PSYC 5352 103: Counseling Internship I < Texas A&M International University

PSYC 5352 - Counseling Internship I

Fall 2024 Syllabus, Section 103, CRN 15715

Instructor Information

Elizabeth Terrazas-Carrillo

Associate Professor

Email: elizabeth.terrazas@tamiu.edu

Office: AIC 330

Office Hours:
Monday & Wednesday 2 pm – 4 pm
Tuesday & Thursday 11 pm – 1 pm
By appointment

Office Phone: 9563262656

Times and Location

M 9:40am-12:25pm in Pellegrino Hall 201

Course Description

Additional Course Information

The purpose of this course is to provide students with supervised experience in community counseling and related clinical activities to enhance skills, foster development as professional counselors, and meet systemic requirements.

This course will contribute to the three outcomes identified for the MACP program:

Students will demonstrate competencies in basic counseling skills (i.e., empathy, summarization and paraphrasing, proper flow and structure, working alliance, etc.)

Measurement: Class discussion, Videotape of session with client, and Midterm and Final Evaluations by the Site Supervisor.

Students will demonstrate competencies in counseling members of multicultural backgrounds.

Measurement: Class discussion, Videotape of session with client, and Midterm and Final Evaluations by the Site Supervisor.

Students will engage in professional and ethical behaviors that promote student development as leaders.

Measurement: Class discussion, Performance in the field, and Midterm and Final Evaluations by the Site Supervisor.

The course format includes special topic training, case presentations, video/audio tape instruction, and role-playing. The topics covered include the following: recovery-oriented care, micro-counseling skills, multicultural competence, empirically- and theoretically-based interventions, intake, diagnosis, treatment planning, and tracking progress, case notes, case conceptualization, transference, and counter-transference, navigating supervision, ethical decision making, healthy boundaries, self-monitoring, self-care, suicide assessment, crisis intervention, grief and loss, harm reduction, case management, client advocacy, and termination.

Internship I is structured differently than a traditional course. You may incur many legal, ethical, and class responsibilities. The class and group supervision will be based on your clinical experiences with clients and collaboration with colleagues. Your opinions and beliefs will invariably differ. However, you are encouraged to learn how to value these differing opinions and respect each other’s points of view. You are also expected to take personal responsibility for their learning and contact the professor if additional supervision or feedback is needed.

Guest Speakers and Co-Presenters

I sometimes invite guest speakers who give a presentation and then strive to involve the class in discussion and interactive exercises.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

CO1: Adhere to professional values throughout professional work.

CO2: Maintain professionally appropriate communication and conduct across all settings.

CO3: Demonstrate concern for the welfare of others and engage in social justice practices.

CO4: Display an appropriately defined professional identity.

CO5: Form and maintain productive and respectful relationships with clients, peers/ colleagues, supervisors, and professionals from within and across disciplines.

CO6: Formulate and conceptualize cases; plan and implement interventions utilizing at least one consistent theoretical orientation.

CO7: Display skills in developing the therapeutic alliance.

CO8: Evaluate intervention progress and modify intervention or prevention strategies based on evaluation of clients’ or groups’ progress and/or client feedback.

CO9: Apply knowledge of self and others as cultural beings in assessment, treatment, consultation, and other professional interactions; work effectively with individuals in assessment, treatment, and consultation.

CO10: Apply concepts of normal/abnormal behavior to case formulation, diagnosis, and treatment planning in the context of human development.

CO11: Select and utilize appropriate assessment measures across domains of functioning, practice settings, and cultural groups.

CO12: Critique published research effectively.

CO13: Respond appropriately to supervision.

Important Dates

Visit the Academic Calendar (tamiu.edu) page to view the term's important dates.

Textbooks

Group	Title	Author	ISBN
	Learning cognitive behavior therapy: An illustrated guide (2nd ed.).	Wright, J.H., Brown, G.K., Thase, M.E. & Bosco, M.R.	978-1615370184

Other Course Materials

Required Reading:

1.MACP Field Training Handbook

2.Peer-reviewed journal articles, as required.

3.American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (2014)https://www.counseling.org/docs/default- source/ethics/2014-code-of-ethics.pdf?sfvrsn=2d58522c_4

Other materials:

Resources from Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond, 3rd Edition https://beckinstitute.org/CBTresources/

American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(5th ed.) (DSM-5). Washington, D.C.: Author.

