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The School of Dramatic Art
School Policies

1. ATTENDANCE POLICY
(Passed by School Council, School of Dramatic Art, August 22, 1994)

Motion: An attendance policy of the School of Dramatic Art states that a grade loss of one grade level [eg. A- to B+] will be applied for every three (3) hours of absences in a three (3) hour a week course and a grade loss of one grade level will be applied for every two (2) hours of absences in a two (2) hour a week course. Exception to this policy will pertain to instances of bereavement, illness or serious personal consideration. Written documentation will be required.

2. GUEST ARTIST WORKSHOPS & MASTER CLASSES
(Passed by School Council, School of Dramatic Art, April 20, 1988)

Motion: There may be guest artist lab hours required in this course over and above the scheduled class hours and attendance requirements will follow the policy of the School.

3. PARTICIPATION IN DRAMA COURSES
(Passed by School Council, School of Dramatic Art, Nov. 15, 1996)

Motion: Participation in Drama courses may contain some risk of physical injury and students must notify the instructor of any problems that might affect their work.

4. STATE OF HEALTH
(Passed by School Council, School of Dramatic Art, Nov. 15, 1996)

Motion: It is the obligation of Drama majors to inform instructors of any changes in their health since the date of their medical certificate that may affect their participation in classroom activities.

5. MINIMUM GRADE
(Passed by School Council, School of Dramatic Art, Feb. 1, 1995: Rev. Feb. 11, 2000)

Motion: In order to advance in the program, BFA Actingmajors must obtain a minimum grade of ‘C’ in all required performance courses, specifically 24-120, 24-121, 24-126, 24-127, 24-128, 24-129, 24-220, 24-221, 24-223, 24-224, 24-226, 24-227, 24-228, 24-321, 24-322, 24-323, 24-324, 24-326, 24-327, 24-420, 24-421, 24-429, 24-451, 24-453, 24-454, 24-455, 24-456, 24-457, and 24-458. Grades will be reviewed at the end of each semester, and students who do not achieve the minimum grade of ‘C’ in all required performance courses will be required to withdraw from the program. These students may transfer into the B.A. Drama program or, for Music Theatre students, into a Music or Drama program.

Motion: In order to advance in the Drama in Education and Community program, students must obtain a minimum grade of C in the following required courses: 24-270, 24-271, 24-370, 24-371, 24-372, 24-373, 24-377, 24-378, 24-470, 24-471, 24-479. Grades will be reviewed at the end of each semester, and students who do not achieve the minimum grade of ‘C’ in all required courses will be required to withdraw from the program. These students may transfer into the B.A. Drama program.

6. NON-DRAMA MAJORS REGISTERING FOR DRAMA COURSES
(Passed by School Council, School of Dramatic Art, July 30, 1991)

Concerns were raised that Drama majors will not be able to sign into required Drama courses as there were non-Drama students also interested. A discussion ensued with the resulting motion:

Motion: That Drama students who require a Drama course as part of their degree requirement be given preference. Preference must be given by the instructor when signing students into their course firstly to those Drama students who need the course to graduate; secondly, to those Drama students who are taking the course as an option, and lastly to non-Drama majors. Drama majors will be given the opportunity to sign in to the course during the first day of that class. If at the end of the first class there is space available, non-Drama majors can be signed in by the instructor.

7. GRADING
(Passed by School Council, School of Dramatic Art, April 12, 1994)

Motion: That each course require a paper graded on content, format, grammar, organization, spelling, etc.

Motion: To establish among all faculty members that a grade of "C" will be given to a student who simply fulfills requirements of the course adequately, a "B" will require beyond simply fulfilling requirements of the course adequately, and an "A" will mean exceptional insight and execution of assignments on a consistent basis.

Motion: That skill sets be identified and communicated to students in course outlines.

(Consensus of School Council, School of Dramatic Art, May 14, 2002)
That course outlines should state that new scenes are required to be performed for each class.

