Student Handbook
New England
2024–2025
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface 4
I. Introduction 4
Prayers 4
Introduction 5
Notice 5
New England Faculty & Staff 6
California Faculty & Staff 8
II. Calendars and Schedules 11
ACADEMIC CALENDAR 11
Schedule of Papers and Theses (2024-25) 12
Schedule of Examinations 12
Library Schedule 13
Chapel Schedule 13
Dining Room Meal Schedule 13
Coffee Shop Schedule 13
Academic Regulations 14
III. Academic Program 14
Attendance 14
Absences 14
Tardiness 14
Lecture and Concert Series 14
Books 15
Classroom Decorum 15
Don Rags 15
Laboratory 16
Writing Program 16
Freshman Writing Exam 17
Algebra Enabling Exam and Preceptorial 17
Academic Accommodations 17
Academic Honesty 17
Plagiarism 18
IV. Satisfactory Academic Progress 19
Introduction 19
Grades 19
Reviewing Satisfactory Academic Progress 20
Repeating Coursework 20
Repeated Financial Aid 20
Procedures For Lodging Complaints or Appeals 20
Readmission 21
V. Student Records 22
Policies and Procedures for Student Academic Records 22
Complaints about Student Records 22
Privacy of a Student’s Educational Records 23
Transcripts 24
Parental Notification 26
Code of Conduct 27
VI. General Policies and Procedures 27
Introduction 27
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Rules of Residence 27
Prefects 28
Reporting Student Misconduct 28
Investigation of Misconduct and Notification 28
Student Discipline 29
Appeals of Student Discipline 29
VII. Campus Policies and Procedures 30
Campus Property 30
Alcohol and Drugs 30
Hazing 30
Dress 30
Parking and Traffic 31
Doors 31
Communications 32
VIII. Residence Halls 33
Residence Hall Visitation 33
Curfew 33
Sign Out 33
Quiet Hours 33
Theft 34
Care of Students’ Rooms 34
Care of the Lounges, Common Rooms, and Dorm Patios 34
Overnight Guests 34
Pets 35
Vacation 35
Accommodations 35
IX. Electronics 36
Electronic Texts 36
Cell Phones 36
Movies, Television, and Video Games 36
Computer Networks 36
Internet and Computer Services 37
Photocopying 37
Federal Copyright Laws 38
X. Safety and Security 39
Campus Security 39
Weapons 39
Safety Alert System 39
Fire Procedure 39
Medical Emergency Equipment 39
Campus Buildings and Student Services 40
XI. Gould Hall 40
Dining Room 40
Accommodations of Food Allergies 40
Guests 40
Bulletin Boards 40
Nurse’s Office 40
XII. East Hall 41
Student Mail 41
Maintenance Department 41
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XIII. St. Thomas More Hall 41
Front Desk 41
Courier Service 41
XIV. Psychological Services 42
Psychological Services 42
XV. Athletic and Recreational Facilities 42
Athletics and Recreation 42
Blessed Frassati Student Center and Coffee Shop 43
XVI. Library 43
Bookstore 43
Career Advisement Office 44
XVII. Dolben Auditorium 44
XVIII. Olivia Music Hall 44
Philips Hall 44
Practice Rooms 44
XIX. Facilities Use 44
Financial Information 45
XIX. Financial Information 45
Financial Requirements 45
Withdrawal and Refund Policy 45
Equity 47
XX. Thomas Aquinas College Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation 47
Non-Discrimination Policy 47
Anti-Harassment Policy 47
Sexual Misconduct 47
Sexual Harassment 48
Complaints Regarding Discrimination and Harassment 49
Investigatory Process 49
Confidentiality 49
Retaliation 50
Reporting Sexual Assault 50
General Complaint Process 51
Disclosure 51
Massachusetts Anti-Hazing Statute 52
Appendix 54
XIX. FIRST DAY ASSIGNMENTS AND SEMINAR SCHEDULES 54
First Day Assignments Freshmen – Senior 54
First Assignment for Music III 57
Problems for First Assignment for Mathematics IV 58
Freshman Seminar Reading Schedule 59
Sophomore Seminar Reading Schedule 60
Junior Seminar Reading Schedule 61
Senior Seminar Reading Schedule 64
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I
T
PREFACE
I. Introduction
PRAYERS
Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas
NEFFABLE CREATOR, WHO out of the treasures of Thy wisdom hast appointed three hierarchies
of Angels and set them in admirable order high above the heavens, and hast
disposed the divers portions of the universe in such marvelous array,
Thou Who art called the True Source of Light and supereminent Principle of Wisdom,
Be pleased to cast a beam of Thy radiance upon the darkness of my mind,
And dispel from me the double darkness of sin and ignorance in which I have been born.
HOU WHO makest eloquent the tongues of children, fashion my words and pour upon my
lips the grace of Thy protection.
Grant me penetration to understand,
Capacity to retain,
Method and facility in study,
Subtlety in interpretation,
And abundant grace of expression.
Order the beginning, direct the progress and perfect the achievement of my work,
Thou Who art True God and Man and livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
COME HOLY SPIRIT, fill the hearts of the faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V: Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created,
R: And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray.
O GOD, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant us in that same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation.
THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD, Amen.
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INTRODUCTION
Thomas Aquinas College is a four-year Catholic liberal arts college. It aims to produce a liberal
education, an education that gives one “the ability,” as Aristotle says, “to judge almost all the
branches of learning.” It is called “liberal” because only by attaining the truth, and escaping from
error, is one able to live a truly free and fully human life. Because Thomas Aquinas College is a
Catholic college, supernatural Truth is its ultimate object. It pursues this object with the explicit
guidance of Christ and His Church, and under the patronage of the Church’s preeminent
theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas.
At the heart of the Thomas Aquinas College curriculum are the “great books,” the original
works of the greatest minds, both ancient and modern. The great books explore the workings of
the natural world, consider the most profound truths about the human person, and culminate in a
contemplation of the greatest mysteries of God Himself. Hence, the curriculum is ordered toward
theology as the highest science, and in a special way to the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas.
To function well, every community requires practical principles to maintain order in the
community, and to help it attain the common good toward which it aims. This handbook sets forth
various practical principles that govern Thomas Aquinas College: rules and regulations, policies
and procedures, calendars and schedules. They spring from many years of experience. Some of
them derive from the College’s participation in the political community and, more importantly, its
participation in the ecclesiastical community of the Catholic Church.
The College is aware that rules and regulations are no substitute for mutual trust, good faith,
and courtesy among students, faculty, and staff, and that they will not automatically guarantee
willing compliance. A civilized community life, therefore, presupposes a love of the common
good, and friendship, or good will, among its members. The College asks every student to reflect
carefully upon the rules and regulations contained in this handbook, to take them to heart, and to
willingly accept them as necessary, or suitable, for an orderly community life. The reward is the
participation in a Catholic community of high intellectual purpose, to read and discuss the best that
has ever been thought or written, to make progress on the road to wisdom under the light of faith,
and to do so in the company of friends. One cannot overestimate the intellectual, moral, and
spiritual good that one can derive from such an endeavor.
NOTICE
This Handbook is not and shall not be interpreted as a contract of any kind between the student
and the College. While it does not anticipate doing so, the College reserves the right to change any
provision or requirement during the student’s term of residence.
By enrolling, a student and his parents recognize this right and agree to the policies set forth
in this Handbook. Please read the policies on the following pages carefully. Parents should pay
particular attention to the section on “Parental Notification.”
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Thomas Aquinas College
NEW ENGLAND FACULTY & STAFF
Teaching Faculty – New England
Sanjay Adhikari
Meghan E. Duke
John M. McCarthy
Michael A. Augros
Josef C. Froula
Taylor P. O’Neill
Richard Berquist
Katherine Gardner
Rodrigo M. S. Ribeiro
o
Pierre-Luc Boudreault
Patrick M. Gardner
Paul K. Shields
Steven R. Cain
Daniel R. Gutschke
Stephen F. Shivone
Peter R. W. Cross
Margaret I. Hughes
Brett W. Smith
Sean B. Cunningham
Joshua Y. Lo
Administrative Faculty – California
President
Paul J. O’Reilly
Vice President for Advancement
John Goyette
Vice President for Finance
Dennis McCarthy
Director of Financial Aid
Gregory J. Becher
Administrative Faculty and Staff – New England
Office of the Dean
Dean
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Steven R. Cain
Stephen F. Shivone
Registrar
Assistant to the Dean for Religious Affairs
Patrick M. Gardner
Rev. Greg J. Markey
Assistant to the Dean
Chaplain
Andrea M. McCann
Rev. Carlos M. Viego
Choir Director
Resident Directors
Stephen Grimm
Margaret Duffy
Jonahs Chavez
Counselor
Student Support Coordinator
Katherine Schell, LMH
Emily K. Sullivan
Richard W. Cross, PhD
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Chapel Assistant
College Physician
Hélène Froula
Rebecca M. Worden, MD
Laboratory Director
Health Coordinator
Sara Langseth
Mary Cain
Admissions Office
East Coast Director of Admissions
John F. Jost
Admissions Assistant & Visitor Coordinator
Amy Augros
Receptionist
Teresa Gutschke
Substitute Receptionist
Mary Ann Shivone
Food Services
Executive Director of Food Services
Tim Cosgrove
Kitchen Supervisor
Therese Evich
Mary Baker
Other Administration
East Coast Business Manager
Julia Wiggin
Business Office Aide
Isabel Storck
Advancement Office
Director of East Coast Development
Patrick M. Ford
Communications Manager
Camden Tuffile
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Operations Department
Facilities Manager
Steven C. Wiggin
Steam Plant Operator & Maintenance Plumber
Rawley Hubbard
Campus Grounds Manager
Anne Berquist
For a listing of additional support staff, please see the list of Faculty and Staff for Thomas Aquinas College,
California, found below.
Thomas Aquinas College
CALIFORNIA FACULTY & STAFF
Teaching Faculty
Anthony P. Andres
Richard D. Ferrier
Michael F. McLean
David F. Appleby
John D. Finley
John F. Nieto
J. John Baer
Gregory L. Froelich
Joshua A. Noble
James N. Berquist
John J. Goyette
Christopher R. Oleson
Blaise E. Blain
David M. Grothoff
Paul J. O’Reilly
Benjamin M. Block
Joseph P. Hattrup
David Quackenbush
eLIZABETH
Ryan J. Brady
Sarah Kaiser
Elizabeth C. Reyes
Reyes
Sean D. Collins
Thomas J. Kaiser
Drew V. Rosato
Travis J. Cooper
Brian T. Kelly
Scott E. Strader
R. Glen Coughlin
Peter T. Knuffke
Phillip D. Wodzinski
Christopher A. Decaen
Kevin D. Kolbeck
Karen Zedlick
Brian P. Dragoo
Jared P. Kuebler
Joseph Zepeda
Marco Emerson
Michael J. Letteney
Daniel Zoumaya
Administrative Faculty and Staff
Office of the President
President
Executive Assistant
Paul J. O’Reilly
Sarah M. Jimenez
Office of the Dean
Dean
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Michael J. Letteney
Travis J. Cooper
Associate Dean & Registrar
Assistant to the Dean for Religious Affairs
J. John Baer
Fr. Robert Marczewski
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Executive Assistant to the Dean
Chaplains
Mary F. Block
Fr. John Mary Chung
Fr. Jorge Lopez
Librarian
College Nurse
Richena E. Curphey
Catherine A. Collins, RN
Choir Director
Counselors
Daniel J. Grimm
Nichole Sablan, MA
Gregory T. Wood, MA, LMFT
College Physician
Michael C. Tushla, MD
Admissions Office
Director of Admissions
Assistant Director of Admissions
Jonathan P. Daly
Susanna C. Kolbeck
Interim Assistant Director of Admissions
Admissions Counselor
Felicity Seeley
Anna Van Wijk
Receptionist
Admissions Counselor
Maria Dillon
Orion LaCour
Admissions Assistant
Rose Decaen
Finance Office and Other Administration
Vice President for Finance
Dennis McCarthy
Accounting Manager
Pablo E. Escartin
Accounting Assistant
Diego Tinajero
Accounting Clerk
Andrew Ellis
Accounts Receivable Specialist
Sophia T. Caldera
Accounts Payable Specialist
Elena M. Barajas
Human Resources Specialist
Patricia Hierro
Business Office Assistant
Railene Farrier
Director of Financial Aid
Gregory J. Becher
Assistant to the Director
of Financial Aid
Roxzanne Lazos
Financial Aid Analysts
Michael Sedler
Richard Seeley
William Stewart
Network Specialist
Aaron M. Dunkel
Computer Technician
Xavier J. F. Bagdazian
General Counsel
John Quincy Masteller
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Advancement Office
Vice President for Advancement
Executive Director of Development
John Goyette
Karim Obagi
Director of Special Projects
Director of Gift Planning
Anne S. Forsyth
Paul F. Blewett
Executive Director of College Relations
Gift Planning Manager
Christopher K. Weinkopf
Robert A. Bagdazian
Director of West Coast Development
Director of Annual Giving
John Blewett
Nathanael Cassidy
Special Event Manager
Annual Giving Manager
Irene Collins
Tomaso Cammarota
Assistant to Director of Special Projects
Advancement Database Manager
Catherine Walsh
Nathan Hudson
Operations
Vice President for Operations
Mark R. Kretschmer
Director of Student Services
Scott R. Benigar
Custodial Maintenance/Plumbing Supervisor
Joseph A. Blewett
Custodial Assistant
Martha G. Amezcua
Mechanic
John A. Vineyard
Intermediate Landscape Supervisor
Paul Lessard
Facilities Manager
Clark R. Tulberg
Assistant Facilities Manager
Carter M. Farrier
Small Projects Manager
David T. Letteney
Small Projects Supervisor
Thomas Becher
Security Guards
Michael H. Zegler
Daniel T. O’Neill
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II. Calendars and Schedules
ACADEMIC CALENDAR
New England Academic Calendar 2024-2025
First Semester
Aug 22, Thursday Residence halls open for freshmen at 6 PM
Aug 23, Friday Residence halls open for returning students
Aug 24, Saturday Convocation Day; Freshman Orientation begins
Aug 26, Monday Orientation continues; First semester begins with junior and
senior seminars
Aug 27, Tuesday Tutorials begin; freshman and sophomore seminars begin
Oct 14, Monday Columbus Day – no classes, office holiday
Oct 22-24, Tue–Thu Don Rags – evening classes only
Nov 1, Friday Feast of All Saints – no classes, office holiday
Nov 28, Thursday Thanksgiving Day – no classes, office holiday
Nov 29, Friday Day after Thanksgiving – no classes, office holiday
Dec 2, Monday Classes resume
Dec 14–20, Sat–Fri First semester examinations
Dec 20, Friday First semester ends after last exam
Dec 21, Saturday Residence halls close
Second Semester
Jan 13, Monday Residence halls re-open at 12 noon (first meal served: dinner)
Jan 15, Wednesday Second semester classes begin
Jan 28, Tuesday Feast of St. Thomas – no classes (seminars moved to Monday)
Feb 17, Monday Presidents’ Day – no classes
Mar 11-13, Tue–Thu Don Rags – Underclassmen seminars moved to Monday
Apr 17, Thursday Easter break begins
Apr 18, Friday Good Friday – office holiday
Apr 21, Monday Easter Monday – office holiday
Apr 24, Thursday Classes resume
May 17–23, Sat–Fri Second semester examinations
May 23, Friday Second semester ends after last exam
May 24, Saturday Commencement
May 26, Monday Residence halls close at 12 noon
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SCHEDULE OF PAPERS AND THESES (2024-25)
Freshman Papers
Subject Length Assignment Date Due Date
Seminar Outline September 18 September 24
Seminar 1200 words September 18 October 27
Theology 750 words October 29 November 24
Math 750 words January 20 February 16
Language 750 words February 18 March 16
Philosophy 1500 words March 17 April 13
Sophomore Papers
Subject Length Assignment Date Due Date
Seminar 1500 words September 24 October 20
Theology 1500 words October 21 November 17
Language 1500 words February 10 March 16
Philosophy 1500 words March 25 April 27
Junior Papers
Subject Length Assignment Date Due Date
Theology Outline September 30 October 14
Theology 2000 words September 30 November 10
Philosophy Outline February 18 March 3
Philosophy 2000 words February 18 March 30
Senior Thesis
Item Length Submitted To Due Date
Proposal 1-2 pages Thesis Advisor September 24
First Draft 10 pages minimum Thesis Advisor December 1
Final Draft 20-30 pages, 40 max Thesis Advisor March 9
Finished Thesis 20-30 pages, 40 max Dean March 22
SCHEDULE OF EXAMINATIONS
First Semester
August 28 Wednesday Freshman writing exam
September 30 Monday Algebra enabling exam
December 14 Saturday Sophomore Language and Junior Music Finals
December 16 Monday Theology Finals
December 17 Tuesday Soph/Junior/Senior Math Finals
December 18 Wednesday Seminar Finals
December 19 Thursday Natural Science Finals
December20 Friday Philosophy Finals
Second Semester
March 12 Wednesday Sophomore Math Midterm Astronomy exam
March 26 Wednesday Algebra enabling exam
May 15-21 Thurs-Wed Senior Finals (Math/Philo/Science/Seminar/Theology)
May 17 Saturday Junior Music Finals
May 19 Monday Theology Finals
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May 20 Tuesday Freshman Science, Soph Language, & Junior Math Finals
May 21 Wednesday Seminar Finals
May 22 Thursday Sophomore/Junior Natural Science Finals
May 23 Friday Philosophy Finals
LIBRARY SCHEDULE
The hours of the library will be posted on its doors.
