DISCLOSURE OF DISABILITY

If a student discloses a disability directly to a faculty member and requests an accommodation, the faculty member should refer the student to Disability Services. A direct disclosure to a faculty member, without accompanying documentation from the Disabilities Coordinator, does not allow a student access to accommodations.  Once a student provides documentation to Disability Services, and signs accommodation paperwork, the faculty members will receive a memo from the Disabilities Coordinator explaining the necessary accommodations.

confidentiality

Documentation regarding a student’s disability is protected under both FERPA and HIPAA laws. Faculty should also be mindful of the sensitivity that can accompany student disclosure. Each student relates to his or her disability differently, and some are more comfortable discussing it than others. Because of this, any conversation regarding a student’s disability should be held either before or after class, and should be initiated by the student. Any questions from faculty regarding the student’s accommodations should be directed to: 

Jessica Castaneda, Disabilities and Academic Support Coordinator
jcastaneda@kcai.edu
3rd floor, Jannes Library
816.802.3440

title VI – Discrimination and Harassment (related to protected class)

KCAI is committed to a campus environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, where each individual has the right to a positive atmosphere that promotes equal opportunity. The Kansas City Art Institute prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, gender, gender identity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, parental status, genetic information, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited by federal, state or local law. All alleged violations will be investigated and resolved appropriately. 

Any person may report Discrimination and Harassment to the following individuals. Supervisors must report instances of discrimination or harassment that they witness or of which they become aware.   

Assistant Dean of Students: jtimson@kcai.edu, 816.802.3419 

Vice President and Dean of Students: ggolba@kcai.edu, 816.802.3397 

view the full policy: log in to mykcai using your kcai credentials first, then view the full policy here.
find the document “Discrimination and Harassment (related to protected class)” in the policy library.

title ix – sexual harrassment

Consistent with its Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity Notice and the U.S. Department of Education’s implementing regulations for Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”) (see 34 C.F.R. § 106 et seq.), Kansas City Art Institute prohibits Sexual Harassment (including quid pro quo, hostile environment, sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking) that occurs within its education programs and activities. Administrators, faculty members, staff, students, contractors, guests, and other members of the Institute community who commit Sexual Harassment are subject to the full range of Institute discipline. 

This policy applies to Sexual Harassment that occurs within the Institute’s Education Programs and Activities and that is committed by an administrator, faculty member, staff, student, contractor, guest, or other member of the Institute community and does not apply to Sexual Harassment that occurs off-campus, in a private setting, and outside the scope of the Institute’s Education Programs and Activities; such Sexual Misconduct may be prohibited by the Student Code of Conduct, the Faculty Handbook, Employee Handbook, and other Institute policies and standards, as applicable, including the Discrimination and Harassment (related to protected class) Policy.

Any person may report Sexual Harassment to the Title IX Coordinator.

Gina Golba, Title IX Coordinator
Vice President and Dean of Students
DeBruce Hall, 2nd floor, ggolba@kcai.edu, 816.802.3397

view the full policy: log in to mykcai using your kcai credentials first, then view the full policy here.
find the document “Sexual Harassment” in the policy library.

MANDATORY REPORTING

KCAI is committed to preserving a safe and welcoming educational environment for all students. As part of this effort, faculty have an obligation to report certain issues relating to the health and safety of campus community members. Faculty must report to the appropriate College officials any allegation of discrimination or harassment. Specifically, they must report allegations of sexual misconduct, which includes sexual harassment, non-consensual sexual contact, non-consensual sexual intercourse, sexual exploitation, and dating violence or domestic violence. In addition to reporting all discrimination and harassment claims, faculty are required to report child abuse or neglect, as well as credible threats of harm to yourself or others. Such reports may trigger contact from a College official who will want to talk with you about the incident that you have shared. In almost all cases, it will be your decision whether you wish to speak with that individual. If you would like more information, you may reach the Title IX Coordinator/Dean of Student Affairs:

Gina Golba
ggolba@kcai.edu
816.802.3397

The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) is committed to creating and maintaining an environment where individual and institutional responsibility combine to promote each student’s development. Students are encouraged to help create an environment that stimulates their education consistent with the values of the college. With that freedom comes a responsibility to respect others. All individuals at KCAI are considered adults, and it is assumed they will maintain standards of conduct and academic honesty appropriate to membership in the college community. The college accepts and retains students on the condition that they observe these standards. The Academic Honesty Policy is applicable to all students. A student is defined as an individual who is accepted until the time of graduation, but does not include time periods in between acceptance and graduation when a student is not enrolled for a semester or more.

