Bellarmine University is committed to helping students reach their fullest potential as humans living in a diverse society. Providing guidance about students' rights while at the University is an essential component of this goal. It is also of critical importance that Bellarmine create an environment conducive to learning, exploration and discovery. To that end, here are several areas of campus life and academic regulations about which students and their families should be familiar.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Bellarmine University’s FERPA Statement affords Bellarmine University students certain rights with respect to their education records.
Distance Learning Privacy Statement
Bellarmine University is committed to protecting the privacy of all students, including distance education students, by complying with the rules of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. Bellarmine University's policies on educational records and acceptable use of technology apply to its distance education courses and programs.
Students who enroll in distance education courses at Bellarmine University access their courses through a learning management system (LMS) called Moodle, which is a secure cloud-based environment hosted and maintained by Bellarmine University's Office of Information Technology. Upon admittance, students receive from the Admissions Office a unique username and password that they use to access Moodle and their other Bellarmine University accounts. Students are prompted to change their password at their first log-in.
Faculty may post course materials and assignments in the Moodle LMS, and students may interact with the faculty and each other. Student information available to other students within a distance education course is restricted to directory information. In the Moodle LMS, faculty only have access to student educational records of the courses to which they are assigned to teach.
In addition to educational records, the University has implemented core business practices that are compliant with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and associated electronic infrastructures (storage and data transfers) that protect individual financial data and other individual electronic information.
Accessibility Resource Center
Accessibility Resource Center: Bellarmine University is committed to providing equal educational opportunities and full participation for persons with disabilities. It is the University's policy that no otherwise qualified person be excluded from participating in any University program or activities, be denied the benefits of any University program or activity, or to otherwise be subject to discrimination with regard to any University program or activity. The Accessibility Resource Center Office provides support services to persons with disabilities to assist them in achieving academic, career, and personal goals.
Student Activities
Student Activities : Going to college means meeting new people, developing new skills, and exploring new opportunities. Classroom activities are only one aspect of a college experience. Much of a student's time is spent outside of the classroom. Bellarmine student activities offer all students a chance to get involved, have fun, develop leadership skills, explore new interests, build a resume and enrich memories.
Career Development Center
Student Career Services: Career Development provides several systems to help you find job, internship and volunteer opportunities; create professional resumes; prepare for interviews; explore majors and careers; and learn how personality, interests, values and skills affect career choice.
Voter Information
Voter Information: In compliance with the 1998 Higher Education Act, Bellarmine University will make available voter registration forms to all degree- or certificate-seeking students who attend classes on campus. The forms, which are supplied by the state, will be available before the registration cut-off date for every federal and gubernatorial election, as well as special elections for federal office.
State Contact Information Regarding Filing of Complaints
Pursuant to the United States Department of Education's Program Integrity Rule, each institution of higher education is required to provide all prospective and current students with the contact information of the state agency or agencies that handle complaints against postsecondary education institutions offering distance learning within that state.
Students are encouraged to utilize Bellarmine University's internal complaint or review policies and procedures prior to filing a complaint with a state agency. Visit www.nc-sara.org, for access to the contact information from each state in which a complaint may be filed.