CHAPEL SCHEDULE
Masses
Mon – Fri: 7:00am*, 11:30am
Saturday 7:15am*, 11:30am
Sunday 9:00am, 11:30am*
*Extraordinary Form
Exposition (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
Mon - Thurs, 5:45-6:45pm; all-night on first Friday of each month
Benediction
Monday-Thursday at 6:35pm; on first Fridays, before 7:00am Mass
Confession
Daily before and after each Mass
Anytime by request
Vespers
Sunday, 4:30pm
Compline (Night Prayer)
Wednesday, 8:45pm
Rosary
Daily 9:15pm
DINING ROOM MEAL SCHEDULE
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Mon – Fri 7:30 – 8:15am 11:45am – 12:45pm 5:30 – 6:15pm
Saturday 8:00 – 8:45am 12:00 – 12:45pm 5:00 – 5:45pm
Sunday (Brunch) 10:00 – 10:45 am 5:00 – 5:45pm
COFFEE SHOP SCHEDULE
The Coffee Shop schedule will be posted on its doors and in Gould Hall.
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ACADEMIC REGULATIONS
III. Academic Program
ATTENDANCE
Students are expected to attend all regularly scheduled classes (tutorials, seminars, and
laboratories), lectures, and other events specifically designated and required.
It is a basic tenet of Thomas Aquinas College that learning takes place best through student
discussion in seminars and tutorials. It follows that the progress of the individual students as well
as the effective functioning of each class and of the College as a whole have as their minimum
condition the regular attendance and participation of each of its members. Such absences as are
necessary should be reported to the tutor on the appropriate form (available in St. Thomas More
Hall (Kenarden Hall) and East Hall), in advance if possible.
Tutors in all classes maintain absence records. On the last Friday of each month of the school
year, the tutor will report to the Registrar the total number of absences that each of his students
has accumulated during the semester. Since excessive absences will jeopardize a student’s learning
and impede the progress of the class, students with such absences will be brought to the attention
of the Dean. It is the student’s responsibility to attend class and the College cannot guarantee that
a student will be notified before exceeding the limit of absences. When in doubt a student should
consult with the tutor about the number of absences accrued.
ABSENCES
Students are expected to arrive on time for class and to remain throughout the entire class. Missing
any significant amount of class may count as an absence. Absences, excused or unexcused, which
total more than three weeks of classes for a given subject in a semester will entail immediate
withdrawal of the student from the program.
Unexcused absences which total more than a week of work for a given class in a semester may
entail the lowering of the student’s grade. Only absences which occur for serious reasons are
excused. Examples of such reasons are illness or family emergency. The tutor judges whether an
absence is excused or not.
TARDINESS
Students are expected to be on time for class. Excessive or repeated tardiness amounts to absence
from class.
LECTURE AND CONCERT SERIES
The Lecture and Concert Series is an important part of the academic program of the College and
attendance at each event is therefore required of every student. Lectures and concerts take place at
7:00pm on Friday nights.
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BOOKS
Books will be distributed to students at the beginning of each semester. Lengthy readings needed
for the very beginning of the following semester will be distributed in advance. The College
maintains that its program provides only the beginning of a liberal education and that our students
are attempting a “first reading” of the great books. Students are encouraged to keep all of their
books for future reference and further study. Students will be charged the actual cost of printing
and binding the manuals published by the College. Duplicate copies of books will not be provided
in cases where a text is used in more than one year. For example, after freshman year, a new text
for the Platonic dialogues will not be redistributed since each student should already have a copy
of this text. If a student loses any of his books, replacements are available for purchase in the
College’s Bookstore, located in the library.
CLASSROOM DECORUM
It is customary for the students to address one another in class as “Mr.,” “Miss,” or “Mrs.” since
this aids in keeping classroom discussions objective and serious.
In keeping with the dignity, seriousness, and formal character of classes, there is to be no
consumption of food or beverages, smoking/vaping, chewing tobacco, or chewing gum in the
classrooms. This prohibition should be understood to apply even outside of class in order to protect
the furniture and carpets. An exception is made if a student is ill and needs a drink of water or a
cough drop.
Video and audio recording as well as the photographing of any tutorial, seminar, don rag, or
thesis defense are all prohibited.
DON RAGS
Twice yearly during the freshman, sophomore, and junior years, each student sits with his tutors
and hears their observations on his work. The primary aim of the Don Rag is not, like a report card,
to state the degree of a student’s mastery of the material. It is, rather, an occasion for offering him
specific advice on how to improve his class preparation and participation and to help him advance
in the intellectual life. The student will also hear confirmation of what he is doing well. Don Rags
often produce positive effects in the section as a whole.
In the event that a student is in danger of failure in a subject, the Don Rag is also an opportunity
to alert him and to make suggestions for improving his performance. Since a tutor will only warn
a student of this danger if he has evidence to this effect, if a tutor does not warn a student, this does
not necessarily mean that no danger is present.
In order for the Don Rags to proceed efficiently, students must be punctual. It is advisable that
they even be present a few minutes before their scheduled time. At the end of the Don Rag, the
student will be given the option of asking questions of or making comments to his tutors as a group.
Conversations with a single tutor are best had in a private meeting. Students are encouraged to
approach their tutors for such conversations throughout the semester, not only at Don Rags.
Attendance at Don Rags is mandatory. Permission to reschedule a Don Rag or meet with
one’s tutors individually must be obtained from the Dean, and is normally given only in cases of
serious illness or family emergency.
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LABORATORY
The College’s Natural Science program includes sessions in the laboratories where experiments
and demonstrations are performed. These sessions are an integral part of the College’s program of
studies. Laboratory rooms may not be used for any purpose without the express permission of the
tutor or laboratory supervisor.
Safety is of paramount importance in the laboratory. Some experiments can be dangerous, and
all of them require careful movement and measurement. Students are responsible for following all
laboratory regulations and instructions. Failure to follow laboratory regulations or instructions may
be a serious disciplinary matter.
It is the responsibility of the tutor to explain and promote safe procedures in the laboratories.
Injuries, no matter how slight, should be reported immediately to the lab tutor.
Although the classroom dress code applies in the laboratories, students should not wear their
best clothes or open-toed shoes when performing experiments in the lab.
WRITING PROGRAM
The College’s writing program not only cultivates writing skills, but also occasions a deeper and
more thorough reflection on important issues. The exercise of taking a determinate position on
some question and of developing a coherent, orderly, and convincing defense of that position
serves as an excellent complement to the intellectual virtues cultivated by the discussion method
practiced in the classes. The writing program culminates in the Senior Thesis.
Freshmen will be assigned five papers during the year, sophomores four papers, and juniors
two papers. Assignment and due dates for these papers are given in the SCHEDULE OF PAPERS AND
THESES published earlier in this Handbook. These papers are written under the direction of the
subject tutor. Students are advised that due dates will be strictly enforced. An unexcused failure
to meet these dates will result in an “F” grade for the paper. Students are required to submit all
papers assigned in their classes (including the natural history project for Freshman Laboratory and
the astronomy project for Sophomore Mathematics), even if the paper is not submitted by the
assigned due date. A student who does not submit an assigned paper for a class will receive an
“Incomplete” for that class for the semester. An incomplete grade for a course is to be made up
within four weeks after the end of the semester in which it is given. If it is not made up, the grade
becomes an F.
Each senior writes and defends a Senior Thesis. He arranges for a tutor to assist him in
developing a Thesis Proposal, to direct him in the writing of the Thesis, and to chair the Senior
Thesis Defense Board. It is appropriate to wait to ask a tutor to be an advisor until after the defenses
of the class above are finished. The first draft of the thesis will receive either a “PASS” or a
“FAIL.” A passing first draft must be no less than ten pages, contain a clear statement of the thesis
maintained by the paper, and must include some argument in support of the thesis. The thesis and
the thesis defense are evaluated together and will receive either a “PASS” or a “FAIL,” or, in the
case of outstanding work, a “PASS WITH DISTINCTION.” This is reported on the transcript. Due
dates for the proposal, drafts of the thesis, and final version are given in the SCHEDULE OF PAPERS
AND THESES published earlier in this Handbook. More particular information on the proposal,
thesis, and defense will be distributed to the seniors and tutors at the beginning of the school year.
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FRESHMAN WRITING EXAM
Within the first week of classes, on a date given in the SCHEDULE OF EXAMINATIONS, all freshmen
will write an essay to reveal their knowledge of basic English usage and composition. Students
whose writing is deemed unacceptable will be required to submit a first draft to their seminar tutor
no later than October 15 so that they can get help with their writing from their seminar tutor.
Failure to submit a draft by the October 15 deadline will result in the final grade on the paper being
lowered by one full letter grade.
ALGEBRA ENABLING EXAM AND PRECEPTORIAL
The Junior Mathematics Tutorial makes use of algebra. To ensure that students are sufficiently
prepared, the College gives an algebra examination in the fall for all freshmen.
If a student does not pass this examination, he is strongly encouraged to retake it in the spring
of his freshman year. The exam is also re-administered in the fall and spring of the sophomore
year. The exam is not administered during the summer before junior year. A student who has not
passed the exam by the end of the sophomore year may take a college-level algebra course at
another institution during the summer. Whether any particular course would satisfy the College’s
requirements will be determined by Mr. Peter Cross or the Dean. In order to go on to the junior
year, the College’s exam, or an approved course, must be passed with a grade of B- or higher.
A special Algebra Preceptorial is available for those students who have difficulty with this
examination. Though this preceptorial is optional, all who have need are urged to make use of it.
The dates for the examination are given in the SCHEDULE OF EXAMINATIONS published earlier
in this Handbook. The date for the beginning of the Algebra Preceptorial will be posted. Any
questions may be referred to Mr. Cross, who directs the testing and coordinates the preceptorial.
ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS
Thomas Aquinas College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for students with
physical, medical, or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities who desire an
accommodation for taking exams or some other academic matter should make a request to the
Dean.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
The students at Thomas Aquinas College seek the beginnings of wisdom. Such a pursuit requires
commitment and presupposes honesty and charity. It would be inconsistent to dedicate oneself to
the arduous task of learning and to undercut that effort by cheating. Such deception also
undermines the important bond of trust that is at the heart of a community of friendship. For this
reason cheating will not be tolerated and may result in dismissal.
Students are to leave notes, books, and cell phones outside the classroom building during
exams. Students should not discuss the content of their oral exams until everyone is finished for
the day. Violations of these policies are considered a form of cheating.
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PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is presenting the written work of another as if it were your own. It is plagiarism to copy
a complete work, or its paragraphs, or sentences, or even parts of sentences, without using
quotation marks and appropriate citation. Even if exact copying is not involved, taking ideas or
the structure of an argument from someone else’s written work without acknowledging the source
is also plagiarism. Use of ChatGPT or other AI technology to draft any part of a paper is
plagiarism; this technology may not be used even with citation.
Students have the duty to learn how to properly cite the work or thought of others so that the
use of secondary sources does not devolve into plagiarism. Further, although the College expects,
and even encourages, students to talk to each other about paper assignments, students should not
normally draw their ideas or arguments from the written work of other students.
Besides being a kind of theft, plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty that violates the
bond of trust between students and tutors and undercuts the aims of the College’s writing program.
If a student is found to have plagiarized in any of the above ways, the paper will receive a failing
grade, and there may be additional penalties up to and including dismissal from the College.
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IV. Satisfactory Academic Progress
INTRODUCTION
To remain in the program and graduate, a student must maintain satisfactory academic progress.
The College’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy is applied consistently to all students.
Since the educational program at the College is semester-based, the Dean’s Office reviews every
student’s academic progress at the end of each semester.
Federal regulations also mandate certain minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress
for students receiving federal student aid. The College’s SAP policy for federal student aid
purposes is referred to as the school’s “federal student aid” SAP policy and must be at least as
strict as the school’s “general” SAP policy for students. Information about the College’s “federal
student aid” SAP policy can be found on the College’s website in the section labeled “Regulatory
Information.” For the remainder of this chapter, SAP refers to Thomas Aquinas College’s general
SAP policy, unless noted otherwise.
GRADES
The curriculum offered at Thomas Aquinas College aims to create in students the habits of thought
and discourse that will stay with them throughout their lives. The acquisition of these habits is
emphasized rather than grades. Students should be motivated by the love of truth. Nevertheless,
grades based upon the student’s participation in classroom discussions, papers, and written or oral
examinations are given to help record the student’s academic progress and to provide graduate and
professional schools with the information they need to assess applications for admission.
The grades given for each course are A, B, C, D, or F. A cumulative C average (2.0) is required
to graduate. Furthermore, each semester a student must achieve a semester grade point average
that is at least a C average. If a student’s semester average is below C, he is notified by the Dean
that he has been placed on Academic Probation for the following term. In order to be taken off
Academic Probation and return to making SAP, a student must attain at least a C average for the
following term and also raise his cumulative average to at least a C if it has fallen below that. If he
fails to meet these requirements, he will be dismissed from the program. Normally, a student
receiving an F for a course will be dismissed from the program even if his GPA is a C or above.
Because all parts of the College’s curriculum are interdependent, equal value is given to the
grade for each class when computing the GPA. Pluses and minuses are neither recorded in the
transcript nor used in the calculation of the GPA.
An incomplete grade for a course is to be made up within four weeks after the end of the
semester in which it is given. If it is not made up, the grade becomes an F. Noncredit remedial
coursework is not an option for correcting failed courses.
The first draft of the senior thesis is due to the advisor the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Failure
to turn in an acceptable first draft by this deadline will result in an Incomplete. If, after this, an
acceptable first draft is not submitted by January 1, the Incomplete will become a “FAIL,” and the
student will be dismissed from the program.
If a student withdraws from his courses mid-semester, he is usually given no grade for those
courses. If a student withdraws mid-finals week, he will receive grades for the courses he has
completed, and receive a “W” on his transcript for the courses he has not.
