Policies and Procedures

Table of contents

1. Admission Policy 

2. Attendance Policy

3. Withdrawal/Dismissal Policy

4. Dispute Resolution/Grade Appeal Policy

5. Privacy policy

1. Admission Policy

Policy:

Oshio College of Acupuncture and Herbology (OCAH) seeks students who show the potential to become caring, dedicated and skilled practitioners of Traditional Oriental Medicine, and who can demonstrate the maturity and preparation necessary to undertake the challenges of the program. Oshio College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity. Admission is open to all qualified applicants. Equal educational opportunities will be provided to all persons, regardless of race, religion, gender, national origin, marital status, sexual preference, age or physical handicap.

Admissions Procedure: 

1. Oshio College’s receptionist refers all inquiries to the Admissions      Representative.
2. The Admission representative meets with the prospective student to discuss the program of interest. If the student is un-decided about a program of study, the admission representative gives the prospective student information about a number of programs so that the student can make an informed decision.
3. Once the student has decided on a program of study, the admission representative reviews the admission criteria for the program with the student to ensure that he/she meets all of the criteria.
4. The admission representative obtains evidence (eg. Transcript, proof of age, etc.) from the student that he/she meets all of the program’s admission criteria and places the evidence in the student file.The admission criteria can not be waived by either the school or the applicant.
5. After  receiving evidence that the prospective student meets all of the admission criteria, the admission representative prepares a Student      Enrolment contract and meets with the prospective student to review the college’s policies and to review the contract. If, after understanding their rights and responsibilities, the prospective student wishes to sign the contract,   the admission representative arranges for the prospective student to meet with the Senior Education Administrator.
6. The  Senior Education Administrator meets with the prospective student to discuss his/her educational goals and commitment to completing the program of study. Financial arrangements for payment of tuition and other fees are  also discussed.
7. After  making copies of all evidence for the prospective student to meet the  program admission criteria, placing them in the student’s file, and agreeing on a financial arrangement, the Senior Education Administrator      and the prospective student sign the contract, the school delivers a copy      of the signed contract to the student, and keeps the signed contract in the student’s file too.

Admission Criteria:Ÿ

Ÿ Applicants must be at least 19 years of age to be accepted into the course of study. (Proof of age is required: please submit a copy of your current drivers’ license, etc) .  Applicants must be High school graduates (or holders of a high school equivalency certificate.)

If the student fails to meet the minimum admission requirements, neither the institution nor the student can waive the requirements.

Ÿ Applicants must also complete and submit a College admissions application form.  On this application the applicant must indicate how they plan to cover their living costs and tuition during their attendance in the program (financial aid, savings etc.)

Application Fee:

Applicants (including International students) must pay a $ 250 non-refundable enrolment and registration fee upon acceptance into the course of study.

Cheques are to be made payable to Oshio College of Acupuncture & Herbology.

Ÿ Applicants must read and certify that they have read a copy of the school’s policies and   procedures, any updates and inserts and the enrolment and registration agreement.

Ÿ Applicants may need to make a $500 “seat” deposit to the college, and International applicants may need to make 1 year tuition fee deposit to the college to meet the student visa application requirement. All deposits paid by a student prior to admission are credited to that student’s tuition account and are  refundable as set out in the tuition refund policy. Additionally, deposits paid by an international applicant will be refundable if the applicant can not obtain a  student visa issued by Canadian government.

 Please note:

Ÿ  In the past, a minimum of two years post-secondary education was required before admission to a TCM college in B.C.

• Effective  December 28th, 2009, the CTCMA changed the requirement of the  pre-requisite to complete two years of university education before      beginning TCM training. (Schedule E: entrance requirement for acceptable  training program).  This requirement has now been moved into CTCMA Bylaw 48-requirements for registration. All  applicants for registration with CTCMA must now have two years of  university education. However, this education does not have to be completed before the individual enters a TCM training program.
• In other words, you don’t have to have completed 2 years of University before enrolling in TCM college, but you must have completed 2 years of      University before you may register as an Acupuncturist/TCMP with the CTCMA  in B.C.

Please Note that effective Sept 1st, 2009, all applicants for registration with the CTCMA must complete their basic training program (R.Ac or R.TCM.H) within five (5) consecutive years. This means that you cannot take longer than 5 years to complete the 3 year Acupuncture Diploma Program.

2. Attendance Policy

 Students and Instructors are expected to be on time for classes.  If for some reason you need to be late for a class please wait for an appropriate time to enter that classroom and then do so quietly so as not to disturb the class.

Students are expected to attend all classes and clinic times.  As the CTCMA requires a certain number of hours to write licensing exams any missed hours must be made up at a later date.  If you are unable to attend due to illness or some sort of emergency please notify the school.  If you have a patient scheduled you are responsible for contacting the patient ASAP and rescheduling for another time or arranging for another student to do the treatment.