Zimmerman, M. (2013). Interview guide for evaluation of DSM-V disorders (13th ed.). PsychProducts Press.

Jongsma, A., Peterson, M. & Bruce, T. (2014). The complete adult psychotherapy treatmentplanner (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Jongsma, A., Peterson, M. & Bruce, T. (2014). The adolescent treatment planner (5th ed.).Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Jongsma, A., Peterson, M. & Bruce, T. (2014). The child psychotherapy treatment planner(5thed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Jongsma, A., Peterson, M. &Bruce, T. (2014). The addiction treatment planner (5th ed.).Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

*All treatment planner books above are accessible as e-books through the TAMIU Library

Grading Criteria

Satisfactory completion of all requirements will earn the student a grade of "credit" (CR). Failure to meet all stated requirements within the specified timelines will earn the student a grade of "no credit" (NC). As a part of the requirements, attendance at and professional participation in internship appointments, supervision sessions, as well as submission of documentation within the designated time frames are part of your ethical, legal, and class responsibilities. You must complete and pass (including making any requested revisions and having video tapes ready to share on each class) all competency exercises and hour requirements to receive credit.

Class Components and Assignments

Participation and Professionalism

Your primary responsibilities are to experientially learn professional counseling in a field placement and maintain an awareness of class documentation requirements. While the Professor will try to understand and respect the learning styles of each student, requirements must be met for course credit. To complete the three-semester credit hour Internship I course, you must complete a minimum total of 160 clock hours of supervised experience (1h = 50 clock minutes), with a minimum of 60 direct hours (e.g., conducting face-to-face counseling, clinical outreach, assessment, career counseling, or consultation where a person or persons identified as a client or patient is present) and a minimum of 100 indirect hours (e.g., activity spent in support of the counseling process such as developing treatment plans, writing progress notes, attending staff and clinical meetings, preparation time for sessions, researching treatment and intervention techniques, etc.) A maximum of 20 direct and indirect hours earned beyond the required hours in the Summer are allowed to roll over to the Fall semester for each category.

To meet the graduation requirements set forth by the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC), you must complete 600 clock hours across PSYC 5350, PSYC 5352, and PSYC 5354 with a minimum of 240 direct hours and a minimum of 360 indirect hours. You must read the Fieldwork Handbook, which is available for you on Blackboard. All documents are located within the handbook.

Professionalism is required in every aspect of this course and at the field placement site(s). This reflects students, the MACP program, and TAMIU. While it is a fieldwork experience, you provide the real/actual services of a “Professional Counselor.” Consistent professionalism is required in and out of the classroom, including 1) respectfulness of workplace hierarchies/ class hours, supervisors, colleagues, other professionals, and clients; 2) adhering to professional clinical office etiquette; and 3) Participation/interactions in and outside of the classroom.

Avoid distracting or disruptive behavior at school and your site(s). This can disrupt the flow and safety of discussions, disrespecting your peers. This includes the use of computers, cell phones, or other electronic devices in class, at your site(s), during sessions, during supervision, or in ways that demonstrate a lack of professional judgment and disrespect for your colleagues, clients, supervisors, or faculty (e.g., texting, emailing, use of social networks during class/supervision, Facebook/Twitter postings about others). Please consider your professional reputation and impact when posting to public forums. You should consistently demonstrate professional appearance (i.e., business attire, clean, neat, non-distracting appearance) and demeanor at your site(s).

Consistent use of poor therapeutic judgment, direct emotional harm to clients, involvement in dual relationships, inappropriate or unprofessional behavior with staff or clients, or other minor or significant ethical, legal, or moral infractions will trigger immediate action on the part of the MACP program. An assessment of fitness for professional practice will be conducted, and a determination will be made about appropriate intervention, including but not limited to a remediation plan, removal from and delay of fieldwork, or dismissal from the program.

Cell Phone/Laptop Etiquette: As helpful as cell phones and laptops are, they can also be very disruptive to others. Please notify the professor if you must have your cell phone because of an emergency. Please put it on vibrate and sit next to a door. Only answer the call once you are in the hallway or outside the classroom. Please refrain from engaging in cell phone-related activities, such as texting, internet browsing, etc., during class. Unless otherwise indicated by the Professor, laptops will not be needed and will not be necessary during class.