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REVIEWING SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS
As stated above, SAP is evaluated at the end of each semester. When reviewing SAP decisions,
the College will, of course, take into account mitigating circumstances which affect the student’s
progress, such as severe illness or injury or a death in the immediate family. Any other basis for
an appeal will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. If a student has any question about his
academic standing or progress, or questions the College’s judgment that he has not been making
SAP, he should speak with the Dean. (See “Procedures for Lodging Complaints and/or Appeals”
below.)
REPEATING COURSEWORK
Due to the highly integrated nature of the educational program at Thomas Aquinas College, no
course may be repeated without repeating the coursework for the entire semester of which the
course is a part. Any requests to repeat a semester are reviewed by the Instruction Committee on
a case-by-case basis.
If a semester is repeated, only the grades for the most recent work are shown on the transcript
and used to calculate the student’s GPA that is reported on his transcript. This is known as
“academic renewal.”
Note: For federal student aid (FSA) purposes, grades earned in the previous semester are not
excluded from the calculation of the student’s FSA GPA. The FSA program regulations make no
provision for the concept of academic renewal. As a consequence, if a student repeats a semester,
his “FSA GPA” is calculated differently than the GPA that is on his transcript. The FSA GPA
includes all semesters. A student’s eligibility for continuing FSA requires that his cumulative FSA
GPA be 2.0 or higher. Similarly, the credits for the repeated semester will be included when
calculating whether the student exceeds the statutory maximum time frame (150% of “normal
time”) in which he can receive federal student aid. See the College’s federal student aid SAP policy
published on the College’s website for more information about this.
REPEATED FINANCIAL AID
A student who was dismissed for academic reasons or who withdrew mid-semester may appeal to
the Dean for permission to return and repeat a semester. If his appeal is granted, his eligibility for
federal student aid depends upon his status vis-à-vis the school’s federal student aid SAP policy.
See the College’s website for more information in this regard.
In the repeated semester, the student will be eligible for an institutionally-funded work-study
position if the Financial Aid Director determines that the student has financial need, but he will be
eligible only for the remainder of any institutionally-funded grant aid that was not used in the last
semester he attended, if he has documented continuing need. (There will only be unused grant aid
if the student previously withdrew mid-semester.) An exception to this rule may be provided if the
Financial Aid Director judges that the reason for the repetition was beyond the control of the
student. (See “Procedures for Lodging Complaints and/or Appeals” below.)
PROCEDURES FOR LODGING COMPLAINTS OR APPEALS
The College has long held that relatively informal procedures are best for a small community.
Consequently, the procedure for lodging complaints is simple. The student who wishes to complain
about either a grade or a recording error is to address the Dean, the Registrar, or some other
appropriate official either in writing (which is preferable) or orally. The student should clearly
identify which grade or record he believes should be corrected.
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Complaints about Student Grades: The tutor who has taught a particular class makes the final
determination of a student’s grade. The Dean or Registrar informs the tutor in question of any
complaint, and consults with him about whether the grade shall be changed. It is usually best for
the student to speak directly to the tutor before appealing to the Dean or Registrar, though this is
not required.
Appeals about SAP: If a student questions the College’s judgment that he has not been making
SAP, he should speak or write to the Dean. Appeals must contain (a) the basis on which the student
is filing an appeal (e.g., a severe illness or injury, a death in the immediate family, or some other
special circumstance), (b) an explanation of why these circumstances caused the student to fail to
make SAP, and (c) a description of what has changed in the student's situation that will allow him
to demonstrate SAP at the next evaluation. All decisions on appeals are final. Students will be
notified of the disposition of their appeal in writing and/or by e-mail.
Appeals for Financial Aid Eligibility in cases of SAP-related financial aid suspension: When
a student is ineligible for federal financial aid due to SAP-related financial aid suspension (see the
College’s website, in the regulatory section about federal student aid SAP, for a more complete
discussion of this sort of situation), he may appeal for financial aid. Appeals for financial aid
eligibility must be made in writing to the Director of Financial Aid and must contain (a) the basis
on which the student is filing an appeal (e.g., a severe illness or injury, a death in the immediate
family, or some other special circumstance), (b) an explanation of why these circumstances caused
the student to fail to make federal student aid SAP, and (c) a description of what has changed in
the student’s situation that will allow him to demonstrate federal student aid SAP at the next
evaluation. Appeals are not automatically granted. All decisions on appeals are final. Students will
be notified of the disposition of their appeal in writing and/or by e-mail.
READMISSION
A student may request readmission by writing to the Dean. Such a letter should explain the
student’s reasons for leaving, what activities have occupied the student during the interval, and
reasons why it seems a good time to re-enroll. The Dean shares the letter with the Instruction
Committee and sometimes other members of the faculty who can be helpful in judging the
prudence of readmission. The Instruction Committee attempts to make a judgment looking to the
well-being of the student and the community. Although the process is often simple, it is not unusual
for the Dean to investigate further and ask for follow-up materials, such as transcripts or letters of
reference. To allow adequate time to consider such requests, the Dean should be contacted no later
than one month prior to the beginning of the semester in question.
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V. Student Records
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR STUDENT ACADEMIC RECORDS
I. Policies Regarding the Collection, Retention, and Availability of Student Academic Records.
A. The Following Information is included in a Student’s Academic Records:
1. The following information is collected on the transcripts and retained by the
Office of the Dean:
a. Name
b. Date of Birth
c. Place of Birth
d. Sex
e. Semester Grades (including a pass or fail for the Senior Thesis)
f. Cumulative Grade Point Average
g. Degree Granted
h. Dates of Attendance
2. The following information is collected and retained by the Admissions Office:
a. Admissions Essays
b. Letters of recommendation
c. Transcripts from earlier studies
d. SAT and ACT scores
e. Miscellaneous correspondence accumulated during the application process
B. Security, Release, Retention, and Disposal of that Information:
1. Student academic records held by the Office of the Dean are kept on the College’s
server in an appropriately secure form, as well as in back-up paper files.
2. The information kept by the Office of the Dean is kept in perpetuity.
3. The information kept by the Office of the Dean is released to whomever the student
designates on the receipt of a written request to do so.
4. The information collected by the Admissions Office is retained for three (3) years
after the date the student leaves the College. After that time, the application
information, transcripts from earlier studies, and SAT and ACT scores are retained
in perpetuity (for the sake of studying trends in admissions), while reference letters
and essays are deleted.
5. The information collected by the Admissions Office is released to the student
upon request (except for information for which the student has waived his right of
access).
All information kept by the College can be released upon request to College officials with
legitimate educational interests (see Privacy of a Student’s Educational Records below).
COMPLAINTS ABOUT STUDENT RECORDS
In the case of a request to change a record, the Dean and Registrar decide whether the request is
to be granted, and advise the student of the College’s decision. In the event that the College decides
not to amend the record, the student shall be further advised that he may appeal the decision to the
Instruction Committee. The decision of the Instruction Committee shall be final.
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PRIVACY OF A STUDENT’S EDUCATIONAL RECORDS
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) protects the privacy of student
educational records and limits access to the information contained in those records. As a general
rule, without a student’s consent, the College may not release any of a student’s educational
records, even to parents, unless the parent has given evidence that the student is a dependent of the
parent for tax purposes. Educational records include, but are not limited to, information regarding
grades, accounts, financial aid, work-study, academic progress reports, health records, and
disciplinary records.
The College may, however, disclose certain educational records or identifiable information
without a student’s consent when the disclosure –
(1) Is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or of others;
(2) Is in connection with a student’s application for, or receipt of, financial aid and is necessary
to determine the eligibility, amount, or conditions of such aid, or is necessary for enforcing
the terms and conditions of a Payment Plan and Promissory Note (PPPN);
(3) Is to school officials (such as tutors, administrators, work-study supervisors, health
practitioners, members of the Board of Governors, Prefects and other students who are
assisting another College official in performing a task) with legitimate educational interests
(a school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an
education record in order to fulfil his or her educational responsibility), as well as to
officials of other schools a student seeks or intends to enroll in;
(4) Is limited to certain “Directory Information,” that is, information that the College regards
as public information (see list below), unless a student has completed the College’s
Directory Information Exclusion Form;
(5) Is to parents or legal guardians of a student regarding any violation of any Federal, State,
or local law, or of any rule or policy of the College, governing the use or possession of
alcohol or a controlled substance so long as the student is under the age of 21, and the
College has determined that the student has committed a disciplinary violation with respect
to such use or possession.
Without the student’s consent, therefore, the College generally may not release this information to
anyone, even to parents, unless the parent has given evidence that the student is a dependent of the
parent for tax purposes. The student may provide consent by signing a Consent to Release
Educational Records form that is available from the Registrar and will generally be made available
to students at registration. The student may revoke this Consent form at any time, but the College
will presume that the Consent form will remain in effect through the duration of a student’s
enrollment at the College. The Consent form will be kept on file with the Registrar.
“Directory Information” may be released without a student’s consent, unless the student has
completed the College’s Directory Information Exclusion Form. The College does not release
directory information indiscriminately. Directory information consists of:
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(1) Name
(2) Date and place of birth
(3) Permanent and campus address
(4) Phone listings
(5) Email address
(6) Country of origin
(7) Student photo
(8) Prior school(s) of attendance
(9) Enrollment Status
(10) Class Year
(11) Section
(12) Schedule
(13) Dates of Attendance
(14) Degree received and date received
(15) Participation in officially recognized activities
(16) Campus jobs, including salary and dates
(17) Senior Thesis title
(18) Grade of “PASS WITH DISTINCTION” on
Senior Thesis, if received
(19) Parents’ and guardians’ names
(20) Parents’ and guardians’ address(es)
(21) Parents’ and guardians’ email addresses
(22) Parents’ and guardians’ phone listings
Enrolled students may withhold disclosure of this directory information under FERPA by
completing the College’s Directory Information Exclusion Form which is available from the
Registrar.
In addition to privacy rights, students also have certain other rights under FERPA in relation to
their educational records, including –
(1) The right to inspect and review one’s educational records. Students should submit their
request in writing to the Dean and indicate which educational records they wish to see. The
Dean will then make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place
where the records may be inspected.
(2) The right to request an amendment to one’s educational records that the student believes
are inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the College to so amend a record by writing
the Dean and indicating the record to be changed and the reason for the change. The Dean
and the Registrar will then determine whether to change the record as requested and so
notify the student who may appeal the decision to the Instruction Committee.
(3) The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the
student’s educational records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure
without consent. As noted above, a student may complete the Consent to Release
Educational Records form to exercise such right, and such information may, under limited
circumstances, be provided without a student’s consent.
(4) The right to request and receive a copy of the College’s policy on the privacy of a student’s
educational records (“Policy on Release of Student Information”). Students may obtain a
copy of the policy from the Registrar during normal business hours. Indeed, the College
encourages students (and parents) to consult this policy should they have any question
concerning the details of students’ rights and limitations under FERPA.
(5) The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged
failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. Such complaints
should be directed to the U.S. Department of Education, Student Privacy Policy Office,
400 Maryland Ave, SW, Washington, DC 20202-8520.
TRANSCRIPTS
Transcripts of a student’s academic record will not be released without a completed and signed
Transcript Request Form, which can be found online under “Transcripts” on the contact page of
the College’s website: transcript-request-form-ne.pdf (thomasaquinas.edu)or by emailing
[email protected].
Processing a transcript request may take up to seven business days. Grades with “+” or “–” are
used on report cards. Transcripts show only letter grades.
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PARENTAL NOTIFICATION
Thomas Aquinas College aims to cooperate with the parents who send their children to the College.
A federal privacy law, however, limits the ability of the College to disclose certain information to
parents, unless the student is regarded as a dependent of the parents for tax purposes, or unless the
student has expressly consented to such disclosures. (See Privacy of Student Educational Records
above.)
Accordingly, unless a student gives the College permission to release certain information, or
unless a parent can show that the student is a dependent for income tax purposes, the College may
be precluded from sharing certain information with parents or others who may believe that their
relationship with the student entitles them to have that information.
The College therefore provides each student with a Consent to Release Educational Records
form which would give the College permission to discuss with the individuals that the student has
designated (presumably parents and guardians) such matters that would otherwise be protected by
this privacy law – matters such as a student’s grades, financial obligations, disciplinary actions, or
standing with the College.
If, for some reason, a student refuses to designate a parent or guardian in this consent form, the
College may choose to discuss certain educational records with a parent, but only if the parent can
present evidence that the student was declared a dependent on the parent’s most recent Federal
Income Tax form (or in the other situations covered in Privacy of Student Educational Records,
above.) A copy of the cover and signature page of the tax form will be sufficient to establish this
dependency.
Once, therefore, the student’s consent is obtained or the student’s dependency is established,
the College may then discuss with parents their child’s academic or disciplinary status, or any
other matter of concern to the student’s parents. For further information, please consult the
College’s policy on the privacy of student educational records, a copy of which may be obtained
from the Registrar.
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CODE OF CONDUCT
VI. General Policies and Procedures
INTRODUCTION
There should be little need to emphasize the importance of following the rational good for students
who wish to study at Thomas Aquinas College. It would be inconsistent to seek high and serious
things in class and live outside of class by unruled appetites. A student’s conduct, bearing, dress,
and cleanliness signify his own character and express his esteem for the institution and its other
members. His conduct on and off campus will reflect on the College.
Thomas Aquinas College is a Catholic college and, therefore, requires all students to abide by
the Catholic Church’s moral teachings together with the rules of residence and the customs of the
College. Since the College is part of the political community, students are also expected to obey
the civil law on and off campus.
Students are asked to reflect carefully upon these standards and rules.
The College has the authority to determine how these general rules are to be applied in specific
cases and to impose sanctions for violations of the rules. Disciplinary sanctions may include
mandatory community service hours, suspension of privileges (e.g. parking privileges), fines,
restriction to campus, disciplinary probation, and expulsion. The violation of a campus restriction,
or of the terms of a disciplinary probation, may result in expulsion. Actions which gravely disrupt
the campus order, such as entry into the residence halls of the opposite sex, the use of alcohol on
campus, the illegal use of narcotics, or sexual misconduct will normally entail expulsion. (Note:
The use of marijuana, even for medical purposes, is strictly forbidden for students both on and off
campus and is subject to expulsion.) Theft, intrusion into offices or other private spaces, and
stealing of confidential information, all erode the very basis of our community and cannot be
tolerated; these, or similar, actions will also be subject to expulsion.
Since misconduct off campus can harm the reputation of the College, interfere with the climate
of learning, and indicate that a student is not suited to the program, such behavior also is subject
to disciplinary action.
RULES OF RESIDENCE
Students who are not married are required to live on campus unless granted special permission by
the Dean to live off-campus. Since the purpose of the College is to establish a community of
learning, such permission is not usually given. Married students must live off the main campus.
Students are expected to show due regard for the rights, privileges, and tastes of others.
Residence halls, designed primarily for study and rest, require order and reasonable quiet. Students
should also keep in mind that separate apartments within the residence halls house faculty and staff
of the College, in some cases with their spouses, and may periodically house visiting families.
Space for social purposes is available in the Blessed Frassati Student Center (Tracy). The library,
dining hall, and classrooms are available for study.
The College has a number of rules of residence that are meant to enhance the intellectual life
and to keep students safe and happy. The following are the principal rules of residence that govern
student life at the College, and details about their enforcement. There are more particular rules not
listed in the Handbook that are communicated to the students by Prefects at orientation.
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PREFECTS
The end of any community is best achieved when the members of that community are animated
by friendship and mutual trust. This is especially so in the kind of community the College aims to
establish. The importance of classroom discussion, the intensity of the academic program, and the
end toward which the program aims—supernatural Truth—all require an unusual degree of
friendship and mutual trust. This is the reason why the College relies on student Prefects, acting
in conjunction with and by the authority of the Dean and the Assistant Dean, to maintain and
enforce the rules and standards of the College. The College trusts students to follow the rules and
to be forthright and cooperative with the Prefects.
