Academic Expectations

Statement of Academic Expectations

The quality of life in a college such as Mount Holyoke relies on the conscious choice of students, faculty members, and administrators to commit themselves to active and honorable participation in the creation and preservation of the college community. The decision to form such a community of scholars confers upon its members the special rights and responsibilities that allow the College to function most effectively. The very act of choosing to become a member of the Mount Holyoke community implies a commitment to free inquiry and a search for understanding as central to the liberal arts education, and a willingness to share in the responsibility for maintaining an environment in which these goals may be attained. Failure to assume such responsibility threatens the privileges of the rest of the community and undermines the trust upon which it is built. If any member fails to exercise the responsibility incumbent upon them, the community itself through its officially constituted bodies must take action.

Both students and faculty members assume a commitment to the academic community that implies teaching and learning in an open environment based on mutual trust, respect, and concern. All members of the community have the right to careful and constructive analysis of their work, and they have the responsibility to provide a serious response to the work of others. (Faculty Legislation)

This list presents expectations and suggestions that support the academic richness of this community. 

  1. Academic freedom is the critical foundation of what we do at Mount Holyoke and faculty are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject and in designing their courses. 

  2. All students are obligated to abide by the College Honor Code. Individual faculty determine how artificial intelligence (AI) may be used in their courses; students are expected to consult with faculty before using any artificial intelligence. Students are also expected to keep their login credentials confidential and are responsible for any misuse of College resources conducted under their login credentials.

  3. All accommodations must be approved by the appropriate office at the College and shared with your faculty as early in the semester as possible. Accommodations are not retroactive.

  4. Grades and academic evaluations of any kind do not imply judgments of the characters of students; they are solely concerned with academic performance. 

  5. Students are expected to be present for their courses: attend class; arrive on time and prepared, having completed all assigned readings and assignments; engage in each class period through discussion, active listening, asking questions, in-class assignments, group work, etc.

  6. Students are responsible for learning content presented in class even when they are absent. Faculty are not obligated to record classes (except for students with official accommodations granting class recordings), and watching recorded classes is not a substitute for attending class.

  7. Students are expected to procure required course materials.

  8. Students are expected to take responsibility for academic work: read the syllabus early on to ensure they understand the workload for the class and specific expectations of the professor; keep track of deadlines posted on the syllabus and/or Moodle; submit work on time; understand and comply with policies for late work and extensions.

  9. College students must balance rigorous academic work with mental and physical health, paid work, co-curricular activities, and relationships with family and friends. Identify your priorities and anticipate the consequences of those choices, including the types of support that can help you to uphold the commitments that matter to you.

  10. Students are expected to help create the environment for free inquiry, including how their interactions with peers, faculty, and staff contribute to the well-being of our community. Students should identify areas for growth and pursue them actively.  

Academic Responsibility

The decision to join this academic community requires acceptance of special rights and responsibilities that are essential for its effective functioning and the realization of its mission. 

All members of the community share the responsibility to uphold the highest standards of academic and personal integrity, community engagement, and commitment to principles of equity and inclusion that are central to the mission of the College. Failure to accept and act on this responsibility threatens the rights of the rest of the community by undermining the trust upon which the community is built.

Students, faculty, staff, and administrators assume a commitment to the academic community that supports teaching and learning in an open environment based on mutual trust, respect, and concern. All members of the community have the right to careful and constructive analysis of their work, and they have the responsibility to provide a serious response to the work of others.

Each member of the academic community has the right to benefit from its collective knowledge and resources as well as the responsibility to contribute to them.

Honor Code

Mount Holyoke students take great pride in and responsibility for upholding the College’s honor code, which has been articulated by the Mount Holyoke College Student Government Association.

I will honor myself, my fellow students, and Mount Holyoke College by acting responsibly, honestly, and respectfully in both my words and my deeds.

The honor code plays a role in both academic and social life at the College. While allowing for a significant degree of individual  freedom, it relies on students to conduct themselves with maturity and concern for the welfare of other members of the College community.