Attendance: You must be on time for every class meeting (including individual supervision) as you would for any employment. You must attend class to receive the most out of this counseling training. If you must be absent or tardy, notify the professor before the absence and refrain from relying on your peers to relay the message.

Timeliness: Turn in all assignments on the due date. No late assignments will be accepted. Course assignments will be discussed during the first week of class.

2. Writing

All papers should be professional documents written in scholarly language. They should be type-written in APA 7^th edition format. Your grade will be affected by your demonstration of writing skills (e.g., clarity, grammar, syntax, insight, mastery of course content, use of APA style, etc.). If you know writing is a challenge for you, please use the writing center on campus to help you develop this skill early in your program and before you submit your paper.

3. Portfolios

Portfolio 1 (Due: Friday, September 1st)

Submit 1 merged document with table of contents to the designated Blackboard Dropbox. You should title it "5354Portfolio1". These are the required documents:

Ethical Practice Agreement (MACP Field Training Handbook)
Waiver Of Liability and Hold Harmless Agreement (MACP Field Training Handbook)
3-Way Agreement (MACP Field Training Handbook) (*One Form Per Site)
Proof of TB testing (New test required only if known exposure; Contact Instructor as needed)
Proof of Active Malpractice Insurance6.Crisis Procedures (Per site)

Portfolio 2 (Due: Friday, December 8th)

Submit 1 merged document with table of contents that includes required documents below:

Signed Weekly Logs (1 Per site)
Signed Summary of Hours (1 Per site)
Evaluation of Student Performance: Supervisor (Final) (1 per site)
Evaluation of Student Performance: Self (1 per site)
Field Training Site Evaluation (1 per site)
Student Evaluation of Site Supervisor (1 per site)
Field Training Self-Evaluation Reflection (Only 1 reflection, include all sites)

4. Clinical Supervision Information

(Due: Friday, September 1st)

Submit the following at the designated Blackboard Dropbox:

Clinical Site/Agency Name

Site Supervisor Name, Email Address and Phone Number
Scheduled Weekly Individual Supervision Day and Time

*Please note, submit this information for all of your site placements.

5. Counseling Session Review with Video/Audio

(Due: Various dates as scheduled)

*Required Purchase of Encrypted USB for use in PSYC 5350, PSYC 5352, PSYC 5354

Students must submit a minimum of two (2) Counseling Session Review forms that have corresponding session video and/or audio to be shared during class. A sign-up sheet will be available. Once a student selects dates, a Counseling Session Review form must be submitted the day before the scheduled class time. When students are not discussing their own client session, they should be prepared to provide feedback and consultation on developing rapport with, and an understanding of, the client being discussed. Students should also provide ideas for overcoming obstacles with the client. Furthermore, students should help their peers examine counter- transference issues and explore additional clinical growth areas.

6. Evaluations

Midterm Evaluations (Due Friday, October 13^th)

Submit 1 merged document to your Blackboard Dropbox. You should title it "5354Midterm". These are the required documents:

Evaluation of Student Performance: Supervisor (Midterm) (1 per site)
Evaluation of Student Performance: Self (1 per site)

Total Direct Hours and Total Indirect Hours to date (include all sites)

7. Case Presentation (Various dates as scheduled)

For this project each student will present a case conceptualization on a selected evidence-based therapy (including focus on diagnostic formulation, treatment planning, interventions, etc.). Further information and guidelines will be provided in class.

8. Summary of Hours (Friday, December 8th)

Submit 1 merged document to your OneDrive folder and Blackboard Dropbox. You should title it “5354Hours.”

Signed Weekly Logs (per site)
Signed Summary of Hours (1 per site)
Total Direct and Indirect Hours (Combined for all sites)

9. Creative Coping / Counselor Self-Care Activity (Various dates as scheduled)

Students will lead one creative coping/counselor self-care activity during the semester. Further information and guidelines will be provided in class.