Please be aware that students who have student loans or grants are required to attend a minimum number of classes.  If students fail to attend the required hours or drop down to a part time status the college is required by law to notify the student loans branch.  This could result in the student losing their eligibility for student loans.

The College delivers an attendance sheet to every instructor before the instructor starts teaching a course, and the instructor returns the filled students’ attendance sheet to the College within 1 week after the course ends. The College keeps a record of  the students’ attendance sheets in the school filing cabinet, and records the attendance rate in each student’s file.

3. Withdrawal/Dismissal Policy

Policy:

Oshio College expects students to meet and adhere to a code of conduct while completing a program of study.  The list below outlines the code of conduct that all students are expected to follow. This list is not exhaustive and students should request clarification from the Senior Educational Administrator if they have any questions.

“Student” is defined as including prospective students as well as those currently registered or enrolled in any (institution) programs or activity.

The Code of Conduct Students are expected to follow include:

• Attend school in accordance with the  Attendance Policy.
• Treat all students and staff with respect.
• Refrain from any disruptive or offensive classroom behavior.
• Dress according to the school’s dress code as outlined in the Student Handbook.
• Refrain from cheating or plagiarism in completing class assignments.
• Treat school property with respect.
• Refrain from bringing weapons of any kind  (i.e. knives, guns) to school.
• Complete all assignments and examinations on the scheduled completion dates.
• Refrain from bringing any alcohol or any prohibited mood altering substances to the Institution.
• Refrain from making inappropriate  remarks concerning another student or staff’s ethnicity, race, religion or  sexual orientation.
• Any other conduct which is determined to be detrimental or damaging to the other students, staff members or the Institution.

Any of the following, if substantiated, will result in immediate dismissal without a warning letter or probationary period:

• Sexual assault.
• Physical assault or other violent acts committed on or off campus against any student.
• Verbal abuse or threats.
• Vandalism of school property.
• Theft.

Students who do not meet the expected code of conduct will be subject to the procedures outlined below which may include immediate dismissal from the institution depending on the severity of the misconduct.

Concerns related to a student’s conduct shall be referred to the Senior Educational Administrator to process in accordance with this Policy.

Procedure:

1)    All concerns relating to student misconduct shall be directed to the Senior Educational Administrator. Concerns may be brought by staff, students or the public.

2)  The Senior Educational Administrator will arrange to meet with the student to discuss the concern(s) within 5 school days of receiving the complaint.  If the alleged conduct is of such a serious nature that an immediate dismissal may be warranted the Senior Educational Administrator will meet with the student as soon as practicable.

3)   Following the meeting with the student, the Senior Educational Administrator will conduct whatever further inquiry or investigation is necessary to determine whether the concerns are substantiated.

4)   Any necessary inquiries or investigations shall be completed within 5 school days of the initial meeting with the student.

5)   The Senior Educational Administrator will meet with the student and do one of the following:

(a)    Determine that the concern(s) were not substantiated;

(b)   Determine that the concern(s) were substantiated, in whole or in part, and either:

(i) Give the student a warning setting out the consequences of further misconduct;

(ii) Set a probationary period with appropriate conditions; or

(iii)  Recommend that the student be dismissed from the Institution.

6)  The Senior Educational Administrator will prepare a written summary of the determination.  A copy shall be given to the student, a copy will be placed in the school’s Student Conduct File, and the original will be placed in the student file.

7) If the student is issued a warning or placed on probation, the Senior Education Administrator and the student both sign the written warning or probationary conditions and the student is given a copy.  The original document is placed in the student’s file.

8)  If the recommendation is to dismiss the student, the Owner of the school will meet with the student to dismiss him/her from study at the school.  The Owner of the school will deliver to the student a letter of dismissal and a calculation of refund due or tuition owing, depending on the status of the student’s financial account with the school.

9)  If a refund is due to the student, the head of school will ensure that a cheque is forwarded to the student within 30 days of the dismissal.

10) If the student owes tuition or other fees to the school, the head of the school will undertake the collection of the amount owing.

4. Dispute Resolution/Grade Appeal Policy

Policy:

Oshio College provides an opportunity for students to resolve disputes of a serious nature and grades appeals in a fair and equitable manner.

The policy applies to all students who are currently enrolled or were enrolled 30 days prior to the submitting their concern to the Senior Educational Administrator.

Only grades received on mid-term or final assessments may be appealed.  Grades received for assignments or weekly quizzes may not be appealed.

