After this past week’s WIT Wants 2 Know, it is clear that a majority of students (51%) do not use the handbook for the information that it contains. We have always suspected that you are drawn to the book because of the convenient planner inside. It is great to see so many people utilizing the student planner as a way to stay organized. It is important to also mention all of the helpful resources and information within the student handbook.
The student handbook is broken up into six sections (student resources, department information, student rights and important laws, important rights of Wentworth, the Student Code of Conduct, and the student planner). Here is a brief description of what you can find in each section.
Student Resources – academic and residential calendars, information on preferred name, Veterans Affairs, Wentworth’s Inclement Weather policy, Health Services, Meal plan information, COF information, and Sustainability
Department Information – This section lists many of the departments within the Institute, what they do, where they are located, and their social media information
Student Rights and Important Laws – Do you the Institute’s FERPA policy which speaks to a student’s rights regarding educational records? How about the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act which talks about our commitment to providing a drug-free environment under Federal law? Wentworth is committed to the health and safety of the community which is why we developed a Good Samaritan Policy a few years ago. The policy can be found in this section. These are just some of the important rights and law that students should be aware of.
Important Rights of Wentworth – This section speaks to many of the rights Wentworth has as a private Institution, particularly around right to entry/search, mandated medical leave, and policies around marijuana possession and use.
Student Code of Conduct – The Student Code of Conduct is a set of standards that all Wentworth students are expected to adhere to. This section lists those policies as well as the procedures within the student disciplinary process.
So there it is, all of the useful information that it within the Student Handbook. We realize that paper is not always the most convenient way to read our policies and procedures so the student handbook can be found online at: https://wit.edu/student-handbook.
The online version has the most up to date policies since there are times we must alter policies as internal and external policies change. If you ever have a question about a policy or procedure, you are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Student Affairs (osa@wit.edu, 617.989.4702, Rubenstein 003).