All willful and careless violations of the Academic Honesty Policy are taken as an offense against the Kansas City Art Institute and may result in sanctions. 

Violations of the academic honesty policy are defined as follows: 

A. The copying of another student’s work or the use of unauthorized notes and materials during examinations or other assignments. 

B. Plagiarism, or the presentation of either the written or visual work of others (including that of other students) as one’s own. The offense of plagiarism includes, but is not limited to: 

1. Submitting as one’s own work material copied from a published source.

2. Submitting as one’s own work someone else’s published work.

3. Submitting as one’s own work a rewritten or paraphrased version of someone else’s work.

4. Allowing someone or paying someone to write a paper or other assignment on your behalf.

5. Turning in a purchased pre-written paper.

C. Cheating and unauthorized assistance during an examination or for other assignments. 

D. Obtaining unauthorized materials in order to prepare for an examination. 

E. The unauthorized removal, destruction or deliberate concealment of library or other resource materials. 

F. Submitting work in one class for credit in another without the instructor’s permission. 

G. Any other act which might give one an unearned advantage in evaluation or performance. 

H. Assisting or attempting to assist another to violate the Academic Honesty Policy. 

I. Attempting to commit a violation of the Academic Honesty Policy. 

Plagiarism is a serious offense at the Kansas City Art Institute, and may be illegal in the context of our nation’s copyright law. As such, it is important to know what plagiarism is in both one’s studio and liberal arts work. According to the Modern Language Associate, plagiarism is “the wrongful act of taking the product of another person’s mind, and presenting it as one’s own.” In other words, plagiarism is the use of not just words but ideas borrowed from someone else without crediting the source. Students are required to learn the arts-standard, Chicago Manual of Style guidelines for citing sources referenced in their own work, and must follow them carefully in their research and writing projects. 

Students are also expected to be honest in their studio practices, particularly since the practice of appropriation is such an important strategy in art history. Though they might appear to be similar, plagiarism and appropriation are actually two very different practices. While it is true that appropriation involves taking possession of something often without permission-which for the visual artist usually means taking an image- it is also true that an appropriated image is not passed off as the original production of the appropriating artist. Indeed, the appropriation artist wants the viewer to recognize that an image has been utilized and referenced. (An artist who appropriates an image inevitably wishes to comment upon the original source in some way, usually as a critique, parody, or homage-all of which happen to fall under the realm of “fair use” in copyright law.) As such, appropriation is actually more like citing a source than plagiarizing it. 

KCAI Academic Honesty Policy violations may result in sanctions up to and including a formal warning, opportunity to redo the assignment, failing the assignment and/or class, suspension, and expulsion from the college. 

The KCAI Academic Honesty Policy and Procedures can be found here in its entirety.

For all academic and campus policies, see the online policy library here. 

When a proper disclosure has been made to KCAI, federal law requires KCAI to excuse absences due to pregnancy and/or pregnancy-related conditions, including recovery from childbirth, as long as a student’s doctor deems those absences medically necessary. Students who are absent due to pregnancy and/or pregnancy-related conditions may be eligible to make up missed work or take a leave of absence. In addition, certain reasonable program adjustments may be available based on a student’s temporary pregnancy status, such as a larger desk, permission for frequent trips to the bathroom, or temporary parking close to a building. Students who are pregnant or recovering from childbirth are encouraged, but not required, to disclose their condition to the Disability and Academic Support Coordinator at 816-802-3440 or jcastaneda@kcai.edu who can provide more information about excused absences and accommodations.

Pregnant and/or breastfeeding students should also be aware of the potential for exposure to hazardous materials in the classroom. To obtain more information about specific risks, pregnant and/or breastfeeding students should contact the Disability and Academic Support Coordinator at 816-802-3440 or jcastaneda@kcai.edu

In a distance learning environment, the federal law (FERPA) continues to remain in effect, but students should think about their role in supporting the privacy of fellow students. As this course transitions to increased remote interactions, be cognizant that shared pictures, written assignments, videos, emails, blog posts, discussion boards, etc. remain part of the content of the course, just as it would if it were shared in the face-to-face classroom setting.  While the privacy of those posts cannot be guaranteed, the expectation is that each member of the class treat those materials with care and not reshare or post beyond this course.

Major studio courses must be passed with a C- or better. Students earning a D or D+ grade in these courses will typically be required to repeat the course; the timing of the course(s) repeated and progression in major studio will be at the discretion of the department chair.