The moral atmosphere essential to intellectual pursuits is everyone’s concern. This atmosphere
is promoted most of all by exemplary personal conduct. If a student becomes aware of serious
misconduct, he should notify a Prefect, the Assistant Dean, or the Dean.
REPORTING STUDENT MISCONDUCT
A student may be subject to disciplinary sanctions for violating the rules of residence, failing to
abide by the customs of the College, contravening the moral teachings of the Catholic Church, or
disobeying the civil law. Misconduct may be reported by a student Prefect, security guard, faculty
or staff member, neighbor, fellow student, or local police department. Anyone who wishes to
report misconduct, or initiate a complaint, may do so by speaking to a Prefect, the Assistant Dean,
or the Dean. Information on reporting sexual crimes (e.g., sexual assault, domestic violence, dating
violence, or stalking), and the disciplinary procedure used in such cases, is found elsewhere. (See
section below entitled REPORTING SEXUAL ASSAULT.)
INVESTIGATION OF MISCONDUCT AND NOTIFICATION
Smaller infractions are handled by student Prefects. With smaller infractions, an investigation is
usually unnecessary, but a Prefect may investigate if there is a dispute about whether an infraction
occurred. Larger infractions are investigated by the Assistant Dean. In the case of serious
misconduct, which may result in serious disciplinary action (e.g., disciplinary probation or
expulsion), the Assistant Dean will conduct an investigation and make a report to the Dean. If there
is sufficient evidence of serious misconduct, the Assistant Dean will make a report to the
Instruction Committee (a committee composed of senior tutors on the New England campus and
the President). Cases of serious misconduct that are academic in nature (e.g., academic dishonesty
or plagiarism) are investigated by the Dean. A student accused of a larger infraction or serious
misconduct will be contacted by the Assistant Dean or Dean to discuss the alleged violation or
complaint.
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STUDENT DISCIPLINE
For smaller infractions (e.g., curfew violation, dress code violation, texting in class) a Prefect will
notify a student of community service hours with an “hour sheet.” Hour sheets must be signed by
the kitchen or maintenance supervisor and returned to the Prefect who assigned the work.
Larger infractions are adjudicated by the Assistant Dean. Larger infractions usually result in
restriction to campus, but may also include the suspension of other privileges (e.g., parking
privileges). The following are examples of larger infractions: repeated violation of the rules of
residence, intoxicated behavior, providing alcohol to underage students, lying to an officer of the
College. Any of these larger infractions could, depending on the circumstances and the gravity of
the particular act, amount to serious misconduct. The Assistant Dean will notify the student in
writing of any disciplinary sanctions.
Serious misconduct, which can lead to disciplinary probation or dismissal from the College, is
adjudicated by the Instruction Committee. The following are examples of serious misconduct: the
possession, or use, of marijuana or of any illegal drugs; the use of alcohol on campus outside of
College-sponsored social functions; a serious or repeated incident of intoxicated behavior;
behavior creating a serious safety hazard to other persons; starting fires in prohibited areas; entry
into residence halls of the opposite sex; sexual misconduct; theft; intrusion into offices or private
spaces; purloining confidential information; hacking into, or compromising, the College computer
network; plagiarizing a paper; cheating on a final exam. The Instruction Committee makes the
final determination about serious disciplinary action. Serious misconduct usually results in
disciplinary probation or expulsion. The Dean will notify the student placed on disciplinary
probation or expelled. A student who is expelled may be required to leave the campus immediately.
If the student is a minor, the Assistant Dean will contact the parents or guardians and assist in
making suitable arrangements for travel, storage, and accommodations for the student.
APPEALS OF STUDENT DISCIPLINE
Appeals or complaints about smaller infractions are made directly to the Assistant Dean, and he
has the final say about whether the decision will be overruled. Appeals or complaints about larger
infractions are made directly to the Dean, and he has the final say about whether the decision will
be overruled. Complaints or appeals regarding serious misconduct are only heard if they present
new information that would likely have affected the outcome of the original decision. Complaints
or appeals should be made in writing to the Dean. If the Dean determines that the appeal should
be heard, the Dean makes a report to the Instruction Committee, whose judgment is final.
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VII. Campus Policies and Procedures
CAMPUS PROPERTY
The Northfield campus is divided into portions owned by Thomas Aquinas College and others
owned by the Moody Center. All parts of this combined property, whether they belong to the
College or to the Moody Center, including the forested area to the north, and all College-owned
residences for faculty and staff, including those separated from the main campus by a public road,
are regarded as ‘on campus’ with respect to the rules of student life.
ALCOHOL AND DRUGS
At some social functions, the College will serve alcohol to students who are of legal age; this
service is overseen by the Assistant Dean. The possession or use of alcohol outside of these
functions is strictly forbidden on campus and normally entails expulsion from the program. Faculty
and staff residences owned by the College, regardless of their location, are still ‘on campus.’
However, faculty members hosting students in their homes may serve alcohol to students of legal
age. Staff who are living in apartments that are off the main campus (e.g., Crane Cottage, Moore
Cottage, Bookstore) may also occasionally serve alcohol to students of legal drinking age in their
apartments. The possession or use of marijuana, even for medical purposes, or of any illegal drugs
is strictly forbidden for students both on and off campus and may entail expulsion.
The College also reserves the right to dismiss a student from the program for any serious
incident or any repeated incident of an intoxicated or drugged state of behavior on or off campus,
for behavior creating a safety hazard to other persons, or for behavior that seriously impedes the
legitimate activities of the College community.
Any alcohol purchased as a gift, received as a gift, or intended for the off-campus use of those
of legal age must be stored by a Prefect.
The College strongly disapproves of off-campus use of alcohol by those under legal age
because it violates the civil law and harms the College’s reputation. Infractions of this alcohol and
drug policy may be brought to the attention of a student’s parent(s) or guardian.
HAZING
The College prohibits “hazing”, that is, any form of conduct which is designed to initiate students
into the College, a dormitory, or any other student organization, and which causes, or is likely to
cause, mental distress or physical harm to a student, or any other person. The College considers
any serious incident of hazing (one that willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental
health of a student) to be an action that gravely disrupts the campus order, and an offense of this
kind will normally entail expulsion.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has enacted a law strictly prohibiting the hazing of any
student either on or off campus. Violators are subject to fines and imprisonment. This anti-hazing
statute can be found on page 52.
DRESS
Proper dress is proportionate to the dignity of one’s activities; coveralls, for instance, are suited to
manual labor but not to divine worship. Those who dress improperly display an indifference
towards nobler pursuits. Accordingly, more formal dress is to be worn throughout each class day,
until 3:30 p.m., on the central portion of campus—which includes the chapel, classroom and office
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buildings, dining hall, library, student center, and music hall, and the spaces between these
buildings. Women are to wear skirts or dresses of modest length with modest sleeve lines and
necklines and dress shoes or sandals. Men shall wear slacks, shirts with collars, and dress shoes
(or sandals) with socks.
A period of more casual dress begins after 3:30 p.m. on weekdays; however, school dress is
still required at dinner Monday through Thursday, at evening seminars, and at Sunday brunch, and
more formal dress (including ties for men) is also required at lectures, formal dinners, and formal
dances.
School dress is always required in the chapel during Mass. At other times, less formal dress is
allowed; however, sweatpants, tank tops, and shorts are never allowed in the chapel.
Footwear is always required in all the buildings listed above.
During the week, students on work study whose job requires casual dress and does not allow
time to change for some meals should ask the Assistant Dean for permission to wear casual dress
to those meals; in such cases students should eat in the outer dining room or outdoors.
For swimming, women are to wear modest one-piece bathing suits or tankinis which fully
cover the midriff. Men are to wear shirts on campus, even when working on the grounds crew.
In keeping with the College’s intention to establish a dignified community of learning, extreme
hairstyles and other such distracting bodily accoutrements are not permitted on campus.
PARKING AND TRAFFIC
Vehicles are to be operated safely and at reasonable speeds on campus, but never faster than 15
mph. Driving or parking on lawns or paths is prohibited. For the safety of pedestrians and to
maintain a peaceful campus environment, students should use the outer campus roads rather than
driving through the center of campus (between the flagpole parking lot and Billings). Student
parking is restricted to the parking lots behind the residence halls. Further overflow parking is
available behind Gould Hall. Students are not to park in the flagpole or East Hall parking lots.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires all drivers to carry liability insurance. The College,
therefore, requires all students who have vehicles on campus to maintain liability insurance.
Evidence of insurance must be presented when registering the vehicle. Nonresident students
bringing a car to campus which is registered in another state or country must also file a form each
year with the local police department; this form will be provided at registration.
All student vehicles, whatever their state or country of registration, must be registered with the
College. Students should be sure that vehicular information is included on their Registration Form
if applicable; parking permit stickers will be issued at registration or can be picked up from Dean’s
office in St. Thomas More Hall (Kenarden). If a student should change vehicles, he must update
the College with the license number, make, and model of the new vehicle; if the vehicle is
registered out-of-state, he must also file a new form with the local police.
The privilege of keeping a vehicle on campus may be revoked when the rules are not observed. A
student who registers a vehicle with the College is responsible for its proper use. Students may not
keep inoperative vehicles on campus. On-campus vehicle repairs or maintenance must be done in
the parking lot to the northwest of the Gym, not in any other campus lot. Vehicles not registered
with the College may be towed away.
DOORS
Students are requested to cooperate with the College’s efforts to control heating, as well as to
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comply with fire code, by not propping open outside doors.
COMMUNICATIONS
In the absence of a cell phone, ordinary telephone contact with students can be made through the
telephones in the residence halls.
Gould Hall Common Room, 2
nd
Floor 413-846-1195
St. Augustine Hall (Merrill-Keep) 413-846-1187
Wilson Hall 413-846-1191
Students may not use the landline telephones in the classroom buildings, Gould Hall, Dolben
Library, or St. Thomas More Hall without permission, except in an emergency. In an emergency,
in the absence of a cell phone, landlines may be found in each classroom, at the circulation desk
in Dolben Library, in the nurse’s office or in the servery of Gould Hall, and at the receptionist’s
desk in St. Thomas More Hall (Kenarden).
The general College number, 1-800-634-9797, should be used for contacting students only in
emergency situations.
Students are required to provide the Dean’s Office with the current addresses and telephone
numbers of persons to be contacted in case of emergency in their registration paperwork.
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VIII. Residence Halls
RESIDENCE HALL VISITATION
Men’s and women’s residence hall areas, including their patios, are always off limits to the
opposite sex; this restriction applies to holidays and summer vacations as well as the academic
year. With permission of a Prefect, exceptions to the residence hall visitation rules are made at the
beginning or end of the academic year for purposes of moving boxes or luggage in and out of
residence halls. Exceptions are also made for maintenance jobs, particularly over the summer, but
only during normal business hours.
Gould is the residence hall for women, while St. Augustine (Merrill-Keep) and Wilson are the
halls for men. Other uses of these buildings affect visitation, as follows.
Gould also houses the campus dining hall (or commons) and kitchen. The second and third
floors of Gould are residence hall areas at all times; men must not enter them except according to
the above exceptions. Neither may men enter the wings of the first floor, where women staff reside,
except upon invitation as provided below. The central first-floor dining and common rooms are
open to both sexes from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. each day; outside of these hours, they are
regarded as part of the women’s residence hall area, and are off-limits to men. Kitchen workers of
either sex may be on duty in the kitchen and servery outside of these hours, provided that men
enter and exit the kitchen directly by the rearmost door of Gould, and do not enter any other areas
of the building.
Gould and Wilson have first-floor apartments for staff, faculty, or guests; St. Augustine Hall
has apartments at each end of the building. These apartments are not regarded as residence hall
areas, and have separate entrances. As private residences, students may not enter these apartments
without invitation; however, upon invitation from faculty or staff residing there, students of either
sex may enter, provided that members of the opposite sex (relative to the hall in question) enter
only through the separate entrances and do not pass through to any part of the dormitory proper.
CURFEW
The residence halls are locked at 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 1:00 a.m. on Friday
and Saturday nights. Students are to be in their residence halls by these times. In special cases
students can be admitted later by prior arrangements with a residence hall Prefect. These
arrangements must be made at least 24 hours before the scheduled event. Since this requires that
the Prefect stay up to admit a latecomer, permission is given only for very good reasons.
SIGN OUT
Students are to sign out when they will be away from their residence hall overnight. Use of the
sign-out sheet enables the College to ascertain quickly who is or is not in the residence hall in the
event of fire or other emergency.
QUIET HOURS
At all times the residence halls and their immediate vicinity should be sufficiently quiet to permit
study and rest. Conversations or music should not disturb those in adjoining rooms. As evening
approaches, sounds which might not be noticed during the day more readily disturb study and rest.
Accordingly from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday) a more
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complete quiet is preserved. During quiet hours, music should not be played in the common areas
of the dorms without earphones or earbuds.
THEFT
Students should be aware that cases of serious theft at the College are rare, but do happen on
occasion, and are grounds for dismissal.
Theft of food, clothes, books, and other personal items violates the trust among the members of
the community and should be reported to a Prefect or the Assistant Dean.
CARE OF STUDENTS’ ROOMS
Students are expected to keep their rooms clean at all times. In residence halls having common
bathrooms, the bathrooms and sinks will be cleaned on a regular basis by the maintenance
department.
Pictures and wall decorations may be hung with mounting putty or special wall tape, both of
which can be purchased in the bookstore. Students may not paint walls or woodwork. Wall
decorations should be in keeping with the dignity of the intellectual and spiritual life of the College.
Furniture is not to be removed from or dismantled in the residence hall rooms. If a student
wants to re-configure his modular furniture, he first must receive permission from the Maintenance
Supervisor.. Students will be held liable for any damage to their rooms. Damage to the common
areas of the dormitory will be charged to all of the students assigned to the dormitory unless a
specific person assumes responsibility.
Except in residence hall kitchenettes, use of large refrigerators, hotplates, water kettles, electric
skillets, popcorn poppers, coffee makers, and other electrical appliances is specifically prohibited
due to fire hazard. Students may have small refrigerators only after obtaining permission from the
Assistant Dean. Students may keep non-perishable food in residence hall rooms, provided it is
contained in metal, glass, or plastic containers.
The smoking of cigarettes (including vaping devices) is prohibited in any campus building.
The use of candles or incense inside the dorm is also forbidden due to the fire hazard.
CARE OF THE LOUNGES, COMMON ROOMS, AND DORM PATIOS
Care of the men’s and women’s residence hall lounges and of all rooms designated for common
use throughout the campus is the responsibility of the students using them. Students should leave
areas clean and orderly, turning off lights when not needed.
Furniture in the lounges, on dorm patios, or in other buildings is not to be appropriated for use
elsewhere. The temporary removal of furniture from one area to another requires the approval of
the maintenance department, and furniture moved should be returned immediately to its proper
place.
OVERNIGHT GUESTS
Overnight accommodations (when available) are principally for the use of guests invited by the
College as prospective students. Accommodations may also be provided for parents or other
immediate family members who desire to visit the College. Other personal guests (e.g. alumni)
may be accommodated briefly, if space is available.
All overnight guests must receive permission from the College at least one week in advance.
Prospective students, their parents or siblings, and the parents of current students should receive
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permission from the Admissions office; recent alumni (last three years) and friends of current
students should receive permission from the Assistant Dean. Visits longer than four days are
discouraged. The availability of accommodations should be verified and the length of the visit
approved before plans for a visit are far advanced.
No visitor is to sleep in a residence hall without permission from the College. Lounges and
other common areas are never to be used for sleeping.
PETS
Pets, except for fish and very small reptiles, are forbidden. Students are not to bring any animal to
the campus, or encourage strays to stay; they become housekeeping problems and health hazards.
VACATION
Students who are unable to go home for Christmas and summer vacations must receive permission
from the Assistant Dean to stay on campus. They should be prepared to pay room and board and/or
work.
