Kentucky State University Student File Review (continued)

Student Attendance & Timely Graduation -

Objective:

To obtain the following items and/or information for each student selected to determine:

  1. Classes Attended
  2. Are the courses offered to allow for a four year graduation

Work Performed by Auditor & Findings:

  1. We discussed class attendance with Carlos Clark, Registrar. Class attendance is the responsibility of the faculty member teaching the class. Official withdraws are initiated by the student who designate their withdraw by completing a form and submitting it to the Registrar's Office. If a student unofficially withdraws by receiving a failing grade in all classes or enough classes to alter their federal financial aid award, the withdrawal date for Return of Title IV Funds must be requested from the professor; many times it's an approximate date if no attendance records are kept. If a date cannot be determined the mid-point rule or the assumption that 50% of the semester was attended is used to determine a date of withdrawal. The calculation of Title IV Funds that are to be returned is completed within Banner based upon the dates used by the Registrar. It is our understanding the mid semester grades are to be posted for students in the Fall 2014 which would allow attendance to be determined. As of the date of our visit the grades were not yet posted; as such there are no findings to report.
  2. We obtained the Master Course Lists from the Fall of 2011 until the present from Sherri Beth Scrogham, Systems Analyst. The listings were compared to the course rubrics for each student's major to determine if the required classes are offered to allow a student to graduate in four years if the suggested course sequence is followed. One student in the sample, Jared L. Griffith, is a non-degree seeking student; as such he was excluded from our analysis. Kaira S. Traylor, Student ID # 10151346 was not considered as her major changed three times in the five semesters at the University with instances of academic probation and academic suspension.
  3. There were two students who are taking enough credit hours and appear to be able to graduate on time:
  4. Claire E. Wilson, Student ID #11004269
  5. Brittney R. Gately, Student ID #11030907

The remaining students in the sample are not taking the credit hours required, or the class sequence is not dictated by a suggested course pattern; therefore, we are unable to decipher whether a four year graduation is possible. We find that there could be a correlation between advising students and their current progress in the respective programs. The sequence of classes required to be taken should be determined for the student to the best extent possible. Many of the curriculum rubrics we reviewed did not have a sequence.