To change a last name, the student should submit the following to the Student Records Office:
To change the first name and/or complete name, the student must submit the court document containing the name change.
A person may use any name desired as long as there is no intent to defraud; however, the legal name is required by the college for official records purposes.
Name changes may be obtained through Family Court.
Valid legal documents for names include:
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Students who believe they qualify for an adjustment of their residency status should contact the Admissions Office and complete a petition to change their residency, along with appropriate supporting documentation. Submission of a change of address to the college does not automatically result in a change of residency status for tuition purposes.
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According to Midlands Technical College policy, faculty, staff and students shall not bring children to class nor leave children unattended on campus. In addition, children should not be brought to sponsored events unless it is noted as an event designed for the entire family. This policy is designed to support a classroom environment conducive to learning and to avoid unsafe conditions for minors. The college assumes no responsibility for the supervision of faculty members’, staff members’ or students’ children. Midlands Technical College’s child-care referral manual can help students identify a child-care provider to meet their needs. Manuals are available in the Student Life Office on each campus for viewing or online at www.midlandstech.edu/studentlife/stureferral.html.
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Contact the manager of the college store on the appropriate campus for information and ordering procedure. Class rings may be purchased online through the college store web site.
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Full-Time — A student enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours per term.
Part-Time — A student enrolled for fewer than 12 credit hours per term.
Half-Time — A student enrolled in 6-11.5 credit hours per term
Freshman — A student who has earned up to 29.99 credit hours.
Sophomore — A student who has earned 30 or more credit hours.
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In accordance with college policy on campus environment, Midlands Technical College intends to provide an atmosphere conducive to learning. Adherence to Student Code standards such as mutual respect and academic integrity is expected of all students. At the beginning of each term, instructors will identify specific departmental and course requirements, including classroom conduct expectations, attendance requirements, and grading practices, in the syllabus and/or departmental policy statements.
Students should refrain from disruptive activities, included but not limited to sleeping in class; entering class after it has started (tardiness); behaving disrespectfully toward the instructor or other students; speaking during instructional activities; and using beepers, cell phones and watch alarms during class. If an extenuating circumstance exists so that an electronic device is required, the student must clear the use of such a device with the instructor in advance and set the device to silent mode. Class time missed to use the device may count against attendance. Adherence to all course and departmental requirements is the responsibility of the student. Violation of student conduct requirements could result in disciplinary actions, under the Student Code.
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In the event weather conditions or other emergencies cause the closing of Midlands Technical College, announcements will be made over local radio and TV stations, on the MTC Web site, and on the college’s information line. Notices also will be sent to student Campus Cruiser Mail when applicable. Please do not call the radio stations, TV stations or the administrative staff of the college for this information. Separate announcements may be made for day and evening classes as weather conditions change during the day. Please stay tuned to local radio and TV stations to receive the latest bulletins. The college’s web site and information line will be continually updated.
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(See Student Life.)
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Maroon and bronze
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Mustang
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All directories, files, data programs, mail, etc., located on the college-owned computer systems are the property of Midlands Technical College. The college’s computer resources are provided to support the education of students and perform the administrative functions of the college. The use of college computing resources to produce data, programs, reports and other information for personal gain is prohibited. The systems manager will monitor all activity and the contents of directories to ensure appropriate use.
The Education unit will function as manager of all computing products created by students. These products include, but will not be limited to, computer programs, files, directories, data and printouts. Students who illegally access computer files or otherwise abuse computing resources and privileges will be subject to discipline under college guidelines and will be subject, as well, to appropriate civil and criminal action.
(Please also consult Appendix IV: Guidelines for Responsible Computer Use.)
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Economic development of the Midlands through the training of individuals and organizations — business, industrial, governmental, professional and civic — and support of lifelong learning is central to the college’s mission. Short courses, seminars, workshops and conferences are offered to the general public, business and industry throughout the year to upgrade job skills, enhance professional development and explore personal interests. Additionally, in-house training programs can be developed quickly and presented expertly in response to requests from business and industry.
The Division of Continuing Education and Economic Development offers a mixture of day and night classes on all Midlands Technical College campuses to make continuing education courses accessible to busy adults. Formal admission to the college is not necessary for registration in continuing education courses. A separate catalogue of Continuing Education offerings is published three times per year and may be obtained by calling 732-0432. A schedule of classes may also be accessed on the Continuing Education web page at www.mtctraining.com.
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Cooperative Education and internships offer the integration of academic study and career related work experience. Students have an opportunity to test career choices, gain work experience, and earn money while pursuing a college degree. For employers, cooperative education and internships are a highly cost-effective approach to supplementing their existing workforce, evaluating potential hires and providing valuable services to their organization. Interested in gaining real world experience? Check out our Web site at www.midlandstech.edu/ses or visit the Student Employment Services Office.