For those staying on campus, all rules and regulations will remain in full effect. This
includes the prohibition of alcohol and residence hall visitation.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Thomas Aquinas College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for students with
physical, medical, or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities who desire an
accommodation should make a request to the Assistant Dean. Incoming freshmen with disabilities
should communicate their requests to the Director of Admissions, who will then contact the
Assistant Dean to arrange for any accommodations that should be made prior to matriculation.
Requests seeking permission to live off campus should go to the Dean.
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IX. Electronics
ELECTRONIC TEXTS
Kindles and other electronic text readers are not to be used in the classroom. While these devices
have been extremely useful for research, they are not the best medium for reading and thinking
about a text in preparation for a class discussion. The use of real texts works very well for our
purposes, and there is a discipline that goes into preparing to discuss a paper text. The student must
make an effort to read carefully and digest the reading, so as to be able to locate pertinent texts.
He must attempt to grasp and retain the reading as a whole. Electronic search functions provide an
easy opportunity for the student to become lazy in reading.
CELL PHONES
Cell phones can be useful tools for communicating, but they can also be a distraction from the
intellectual life. Besides impeding focused study, and causing distractions in class, cell phones and
other smart devices make it harder for faculty to initiate and sustain conversations with students
and for students to initiate and sustain conversations with one another. To ensure that they do not
detract from the dignity of the academic program, cell phones, smart watches, and any devices
with cellular data, are not permitted in the classroom buildings or the library at any time. Such
devices are also not permitted in the dining hall (the central common rooms of Gould) from 7:00
a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day. Students are urged to develop the habit of leaving these devices in
their dorm room or mailbox during class, study, and meal times.
In accordance with the College’s policy to limit Internet access to that provided in the library,
the use of cell phones, or cell phone service, to access the Internet is prohibited, except for a limited
number of approved apps.
MOVIES, TELEVISION, AND VIDEO GAMES
To foster and preserve the dignity of the intellectual life, the College does not permit the use of
televisions or video players in student rooms. On weekends from 3:30 p.m. Friday until 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, students may watch movies in the residence hall common rooms or Inman Shelter, but
only with prior approval from a Prefect. Movies may also be screened on the weekends in Dolben
Auditorium with prior permission from a Resident Director or the Assistant Dean and with the
assistance of the A/V crew. Students must not use the Auditorium or any of the College’s A/V
equipment without prior permission.
Students may play video games in a designated study or common room in the dorms on
weekends from 3:30 p.m. on Friday until 5:00 p.m. Sunday.
COMPUTER NETWORKS
The College provides Internet access in the library and in the basement of Blessed Frassati Student
Center by means of the College’s computer network. Tapping into, or tampering with, the
College’s network or telephone wiring is strictly prohibited. In keeping with the College’s aim of
maintaining a community of learning in the dormitories, students are not permitted to set up their
own computer networks either by means of wireless technology or by running network cables from
room to room.
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INTERNET AND COMPUTER SERVICES
The College provides computer resources for three purposes: research, communication, and retail
business transactions (such as purchasing airline tickets). To allow for the quietude and rest that
contemplation requires, the College has no interest in promoting widespread use of the Internet for
entertainment purposes. Internet access is limited to the computer lab and student services room
in the library. The use of cell phones, cell phone service, or any other wireless service, to access
the Internet is prohibited, except through a limited number of approved apps. Students are welcome
to bring their own computers. If they bring laptops, they may request to have their computers
configured to access the Internet in the library (their computer should be equipped with an Ethernet
port).
It is essential that each user exercise responsible and ethical behavior when using the College’s
computer resources. It is impossible to anticipate all of the methods that individuals may employ
to intentionally damage or misuse the College’s computer resources, but the following is a list of
some of the inappropriate uses of those resources.
• Transmitting information that contains obscene, indecent, lewd, or lascivious material or
other material that explicitly or implicitly refers to sexual conduct or contains profane
language.
• Using the College’s computer resources to gain unauthorized access to resources of this or
other institutions, individuals, or organizations. Using false or misleading information for
the purpose of obtaining access to unauthorized resources.
• Accessing, altering, copying, moving, or removing information, proprietary software, or
other files from the College’s computer resources without authorization.
• Copying, downloading or distributing copyrighted materials, including unauthorized peer-
to-peer file sharing, without the authorization of the copyright owner is illegal and may
result in civil and criminal penalties, including fine and imprisonment. Copyrighted
materials include, but are not limited to, copyrighted music, films, and software.
• Using the College’s computer resources for online gambling.
• Violating laws or participating in the commission or furtherance of any crime.
Thomas Aquinas College acknowledges its obligation to respect the privacy of a user's
computer files and e-mail, but users should be sensitive to the inherent limitations of the College’s
computer resources—no computer security system can completely prevent unauthorized
individuals from accessing a user’s computer files or e-mail.
The College maintains the right to monitor and access a user’s computer files, e-mail, and use
of computer resources when it is necessary to protect the integrity, security, and proper functioning
of the College’s computer resources, when it is necessary to enforce this policy, or when it is
required by law. The College will notify users of such monitoring provided that it will not
compromise the College’s investigation or the investigation of an appropriate law enforcement
agency.
Any violation of this policy, other related College regulations, or federal or state laws may
result in immediate suspension of computer resource privileges. The College's authorities and/or
the appropriate law enforcement agency will determine other possible disciplinary or legal action.
Nothing in this policy supersedes existing College regulations and policies and/or state or federal
law.
PHOTOCOPYING
Students can use the copier located in St. Thomas More Hall for personal copies, if they come to
the front desk between 3:30 and 5:00pm. Payments for copies are made at the front desk.
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FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAWS
Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, without permission or legal authority, one or more
of the exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner under section 106 of the Copyright Act (Title
17 of the United States Code). These rights include the right to reproduce or distribute a
copyrighted work. In the file-sharing context, downloading or uploading substantial parts of a
copyrighted work without authority constitutes an infringement.
Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone
found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or
“statutory” damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed.
For “willful” infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed. A court can, in
its discretion, also assess costs and attorneys’ fees. For details, see Title 17, United States Code,
Sections 504, 505.
Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment
of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense.
For more information, please see the Web site of the U.S. Copyright Office especially their
FAQ’s at www.copyright.gov/help/faq.
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X. Safety and Security
CAMPUS SECURITY
Although theft, vandalism, and other crimes by off-campus intruders are rare, they are real
possibilities that should be taken seriously. Crimes or suspicious behavior should be reported
immediately to an appropriate authority.
Students who are issued keys as part of their work study should never lend their keys to anyone,
should not allow copies to be made, and should promptly return any keys in their possession when
their responsibilities are at an end. Should a student come into possession of an unauthorized key,
he should return it immediately to the front desk in St. Thomas More Hall.
WEAPONS
Students are prohibited from bringing any kind of weapon to campus. The discharge of firearms
on or about the campus is strictly forbidden.
SAFETY ALERT SYSTEM
The College has a safety alert system which is intended for use only in the rare occurrence of a
danger to the community as a whole that requires immediate action. In such an event this system
will be used to send out a mass text message to help spread the safety alert as quickly as possible
among the on-campus community. Designated staff will promptly deliver the message in person
to buildings in which cell phones are prohibited. Students will be automatically enrolled in the
safety alert system using the cell phone number they provided during registration. Students should
update the Dean’s Office if their cell phone number changes during the year.
FIRE PROCEDURE
The residence halls, dining hall, classroom building, library, and gymnasium are all equipped with
emergency fire exits and fire alarm pull boxes. Students should familiarize themselves with the
location of all exits and fire alarm pull boxes in their residence hall.
In case of fire, pull the nearest fire alarm, exit the building, and call 911.
The Northfield Fire Department will respond to any fire or smoke alarm in these campus buildings,
which are linked to a central alarm system. No one should attempt to shut off an alarm at the
building alarm panel, except at the direction of the Fire Department, even if the cause of the alarm
is known to be minor. Do not return to the building until instructed to do so by the Fire Department.
MEDICAL EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT
Each building has a first aid kit kept near its entrance; in the residence halls, however, first aid kits
are kept by a Prefect on each floor. AEDs are located in the entryways of: St. Gianna Molla Hall
(Palmer), Dolben Library, the Chapel (side entrance), the dining hall (Gould), and the gymnasium.
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CAMPUS BUILDINGS AND STUDENT SERVICES
XI. Gould Hall
DINING ROOM
To facilitate the continuation of the discussions begun in the classrooms, the College encourages
students and faculty to take common meals in the dining room of Gould Hall. Students should take
advantage of these occasions to spend time with fellow students and tutors.
In keeping with the dignity of the intellectual life pursued at meals, the regulations governing
dress are observed for meals. In addition, the dining room area should be kept clean.
The kitchen is closed to everyone except those performing their duties. Students are not
permitted to use the kitchen facilities and equipment for their own personal use; food, dishes, and
silverware are not to be removed from the dining room. In cases of illness, students may arrange
for a friend to bring them food from the cafeteria. In such cases the kitchen will distribute
disposable dishes.
ACCOMMODATIONS OF FOOD ALLERGIES
The students' health and safety are of utmost importance to the college. If a student has a food-
related medical condition, we ask that a physician note be given to the school nurse. The nurse
will keep a record of the student’s medical needs and advise the food services director. This will
enable the kitchen to coordinate with the nurse and where reasonably possible adjust food service
production. The FDA identifies the major nine allergens as gluten, dairy, fish, shellfish, tree nuts,
peanuts, egg, soy, and sesame. Items we prepare whose ingredients contain any of these nine major
allergens are labelled. Please refer to labelling for any prepackaged foods. We take efforts to
prevent cross-contamination, however the kitchen and dining facility are not free of the above
allergens. While it is not feasible to provide alternatives for all food sensitivities, the kitchen
regularly serves a gluten-free and dairy-free entree for those with a documented need. Dairy
alternatives such as oat and almond milk are usually available.
GUESTS
Day visitors who wish to eat on campus should normally make arrangements through the
Admissions Office. Guests, including alumni, who live locally and are visiting the campus for
Mass or some other purpose should eat in the dining hall no more than occasionally.
BULLETIN BOARDS
The bulletin boards in Gould are reserved for announcements of College-sponsored activities only.
Exceptions are made for students who wish to advertise a need for transportation, and for lost and
found announcements. Such notices should be neatly printed, dated, and posted for short periods
of time only.
NURSE’S OFFICE
The College maintains a small nurse’s office in Gould Hall for first aid and minor treatment by the
Health Care Coordinator, according to the standing orders of the College Physician. Several
common over-the-counter medications are also available for purchase from the College Bookstore.
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Students must maintain their own medical insurance while at the College. The College does
not provide medical insurance for any injuries which occur at the College or at College-related
events to the families, friends, or other guests of the students, faculty, or staff. The College does,
however, provide general liability insurance for its own purposes.
XII. East Hall
STUDENT MAIL
Campus mail is processed in East Hall. Envelopes and other small items mailed to students will be
delivered to their mailboxes in Blessed Frassati Student Center. All outgoing mail should be left
in the Post Office box on the east side of East Hall. All outgoing mail must have correct postage.
Stamps can be purchased at the front desk of St. Thomas More Hall.
Student packages that are too large to fit in individual mail boxes can be picked up at East Hall.
Students will be notified when they receive a package.
MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT
If something is out of order, it should be reported to the maintenance department. Forms for this
purpose can be found in the residence halls.
XIII. St. Thomas More Hall
(Formerly known as Kenarden Hall)
FRONT DESK
Students can come to the front desk in St. Thomas More Hall between 3:30 and 5:00 p.m. Monday
through Friday for assistance with making copies, cashing checks up to $25.00, and making
change.
COURIER SERVICE
The College provides a limited courier service to provide students with transportation to and from doctor
appointments, and to provide them with a means to pick up prescriptions and other necessities. This service
can also be utilized for transportation to train stations, bus stations, and arranged group activities. The
courier service is staffed by student work-study participants and is provided on a limited basis. The College
does not guarantee that every request will be granted, and students should not presume that a courier will
be available. The College’s couriers do not handle students’ money or do student banking, nor do they run
personal errands as part of their assignments.
Student couriers will not make runs to the airport during the school year. The College will arrange
large shuttle runs to and from Logan and Bradley airports, at set times and for a fee, at the
beginning and end of each semester and around Thanksgiving and Easter breaks; for other air
travel, students should arrange their own means of getting to the airport.
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Thomas Aquinas College offers this service out of goodwill to help students who have a limited
means of travel. To avoid abuse of the service, the following guidelines must be observed:
• All requests must be made through the Courier Request Form found on the College’s
website here: https://thomasaquinas.edu/courier or by visiting the front desk. Requests
must be made a minimum of two business days prior to the event, unless there is an
emergency. A student’s lack of planning does not constitute an emergency. Rides will be
provided on a “first come, first served” basis, and only as courier availability permits.
• Our couriers are also students. They cannot provide rides that conflict with their class
schedule, nor are they allowed to make a run before 7:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m., except
in an emergency or, occasionally, during summer vacations.
• It is the student’s responsibility to allow for the necessary travel time when requesting a
courier ride and to be on time for the scheduled trip. The courier will wait a maximum of
ten minutes and then proceed to the next item on his list. It is in the student’s best interest
to find out who the courier will be and where they should meet.
• The College will not allow a courier to make a trip to a train station or bus station, for any
student who is missing class to travel.
• The assistant dean reserves the right to postpone or cancel any courier service in case of
inclement weather.
XIV. Psychological Services
PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES
Thomas Aquinas College offers counseling services free of charge to its students on a limited
basis. Dr. Richard Cross and Mrs. Katharine Schell, LMHC, are available to meet with students
on Wednesdays by appointment in Olivia Music Hall (Dr. Cross) and online (Mrs. Schell).
Services offered include, but are not limited to, help with depression, anxiety/stress, eating
disorders, addiction, use of pornography, substance abuse, grief/loss, relationships, family
problems, pre-marriage counseling. To make an appointment with Dr. Cross, students should go
to https://calendly.com/rcross-studentappointment. To make an appointment with Mrs. Schell,
students should go to https://calendly.com/kateschellcounseling/tac-counseling-session.
Behavior which may result from serious medical or psychiatric illness and which renders the
student unable to effectively pursue studies at the College, or which represents a danger to the
student or to others, or which seriously disrupts the orderly functioning of the College, may cause
the student to be subject to involuntary withdrawal from the College.
XV. Athletic and Recreational Facilities
ATHLETICS AND RECREATION
The College has outdoor tennis courts and athletic fields with soccer goals, volleyball nets, and
other equipment. The Pope John Paul II Athletic Center contains an indoor basketball court, a
swimming pool, a dance studio, a bouldering wall, and weight and exercise rooms. There are also
many hiking trails and cross-country skiing trails nearby, and easy access to boating on the
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Connecticut River; kayaks, paddles, and life vests are stored in the gym for student use.
BLESSED FRASSATI STUDENT CENTER AND COFFEE SHOP
(Formerly known as Tracy Student Center)
The Blessed Frassati Student Center is a popular gathering place for the student body. The Center
is open throughout the day, and has ping-pong, foosball, air hockey, and pool tables available for
student use, as well as café-style seating for study or conversation. A full-service Coffee Shop,
staffed by work-study students and dining services staff, is open for more limited hours (to be
posted).
XVI. Library
Thomas Aquinas College is a community that aims to live an intellectual life nourished by
reading and discussing great books. Dolben Library exists solely to enhance the intellectual life
of the students and faculty of the College. Visiting scholars must receive permission from the
Dean to use the library.
All students and faculty of the College are entitled to check out any books for a limited time,
except reference works, some periodicals, and items on reserve. In general, these reserved items
are to be used in the Library only. Library books which are housed in the classroom also should
not circulate. Those who check out books are responsible for returning them on the due date in
good condition and unmarked so that others may benefit from them also. Injury to books beyond
reasonable wear and all losses shall be paid for by the responsible party.
