College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Horticulture

3.   THE STUDENTS

3.1.   Student Constituency of the Department

3.1.1.   The student constituency of the Department for the purpose of selecting student representatives for College or University committees, shall be all students who have declared with the Registrar a major or major preference in an academic program administered in the Department including students enrolled in the Institute of Agricultural Technology.

3.1.2.   Those students who are enrolled in graduate non-degree programs, as candidates for graduate degrees, or as candidates for graduate-professional degrees shall be deemed graduate students.

3.1.3.   All other students shall be deemed undergraduate students.

3.2. Student Recruitment, Funding, and Offer Letter Procedures

3.2.1.   Graduate Student Recruitment, Funding and Offer Letter-  The major advisor for a prospective graduate student must develop a written funding plan and have an honest, transparent discussion regarding assistantship funding and research project support funding during the recruitment process before the student can begin their program in the Department. “Support” represents the combination of assistantship funding and thesis/dissertation research funding. The graduate student must be made aware of the duration of the proposed commitment of support, including any possibility of incomplete funding and their options in such cases. The number of years of secured funding must be stated in the offer letter. If the secured funding is less than the funding required for the expected duration of the program, a funding plan for the remainder of the program shall be included in the offer letter. The Department Chair will consult with the DAC and/or GPC as appropriate to assess the funding plan. The offer letter is then signed by the advisor, prospective graduate student and Department Chair.

3.3.   Student Participation in Academic Governance

3.3.1.   Student participation in department academic governance bodies, shall in all cases be in the same mode as faculty participation, except as reserved. The matters reserved to the faculty are:

3.3.1.1.     Policy concerning reappointment, tenure and promotion, salary, leaves, insurance, retirement, and fringe benefits of faculty.

3.3.1.2.     Evidence from students regarding the teaching performance of faculty shall be considered in decisions concerning the above matters.

3.3.1.3.     Matters affecting the professional responsibility of the faculty to establish and maintain the intellectual authority of the University.

3.4.   Student Representation on Committees

3.4.1.   One graduate student from the department selected by the graduate students by their own procedures shall serve on the Graduate Programs Committee and any other committees deemed appropriate by the Chairperson and/or the Department Advisory Committee. In the case of search committees, every reasonable effort will be made to avoid conflicts of interest between the graduate student representative and faculty members on the committee or between the graduate student representative and the applicants. Each committee may invite other students to meet with it in an advisory capacity.

3.4.2.   One B.S. candidate undergraduate student from the department selected by the students by their own procedures shall serve on the Undergraduate Programs Committee and any other committees as deemed appropriate by the Chairperson and/or the Department Advisory Committee. Each committee may invite other students to meet with it in an advisory capacity.

3.4.3.   Membership on a committee shall in all cases carry with it, for student representatives, the right to vote on all matters that fall within the committee's purview, except for matters that are of exclusive concern to the faculty.

3.4.4.   Student terms of membership on a committee shall be of one year, beginning 1 October of each year; a student may serve no more than two consecutive terms on a given committee.