Short-Term Military Activation
ACA-84
About This Policy
- Effective Date:
- 04-25-2023
- Responsible University Office:
- University Faculty Council
- Responsible University Administrator:
- University Faculty Council
- Policy Contact:
- University Faculty Council
ufcoff@indiana.edu
- Policy Feedback:
- If you have comments or questions about this policy, let us know with the policy feedback form.
Scope
All Indiana University students who are members of the Indiana National Guard, a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States, or the armed forces (“qualified students”) who have U.S. military obligations that necessitate absence from coursework during an academic term or session.
Policy Statement
Indiana University supports students who are also serving in the U.S. military. The university recognizes that these students may occasionally have short-term conflicts between academic work and military obligations that do not require a full Military Withdrawal or Military Leave of Absence under VPSS-02. (Examples of such conflicts include five-day disaster response missions, three-day training that starts on a Friday, etc.)
Accordingly, course directors shall make reasonable accommodation, upon request, for such conflicts. It is the responsibility of the students involved to notify their course directors in a timely manner concerning their need for such accommodation.
Reason for Policy
Indiana University recognizes that qualified students under this policy may be required to satisfy military obligations outside of their control and often with little notice, including being called to specialized training or disaster relief efforts. These short-term activations may conflict with scheduled exams and other course work. This policy ensures that course directors respond to such short-term conflicts with flexibility and alterative scheduling and/or assignments, ensuring that student success is not unnecessarily impacted.
Procedures
- Students should notify their course director as soon as they become aware of the conflict, recognizing that the more time an instructor is given the more opportunity there is for accommodation.
- Students should provide official documentation to the course director regarding the military obligations. Questions from students or faculty regarding the type and nature of the documentation should refer to the designated campus military/veterans point of contact.
- The university recognizes that there may be situations where accommodation is not possible. In that case, the VPSS-02 Military Withdrawal policy may be more appropriate. However, the Military Withdrawal policy should only be used for short term activations where no reasonable alternative is, in good faith, possible (e.g., missed field labs essential to course completion, short-duration courses that only meet on several consecutive weekends).
Student Employees/Student Academic Appointees
Indiana University realizes that students may also have additional roles on campus, and other policies govern leaves of absence from those roles.