Rights and students' affairs
A document of the rights and obligations for the student of Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University.
First: General provisions
A - The provisions contained in this document are the general framework that regulates the rights and obligations of the two parties (students and the university). It also express the mutual understanding between the university and its students regarding their rights guaranteed by the university’s regulations and the obligations they must respect, in an attempt to eliminate the wrong view that consider student as a container of obligations and duties, without having the rights that ensuring a stable and successful university life.
B - The university expects from its students and employees to accept and respect the principles contained in this document. The university affirms that this document shall not be considered as a law or an alternative system to the applicable regulations. In the event that the provisions contained herein contradict with the regulations issued by the university or the state, the university and state regulations shall prevail.
C - This document aims to inform students about their academic rights provided by the university, according to its capabilities and how to obtain these rights. The document also aims to make the students aware of their obligations towards the university, as the university is keen to maintain the quality of academic work, being so close to the relationship between the student on the one hand and the university lecturer, departments and sections on the other hand, and what such relationship should be in terms of transparency and clarity with the various components of the university work in its various fields.
D - The provisions and rules that regulate the Student Rights Protection Unit shall be considered in defining and interpreting the concepts, terms and expressions contained in this document. The University Council has the right to interpret the expressions and words contained in this document.
Second: The rights of the university student
The university students’ rights and obligations include the following:
A: In the academic field
1. The right of the student to be provided with the appropriate study environment to achieve assimilation and study easily, through the provision of all available educational facilities serving such this goal.
2. The right of the student to obtain the scientific material and written knowledge of the university courses he/she studies, in accordance with the applicable regulations governing academic work.
3. The right of the student to obtain study plans in the college or department and the specializations available to him/her, as well as reviewing the study schedules before the beginning of the study, and registering in the courses provided by the system and the registration rules, taking into account the order of priorities in registration for students according to fair controls when it is not possible to achieve the desires of all students to register a course.
4. The right of the student to remove any course or add another, or remove the entire semester, according to what is provided by the system of study and registration at the university, in the period specified for that and announced to the students.
5. The right of the student to have the university faculty members adhere to the dates and times of lectures, to fulfill the scientific and laboratory hours for them, and not to cancel lectures or change their times except in case of necessity and after announcing that, and providing alternative lectures instead of those canceled to complete the course, after coordination with the students and the department concerned.
6. The right of the student to inquire and discuss appropriate scientific discussions with faculty members, without censorship or punishment for him/her, unless the discussion goes beyond what is required by public order and the limits of decency and behavior, whether during the lecture or during the office hours announced to meet the students.
7. The student's right to have the exam questions included in the course, its contents, and the issues raised or referred to during the lectures; also, the balanced and logical distribution of grades should be taken into account in order to achieve a fair assessment of the student's abilities.
8. The student's right to take all the tests held for the course unless there is a legal impediment preventing them from taking them in accordance with the relevant regulations and instructions, the student should notified of his/her being denied entry to the test before a sufficient time.
9. The student's right to know the typical answer to the questions of the semester exams, whenever possible, and the distribution of grades to the parts of the answer, on the basis of which the student's performance is evaluated before taking the final exam for the course.
10. The student's right to request a review of his answer in the final test, in accordance with what is decided by the regulations and decisions issued by the university in regulating the mechanism of this review and its controls.
11. The student's right to know his/her results obtained in the tests he/she performed, after completing their correction and approval.
B: In the non-academic field
1. The student's right to enjoy the aid and social care provided by the university and to participate in the activities held therein in accordance with the university regulations and instructions regulating that.
2. The student's right to obtain adequate health care and treatment in the university's hospitals and health centers.
3. The student's right to benefit from the university's services and facilities (university book - university housing - central and branch libraries - sports stadiums - restaurants - car parks - and others) in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations.
4. The student's right to obtain financial incentives and rewards legally established.
5. The student's right to be nominated for training courses, programs and internal and external trips, and to increase his/her participation in cultural activities, as well as participation in local community service activities and voluntary works.
6. The student's right to complain or grievance about any matter that is harmed in his/her relationship with members of the faculty, department, college or any unit of the university. The submission of the complaint or grievance shall be in accordance with the rules regulating the Student Rights Protection Unit, and enabling the student to know the fate of his/her complaint by the authority responsible from it.