Schedule of Topics and Assignments

Day	Date	Reading(s)	Due
Mon	8/26	Introduction to Course, Required Paperwork and Clinical Site Updates	Due Friday, September 1st Portfolio 1 Required Reading Confirmations Crisis and COVID Procedures Professional Disclosure Statement
Mon	9/2	Group Supervision and Professional Development Wright Ch 1-2: CBT Basic Principles and The Therapeutic Relationship	Session Review/Discussion as scheduled
Mon	9/9	Group Supervision and Professional Development Wright Ch 3: CBT Assessment and Formulation	Session Review/Discussion as scheduled Creative Coping/Self-Care Activity 1
Mon	9/16	Group Supervision and Professional Development Wright Ch 4: CBT Structuring and Educating	Session Review/Discussion as scheduled
Mon	9/23	Group Supervision and Professional Development Wright Ch 5: CBT Working with Automatic Thoughts	Session Review/Discussion as scheduled Case Presentation 1
Mon	9/30	Group Supervision and Professional Development Wright Ch 6: CBT Behavioral Methods I	Session Review/Discussion as scheduled Case Presentation 2
Mon	10/7	Group Supervision and Professional Development Wright Ch 7: CBT Behavioral Methods II	Session Review/Discussion as scheduled Case Presentation 3 Mid-term Evals Due Friday, October 13th
Mon	10/14	Group Supervision and Professional Development Wright Ch 8: CBT Modifying Schemas	Session Review/Discussion as scheduled Creative Coping/Self-Care Activity 2 Case Presentation 4
Mon	10/21	Group Supervision and Professional Development Wright Ch 11: CBT Competence	Session Review/Discussion as scheduled Case Presentation 5
Mon	10/28	Group Supervision and Professional Development	Session Review/Discussion as scheduled Case Presentation 6
Mon	11/4	Group Supervision and Professional Development	Session Review/Discussion as scheduled Case Presentation 7
Mon	11/11	Group Supervision and Professional Development	Session Review/Discussion as scheduled Creative Coping/Self-Care Activity 3
Mon	11/18	Group Supervision and Professional Development	Course Wrap-Up
Mon	11/25	Group Supervision and Professional Development	Course Wrap-Up
Mon	12/2	Group Supervision and Professional Development	Course Wrap-Up

University/College Policies

Please see the University Policies below.

COVID-19 Related Policies

If you have tested positive for COVID-19, please refer to the Student Handbook, Appendix A (Attendance Rule) for instructions.

Required Class Attendance

Students are expected to attend every class in person (or virtually, if the class is online) and to complete all assignments. If you cannot attend class, it is your responsibility to communicate absences with your professors. The faculty member will decide if your excuse is valid and thus may provide lecture materials of the class. According to University policy, acceptable reasons for an absence, which cannot affect a student’s grade, include:

Participation in an authorized University activity.
Death or major illness in a student’s immediate family.
Illness of a dependent family member.
Participation in legal proceedings or administrative procedures that require a student’s presence.
Religious holy day.
Illness that is too severe or contagious for the student to attend class.
Required participation in military duties.
Mandatory admission interviews for professional or graduate school which cannot be rescheduled.

Students are responsible for providing satisfactory evidence to faculty members within seven calendar days of their absence and return to class. They must substantiate the reason for the absence. If the absence is excused, faculty members must either provide students with the opportunity to make up the exam or other work missed, or provide a satisfactory alternative to complete the exam or other work missed within 30 calendar days from the date of absence. Students who miss class due to a University-sponsored activity are responsible for identifying their absences to their instructors with as much advance notice as possible.

Classroom Behavior (applies to online or Face-to-Face Classes)

TAMIU encourages classroom discussion and academic debate as an essential intellectual activity. It is essential that students learn to express and defend their beliefs, but it is also essential that they learn to listen and respond respectfully to others whose beliefs they may not share. The University will always tolerate different, unorthodox, and unpopular points of view, but it will not tolerate condescending or insulting remarks. When students verbally abuse or ridicule and intimidate others whose views they do not agree with, they subvert the free exchange of ideas that should characterize a university classroom. If their actions are deemed by the professor to be disruptive, they will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action (please refer to Student Handbook Article 4).

TAMIU Honor Code: Plagiarism and Cheating

As a TAMIU student, you are bound by the TAMIU Honor Code to conduct yourself ethically in all your activities as a TAMIU student and to report violations of the Honor Code. Please read carefully the Student Handbook Article 7 and Article 10 available at https://www.tamiu.edu/scce/studenthandbook.shtml.

We are committed to strict enforcement of the Honor Code. Violations of the Honor Code tend to involve claiming work that is not one’s own, most commonly plagiarism in written assignments and any form of cheating on exams and other types of assignments.

Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s work as your own. It occurs when you:

Borrow someone else’s facts, ideas, or opinions and put them entirely in your own words. You must acknowledge that these thoughts are not your own by immediately citing the source in your paper. Failure to do this is plagiarism.
Borrow someone else’s words (short phrases, clauses, or sentences), you must enclose the copied words in quotation marks as well as citing the source. Failure to do this is plagiarism.
Present someone else’s paper or exam (stolen, borrowed, or bought) as your own. You have committed a clearly intentional form of intellectual theft and have put your academic future in jeopardy. This is the worst form of plagiarism.

Here is another explanation from the 2020, seventh edition of the Manual of The American Psychological Association (APA):

“Plagiarism is the act of presenting the words, idea, or images of another as your own; it denies authors or creators of content the credit they are due. Whether deliberate or unintentional, plagiarism violates ethical standards in scholarship” (p. 254). This same principle applies to the illicit use of AI.

Plagiarism: Researchers do not claim the words and ideas of another as their own; they give credit where credit is due. Quotations marks should be used to indicate the exact words of another. Each time you paraphrase another author (i.e., summarize a passage or rearrange the order of a sentence and change some of the words), you need to credit the source in the text. The key element of this principle is that authors do not present the work of another as if it were their own words. This can extend to ideas as well as written words. If authors model a study after one done by someone else, the originating author should be given credit. If the rationale for a study was suggested in the discussion section of someone else's article, the person should be given credit. Given the free exchange of ideas, which is very important for the health of intellectual discourse, authors may not know where an idea for a study originated. If authors do know, however, they should acknowledge the source; this includes personal communications (p. 11). For guidance on proper documentation, consult the Academic Success Center or a recommended guide to documentation and research such as the Manual of the APA or the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. If you still have doubts concerning proper documentation, seek advice from your instructor prior to submitting a final draft.

TAMIU has penalties for plagiarism and cheating.

Penalties for Plagiarism: Should a faculty member discover that a student has committed plagiarism, the student should receive a grade of 'F' in that course and the matter will be referred to the Honor Council for possible disciplinary action. The faculty member, however, may elect to give freshmen and sophomore students a “zero” for the assignment and to allow them to revise the assignment up to a grade of “F” (50%) if they believe that the student plagiarized out of ignorance or carelessness and not out of an attempt to deceive in order to earn an unmerited grade; the instructor must still report the offense to the Honor Council. This option should not be available to juniors, seniors, or graduate students, who cannot reasonably claim ignorance of documentation rules as an excuse. For repeat offenders in undergraduate courses or for an offender in any graduate course, the penalty for plagiarism is likely to include suspension or expulsion from the university.
- Caution: Be very careful what you upload to Turnitin or send to your professor for evaluation. Whatever you upload for evaluation will be considered your final, approved draft. If it is plagiarized, you will be held responsible. The excuse that “it was only a draft” will not be accepted.
- Caution: Also, do not share your electronic files with others. If you do, you are responsible for the possible consequences. If another student takes your file of a paper and changes the name to his or her name and submits it and you also submit the paper, we will hold both of you responsible for plagiarism. It is impossible for us to know with certainty who wrote the paper and who stole it. And, of course, we cannot know if there was collusion between you and the other student in the matter.
Penalties for Cheating: Should a faculty member discover a student cheating on an exam or quiz or other class project, the student should receive a “zero” for the assignment and not be allowed to make the assignment up. The incident should be reported to the chair of the department and to the Honor Council. If the cheating is extensive, however, or if the assignment constitutes a major grade for the course (e.g., a final exam), or if the student has cheated in the past, the student should receive an “F” in the course, and the matter should be referred to the Honor Council. Additional penalties, including suspension or expulsion from the university may be imposed. Under no circumstances should a student who deserves an “F” in the course be allowed to withdraw from the course with a “W.”
- Caution: Chat groups that start off as “study groups” can easily devolve into “cheating groups.” Be very careful not to join or remain any chat group if it begins to discuss specific information about exams or assignments that are meant to require individual work. If you are a member of such a group and it begins to cheat, you will be held responsible along with all the other members of the group. The TAMIU Honor Code requires that you report any such instances of cheating.
Student Right of Appeal: Faculty will notify students immediately via the student’s TAMIU e- mail account that they have submitted plagiarized work. Students have the right to appeal a faculty member’s charge of academic dishonesty by notifying the TAMIU Honor Council of their intent to appeal as long as the notification of appeal comes within 10 business days of the faculty member’s e-mail message to the student and/or the Office of Student Conduct and Community Engagement. The Student Handbook provides more details.