The commitment students and faculty have made to teaching and learning in an open environment based on mutual trust, respect, and concern is the foundation for Mount Holyoke’s unusual system of self-scheduled examinations.

Plagiarism or other forms of scholarly misconduct can have no purpose or place in the academic life of the College. Each student is responsible for observing established procedures in the preparation of assignments and the writing of papers and examinations, and for submitting as one’s own, only that work that they have originated. Each instructor is responsible for making clear what procedures are acceptable in the work of a course and for guiding students toward appropriate methods and standards of research for production of student work.

Additional information on the honor code, examples of violations, the process for reporting suspected violations, the procedures through which the Academic Honor Board adjudicates suspected violations, and potential penalties for its violation are available at this site. All members of the Mount Holyoke community are encouraged to utilize the How to Use Sources Properly guide, which provides information on the different forms of plagiarism, proper scholarly procedure, and links to helpful websites for further information.

Class Attendance

The undergraduate program is a residential, in-person program. Regular class attendance is expected of all students unless an individual instructor suspends this expectation.

Religious Observance

Although the College is a secular institution, we value students who sincerely claim their religious and spiritual identities and seek to observe and practice their religious and spiritual traditions during their years at Mount Holyoke. We acknowledge and embrace our many religious identities as part of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is our goal to not only comply with the religious accommodation statute, Title XXI Chapter151C Section2B of the General Laws of Massachusetts but to assure that our students who uphold a sincerely held religious and/or spiritual belief feel a sense of belonging within our community.

Section 2B of Chapter 151C of the General Laws of Massachusetts reads: "Any student in an educational or vocational training institution, other than a religious or denominational educational or vocational training institution, who is unable, because of his [sic] religious beliefs, to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirement on a particular day shall be excused from any such examination or study or work requirement, and shall be provided with an opportunity to make up such examination, study, or work requirement which he [sic] may have missed because of such absence on any particular day; provided, however, that such makeup examination or work shall not create an unreasonable burden upon such school. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to the said student such opportunity. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student because of his [sic] availing himself [sic] of the provisions of this section."

Students seeking a religious accommodation in a course or courses because their religious observance are expected to submit a request for a religious accommodation each semester to the course instructor by the last day to add a course for that semester.  Such requests are submitted through my.mtholyoke on the self-service Religious Accommodation Request form. Faculty receive these requests and then approve or disapprove the request in my.mtholyoke, also adding comments if they wish. It is also expected that a student will be in conversation with the faculty member if there are questions or concerns. Students denied accommodation may also contact a College chaplain and the Office of Academic Deans.

Audio/Visual Recordings in the Classroom

To encourage active engagement and academic inquiry in the classroom, as well as to safeguard the privacy of students and faculty, no form of audio or visual recording in the classroom is permitted without explicit permission from the professor/instructor or without a letter from Disability Services, signed by the faculty member, authorizing the recording as an accommodation. Authorized recordings may only be used by a student who has obtained permission and may not be shared or distributed for any reason. Violation of this policy is an infraction of the Mount Holyoke Honor Code and academic regulations and will result in disciplinary action.

Access and Inclusion

Mount Holyoke College is a gender-diverse women’s college. The College is committed to providing equal access and opportunity in employment and education to all employees and students. In compliance with state and federal law, Mount Holyoke College does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, genetic information, sex, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, ancestry, veteran or military status, or any other legally protected status under federal, state or local law. 

The College complies with Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and amendments.

Compliance with Mount Holyoke policies and local and federal laws is the responsibility of all members of the Mount Holyoke community. The College has named the following compliance coordinators as indicated:

  • Equal Opportunity in Employment: Shannon Lynch, Associate Vice President for Compliance
  • Section 504: Shannon Lynch, Associate Vice President for Compliance
  • Title IX Coordinator: Shannon Lynch, Associate Vice President for Compliance

For more information, please consult www.mtholyoke.edu/risk/title-ix-compliance-mount-holyoke-college, www.mtholyoke.edu/directory/departments-offices-centers/office-diversity-equity-and-inclusion, and www.mtholyoke.edu/student-handbook/discrimination-and-harassment-policies.