Since the Library is intended to be a place of study and reflection, its users should be
respectful of others by being quiet. The study rooms in the Library, as well as the Music Room
may be used for group study, and quiet need not be observed in them as long as the level of noise
does not disrupt those in other parts of the Library.
Books and other personal possessions should not be left in the carrels, or on the study tables,
when they are not being used and must be removed from the Library when it closes.
Food and drink, as well as cell phones, are not permitted in the Library.
BOOKSTORE
The bookstore is located in the library. Replacement and supplementary books, supplies, and some
personal items are available for purchase. Hours of operation are posted. Charge accounts are
available to all students.
Payments for accounts may be made online at https://thomasaquinas.edu/payment or mailed to
the address below:
Bookstore
Thomas Aquinas College
10,000 Ojai Road
Santa Paula, CA 93060
Bills will not be sent to the parents unless arrangements to do so are made with the Business Office.
Books purchased in the bookstore may not normally be returned.
Additional items that might be charged to a student’s bookstore account include items like
photocopies, faxes, or postage purchased at the front desk in St. Thomas More Hall, or replacement
fees for lost or overdue library books.
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CAREER ADVISEMENT OFFICE
The Career Center aids students in discerning their next steps toward academic and professional
success. They can help students improve study habits, plan careers, apply to graduate schools,
network with alumni, write resumés and cover letters, and prepare for interviews.
XVII. Dolben Auditorium
Dolben Auditorium, attached to the library, is intended for the College’s lectures and concerts, and
approved student plays. All of these events are part of, or in some way serve, the academic life of
the College.
Any additional student use of the auditorium (e.g., watching movies) must be subordinate to
and conformable to these uses, and must be approved and arranged through the Assistant Dean’s
office. All movies to be shown should be of a quality worthy of the dignity of the academic
program of the College.
XVIII. Olivia Music Hall
PHILIPS HALL
Philips Hall, in Olivia Music Hall, is intended for music classes, choir rehearsals, concerts by
approved student musical groups or invited guests, and smaller formal dances. All of these events
are part of, or in some way serve, the academic life of the College.
Other uses of the Hall must be subordinate and conformable to these uses, and must be
approved and arranged through the Assistant Dean’s office.
PRACTICE ROOMS
Students are free to practice singing or musical instruments in the practice rooms in Olivia Music
Hall. There are pianos available in some of the practice rooms.
XIX. Facilities Use
Thomas Aquinas College is a Catholic institution, and its facilities may not be used in any way that
undermines its Catholic mission or faith.
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FINANCIAL INFORMATION
XIX. Financial Information
FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS
A student must be in good standing with the Business Office to register for or attend classes, or
reside in the College’s residence halls. The student will be in good standing if he pays the full
tuition, room, and board charges for the academic year before the semester registration. If he does
not pay all charges before registration, the student must submit a properly completed Payment Plan
and Promissory Note. To be eligible to register, he must have made all payments due before
registration day under the plan he has chosen. The Financial Aid Office will send students a
Financial Aid Summary if they receive financial assistance from the College. All students will
receive a Payment Plan and Promissory Note from the Business Office. The Payment Plan and
Promissory Note will reflect any financial assistance that is forthcoming.
The student must make all payments when due. Any late payment will be subject to a late
charge of one and one-half percent (1½%) of the past-due balance. If any payment becomes more
than two months past due, the student is not in good standing with the Business Office. He may
not attend classes or reside in the College’s residence halls until payment is made or a new plan of
payment has been approved by the Vice President for Finance.
A student who is not in good standing with the Business Office may not register for classes in
a subsequent semester, receive financial aid from the College, or obtain reports of grades.
WITHDRAWAL AND REFUND POLICY
It is the purpose of this notice to inform students of the financial implications of withdrawal.
This policy explains how all types of financial aid – federal, state, private, institutional – are
handled when a student withdraws.
If, for any reason, a student withdraws from Thomas Aquinas College before the end of the
semester, the Business Office will calculate and make any refund of tuition, room and board
which is due. The amount of any refund is based upon how much of the term has elapsed.
Withdrawal Date: A student withdrawing from Thomas Aquinas College during the
semester must see the Dean and complete a Notification of Withdrawal form. The withdrawal
date used to determine the refund is the last date of attendance at an academically related activity
as determined by the school from its attendance records (e.g., attending class, a Don Rags
meeting, or an examination).
Charges: If a student other than a freshman withdraws before Convocation Day, 100% of
his payments for tuition, room and board will be refunded. If such a student withdraws on or
after Convocation Day, tuition, room and board will be prorated on a per diem basis through
the day of withdrawal, excluding breaks of five days or more. The same will apply to freshmen
except that in no case will their $250 non-refundable deposit be refunded.
Payment Considerations: For those students or parents who have received federal Title IV
aid (Pell Grant, Direct Student Loan, Direct Parent PLUS Loan), specific program requirements
determine how much aid from those programs may be kept when a student withdraws early.
Though a student’s Title IV assistance is normally posted to his account at or near the start of
each payment period (semester), he “earns” the funds as he completes the period. If he received
(or Thomas Aquinas College or his parent received on his behalf) less assistance than the
amount he earned, he may be able to receive those additional funds. If the student received more
assistance than he earned, the excess funds must be returned by the school and/or the student.
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Work-study wages will be paid to the student’s account according to the number of hours
he has worked. If a student is behind in his scheduled hours, the delinquent amount will be
treated as a payment outstanding.
Refund: For those students receiving no financial assistance, the prorated charges will be
compared to the payment the parents and student have made, and the parents and student will
either receive a refund or owe an amount to the College.
For those students receiving financial assistance, the College will determine the amount of
financial assistance that must be returned to the sources of aid. In general, the calculation is
based upon the principle that the resources of the student and his parents are used to pay for
educational expenses before financial assistance from the College. Funds received from Federal
Title IV aid are handled separately as described above. Details are found in the College’s Return
of Title IV Funds Policy which can be found on the College’s website at
www.thomasaquinas.edu/page/regulatory-information. Non-federal aid funds are returned to
their respective sources in this order:
1. Institutional grants,
2. Institutional loans, private loans, and Canada Student Loans,
3. State grants, and
4. Other outside grants.
After determining how much financial assistance must be returned to the sources of aid, any
remaining financial assistance is applied toward the student’s prorated charges together with
the parents’ and student’s payments and applicable Title IV funds. If any non-federal outside
resources exceed the prorated charges, the corresponding excess will be credited first against
any other charges owed by the student to the College (e.g. a bookstore bill), and then any
remainder will be refunded to the parents and student to the extent they had other education-
related expenses and the terms of the aid allow.
If, instead, there is a balance due, the parents and student are responsible for making
payment to the College. Payment must be made within thirty days unless other payment
arrangements are agreed to by the College’s Director of Financial Aid.
Specific examples of refund calculations are posted on the College’s website at
www.thomasaquinas.edu/page/regulatory-information. Refund calculations are located at the
end of the Withdrawal and Refund Policy.
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EQUITY
XX. Thomas Aquinas College Policy Against Discrimination,
Harassment, and Retaliation
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
Thomas Aquinas College (“TAC” or the “College”) is committed to fostering an environment of
mutual respect among its applicants for admission and employment, students, staff and faculty, as
well as others who participate in the College’s programs and activities.
It is the policy of the College, while reserving its lawful rights where appropriate to take any
actions which are calculated to promote the religious principles for which it is established and/or
maintained, to comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination in employment and in
its educational programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age or any other
characteristic protected by law. Thomas Aquinas College does not discriminate on the basis of sex
in the education program or activities it operates, and is required by Title IX of the Education
Amendments of 1972 not to discriminate in such a manner.
The College is committed to making reasonable accommodations for those whose disability
may affect their ability to participate in its academic program.
The College expects that its students, faculty, staff, vendors, contractors, alumni and guests
will conduct themselves appropriately and refrain from behavior that violates this and other
College policies. Accordingly, individuals who discriminate against others in violation of this
policy, regardless of whether such conduct rises to the level of unlawful discrimination, may be
subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment or dismissal from
the College.
ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY
Thomas Aquinas College is committed to providing a school environment that is free of
discriminatory harassment, including sexual harassment. Discriminatory harassment consists in
conduct that degrades or intimidates another person because of that person’s membership in a
protected class or innate characteristics or beliefs and which has the purpose or effect of
unreasonably interfering with a person’s participation in the College’s programs or activities, or
creates a hostile learning, living, or working environment. Jokes, insults, epithets, offensive
language, offensive objects or cartoons, and unwanted touching can all contribute to harassment.
Individuals who harass others in violation of this policy, regardless of whether such conduct
rises to the level of unlawful harassment, may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including
termination of employment or dismissal from the College.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “sexuality… is realized in a truly human way only if
it is an integral part of the love by which a man and woman commit themselves totally to one
another until death.” (2361; see also Familiaris Consortio 11)
As a Catholic institution Thomas Aquinas College requires all students to abide by the Catholic
Church’s moral teachings on human sexuality. All of us are called to live chastely according to our
state in life, otherwise we harm ourselves and others and damage our ability to love and relate to
others.
The College seeks to foster a climate free from sexual misconduct through a coordinated
education and prevention program, the promulgation of clear and effective policies, as well as a
consistent, transparent investigative and grievance process that is prompt and equitable. In
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response to any reported sexual misconduct, the College will take all appropriate steps to
investigate and adjudicate the alleged incident promptly and thoroughly, eliminate the misconduct
if determined, prevent its recurrence and address its effects. In order to promote a culture where
members of the College community respect themselves and one another, and to provide for the
safety and security of our community, the College expects all community members to assist one
another to live in accordance with the Catholic Church’s teaching on human sexuality. Creating a
safe and wholesome campus environment is the responsibility of all members of the College
community, both individually and collectively.
More information about the College’s policy regarding sexual misconduct can be found in a
document called Imitate the Purity of Christ which is required reading for students before enrolling
in the College. Here is a link to that document:
https://www.thomasaquinas.edu/sites/default/files/media/file/imitate-the-purity-of-christ.pdf.
Sexual misconduct that violates the Catholic Church’s moral teachings on sexuality is a
violation of the rights and dignity of those subjected to the misconduct. Sexual misconduct
normally entails termination of employment or dismissal from the College, but will be addressed
on a case-by-case basis with sanctions imposed as necessary to promote the religious principles
for which the College is established or maintained.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Sexual harassment is a type of sexual misconduct aimed at harming or causing discomfort to
others.
It is important to recognize the serious evil of any kind of sexual assault, sexual harassment,
dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. Assault here includes any kind of non-consensual
sexual contact.
A person may be found to have engaged in unlawful sexual harassment if the person makes
unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors, or engages in other verbal or physical
conduct of a sexual nature, including: (1) where submission to such advances, requests or conduct
by an employee or student is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of his or her
employment or educational experience; (2) any unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person
would find so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it denies a person equal educational
access; or (3) any instance of sexual assault (i.e. any sexual act directed against another person,
without consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent),
dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking (i.e. a pattern of repeated and unwanted attention,
harassment, contact, or any other course of conduct directed to a specific person that would cause
a reasonable person to feel fear).
All persons, regardless of sex, can be perpetrators and victims of sexual harassment. Whether
unwelcome sexual conduct rises to the level of unlawful sexual harassment depends on the severity
or pervasiveness of the conduct. Sexual harassment may include the following: (1) unwelcome
verbal comments of a sexual nature (lewd jokes, sexual inquiries or comments about individuals’
bodies, repeated requests for dates, or comments about one’s sexual activity); (2) displaying or
distributing sexually suggestive objects, pictures, cartoons, graffiti, drawings, media or written
materials; (3) unwelcome physical touching of a sexual nature and/or (4) acts of sexual violence
including rape and other forms of sexual assault.
Sexual harassment is serious sexual misconduct and may be subject to disciplinary action up
to and including termination of employment or dismissal from the College.
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COMPLAINTS REGARDING DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT
Reporting an Incident of Discrimination or Harassment/Notification of Appropriate Staff
If any member of the College community has witnessed or been subjected to discrimination or
harassment prohibited by this policy, whether by a supervisor, a co-worker, faculty member,
student, vendor, contractor or any other person with whom the individual has come in contact at
the College, the individual should report the incident promptly to either of the following persons:
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Stephen Shivone
St. Thomas More Hall
231 Main Street
Northfield, MA 01360
(office) 413-846-1164
(cell) 972-358-5533
[email protected]
Title IX Coordinator
John Quincy Masteller
St. Thomas Hall, Room 101
10,000 Ojai Road
Santa Paula, CA 93060
(office) 805-421-5930
(cell) 805-208-0855
[email protected]
As Title IX Coordinator, Mr. Masteller is responsible for ensuring that the College complies with
Title IX and properly investigates and adjudicates complaints of sexual discrimination,
harassment, assault, violence, and other sex-based complaints from applicants for admission and
employment, students, staff and faculty. Mr. Masteller is also responsible for ensuring that the
community is properly trained regarding Title IX.
INVESTIGATORY PROCESS
The College will strive to promptly, equitably, and thoroughly investigate all complaints of
discrimination, harassment, or retaliation it receives. When the College has completed its
investigation of any complaint of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, the College will
inform both the Complainant and the subject of the complaint (“Respondent”) that the College has
concluded its investigation and the College’s determination as to whether sufficient evidence exists
to support the complaint. If it is determined that conduct in violation of this policy has occurred,
the College will act promptly to eliminate the offending conduct, and where appropriate may also
impose disciplinary action against the Respondent up to and including termination of employment
or dismissal from the College.
CONFIDENTIALITY
All actions taken to investigate and resolve complaints through this procedure shall be conducted
with as much privacy, discretion and confidentiality as possible without compromising the
thoroughness and fairness of the investigation. To conduct a thorough investigation, the
investigator(s) may discuss the complaint with witnesses, those persons involved in or affected by
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the complaint, and those persons necessary to assist in the investigation or to implement
appropriate disciplinary actions.
RETALIATION
Retaliation is taking materially adverse actions against someone because the individual has
engaged in legally protected activities. The College will not tolerate members of its community
taking adverse actions towards anyone who, in good faith, alleges discrimination, sexual
misconduct or harassment. Nor will the College tolerate retaliation against individuals for
cooperating with an investigation related to the individual’s complaint or another individual’s
discrimination complaint. If the College determines that any individual has engaged in retaliation
in violation of this policy, that individual will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including
termination of employment or dismissal from the College.
REPORTING SEXUAL ASSAULT
Sexual assault can cause significant harm to another person and is the most serious form of sexual
misconduct. Not only is it morally reprehensible, it is legally prohibited and can carry significant
penalties.
Given the seriousness of sexual assault, any incident of sexual assault should be immediately
reported to a Prefect, a Resident Director, the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, or the Title IX
Coordinator. The College will aid the victim in notifying local law enforcement officials
(Northfield Police Department) if the victim desires to do so. The victim is not required to notify
them. Note that students who become victims of sexual assault, or are witnesses of sexual assault,
while drinking to excess, violating curfew, or committing other similar infractions, will not be
sanctioned for such infractions when coming forward to report sexual assault.
The Assistant Dean will normally be the primary investigating officer of a complaint of sexual
assault. He will take all necessary measures to protect the privacy of the victim and all individuals
involved, including the accused, witnesses, and investigating officials of the College. All
individuals involved in the investigation and evaluation of complaints shall similarly treat all
information they learn as confidential and shall not disclose any such confidential information in
order to protect the privacy of all individuals involved in the process.
The Assistant Dean will make a report to a committee composed of the Dean and one other
senior member of the Instruction Committee. The small size of this committee is designed to
preserve as much as possible the anonymity of the complainant and the accused, and those officers
of the College are given the annual training for investigating and adjudicating cases of sexual
assault.