Use of Work in Two or More Courses

You may not submit work completed in one course for a grade in a second course unless you receive explicit permission to do so by the instructor of the second course. In general, you should get credit for a work product only once.

AI Policies

Your instructor will provide you with their personal policy on the use of AI in the classroom setting and associated coursework.

TAMIU E-Mail and SafeZone

Personal Announcements sent to students through TAMIU E-mail (tamiu.edu or dusty email) are the official means of communicating course and university business with students and faculty –not the U.S. Mail and no other e-mail addresses. Students and faculty must check their TAMIU e-mail accounts regularly, if not daily. Not having seen an important TAMIU e-mail or message from a faculty member, chair, or dean is not accepted as an excuse for failure to take important action.

Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to download the SafeZone app, which is a free mobile app for all University faculty, staff, and students. SafeZone allows you to: report safety concerns (24/7), get connected with mental health professionals, activate location sharing with authorities, and anonymously report incidents. Go to https://www.tamiu.edu/adminis/police/safezone/index.shtml for more information.

Copyright Restrictions

The Copyright Act of 1976 grants to copyright owners the exclusive right to reproduce their works and distribute copies of their work. Works that receive copyright protection include published works such as a textbook. Copying a textbook without permission from the owner of the copyright may constitute copyright infringement. Civil and criminal penalties may be assessed for copyright infringement. Civil penalties include damages up to $100,000; criminal penalties include a fine up to $250,000 and imprisonment. Copyright laws do not allow students and professors to make photocopies of copyrighted materials, but you may copy a limited portion of a work, such as article from a journal or a chapter from a book for your own personal academic use or, in the case of a professor, for personal, limited classroom use. In general, the extent of your copying should not suggest that the purpose or the effect of your copying is to avoid paying for the materials. And, of course, you may not sell these copies for a profit. Thus, students who copy textbooks to avoid buying them or professors who provide photocopies of textbooks to enable students to save money are violating the law.

Students with Disabilities

Texas A&M International University seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified persons with disabilities. This University will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal education opportunity. It is the student's responsibility to register with the Office of Student Counseling and Disability Services located in Student Center 126. This office will contact the faculty member to recommend specific, reasonable accommodations. Faculty are prohibited from making accommodations based solely on communications from students. They may make accommodations only when provided documentation by the Student Counseling and Disability Services office.

Student Attendance and Leave of Absence (LOA) Policy

As part of our efforts to assist and encourage all students towards graduation, TAMIU provides
LOA’s for students, including pregnant/parenting students, in accordance with the Attendance Rule (Section 3.07) and the Student LOA Rule (Section 3.08), which includes the “Leave of Absence Request” form. Both rules can be found in the TAMIU Student Handbook (URL: http://www.tamiu.edu/studentaffairs/StudentHandbook1.shtml).

Pregnant and Parenting Students

Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, harassment based on sex, including harassment because of pregnancy or related conditions, is prohibited. A pregnant/parenting student must be granted an absence for as long as the student’s physician deems the absence medically necessary. It is a violation of Title IX to ask for documentation relative to the pregnant/parenting student’s status beyond what would be required for other medical conditions. If a student would like to file a complaint for discrimination due to his or her pregnant/parenting status, please contact the TAMIU Title IX Coordinator (Lorissa M. Cortez, 5201 University Boulevard, KLM 159B, Laredo, TX 78041,TitleIX@tamiu.edu, 956.326.2857) and/or the Office of Civil Rights (Dallas Office, U.S. Department of Education, 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1620, Dallas, TX 75201-6810, 214.661.9600). You can also report it on TAMIU’s anonymous electronic reporting site: https://www.tamiu.edu/reportit.

TAMIU advises a pregnant/parenting student to notify their professor once the student is aware that accommodations for such will be necessary. It is recommended that the student and professor develop a reasonable plan for the student’s completion of missed coursework or assignments. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (Lorissa M. Cortez, lorissam.cortez@tamiu.edu) can assist the student and professor in working out the reasonable accommodations. For other questions or concerns regarding Title IX compliance related to pregnant/parenting students at the University, contact the Title IX Coordinator. In the event that a student will need a leave of absence for a substantial period of time, TAMIU urges the student to consider a Leave of Absence (LOA) as outlined in the TAMIU Student Handbook. As part of our efforts to assist and encourage all students towards graduation, TAMIU provides LOA’s for students, including pregnant/parenting students, in accordance with the Attendance Rule and the Student LOA Rule. Both rules can be found in the TAMIU Student Handbook (https://www.tamiu.edu/scce/studenthandbook.shtml).