8. GRADING SYSTEM
The grading system must be included in every course outline.

GRADING SYSTEM

[Approved by Senate March 2004; effective May 1, 2004]

Grade Point Letter Grade Range
13 A+ 93-100
12 A 86-92.9
11 A- 80-85.9
10 B+ 77-79.9
9 B 73-76.9
8 B- 70-72.9
7 C+ 67-69.9
6 C 63-66.9
5 C- 60-62.9
4 D+ 57-59.9
3 D 53-56.9
2 D- 50-52.9
1 F 35-49.9
0 F- 0-34.9


9. CLASSROOM\REHEARSAL DRESS CODE

No student will be admitted to performance classes or rehearsals without adhering to the following codes:

Dress Code Items for Performance Classes:
- Appropriate attire as determined by the instructor.
- No jewellery
- No hats
- Hair tied back

Classroom Decorum Notes:
- Punctuality
- No gum
- No eating or drinking
- No listening to walkman or reading materials unrelated to class
- No drugs or alcohol
- Books and writing materials must accompany student to class and rehearsals
- Students leave class only by permission of instructor

10. FINAL PAPERS FOR COURSES INCLUDING DIRECTED STUDIES AND 350 AND 450 CREDITS.

- In semester long courses, assigned papers must be completed before the end of the semester so that grades can be assigned [Senate Bylaw 51].

- Regarding papers for University Players productions - please ensure that the due date falls within two weeks following the close of the show you direct.

- Because of the nature of Drama courses, i.e., they are sequential, they involve the acquisition of skills, etc., please review all papers and course work with your students either orally or in writing so that they understand their strengths, weaknesses and have specific goals to pursue.

11. HAIR DYEING

BFA Acting students in their second, third and fourth years are discouraged from dyeing their hair with permanent dyes or with any dyes that are difficult and expensive to reverse. This policy is flexible under special circumstances or for medical reasons and in consultation with faculty.

12. OUTSIDE WORK and EXCESSIVE ABSENCE POLICIES
(Passed by Dramatic Art Council, June 13, 2000)

Motion: That the following policies be included in all BFA Acting course outlines:

(a) Outside Theatre Work Policy for BFA Acting Students

The integrity and cumulative nature of your training depends upon the quality and consistency of your overall influences in the theatre. You are therefore strongly discouraged from auditioning for or accepting performance roles, paid or unpaid, from theatres outside Dramatic Art during school months.

Outside theatre work will place demands on your energy, commitment and time that may prevent you from fulfilling your requirements at Dramatic Art. Injury, fatigue and lack of proper nutrition often occur under these circumstances and may have an adverse affect on your progress in your classes and your grades.

(b) Excessive Absences Policy for BFA Acting Students

Excessive absences, whether excused or unexcused, as a result of illness, injury, or for family reasons are detrimental to your progress and the progress of your classmates and can seriously affect your grade. The following policy is intended to address the potential problem of excessive absences.

This policy should not be interpreted as an amendment to the existing attendance policy, nor as a platform for discussion and/or negotiation of that policy.

Policy:

You will be responsible for initiating and attending a meeting with the instructor of the class in which absences occur should you incur any one of the following;

- One or more unexcused absences in any one class that meets once a week for three hours, or two or more unexcused absences in a class that meets twice a week for 1½ hours

- Two or more excused absences in any one class that meets once a week for three hours, or three or more excused absences in a class that meets twice a week for 1½ hours

This meeting may include discussion of the circumstances of the absences and the student will be apprised of the possible implications of those absences to their progress in the program.

13. LATENESS POLICY
(Passed by School of Dramatic Art School Council - November 15, 2002)

Motion: Classes will begin promptly, according to starting times stipulated in the University's Course Timetable. For those courses that meet only once per week, a final grade loss of one grade level will be considered and applied at the instructor's discretion for every two classes for which the student is late. For courses that meet twice a week, a final grade loss of one level will be considered and applied at the instructor's discretion for every three classes for which the student is late.