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Counselors are available to help all enrolled, prospective students and alumni develop career goals. Before individuals can decide what career fields to pursue, they need to evaluate their job-related abilities, interests, values, needs and potential. They also need to explore the world of work to determine what career best satisfies their own interests, personalities and objectives. Various interest inventories and career planning instruments are available to assist in the career planning process. Counselors are also available to assist students who are experiencing academic and personal difficulties. To ensure counselor availability, students should schedule an appointment.
The college provides services to students with disabilities, with appropriate documentation, to help them gain access to academic opportunities at the college. Counselors support and assist students in defining their personal, educational and career goals. Services include academic and career planning, special orientation sessions, assistive technology, readers, writers, interpreters and a support group. Assistive technology is available to assist students in the college libraries, Student Academic Success Centers and in Counseling and Career Services. Students with hearing impairments may use telecommunications TTY Super Print 400 phone equipment located in the Airport Campus Student Information Center (822-3401), the Airport Campus Counseling and Career Services office (822-3021), the Beltline Campus Counseling and Career Services office (738-7164), and the Beltline Campus Information Center (738-7800). Additional TTY phones have been installed in the Airport Campus Academic Center and the Beltline Campus Student Center.
The undecided majors program is a transitional program that allows students who are unsure of their career choice to explore career and academic options. Students are limited to 12 semester hours of college-level course work in this program. Counselors help students in the undecided majors program choose courses that introduce them to fields in which they show interest. Students in this program are also advised to take those courses that are applicable to most programs. Students in the undecided majors program should contact Counseling and Career Services to schedule appointments for academic advisement. Counseling and Career Services is located in the Airport Student Center, room 237, on the Airport Campus, and in the Beltline Student Center, room 239, on the Beltline Campus.
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Full-time enrollment is a minimum of 12 credit hours. The maximum course load is 18 credit hours. Permission to exceed 18 hours per term must be granted by the appropriate department chair. Students on academic probation are recommended to take no more than 12 credit hours. See Academic Progress.
In some instances, students with documented disabilities may qualify for full-time course enrollment at less than 12 credit hours for insurance purposes. Students seeking to qualify for full-time status at less than 12 credit hours should contact Counseling and Career Services.
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On May 14, 2002, the Governor of South Carolina signed the “Criminal Records Checks of Direct Care Staff” into law, effective July 1, 2002. This law requires that background checks be conducted on all individuals who provide direct patient care to residents of nursing homes, day care facilities for adults, home health agencies or community residential care facilities. This new law will affect students in MTC Nursing, Health Science and Human Services programs who become direct caregivers once employed in a direct care position. For anyone employed as a direct caregiver, the law requires a SLED check for individuals who can prove they have been a SC resident for the past 12 months and an FBI check for out of state residents.
In addition, the South Carolina Hospital Association has determined that a criminal records check is required for all students prior to progression into the Health Science and Nursing clinical courses in designated programs. In addition, conviction of certain crimes may make a student ineligible to apply for licensure, ineligible to take certification exams, and/or ineligible to apply for employment in certain fields. Students and applicants should reference and talk with the program director or designee regarding questions of eligibility. In addition, many health care facilities require employees and/or participants in clinical rotations to take a drug test. Students may be subject to drug testing in accordance with facility policy. For more information, go the DHEC website at www.scdhec.net/HR.
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The college procedure for collection of debts is as follows: Three notices will be mailed to the billing address currently on file with the college. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure this address is correct. Students receiving financial assistance are responsible to ensure their requirements for grants, loans or scholarships received have been met each semester. If the account becomes 90 days past due and the third notice is mailed, the account will be forwarded to a collection agency for further collection efforts. The college will assess all collection costs to the student’s account balance. Midlands Technical College employs third party agencies to collect delinquent student accounts. By registering for classes, you are acknowledging responsibility to pay any expenses incurred by the college to collect your account, should it become delinquent. All communication after this time must be directed to the collection agency.
After the account has been with the collection agency a year and the student is not in repayment status, the balance will be submitted to the South Carolina Department of Revenue. The South Carolina Department of Revenue will withhold the amount due to Midlands Technical College, plus a $25.00 administrative fee, from the student’s tax refund. If the refundable amount is not sufficient to cover the entire balance owed to the college the first year, the account balance will be resubmitted each year thereafter until the full balance is satisfied.
After the tax refund period is over, the South Carolina Department of Revenue will continue collection efforts through the Governmental Enterprise Accounts Receivable (GEAR) program. The GEAR program is an accelerated collection effort which includes, but is not limited to, the garnishment of wages; levy and seizure of bank accounts or any other tangible asset; seizure and sale of any real or personal property; the issuance of a lien which will encumber all of your property, both real and personal, tangible and intangible; and the revocation of any sales tax license.
In addition, when debts are owed to the college, holds are placed on future registration, transcript releases and other similar functions.
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The college awards associate degrees, diplomas and certificates upon the successful completion of the required course work as prescribed by the program model. For students to graduate, they must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or better; satisfy all financial obligations to the college; and complete an Application for Graduation form and return it to the department chair for processing. All graduates must have earned a minimum of 25 percent of their program course work at Midlands Technical College.