Given the serious harm caused by sexual assault, an offense of this kind normally results in
expulsion. In any case, the committee’s decision will be simultaneously communicated in writing
to all involved parties. Any appeal shall be to the President.
The College’s chaplains and counselor (Dr. Rick Cross, 978-835-9284) are available for
counseling the victim and the respondent. If a victim or respondent would like to seek off-campus
counseling, catholictherapists.com may be a helpful resource. In accordance with state law, the
College has designated the Student Support Coordinator (Emily Sullivan, 516-672-9235) as a
Confidential Resource Provider, who can provide further information to students or employees
about the process of reporting sexual assault, disciplinary and legal processes, available supportive
measures, and health or counseling services available on and off campus.
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GENERAL COMPLAINT PROCESS
The student who wishes to complain about a matter is to address the appropriate official either in
writing (which is preferable) or orally. The information below shows how to find the proper way
to address a complaint.
Academic Matters: For academic matters, such as grades or a recording error, see the College’s
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for details regarding the appropriate process for lodging a
complaint or making a request. Other complaints regarding academic matters should be addressed
to the Dean.
Student Life: Complaints regarding student life should be addressed to the Assistant Dean for
Student Affairs.
Further Recourse: Students are encouraged to first utilize the institutional complaint process
for lodging a complaint. See the information given above for directions on how to address a
complaint to the appropriate college official.
An individual may lodge a complaint with the College’s accreditor, the Western Association
of Schools and Colleges. The accreditor can be contacted at:
WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
1080 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 500
Alameda CA 94501
Website: http://www.wscuc.org
Telephone: (510)748-9001, extension 300
E-mail: [email protected]
Finally, an individual may contact the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education for
review of a complaint. The Department may be contacted at:
Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
Complaint Processing
One Ashburton Place, Room 1401
Boston, MA 02108
Website: https://www.mass.edu/forstufam/complaints/complaintform.asp
Telephone: 617-994-6963
FAX: 617-727-0955
The Department may refer any complaint it receives related to the College, including any
complaints related to institutional policies or procedures, or both, as determined by the
Department, to the College, the accrediting agency, or another appropriate entity for resolution.
The Department will notify both the complainant and the College of any such referral. The
Department shall retain the ability and responsibility to determine whether a referred complaint
remains pending or has been resolved.
DISCLOSURE
Thomas Aquinas College is an educational institution that is controlled by the Catholic Church
that takes seriously anti-discrimination provisions under federal and state law, and is committed
to providing a learning and living environment that promotes student safety, transparency, personal
integrity, civility and mutual respect. Thomas Aquinas College has not applied for the regulatory
exemption under Title IX, 34 C.F.R. section 106.12, but the Title IX statutory exemption provided
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by Congress, see 20 U.S.C. section 1681(a)(3), is self-executing. As an educational institution that
is controlled by the Catholic Church, Thomas Aquinas College is entitled to that statutory
exemption to the extent the application of Title IX is not consistent with the College’s Catholic
tenets.
Thomas Aquinas College also claims the religious organization exemption set forth in
Massachusetts General Laws c.151B, Section 1(5), and is free to operate with respect to matters
of employment, discipline, faith, internal organization, or ecclesiastical rule, custom, or law which
are calculated by Thomas Aquinas College to promote the Catholic principles for which it is
established or maintained.
The exemption may apply to, but is not limited to, requirements as expressed in College
policies including: the College’s founding document A Proposal for the Fulfillment of Catholic
Liberal Education – the College’s mission statement; the Polity; Faculty, Staff, and Student
Handbook; Tutor Guide; Code of Conduct; housing policies; religious practices and customs. We
retain all rights afforded us under federal law and the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
MASSACHUSETTS ANTI-HAZING STATUTE
Massachusetts General Laws
Chapter 269 – Crimes Against Public Peace
. . . .
Section 17: Hazing; organizing or participating; hazing defined
Section 17. Whoever is a principal organizer or participant in the crime of hazing, as defined
herein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than three thousand dollars or by imprisonment in
a house of correction for not more than one year, or both such fine and imprisonment.
The term ''hazing'' as used in this section and in sections eighteen and nineteen, shall mean any
conduct or method of initiation into any student organization, whether on public or private
property, which wilfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or
other person. Such conduct shall include whipping, beating, branding, forced calisthenics,
exposure to the weather, forced consumption of any food, liquor, beverage, drug or other
substance, or any other brutal treatment or forced physical activity which is likely to adversely
affect the physical health or safety of any such student or other person, or which subjects such
student or other person to extreme mental stress, including extended deprivation of sleep or rest or
extended isolation.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section to the contrary, consent shall not be
available as a defense to any prosecution under this action.
Section 18: Failure to report hazing
Section 18. Whoever knows that another person is the victim of hazing as defined in section
seventeen and is at the scene of such crime shall, to the extent that such person can do so without
danger or peril to himself or others, report such crime to an appropriate law enforcement official
as soon as reasonably practicable. Whoever fails to report such crime shall be punished by a fine
of not more than one thousand dollars.
Section 19: Copy of Secs. 17 to 19; issuance to students and student groups, teams and
organizations; report
Section 19. Each institution of secondary education and each public and private institution of
post secondary education shall issue to every student group, student team or student organization
which is part of such institution or is recognized by the institution or permitted by the institution
to use its name or facilities or is known by the institution to exist as an unaffiliated student group,
student team or student organization, a copy of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen;
provided, however, that an institution's compliance with this section's requirements that an
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institution issue copies of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen to unaffiliated student
groups, teams or organizations shall not constitute evidence of the institution's recognition or
endorsement of said unaffiliated student groups, teams or organizations.
Each such group, team or organization shall distribute a copy of this section and sections seventeen
and eighteen to each of its members, plebes, pledges or applicants for membership. It shall be the
duty of each such group, team or organization, acting through its designated officer, to deliver
annually, to the institution an attested acknowledgement stating that such group, team or
organization has received a copy of this section and said sections seventeen and eighteen, that each
of its members, plebes, pledges, or applicants has received a copy of sections seventeen and
eighteen, and that such group, team or organization understands and agrees to comply with the
provisions of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen.
Each institution of secondary education and each public or private institution of post secondary
education shall, at least annually, before or at the start of enrollment, deliver to each person who
enrolls as a full time student in such institution a copy of this section and sections seventeen and
eighteen.
Each institution of secondary education and each public or private institution of post secondary
education shall file, at least annually, a report with the board of higher education and in the case
of secondary institutions, the board of education, certifying that such institution has complied with
its responsibility to inform student groups, teams or organizations and to notify each full time
student enrolled by it of the provisions of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen and also
certifying that said institution has adopted a disciplinary policy with regard to the organizers and
participants of hazing, and that such policy has been set forth with appropriate emphasis in the
student handbook or similar means of communicating the institution's policies to its students. The
board of higher education and, in the case of secondary institutions, the board of education shall
promulgate regulations governing the content and frequency of such reports, and shall forthwith
report to the attorney general any such institution which fails to make such report.
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APPENDIX
XIX. FIRST DAY ASSIGNMENTS AND SEMINAR SCHEDULES
FIRST DAY ASSIGNMENTS FRESHMEN – SENIOR
Freshman
Mathematics Read the definitions, postulates, and common notions from Book 1 of
Euclid’s Elements.
Natural Science Read The Insect World of J. Henri Fabre, chapters 1 through 3, pages 1-31.
Language Read the assignment found in the following pages of this appendix to the
Handbook.
Philosophy Read Plato’s Meno, 70-80b.
Theology Read Ecclesiastes.
Sophomores
Mathematics Read Plato’s Timaeus 17a-34b;
Also read Exercises 1-4 in the Ptolemy Manual and start working on
them as soon as possible.
Natural Science In The Measurement Manual, read chapters 1-3, On the Equilibrium of
Liquids, pages 55-67.
Language Read the essay “Grammar as a Liberal Art” on pages 1-7 of the manual.
Philosophy Consider first what you would judge to be the proper starting point for
the study of nature (e.g. chemistry, mathematical physics, Fabre) and
then study carefully chapter 1, Book I of Aristotle’s Physics
Theology Read St. Augustine’s On Christian Doctrine, Prologue and Book 1,
chapters I-IX.
Juniors
Mathematics 1. Read Apollonius Book II, props 44-46, prepare 46 for demonstration.
2. Read Preliminary Note on Analysis at beginning of the Math Manual (this
does not include the example of analysis at the bottom of the page).
Natural Science Read Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning Two New Sciences, pages 1-15
Philosophy Read Book I, chapters 1-3 of Aristotle’s Ethics.
Music 1. Read excerpts from Thomas Aquinas College Bulletin of Information
(enclosed as part of this appendix to the Handbook).
2. In the Junior Music Manual, read Boethius, Five Books on Music, Book
I, Chapter 1.
Theology Read St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae, Prologue, question 1,
articles 1-2. Review Aristotle’s Posterior Analytics, Book I, chapters 2 and 13.
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Seniors
Mathematics Read the Introduction to the Senior Mathematics manual (pages 1-5) and
prepare the problems on the enclosed assignment sheet.
Natural Science Geometrical Optics (Manual, pp. 3–6); Lab 1 (Lab Manual, pp. 2–4).
Philosophy Read Aristotle’s Physics, Book III, chapter i, 200b7-25; Book IV,
chapter 1.
Theology Read St. Thomas’ Summa Theologiae, part I, question 13, articles 1-2. How
are they praecognoscenda for the investigation of the Trinity?
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FIRST ASSIGNMENT FOR LANGUAGE I
The course will begin with a discussion of language and grammar lasting perhaps a week. A more
detailed discussion of grammar will be integrated with the details of the Latin to be learned over
the semester. Prepare for the first class by considering the first four questions.
QUESTIONS ON SIGNS
First Assignment
1. What is a sign?
2. Is the cause or reason why something is significant always the same, at least in general?
Or, in other words, are all signs of the same general type?
3. If there is more than one general type of sign, what would seem to be the best general
division of signs?
4. Compare significant sounds of voice with other signs. Then compare them among
themselves: are all vocal signs of the same general type?
Second Assignment
5. In this connection, consider words (and speech): how do they differ from other significant
sounds?
6. What is the most obvious difference between a word and speech?
7. Are all words meaningful? Are all words meaningful by themselves? Consider the various
ways in which words can have meanings. In particular, consider the following examples:
a) Man, anger, just, justice, runs, running, quickly.
b) in, over, through, concerning.
c) and, if, but, or.
8. As regards meaning, what is the difference between the part of a word and a part of speech?
How about compound words (like blackbird)—are their parts also parts of speech?
9. What is it that can never be expressed by a word, but only by speech? What is a sentence?
QUESTIONS ON SENTENCES
Third Assignment
10. Some sentences have many parts, while others have only a few. What are the essential parts
of every sentence—no matter how short? Or, to put it otherwise, what is the basic structure
of the sentence, according to which every sentence must be analyzed?
11. Are there many kinds of sentences? (Give examples.) Do all of these participate equally in
the nature of a sentence?
Having considered these questions, read chapter I (pp. 1-7) in Nesfield’s Aid to the Study and
Composition of English.
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FIRST ASSIGNMENT FOR MUSIC III
Excerpts from the Thomas Aquinas College Bulletin of Information
The liberal arts are first in the order of learning. The objects of these seven arts are constructed
within the intellect, not outside, as are the objects of the technical arts. The carpenter’s house, the
health of the doctor’s patient, and the republic fashioned by the statesman all exist apart from the
mind; the objects of the liberal arts do not. The principles proper to these arts are formally studied
in tutorials.
Three of these arts, grammar, rhetoric, and logic (the trivium), concern themselves with the
ways in which we naturally order our thoughts and express that order in speech. Hence these arts
are concerned with words and the various forms of verbal expression such as sentences and their
grammatical parts, the various forms of logical argument, and so forth. The four remaining liberal
arts, the quadrivium, (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music) are all mathematical and
concern themselves not with the tools of thought itself, but with things which come first in the
order of contemplative learning. Mathematics—etymologically the “learnable things”—has long
been understood as essential to the early part of a philosophical education. As they discover the
beautiful intelligibility of mathematical beings, students are also led to cultivate intellectual
discipline, a sense of wonder, and a character predisposed to the love of order and beauty.
Music Tutorial
The remaining part of the quadrivium is studied separately. The philosophers of antiquity
recognized the hearing and making of great music — especially vocal music — as a necessary part
of the acquisition of good character and an important preparation for a well-grounded study of
ethics. The theoretical study of music follows this preparation; through it one discovers the inner
mathematical structure of music and what may be called its audible syntax, and music’s power to
manifest beauty and move the heart is explained. Like the arts of the trivium, music also has its
own special notation, which must be learned as well. Because of music’s kinship with moral
philosophy, these are studied together in the junior year.
58 | P a g e
PROBLEMS FOR FIRST ASSIGNMENT FOR MATHEMATICS IV
1. If y is a function of x, what does
mean?
2. If y is a function of x, what does mean?
3. How are the operations specified in questions 1 and 2 related?
4. Find the first derivative of the following functions:
a) x
3
- x
2
+ x - 1
b) x
-1
+ ½x
-2
c) (x
2
– 1)
1/2
5. Find the indefinite integral of the following functions:
a) 2x
b) 5x
6
+ 6x
7
c) x
-2
d) -2x
-3
dx
dy
b
a
ydx
59 | P a g e
FRESHMAN SEMINAR READING SCHEDULE
2024-2025
DATE
READING
DATE
READING
Aug. 27
Homer: Iliad
Bks. I-V
Jan. 21
Aristotle: Poetics
Chs. 1-15
Sep. 3
Bks. VI-XII
Jan. 27*
Chs. 16-26
Sep. 10
Bks. XIII-XVIII
Feb. 4
Sophocles: Antigone
Sep. 17
Bks. XIX-XXIV
Feb. 11
Euripides: Hippolytus
Sep. 24
Plato: Ion
Feb. 18
Thucydides:
History of the Peloponnesian War
Bks. I & II
Oct. 1
Homer: Odyssey
Bks. I-VIII
Feb. 25
Bks. III, IV, V 84-116
Oct. 8
Bks. IX-XVI
Mar. 4
Bks. VI 1-32, VII, VIII
Oct. 15
Bks. XVII-XXIV
Mar.
10*
Plutarch: Lives
Alcibiades, Alexander
Oct. 22
Aeschylus: Agamemnon
Mar. 18
Aristotle: Rhetoric
Bk. I, chs. 1-10
Bk. II, ch. 1
Oct. 29
Aeschylus:
Libation Bearers, Eumenides
Mar. 25
Aristophanes: The Birds, The Clouds
Nov. 5
Herodotus: Histories
Bk. I
Apr. 1
Plato: Republic
Bks. I & II
Nov. 12
Bk. V 62-78, 89-107
Bks VI & VII
Apr. 8
Bks. III & IV
Nov. 19
Bks. VIII & IX
Apr. 15
Bks. V & VI
Nov. 26
Sophocles: Oedipus Tyrannus
Apr. 29
Bks. VII & VIII
Dec. 3
Sophocles: Oedipus at Colonus
May 6
Bks. IX & X
Dec. 10
Plutarch: Lives
Lycurgus, Pericles, Aristides
May 13
Plato: Symposium
*Seminar takes place on Monday.
