What do I do if my son/daughter is having trouble with classes?
There are many resources available for your son/daughter to help them succeed.
The CS student/tutoring center is located in Building
70, room 3670 and offers free tutoring services for students taking introductory CS classes or who may need help with some of our theory courses. In addition, there are many other types of tutoring offered to students
(many free of charge!) across campus. You can find more information about these services
at
Tutoring @ RIT
. Your son/daughter can also meet with an advisor to talk about their academics by either stopping by our open office hours or by scheduling a meeting with an advisor. To schedule a meeting with an advisor call 585.475.2995 or stop by the CS Student Services office (70-3005).
How do I find out what my son’s/daughters’ grades are?
Grades are only made available to the student. A set of federal guidelines, outlined by the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
protects student’s educational records and it is up to your son/daughter to disclose their
grades to you.
What is
FERPA
and how does it affect me?
FERPA
stands for “The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act”.
FERPA
protects the privacy of students above the age of 18. Under
FERPA,
any school that receives federal aid (RIT does receive aid) must keep personal
information including grades private. The CS Department cannot disclose any personal information to you without the consent of your son/daughter.
Who do I need to speak with if I cannot get in touch with my son/daughter?
If you are having trouble contacting your son/daughter and you are worried that they
may be in danger, call
Public Safety
at 585.475.3333 (emergency) or 585.475.2853 (non-emergency) and they will be able to
give you further advice about what can be done to locate your son/daughter.
What can be done if my son/daughter failed a course?
An undergraduate student may repeat a course to raise a grade. If a student repeats a
course, the last grade will stand as final. Courses taken at other institutions may not
be considered as repeats. Credit earned by examination/experience may not be used to
repeat previous course work. It is important to note that both grades
will appear on his/her transcript, but only the last grade will be used to calculate
his/her GPA.
What happens if my son/daughter dropped or withdrew from a class?
During the first 6 days of the quarter your son/daughter can Add or Drop a class without
penalty. After this time, he/she can no longer drop the class but must withdraw.
A grade of “W” will be assigned to the student’s record. A grade of “W” does not
affect a student’s GPA.
Who can my son/daughter speak to if they are thinking of changing majors?
Your son/daughter first needs to speak to an advisor in the CS department. The advisor
can give them further instructions at that time.
What can be done if my son/daughter needs to dispute a grade?
Your son/daughter should first speak with his/her instructor in order to gain an understanding of the grade. If no resolution is made during that time
he/she can set up a time to meet with
Paul Tymann,
the Department Chair. To set up a meeting, call 585.475.2995 or stop by the CS Student Services office (70-3005). If no resolution is made he/she can use the formal appeal
process which can be found under section D 5.0 in the
Policies and Procedures Manual.
What can my son/daughter do with a degree in Computer Science?
Students who earn a degree in Computer Science develop many valuable skills and
depending on their interests and experiences, can market themselves to work in many
different types of industry. Remember that Computer Science is all about inventing
and problem solving. A good way to think about computer scientists is that they
develop the brains that actually run the computer programs people use. For example,
when you search for a book online and you find the book you want and the website
also tells you about similar books you might enjoy, computer scientists were the people
who developed the brains for that website that give you those other recommendations
based on your interests. This is just one example of the countless inventions that
computer scientists develop every day.
What companies have previous students worked for during a Co-op?
Some examples are BAE Systems, Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, Computer Associates, IBM, Microsoft, Infimed Inc, National Security Agency, Paetec Communications Inc, Paychex, RightNow Technologies Inc, Thomson West, Veramark Technologies Inc, Vicor Corp, Xerox. There are also many others.
What types of activities can my son/daughter partake in at RIT?
RIT has over 150 clubs and organizations available for students to join. We also have a variety of intramural sports happening throughout the year. One of the most interesting things that students enjoy is the Special Interest Housing. The Computer Science House is a community made up of CS and non-CS students who are interested in computer science. They live together on the 3rd floor of Nathanial Rochester Hall and learn about computing first hand. They have their own network, student modified vending machine, lounge, conference room, software center, and work on a variety of projects throughout the year. More information about the Computer Science House.
What is done by RIT to ensure that my son/daughter succeeds?
It is ultimately up to your son/daughter to succeed. The CS Department is happy to meet with any student to go over his/her academics. Faculty is encouraged to take part in the “Early Alert” program which lets the Academic Advisors know when students are having trouble in class.
Why is my son/daughter on academic probation and what are the policies?
All students must maintain a C (2.0 GPA) average in order to stay in good standing. If your son/daughter falls below a 2.0 for a quarter or if his/her cumulative or “Principle Field of Study” GPA falls below a 2.0 they are put on academic probation. Any student who is on probation for 3 quarters in a row is suspended from RIT for one year. Additional questions about these policies should be directed to a CS department advisor.