7. The student's right to enable him/her to defend himself in front of any party in the university in any disciplinary action brought against him/her, and the punishment is not issued against him until after hearing his statements, unless it is proven that his/her non-attendance was for an unacceptable excuse, after being summoned for the second time.
8. The student's right to appeal against the disciplinary decision issued against him, in accordance with the rules established in this regard under the provisions of students discipline.
9. The student's right to preserve the contents of his/her file inside the university, and the integrity of dealing with it, and not to hand it except to the student himself/ herself, his/her guardian, or whomever he officially authorizes to do so, except for cases in which it is required to hand over or know the contents of that file by the investigation authorities, the judiciary, or another governmental entity, and the contents of his/her file may not be disclosed or published unless such publication is the result of a decision of a disciplinary penalty against the student.
10. The student's right with special needs to obtain the appropriate service for his needs in accordance with the relevant regulations and rules.
Third: the obligations of the university student
A. In the academic field
1. The student’s commitment to study regularly and to fulfill all academic requirements, under light of the rules and dates regulating the start and end of studies, transfer, registration, apology, deletion and addition, in accordance with the provisions contained in the regulations in force at the university.
2. The student’s obligation to respect the university’s faculty staff , workers, and other employees of companies contracting with the university, and other students inside the university, as well as guests and visitors to it, and not to be harmed by words or actions in any way.
3. The student’s commitment to respect the rules and arrangements related to conducting lectures and the regularity and organizing in them, and not to be absent from them except with an acceptable excuse in accordance with the rules and regulations.
4. The student’s commitment when preparing research and other study requirements for courses and do not cheat in them, or to participate in cheating when preparing it in any way, or to attribute the work of others to the student, or to resort to any illegal means to prepare such research, reports, papers, studies or other basic requirements for the course.
5. The student’s commitment to the rules and arrangements related to the tests and the organization in it, and do not cheat or attempt or assist in it or charge in any way, or act of behavior, or impersonation, or forgery, or the entering of prohibited materials or devices in the examination hall or laboratories.
6. The student's commitment to the instructions given by the official or the observer in the examination hall or laboratories, and do not disturb the quietness during the performance of the tests.
7. The student commits to register the e-mail on the official website of the university, and to ensure that it works correctly. He must also read his e-mail on a daily basis to follow up on any advertisements or else that may be sent through it.
8. The student commits to pay the financial fines imposed to him by the university because of a violation that he committed or caused.
B: In the non-academic field
1. The student’s commitment to the university’s regulations, bylaws, instructions and the issued decisions, and not to circumvent or violate them or submit forged documents to obtain any right or advantage contrary to what is required by the relevant provisions.
2. The student’s commitment to carry the university card while the student is at the university, and present it to the staff or faculty members upon request by them, and upon termination of any transaction for the student inside the university.
3. The student's commitment not to damage or tamper the university's properties, or to disrupt it from work, or to participate in that, whether it is related to buildings or equipment.
4. The student’s commitment to the instructions for arranging, organizing and using the university’s facilities and equipment for the purposes assigned to them, and the necessity of obtaining prior permission from the competent authority to use those facilities or equipment when he/she wish to use or benefit from them in a way other than what they were prepared for.
4. The student’s commitment with the appropriate dress and behavior to university and Islamic customs, and not to do any actions that violate Islamic morals or public morals followed in the university.
5. The student's commitment to quietness and calm inside the university, refraining from smoking there, and not provoking riots or illegal gathering.
Standing Committee for Student Rights
First: Formation of the Committee:
This permanent committee is established by a decision of His Excellency the president of the University, and it is chaired by His Excellency the Vice president and the deputy of the committee is the dean of and the Dean of Student Affairs deputizes, and its members include the Dean of Admission and Registration and a number of university faculty members, in addition to some specialists in the legal and sharia field. For educational affairs, the Dean of Student Affairs is represented on this committee. This committee consists of a group of female faculty members from girls’ colleges. The university director may increase the number of members in the two committees in proportion to the work requirements.