14. PLAGIARISM AND EXAMINATION MAKE-UP POLICIES (July 2001)
(This Policy will be appended to all course outlines in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)

1. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious academic offense because it dishonestly and fraudulently uses someone else’s work as one’s own. Students are to be evaluated on the basis of their own original work. In the preparation of essays, papers, reports, and any other types of assignments, students must necessarily rely on the work of others. However, it is imperative that the source of any ideas, wording, or data obtained from others be disclosed and properly acknowledged by citations, quotation marks, and bibliographic references in the proper format. Using the work of others without acknowledgment is plagiarism. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

a) Using a passage or passages of any length from published or unpublished work of others without placing the passage(s) in quotation marks (or using indentation for long quotation(s)) and acknowledging their source;

b) Submitting work as original when that work also has been or is currently being submitted for another course, unless prior permission has been given in writing;

c) Copying material, for example, from the Internet, or purchasing material and submitting it as one’s own;

d) Submitting work completely or largely identical to that of other students, unless group work and joint submissions are explicitly permitted by the instructor.

In cases of plagiarism, the instructor assigns a grade of 0 (F-) to the work in question. This will be decided in consultation with the AAU head or designate. If an instructor determines that plagiarism has occurred, the student shall be informed and the case reported to the Executive Dean of the College. Disciplinary proceedings may be initiated pursuant to Senate Bylaw 31, which could result in suspension or expulsion from the University in cases of repeated plagiarism. Students will not be allowed to re-write or re-submit work to compensate for grades assigned as a result of plagiarism. Students can appeal a plagiarism grade to the AAU head or designate and/or to the Administrative Dean of Student and Academic Services, and ultimately to a judicial review panel at the University.

2. Exam Policy

The Policy of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is not to allow make-ups for scheduled tests, midterms, or final exams, nor to assign a grade of Incomplete without acceptable and verifiable medical (or equivalent compassionate) reason. Acceptable reasons might include hospital stays, serious illness, family emergencies (like serious accidents or illnesses, death) or similar circumstances. Normally, written documentation stating specific reasons and dates is required. Arrangements for make-up exams--if allowed by the instructor--must be made as soon as possible. The instructor establishes the date and format for make-up exams, which will usually differ from the original exam.

15. GRADING GUIDELINES - FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
[April 16, 2001]

(1)(a) Instructors in large enrolment lower level classes should grade so that the “average” grade, or the expected performance of the average student, is within the “C” range. As a guideline, in 100 and 200 level classes with initial enrolments of at least 50 students no more than 50% of the final grades should be “As” and “Bs” (taken together).

(b) This expectation should be communicated to students on the course outline

(2) The grading in all sections of multi-section courses should be consistent. The grade distributions should therefore be similar: differences in the percentage of “As” and “Bs” together normally should not exceed 10 percentage points. This should also be the case with “Ds” and “Fs”. (Instructors in multi-sectioned courses should be encouraged to plan consistent evaluation procedures.) Section grades should not be posted until they are reviewed by the Chair/Head; in case of serious discrepancies section instructors should be encouraged to achieve grade consistency. Students should be notified of the possibility of grade adjustments in the course outlines.

(3) At any level and in any size undergraduate class, normally there should be fewer grades in the “A” range (“exceptional”) than in the “B” range (“Good”).

(4) In courses designed for students in programs where students are admitted by audition or portfolio, or where an average of “B-” (8.0) is required to remain in good standing, the class average is expected to be in the “B” range.

16. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

(a) Qualified supervision of students is compulsory.
(b) Appropriate demonstration/practice/instruction must take place in advance of student execution of a physical task that might result in injury.
(c) Proper safety measures must be taken.
(d) First Aid Kits are located in:
- Drama Building - Main Office and Scene Shop
- Essex Hall Theatre - Box Office, Sound Booth and Costume Shop
(e) Teaching Assistants are not permitted to instruct classes without the direct supervision of the professor.

Leddy Library:

• Peter Zimmerman is the School's liaison with the library - ext. 3178.