Anti-Discrimination/Title IX

TAMIU does not discriminate or permit harassment against any individual on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity in admissions, educational programs, or employment. If you would like to file a complaint relative to Title IX or any civil rights violation, please contact the TAMIU Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity/Title IX Coordinator, Lorissa M. Cortez, 5201 University Boulevard, Killam Library 159B, Laredo, TX 78041,TitleIX@tamiu.edu, 956.326.2857, via the anonymous electronic reporting website, ReportIt, at https://www.tamiu.edu/reportit, and/or the Office of Civil Rights (Dallas Office), U.S. Department of Education, 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1620, Dallas, TX 75201-6810, 214.661.9600.

Incompletes

Students who are unable to complete a course should withdraw from the course before the final date for withdrawal and receive a “W.” To qualify for an “incomplete” and thus have the opportunity to complete the course at a later date, a student must meet the following criteria:

The student must have completed 90% of the course work assigned before the final date for withdrawing from a course with a “W”, and the student must be passing the course;
The student cannot complete the course because an accident, an illness, or a traumatic personal or family event occurred after the final date for withdrawal from a course;
The student must sign an “Incomplete Grade Contract” and secure signatures of approval from the professor and the college dean.
The student must agree to complete the missing course work before the end of the next long semester; failure to meet this deadline will cause the “I” to automatically be converted to an “F”; extensions to this deadline may be granted by the dean of the college. This is the general policy regarding the circumstances under which an “incomplete” may be granted, but under exceptional circumstances, a student may receive an incomplete who does not meet all of the criteria above if the faculty member, department chair, and dean recommend it.

WIN Contracts

The Department of Biology and Chemistry does not permit WIN contracts. For other departments within the college, WIN Contracts are offered only under exceptional circumstances and are limited to graduating seniors. Only courses offered by full-time TAMIU faculty or TAMIU instructors are eligible to be contracted for the WIN requirement. However, a WIN contract for a course taught by an adjunct may be approved, with special permission from the department chair and dean. Students must seek approval before beginning any work for the WIN Contract. No student will contract more than one course per semester. Summer WIN Contracts must continue through both summer sessions.

Student Responsibility for Dropping a Course

It is the responsibility of the student to drop the course before the final date for withdrawal from a course. Faculty members, in fact, may not drop a student from a course without getting the approval of their department chair and dean.

Independent Study Course

Independent Study (IS) courses are offered only under exceptional circumstances. Required courses intended to build academic skills may not be taken as IS (e.g., clinical supervision and internships). No student will take more than one IS course per semester. Moreover, IS courses are limited to seniors and graduate students. Summer IS course must continue through both summer sessions.

Grade Changes & Appeals

Faculty are authorized to change final grades only when they have committed a computational error or an error in recording a grade, and they must receive the approval of their department chairs and the dean to change the grade. As part of that approval, they must attach a detailed explanation of the reason for the mistake. Only in rare cases would another reason be entertained as legitimate for a grade change. A student who is unhappy with his or her grade on an assignment must discuss the situation with the faculty member teaching the course. If students believe that they have been graded unfairly, they have the right to appeal the grade using a grade appeal process in the Student Handbook and in the Faculty Handbook.

Final Examination

All courses in all colleges must include a comprehensive exam or performance and be given on the date and time specified by the Academic Calendar and the Final Exam schedule published by the Registrar’s Office. In the College of Arts & Sciences all final exams must contain a written component. The written component should comprise at least 20% of the final exam grade. Exceptions to this policy must receive the approval of the department chair and the dean at the beginning of the semester.

Mental Health and Well-Being

The university aims to provide students with essential knowledge and tools to understand and support mental health. As part of our commitment to your well-being, we offer access to Telus Health, a service available 24/7/365 via chat, phone, or webinar. Scan the QR code to download the app and explore the resources available to you for guidance and support whenever you need it. The Telus app is available to download directly from TELUS (tamiu.edu) or from the Apple App Store and Google Play.