The two committees hold their meetings periodically as required by the interest of the work, carry out their tasks in a manner that ensures the speedy completion of their responsibilities, and consider everything that falls within the scope of their competence.
Second: duties of the Committee
1 - Receiving student complaints and grievances directly at committee headquarters or through its representatives at the university.
2 - Studying the complaints and grievances assigned to it by the Excellency the president of the University.
3 - Studying and deciding on complaints and grievances and issuing decisions within the legal period.
Third: Objectives of the Committee
The committee seeks to achieve the following objectives:
1 - Taking care of student complaints and grievances by investigating and deciding and working to establish the right on them.
2 - Creating a homogeneous and inclusive society in which the spirit of cooperation prevails among its members.
3- Adoption of the principle of justice and equality as a mainstay in building an ideal society within the university.
4 - Supporting the rights of students based on compatibility with the general regulations and the applicable rules and regulations at the university.
5 - Develop a culture of justice, equity and human rights among students.
6- Educating students about their university rights and ways to obtain them through the regular channels within the university.
Fourth: Rejection of Complaint and Grievance
1 - The Permanent Committee has the right not to accept the complaint or the grievance if the necessary procedures for its submission are not followed, also it has the right to refuse if it is found that there is no seriousness, or that there is insufficient evidence to prove the incident, and a reasoned decision is issued for this to be preserved. In addition, it becomes a final decision that cannot be appealed after being approved by Excellency the Rector of the University.
2- The committee has the right to refer the complaint to the competent authority if it deems it necessary after the approval of the university president.
Fifth: The malicious complaint
The permanent committee can issue its recommendations to refer the claiming student to the permanent committee for disciplining students at the university when the maliciousness of the complaint is proven.
Sixth: The statutory periods for submitting a complaint and deciding on it from the date of the incident
1 - The statutory period for submitting a complaint or grievance is within fifteen days from the occurrence of the complaint and grievance - with the exception of the leave period.
2 - The Permanent Committee decides on complaints and grievances that it considers to be serious within thirty days from the date of their submission or from the date of referral, unless the committee deems it necessary to extend the period provided and the extension does not exceed fifteen days. These recommendations are presented to Excellency the president of the University for approval or to take the decision he deems appropriate based on the investigation that took place and the university rector may submit the decision to the university council for approval, and the university rector’s decision or the university council’s decision is final and not subject to appeal.
Seventh: Rules and controls for filing a complaint to the Committee
Procedures and controls for submitting a complaint or grievance to the Standing Committee:
1 - To file a complaint or grievance at the permanent committee headquarters or through the committee’s representatives from the date of the occurrence of the incident.
2 - The right of the applicant to file a complaint or grievance shall be dropped after fifteen days from the occurrence of the incident in question.
3 - The student shall not file more than one complaint or grievance about the same incident.
4 - The complaint or grievance shall not be accepted except through the form prepared for this, and the entire data contained in it shall be filled with the necessary accuracy and clarity, and in an abbreviation, that does not prejudice the content, and this form shall be delivered to the Committee or one of its representatives.
5 - Handing over the form to the representative of the committee and receiving an affidavit with the number and date of the complaint stating that he had handed over the complaint, and recording it in the committee’s register from its date.
6 - The student must follow up by reviewing the representative of the committee at its headquarters within thirty days of submitting the complaint or grievance.
Eighth: The complaint and the defendant is right of defense
The defendant must respond to the content of the complaint in writing within a week from the date of his being notified by his immediate superior, instead of appearing in front of the committee personally, unless the committee deems it necessary. In the event of failure to respond, the defendant's right of defense shall forfeit, and the committee has the right to judge him in absentia unless he presents an excuse acceptable to the committee.
Ninth: The period of appeal and grievance against the decision of the Standing Committee
The student has the right to appeal to the President of the University against the decision of the committee after fifteen days from the date of his knowledge of the decision.
Tenth: Meetings of the Standing Committee
The committee holds its periodic meeting by an invitation from its chairperson, as required. The meeting shall be valid if attended by the majority of the members and the chairman. The decisions of the committee are issued by majority vote, and in the event of a tie, the side on which the president is on shall prevail.