper Collection Now Available

March 9, 2010

VINCENNES, IND. - The Vincennes Civil War newspaper digitization project at VU's Lewis Historical Library is now available on the VU campus system, the Knox County Public Library, and area schools, according to an announcement from VU’s Lewis Historical Library.  The database holds thousands of pages of newspapers from the Lewis Library newspaper collection.

It is available on the VU Libraries Find Articles page along with other library electronic resources and is titled:  Vincennes Civil War Era Newspaper Collection, Accessible Archives (full text).

Lewis Library digitized newspapers include News of the Day (1855-56), Old Post Union (1862), Stars and Stripes and Old Post Union (1862), Vincennes Courant (1855-56), Vincennes Weekly Courant and Patriot (1855-56), Vincennes Gazette (1855-69), Weekly Vincennes Gazette (1857-59), The Vincennes Times (1865-66), and Vincennes Western Sun (1856-69).

The collection is an excellent source for student writing assignments about the period, genealogy research, and anyone interested in primary sources about the history of the area and the Civil War period.

Both text files and the original newspaper pages may be displayed.  For more information or assistance, contact reference librarian Richard King, rking@vinu.edu.

For more information, please contact Duane Chattin, Director of Public Information, 812-888-4164 (office), 812-887-6397 (cell) or dchattin@vinu.edu

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Student Government Association Receives U.S. Flag and certificates of appreciation from Operation Care at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan

Operation Care 1The Vincennes University Student Government Association (SGA) is the recipient a U.S. Flag and certificates of appreciation from Operation Care at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.  They were sent by U.S. Air Force Maj. Langdon Root, a Knox County native who until recently was a volunteer with Operation Care while he was stationed in Afghanistan.  Langdon's sister, Precious Rhea (3rd from right in the first row) delivered the flag and certificates to the SGA.  With the support of the community, the SGA donated 60 boxes that included 4,277 items ranging from clothing, toiletries, and school supplies.  Quoting from the certificate, "Your humanitarian efforts have greatly improved the quality of the life for the people of Afghanistan and the future of their nation."  Operation Care has distributed more than 60 tons of humanitarian supplies to thousands of needy Afghans.  The U.S. Flag that the SGA received flew in combat over Afghanistan on Dec. 22, 2009, aboard a U.S. Air Force F-16C Viper 14 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Operation Care 2From left, Vincennes University Student Government Association President Lindy Martin receives a U.S. Flag from Precious Rhea in appreciation for the SGA's efforts to support Operation Care in Afghanistan, a voluntary humanitarian effort that Rhea's brother, U.S. Air Force Major Langdon Root, helped organize.  VU was one of the leading U.S. campuses in sending humanitarian supplies to Operation Care.

The certificates, pictures and the flag from Operation Care will be on display in the Beckes Student Union Grand Hall.

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VU Alumni Mixer is March 15

March 8, 2010

VINCENNES, IND. - Vincennes University alumni are invited to a mixer on March 15, 6:30 p.m. (EST), at the Vincennes Golf Club, 1364 N. Hillcrest Rd., Vincennes.  Alumni are invited to enjoy good music, fellowship, and meet members of the Alpha Chapter of the VU Alumni Association, sponsor of the mixer.

The Alpha Chapter also reminds the public that members are accepting donations for a spring Trash and Treasure Sale.  Donations are accepted every Saturday from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at 18 N. 2nd Street in Vincennes.  Proceeds from the spring sale will support scholarships to VU.  For more information call 812-888-4354.

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Drum Enchanted Evening is March 25 at VU

March 5, 2010


VINCENNES, IND. - The Vincennes University Department of Music will present “Drum Enchanted Evening” on March 25, 7:30 p.m. (EST), at the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center.  The event is free and the public is invited to attend.  The Skelton Center is located on the VU campus at 20 Red Skelton Blvd.

Under the direction of Professor Susie Jackson, the VU Percussion Ensemble featuring 14 percussionists will play a variety of traditional and innovative percussion instruments.  The group will perform various musical styles including jazz/fusion, classical, and the more contemporary novelty tunes performed in the “stomp” style which involves the use of unique or unusual objects as percussion instruments combined with visual performance.

On March 27, the Department will host a Day of Percussion at the Skelton Center.  The event will include clinics as well as performances by various percussion ensembles.  Participating collegiate ensembles include Ball State University, Indiana State University, Purdue University, and Vincennes University.  Dr. Marc Wooldridge, Indiana Wesleyan University, will be doing a clinic performance of four of his multimedia compositions that incorporate film, visual art, and aerial photography with live and recorded percussion.  Dr. Erwin Mueller, Ball State University, will have a session on making and repairing mallets.

The featured clinician will be Dr. Elliot “Ellie” Mannette, recipient of the 1999 National Endowment for the Arts and a 2003 Percussive Arts Society (PAS) Hall of Fame inductee.  Recognized by many as the “father of the modern steel drum,” Dr. Mannette has devoted his life to the development of the steel drum art form.  He is also the founder of Mannette Steel Drums, Ltd., an instrument manufacturing company located in Morgantown, West Virginia.  Steel drums, also known as “pans,” came into existence on the island of Trinidad around the time of World War II, and are considered to be the only truly new acoustic instrument created in the 20th century.  In 1946, Dr. Mannette was the first person to fashion his “pan” from the now-standard 55 gallon steel drum.

Dr. Mannette will present two sessions on the steel drum, one on the history of the instrument and the other on the construction and tuning.

The Day of Percussion is free, and the public is invited to attend.  Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. with ongoing performances and clinics beginning at 9:00 a.m. and ending around 6:00 p.m.  For information about the Day of Percussion, Prof. Jackson may be reached at 812-888-4435.

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VU Blazer Bowlers’ 3-peat earns 17th NJCAA National Title

March 6, 2010  

 

 
The Vincennes Blazer Bowlers came from behind Saturday to claim the 2010 NJCAA Bowling National Championships at AMF Thruway Lanes in Cheektowaga , NY .
 
The title was VU’s 17th and third in a row.
 
VU won the event with a big second day. After the second five-man game on Friday, the Blazer Bowlers trailed Erie Community College by more than 100 pins. But a huge third game vaulted by VU and Hudson Valley past Erie to take over the top spots going into Saturday’s action.
 
VU turned in the best five-man total of 6,778 pins to win the crown, pulling away. The Blazer Bowlers’ total of 693 in the first set of Baker competition pushed them 700 pins ahead with six games remaining. VU finished with a total of 15,088 to edge runner-up Hudson Valley ’s 14,343 pins.  Erie was third with 14,161.
 
Sophomore Gerod Qualls set an NJCAA record with an 826 set Saturday morning. The All-American had games of 269, 279 and 278. He earned the Helmer Award as the all-events champion for the second consecutive year.
 
Qualls edged teammate Jack Sullivan by 56 pins.

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VU Health Watch Wednesday Continues

 VU Health Watch Wednesday began with two e-text messages that provided H1N1 wellness tips and reminded subscribers to visit the VU Health Office web page

Vincennes University students and employees seeking an H1N1 vaccination should go to the Knox County Immunization Clinic at 701 Dubois Street in Vincennes.   Visit their website for more information.

Updates will be posted each Wednesday (or sooner if the situation warrants).  The webpage includes links to the Center for Disease Control flu pages, preventative tips, and campus information. 

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