60 | P a g e
SOPHOMORE SEMINAR READING SCHEDULE
2024-2025
DATE
READING
DATE
READING
Aug. 27
Virgil: Aeneid
Bks. I-VI
Jan. 21
Boethius: Consolation of Philosophy
Bks. I, II, III
Sep. 3
Bks. VII-XII
Jan. 27*
Bks. IV-V
Sep. 10
Livy: The Rise of Rome
Preface, Bk. I-Bk. II, ch. 23
Feb. 4
Dante: Divine Comedy
Inferno Cantos I-XVII
Sep. 17
Plutarch: Lives:
Marcellus, Tiberius Gracchus,
Caius Gracchus, Caius Marius
Feb. 11
Cantos XVIII-XXXIV
Sep. 24
Lucretius: On the Nature of
Things
Bks. I-III
Feb. 18
Purgatorio Cantos I-XVII
Oct. 1
Bks. IV-VI
Feb. 25
Cantos XVIII-XXXIII
Oct. 8
Plutarch: Lives:
Caesar, Cato the Younger, Marcus
Brutus, Comparison of Dion and
Brutus
Mar. 4
Paradiso Cantos I-XVII
Oct. 15
Cicero: On Duties
Mar.
10*
Cantos XVIII-XXXIII
Oct. 22
Tacitus: Annals
Bks. I-III.19
(pp. 3-105)
Mar. 18
Chaucer: Canterbury Tales Prologue,
Knight’s Tale, Words Between Host & Miller,
Miller’s Tale, Reeve’s Prologue,
Prioress’s Prologue & Tale, Nun’s Priest Tale,
Words of Host to Nun’s Priest
Oct. 29
Bks. III.19-VI
(pp. 105-214)
Mar. 25
Words Between Summoner & Friar, Wife of
Bath’s Prologue & Tale, Friar’s Prologue,
Clerk’s Prologue & Tale, Franklin’s Prologue
& Tale, Chaucer’s Envoy to the Clerk’s Tale
Nov. 5
Epictetus: Manual
Apr. 1
Words of Host to Physician & Pardoner,
Pardoner’s Prologue, Pardoner’s Tale,
Parson’s Prologue, Parson's Tale (this reading
is in the Sophomore Readings Manual)
Nov. 12
St. Augustine: Confessions
Bks. I-IV
Apr. 8
The Pearl Poet: Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight
Nov. 19
Bks. V-VIII
Apr. 15
Spenser: Faerie Queen
The First Book
Nov. 26
Bks. IX-X
Apr. 29
St. Augustine: The Teacher
Dec. 3
Bk. XI
May 6
St. Thomas Aquinas: The Teacher
Article I
Dec. 10
Bks. XII-XIII
May 13
Articles II, III, IV
*Seminar takes place on Monday.
61 | P a g e
JUNIOR SEMINAR READING SCHEDULE
2024-2025 (FIRST SEMESTER)
DATE
READING
DATE
READING
Aug. 26
Cervantes: Don Quixote
Part I (Incl. Cervantes’ Prologue and Poems)
Oct. 21
III-IV
Aug. 29
Part II
Oct. 24
V-VI
Sept. 2
St. Thomas Aquinas: On Kingship,
Summa Theologiae I-II, Q. 105, Art. 1
Oct. 28
Shakespeare: Macbeth
Sept. 5
Machiavelli: The Prince
Oct. 31
Shakespeare: Othello
Sep. 9
Machiavelli: Discourses
Dedicatory Letter, Preface, Discourses 1-20
Nov. 4
Pascal: Pensees
Section I: Fragments 1-382
Penguin edition only
Sep. 12
Shakespeare: Julius Caesar
Nov. 7
Section II: Series 1-11, 19-24, 30
Section III: Series 32-33
Penguin edition only
Sep. 16
Shakespeare: King Richard II
Nov. 11
Shakespeare: Hamlet
Sep. 19
Shakespeare: King Henry IV, Part I
Nov. 14
Shakespeare: King Lear
Sep. 23
Luther: The Freedom of a Christian
(including An Open Letter to Pope Leo X)
Nov. 18
Hobbes: Leviathan
Letter Dedicatory, Introduction,
and Ch. 1-10
Sep. 26
Cajetan: On Faith and Works- Against the
Lutherans
The Council of Trent: “Decree Concerning
Justification”
Nov. 21
Ch. 11-19
Sep. 30
Bacon: The Great Instauration
Preamble, Letter of Dedication, Preface, and
Plan of the Work
The New Organon
Author’s Preface, Book I
Nov. 25
Ch. 20, 21, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31
Oct. 3
Bk. II, Aphorisms I-XXI,
and Aphorism LII (52)
Dec. 2
Ch. 32, 33, 35, 38, 39, 44
(paragraphs 1-10), 46 (pp. 453-68), 47
(pp. 477-84),
Review and Conclusion
Oct. 7
Descartes: Rules for Guiding One’s
Intelligence in Searching for the Truth
I-XIV
Dec. 5
Spinoza: Theological-Political Treatise
Preface, Chapters 1-6
Oct. 10
Descartes: Discourse on the Method for
Guiding One’s Reason and Searching for
Truth in the Sciences
Dec. 9
Chapters 7, 11-16, 19, 20
Oct. 17
Descartes: Meditations
Letter of Dedication,
Summary, Meditations I, II
Dec. 12
Shakespeare: Twelfth Night
62 | P a g e
JUNIOR SEMINAR READING SCHEDULE
2024-2025 (SECOND SEMESTER)
DATE
READING
DATE
READING
Jan. 16
Milton: Paradise Lost
I-VI (incl. Milton’s note on the verse)
Mar. 17
Rousseau: Social Contract
Jan. 20
VII-XII
Mar. 20
Kant: Critique of Pure Reason
(see reading schedule)
Jan. 23
Corneille: Le Cid
Racine: Phedre (incl. the Preface by
Racine)
Mar. 24
Kant: see reading schedule
Jan. 27
Locke: Essay Concerning Human
Understanding (Abridged version)
Introduction, Bk. II
Chs. I-XIII, XXI-XXIII, XXVII
Mar. 27
Kant: see reading schedule
Jan. 30
(Abridged version)
Bk. IV Chs. I-IV, IX-XI, XVII-XIX
Mar. 31
Kant: see reading schedule
Feb. 3
Locke: Second Essay on Civil
Government
Chs. I-XI, XIX
(Omit §§ 64-76, 100-122)
Apr. 3
Kant: see reading schedule
Feb. 6
Berkeley: Treatise Concerning the
Principles of Human Knowledge
Apr. 7
Shakespeare: The Tempest
Feb. 10
Hume: Enquiry Concerning Human
Understanding
Sects. I - VII
Apr. 10
Kant: see reading schedule
Feb. 13
Sects. VIII-XII
Apr. 14
Kant: see reading schedule
Feb. 20
Swift: Gulliver’s Travels
I-II (Incl. Advertisement, Letter, and
note to the reader)
Apr. 24
Declaration of Independence,
Articles of Confederation, Resolution,
Letter, United States Constitution,
Massachusetts Constitution (excerpt),
Publius, The Federalist, # 1, 2, 6, 9
Feb. 24
III-IV
Apr. 28
10, 14-15, 23, 30-31, 37, 39-46, 55
Feb. 27
Gibbon: Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire (New Penguin edition only–
edited by Womersley) prefaces, pp. 3-8;
chs. 1-3: pp. 9-87;
ch. 15: pp. 121-188
Include Gibbon’s footnotes.
May 1
47-49, 51, 54, 62-63, 69, 70, 78, 84-85
Mar. 3
(New Penguin edition only–edited by
Womersley) chs. 23-24: pp. 230-326; ch.
28: pp. 334-360; General Observations on
the Fall of the Roman Empire in the
West, pp. 434-443
May 5
Acts and Resolutions Concerning Slavery
(in Manual); Lincoln: Young Men’s Lyceum
Address, Speech at Peoria, Cooper Union
Address, Portion of Dred Scott Decision
Mar. 6
Leibniz: Discourse on Metaphysics
I-XIX
May 8
Lincoln: House Divided Speech; Sixth and
Seventh Lincoln-Douglas Debates; Lincoln:
Speech in Independence Hall, First
Inauguration, Gettysburg Address, Second
Inauguration
Mar. 10
XX-XXXVII
May 12
Shakespeare et alii: Sonnets
Mar. 13
Rousseau: Discourse on the Origin of
Inequality
(incl. letter, preface, and endnotes)
63 | P a g e
SCHEDULE OF READINGS FOR KANT’S CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON
SEMINAR
SUBJECT
A/B PAGES
PLUHAR
PAGES
Mar. 20
Table of Contents
Bacon Quotation
Preface to 2
nd
Edition
Introduction to 2
nd
Edition
Bii
Bvii-xliv
B1-30
viii-xvi
2
15-40
43-68
Mar. 24
Transcendental Aesthetic
A19/B33 – B73
71-104
Mar. 27
Intro to Transcendental Logic
Analytic of Concepts
A50/B74 – A64/B88
A64/B89 – A95/B129
105-117
117-150
Mar. 31
Transcendental Deduction (2
nd
ed.)
B130 – B169
175-203
Apr. 3
Analytic of Principles
Supreme Principle of All Synthetic Judgments
List of Kant’s Principles for Judgments
Analogies of Experience
2
nd
Analogy
Analogies of Experience, Concl.
A130/B169-A150
A154-B202
Junior Reading Manual
A176/B218-B219
A189/B232-A193/B238
A215/B262-A218/B265
204-221
225-233
247-248
259-263
280-282
Apr. 10
Transcendental Dialectic, Intro
Trans. Ideas, 1
st
Paralogism
Antinomy of Pure Reason
1st Antinomy
3
rd
Antinomy
A293/B349-A310
A321/B378-A351
A405/B432-A420/B448
A426/B454-A433/B461
A444/B472-A451/B479
346-361
367-389
442-453
458-464
473-479
Apr. 14
Solutions to 1
st
and 3
rd
Antinomies
Ideal of Pure Reason
Proofs of God’s Existence
A490/B518 – A507/B535
A532/B560 – A537/B565
A567/B595 – A583/B611
A590/B618 – A630/B658
506-517
535-539
560-572
577-608
64 | P a g e
SENIOR SEMINAR READING SCHEDULE
2024-2025 (FIRST SEMESTER)
DATE
READING
DATE
READING
Aug. 26
Tolstoy: War and Peace
Bks. I-II
Oct. 21
Phenomenology, Ch. 8 (“Absolute Knowing”),
pp. 479-493
Aug. 29
Bks. III-IV, Epilogues
Oct. 24
Feuerbach: Essence of Christianity
Preface to 2nd Edition, Chs. 1-4, 20, 27
Sept. 2
Smith: Wealth of Nations
Intro & Plan of the Whole Work;
Bk. I: Chs. 1-9, Concl. of Ch. 11
Oct. 28
Jane Austen: Emma
Sept. 5
Bk. II: Intro, Chs. 1 & 3;
Bk. III: Chs. 1 & 4;
Bk. IV: Intro, Chs. 2 & 9
Oct. 31
Tocqueville: Democracy in America,
Vol. 1:
Author’s Intro;
Part 1, chs. 2-4, 5*;
Part 2, chs. 1, 5
*read from the beginning of the chapter up to the
section titled “On the County in New England”
Sep. 9
Bk. V, Ch. 1:
Parts 1 & 2;
Articles 2 & 3 of Part 3;
Bk. V, Ch. 2: Intro of Part 2
(pp. 887-890 in Modern Library edition)
Nov. 4
Volume 1:
Part 2, chs. 6-7, 9, 10*
*read untitled introductory remarks, the section titled
“Position that the Black Race Occupies in The United
States,” and Conclusion
Sep. 12
Kant: Critique of Pure Reason
Canon of Pure Reason (pp. 728-754)
Groundwork to the Metaphysics of
Morals, Preface & Section 1
Nov. 7
Volume 2:
Notice
Parts 1, chs. 1-2, 5-11, 20
Part 2 [complete]
Sep. 16
Kant: Groundwork to the Metaphysics
of Morals Sections 2 & 3
Nov. 11
Volume 2:
Part 3, chs. 1, 8-12, 17-19, 21
Part 4 [complete]
Sep. 19
Flaubert: Three Tales
Nov. 14
Twain: Huckleberry Finn
Sep. 23
Goethe: Faust, Part 1
Nov. 18
Tocqueville: The Old Regime and the Revolution
Preface
Books 1 and 2
Sep. 26
Part 2
Nov. 21
Book 3 (omit appendix)
Sep. 30
Hegel: Phenomenology of Spirit
Intro and Ch. 1 (“Sense Certainty”),
pp. 46-66
Nov. 25
Marx: Economic and Philosophical
Manuscripts (Struik ed. only) pp.63-4, 106-
69
(Preface, Estranged Labor, Antithesis of Capital & Labor,
Private Property & Labor, Private Property & Communism,
Meaning of Human Requirements, Power of Money in
Bourgeois Society )
Oct. 3
Phenomenology, Ch. 4 Intro and Part A
(“Independence & Dependence…”),
pp. 104-119
Dec. 2
Marx & Engels: The German Ideology
Part I: Feuerbach
Suppl. Texts: Theses on Feuerbach
Oct. 7
Phenomenology, Ch. 4 Part B
(“Freedom of Self-Consciousness”),
pp. 119-138
Dec. 5
Marx: Capital
Ch. 1; Ch.6; Ch. 7, sect. 2; Ch. 9, sect. 1
Oct. 10
Phenomenology, Ch. 6 Intro and Part A
(“The True Spirit: The Ethical Order”),
pp. 263-294
Dec. 9
Marx & Engels: Communist Manifesto
Engels: Quantity and Quality,
Negation of the Negation
Oct. 17
Phenomenology, Ch. 7, Intro and Part C
(“Revealed Religion”),
pp. 410-416, 453-478
Dec. 12
Henrik Ibsen: A Doll’s House
65 | P a g e
SENIOR SEMINAR READING SCHEDULE
2024-2025 (SECOND SEMESTER)
DATE
READING
DATE
READING
Jan. 16
Dostoyevsky: Brothers Karamazov
Parts I-III
Mar. 13
Lectures 19-20, 24-28
Jan. 20
Part IV
Mar. 17
Selected Poems of Keats, Hopkins, and
Stevens
Jan. 23
Nietzsche: On the Advantage and
Disadvantage of History
Mar. 20
Jung: Analytical Psychology 1st Essay
Jan. 27
Nietzsche: On the Genealogy of
Morality
Preface, First Treatise
Mar. 24
Eliot: The Waste-Land (include Eliot’s
endnotes), Journey of the Magi
Jan. 30
Second Treatise
Mar. 27
Joyce: Dubliners (four selections):
Eveline, A Little Cloud,
A Painful Case, The Dead
Feb. 3
Third Treatise
Mar. 31
St. Thomas Aquinas: The Division and
Methods of the Sciences
Question 5, art. 1-3
Feb. 6
Kierkegaard: Fear and Trembling
Apr. 3
Question 5, art. 4
and Question 6, art. 1
Feb. 10
Kierkegaard: Philosophical Fragments
I-III (including the Appendix to III)
Apr. 7
Heidegger: Introduction to Metaphysics
Lecture 1
Feb. 13
IV (including the Interlude) and V
Apr. 10
Faulkner: The Bear
(in Go Down, Moses)
Feb. 20
Cather: My Antonia
Apr. 14
Pius X: Pascendi Dominici Gregis
Feb. 24
Newman: An Essay on the
Development of Christian Doctrine
Introduction, Chs. 1-2
Apr. 24
Leo XIII: Aeterni Patris
Pius XII: Humani Generis
Feb. 27
Chs. 3-5
Apr. 28
Leo XIII: Rerum Novarum
Pius XI: Quadragesimo Anno
Mar. 3
Ch. 6: Introduction;
Section 1: 1-15, 30;
Section 3: Introduction, §3
Ch. 7: Introduction; §1-4
Chs. 8-12
May 1
O’Connor: A Good Man is Hard to Find,
The Enduring Chill (in Complete Stories)
Mar. 6
Conrad: Heart of Darkness
May 5
John Paul II: Veritatis Splendor
Mar. 10
Freud: Intro. Lectures on
Psychoanalysis
Lectures 1-2, 4-7, 16
May 8
Plato: Phaedrus