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ATTENDANCE
Required for college credit recommendations at weekly
seminars: Students may miss three (3) seminars per year (i.e.
over two semesters) and they may not miss their oral exams
(exceptions have rarely been made and only for very
exceptional cases). Missing more than thirty (30) minutes of
any seminar, except for excusable cause, shall be counted as a
missed seminar.
WAITING LIST
Once a class fills (usually a maximum of 22 students per
class), we begin taking names for the next class. If a
sufficient number of students sign up (usually about 15
minimum) then we open that next class, and so on. Until a
class is opened we reserve the right to cancel the class and
refund the tuition paid, in full. Signing up is on a
first-come-first-serve basis and a number of our classes in
the past have filled up, leaving names on the waiting list. So
if you are sure you wish to sign up we advise you to do so as
soon as you have made that decision.
CLASS TIMES
The regular weekly time for the seminars will be posted
online. That time will remain the same for that particular
class for the entire semester (and usually for the entire
year). Sometimes we open several class times and students may
select which class to join for the semester. We reserve the
right to change the class time before the start of the
semester, but if we do and the student does not like or cannot
attend during the new time they are entitled to a full tuition
refund.
TRANSFERS
Because our program is chronologically sequential, all
beginning students start with the Ancient Greeks I. Students
may not transfer into the program except from a similar
four-year great books program, and then only into the
equivalent year. Exceptions have been made to this rule but it is
rare and is generally not the best option for a student. Transfers into the online program from
independent study with us may be made if oral/essay
examination of the transfer candidate demonstrates a
sufficient grasp of the material.
PRIVACY POLICY
All information provided to the
program is considered strictly confidential and will not be
shared with any other persons or entities without the prior
permission of the student, except at the request of the
student, unless we are required to share such information by
law without giving prior notice to the student.
TUITION/CREDIT
Our tuition rates may change from time to time, and are
subject to change without notice, so please review them
online. However, once paid they are good for that entire
semester, of course. We do not offer credit, but for the
college track we have switched from a yearly (i.e. two
semesters) one time payment to a semester basis [[option to
pay for semesters separately] to make payment easier.
DISMISSAL POLICY
While we have had only one instance necessitating the
following policy in seven years of operation, like all
educational institutions we reserve the right to dismiss
students for improper behavior, either by the student, their
siblings or their parents. Reasons would include (but are not
limited to): persistent incivility (including unkindness,
persistent use of biting sarcasm, personal verbal attacks) or
rudeness to our staff or other students; disorderly,
disruptive or abusive behavior; failure to observe class
rules and/or instructions by moderators;
harassment of other students or staff in any manner; use of
inappropriate language either online or in correspondence to
us; misuse of the software program we utilize or of other
class materials; yelling or shouting at staff or other
students. The Program moderators and/or directors reserve the
sole and exclusive right to determine when and if any of these
policies have been violated, leading to dismissal of the
related student(s), or to decide whether or not a warning is merited
in advance of any dismissal. In the event of a
dismissal for violation of this policy there will be no
refund of any amounts paid for enrollment or tuition fees for
any student dismissed, regardless of when paid. Any services paid for with such
forfeited enrollment fees and/or tuition would be terminated.
If the parents are the cause for the dismissal, we reserve the
right to dismiss any/all of their children, as circumstances
seem best to us. We reserve the right not to accept
tuition and enrollments for the same reasons. Again, this has
happened only once and we hope it will never be necessary
again. This
policy exists in order to enable those conducting the program
to maintain its pleasant and encouraging educational
environment for the good of all students.
REFUNDS
Since the program must contract with our moderators at the
beginning of each year for the entire academic year (and they must
commit their time for the entire year), and because this is
based on the number of students signed up initially, no
tuition refunds are allowed. So please carefully read over the
program description, student comments, etc. and ask us any
questions you may have before signing up. However, in the
event we either cancel a class or change a class time then the
student is entitled to a full tuition refund. Macintosh
computers sometimes work and sometimes do not work with our
online live-audio discussion software so to be assured of
ability to participate in the discussions students with Macs
must have access to another computer. No refund will be given
for students who fail to arrange access to a non-Mac and want
a refund for that reason.
MORE ABOUT REFUNDS
One of the ways we help assure the most rewarding education
experience for our students is by providing classes that are
stable in size. Another is by providing a class size that is
neither too small nor too large. While a great conversation can
occur with just two people, having a larger group helps to
create a consistently rich and stimulating environment. On the
other hand, the benefits of the experience can be diluted if a
group has too many members. There is a desirable class size
range and this size differs depending, in part, upon the ages
of the students with whom we are working. How does our refund
policy help achieve the desirable class size?
Our policy has been to not offer refunds after
enrollment as this encourages people to make a well considered
decision to be committed to this learning experience . There
are a number of effects that this policy produces. One of
those effects is that people do, indeed, make the decision to
enroll after careful consideration. They have made a
commitment. The students reap the rewards of this commitment
by being part of a stable group. The benefits to the students
of the work that goes on in the classes is cumulative and an
understanding and appreciation of those benefits grows with
experience. This is one of the reasons why students come back
year after year.
There are other reasons for a “no refund”
policy, as well, that contribute to the quality of the
program. It helps provide a stability that makes possible the
hiring and training of staff and making a commitment to them
for the duration of the academic year. Having talented people
to work with the students throughout the year is, clearly,
important and those people are better able to be committed to
the students when we can be committed to them for the year.
In addition, some students can be left out of
the classes due to our limited class sizes. We do not want
this to happen to any student but it can. Each spot in our
classes is valuable and our refund policy helps assure that
each is taken by a student who will be there throughout the
year, both for his benefit and that of his fellow students.
For these reasons tuition fees are non-refundable. Therefore,
please be certain that you wish to enroll before placing your
order. We encourage you to call us or email us with any
questions or concerns you may have prior to enrolling. Once
your enrollment order is placed, at that time it is
non-refundable.
CLASS RECORDING
Our classes are proprietary and may not be recorded
without express permission from Great Books Discussions.
When permission is given to do so [i.e; if a student cannot
attend class due to illness] the recording is to be used for
the personal in-home use of the student and copies are not to
be made.
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
Great Books Discussions complies with all federal and state
rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis
of race, color, gender, creed, marital status, age, disabled
or Vietnam-era veteran, or disability as defined by applicable
state and/or federal regulations or statutes, or national or
ethnic origin in the administration of its educational
policies, admissions policies, and other school-administered
programs. The Great Books Program is an Equal Opportunity
employer.
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