Procedure for Student Disputes:

1. When a concern arises, the student should address the concern with the staff member most directly involved.  If the student is not satisfied with the outcome at this level, the student should put his/her concern in writing and deliver it to the Senior Educational Administrator.
2. The Senior Educational Administrator will arrange to meet with the student to discuss the concern and desired resolution within  5 school days of receiving the student’s written concern, or as soon as practicable.
3. Following the meeting with the student, the Senior Educational Administrator will conduct  whatever inquiries and/or investigations are necessary and appropriate to determine whether the student’s concerns are substantiated in whole or in part. Those inquiries may involve further discussion(s) with the student either individually or with appropriate (institution’s) personnel.
4. The  necessary inquiries and / or investigations shall be completed no later than 10 school days following the receipt of the student’s written concerns.  The Senior Educational Administrator will do one of the following within 10 days of receiving the student’s written concerns:
   1. Determine that the student’s concerns are not substantiated; or
   2. Determine that the student’s concerns are substantiated in whole or in part;
   3. Determine that the student’s concerns are frivolous and vexatious.

The student and the institution’s personnel involved shall receive a written summary of the above determination. A copy of all documentation relating to every student’s complaint should be signed by all parties. A copy shall be given to the student, a copy will be placed in the school’s Student Conduct File, and the original will be placed in the student file.

1. If it has been determined that the Student’s concerns are substantiated in whole or in part the Senior Educational Administrator shall include a proposed resolution of the substantiated concern(s).
2. If the student is not satisfied with the determination of the Senior Educational Administrator, the student must advise the Senior Educational Administrator within 48 hours of being informed of the determination. The Senior Educational Administrator will immediately refer the matter to the Owner of the Institution. The Owner of the institution will review the matter and meet with the student within 5 school days.
3. The Owner of the institution shall either confirm or vary the determination of the Senior Educational Administrator.  At this point the School’s Dispute Resolution Process will be considered exhausted.
4. If the issue is of a serious nature the Owner of the School may, in his/her sole discretion and cost, engage the services of a third party mediator to assist in the resolution of the dispute.

Procedure for Grade Appeal: 

1. If a student is dissatisfied with the grade received for a mid-term or final course assessment and can provide evidence that a higher grade is warranted he/she should discuss with his/her instructor.  The instructor will reconsider the grade and, if warranted, assign a different grade.
2. If the student is not satisfied with the outcome of his/her appeal to the instructor, he/she should submit a written appeal to the Senior Educational Administrator.
3. The Senior Educational Administrator will obtain a copy of the mid-term or final assessment from the instructor and will have the assessment re-marked by another instructor.
4. If the assessment achieves a higher grade on re-mark, the higher grade will be assigned to the student.  If the assessment achieves a lower grade on re-mark, the original grade will be retained.
5. If a grade appeal is reviewed by the Senior Educational Administrator, the grade assigned following the re-mark and review will be final and cannot be appealed further.

5. Privacy Policy

Policy:

Oshio College of Acupuncture  and Herbology (OCAH) collects students’ personal information for the following reasons:

• To maintain student records  as required by PCTIA.
• To maintain student records  as required by SABC (accredited schools).
• To keep students/graduates informed of activities of the school.
• To issue T2202A s in accordance with the Canada Revenue Agency.

Students’ personal information is not used for any other purpose.

For all full career training programs:

OCAH retains the full student file for a period of seven (7) years following the student’s withdrawal, dismissal or graduation. After seven years, the full student record is destroyed using a secure destruction method.

OCAH uploads a copy of the students’ contract, transcripts, and credential (if any) to an approved third-party vendor. These records are retained for a period of fifty-five (55) years by the third-party vendor.

Procedure for maintaining student files:

1. Student personal information is collected throughout the student’s attendance at the institution. All required information regarding the student is placed in the student file.
2. Student files containing personal information are safely stored in locking filing cabinets and access to the student files  is limited to the appropriate administrative staff, the Senior Education Administrator, and the School Owner (Dr. Yin).
3. When a student leaves the school, either by  withdrawal, dismissal or graduation, a transcript is prepared showing the  marks achieved in the courses completed. If the student has completed all  the courses within the program of study, a program credential is also  prepared.  These documents are signed by the School Owner and copies of the signed documents are placed in the student file.
4. Within 30 days of the student leaving school,  copies of the Enrolment contract, Transcript and Diploma for full career  training programs are sent to the third-party vendor for long term storage.
5. After documents are sent for long-term storage, the full student file is placed in “in-active” student storage for one year.
6. At the end of one year, the student file is  placed in “closed” storage for a further six years.
7. At the end of the seven year period, the full student file may be destroyed using a secure destruction method.

Procedure for student access to the information on file:

1. Students wishing to access the information in the student file must make the request in writing.
2. The Senior Educational Administrator will meet with the student to review the file and will provide copies of any document the student requests.
3. The student will pay $0.25 per page for the documents copied for him/her. 

Procedure for authorizing release of information:

1. If a student wishes to authorize a third party to  access information in his/her student file, he/she must do so in writing.
2. The school will not release information to any  person other than people authorized by the student to access information unless required to do so by legislation, a subpoena, court order or if  release of information is necessary as part of an ongoing police investigation.