....MORE ON EXPECTATIONS

There is a great deal to consider before entering a college environment as a student. The following are simply some things and differences that you should be aware of so that you are better prepared for this new adventure.

Different Laws	Equal Opportunity/Access
Differences from High School	Your Learning Process
In the Class Room	Your Journey Continues

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Different Laws for Protection

--One of the first things to think about are the differences between high school and college. There are different laws under which you are protected, there are differences in what will be required of you and there will be different expectations to consider about the learning process.

--While in elementary and/or secondary (high school), if you received special education services, you were guaranteed certain things under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) as a student with a particular type of disability. Much of the support you received is spelled out specifically within that law. If you did not receive specific support from special education but were provided support under a Section 504 plan, your rights were protected under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) further expanded your civil rights as a person with a disability. The ADA does not negate nor replace the requirements under Section 504 but does reinforce them.

Section 504 is the first piece of legislation that addresses your civil rights as a person with a disability. It applies to any entity that receives money from the federal government. Basically, the law says:

"No otherwise qualified [disabled] person shall, on the basis of [disability], be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefit of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity which receives or benefits from federal financial assistance."

This means that the university is not allowed to discriminate against you solely because you have a disability - - as long as you are otherwise qualified to participate or benefit from a particular program. For higher educational institutions, that means you must meet the criteria for admission into a particular college or university.

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Equal Opportunity and Access for Success/Failure

--The university is obligated to provide access to all programs and activities for which you are qualified so that you have the opportunity to obtain the same result or reach the same level of achievement (taking into account the nature of a particular disability) as any other qualifed non-disabled person. This means you are given the opportunity to be successful as well as to fail as any other student.

--What Section 504 does not guarantee is that you will graduate or do well in classes. You will need to meet the same requirements that any other student does to get your diploma or to get a passing grade in a class. The university does not modify programs or classes to meet your specific needs. Instead, we provide you with the accommodation or auxiliary aid that allows you access to the opportunity to participate in a particular class or program to the best of your ability. An accommodation or auxiliary aid cannot alter the fundamental nature of a class or program. In other words, some of the adaptation that may be needed for you to be successful will fall on your shoulders.

--Section 504 does not guarantee you will receive exactly what you ask for in support. As a student with a disability, you are entitled to an accommodation that gives you effective access to participate or benefit from a program. The type of support you are entitled to receive for that access must be consistent with your particular disability and be based on your particular limitations, not your 'diagnosis.' Section 504 does not require the university provide personal assistance such as tutors or personal care attendants. What the university is obligated to provide are auxiliary aids such as interpreters and academic adjustments such as extended time.

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Differences from High School

--The following is adapted from Promoting Postsecondary Education for Students with Learning Disabilities, by Loring Brinckerhoff, Stan F. Shaw and Joan M. McGuire. The information applies to any student with a disability who enrolls in a college or university.

	High School	College
Class Time	6 hrs/day, 180 days = 1,080 total	12 hrs/week, 32 weeks = 384 total (minimum)
Study Time	1-2 hrs/day (a lot of homework done in class)	2 hrs/1 credit hr of class, average 3-4 hrs/day
Tests	Weekly, at end of chapter, frequent quizzes	2-4/semester, at end of 4-5 chapter unit, at 8:00 a.m. on Monday after the game, no make up exams
Grades	Passing grades guarantee you a seat, D's count	Satisfactory academic standing=2.0 and above (C's or above), competitive entry into programs, D's negatively factored into GPA, may not count as passing for some courses
Teachers	Often take attendance, may check notebooks, put info on board, impart knowledge and facts	Rarely take attendance or teach from textbook, often lecture non-stop, require library research, require you to learn from books, research and lectures
Freedom	Structured defines it most of the time, limits are set by parents, teachers, or other adults	Own responsibility: should you go to class, make it on 4 hours of sleep, skip studying one day? Your decision
Support Services	School has responsibility to provide and find those who need these services	School has responsibility to provide once the student requests and provides documentation of need
Self-Advocacy	Few opportunities, structure of laws make it difficult for students to take control of their services	Required. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has ruled that colleges can ask students to assist in the setting up, maintenance and day to day running of their support services

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Your Responsibility in the Learning Process

--As a college student, you can expect to work harder, socialize more, and generally be as busy as you want to be with extra non-academic activities. What you plan to do for each day is your own decision. You may need to go to class or you may want to sleep in; you may need to study over the weekend or you may want to go out with your friends. What you need to do may not be what you want to do. The decision you make will be your own as to whether you do what you need to do or do what you want to do. Whatever the decision, understand there are always consequences, some better than others.

--You will be expected to learn a great deal of information. You will also be expected to meet deadlines, take exams whether you are ready for them or not, and to think independently about what you hear or read about. Not all exams will be designed for you to simply give the facts; some questions will require you to critically think about a given subject, synthesize several theories, and/or be able to demonstrate you know the material to such a degree that you can apply it to a specific situation. In other words, it is not merely what you learn but how you learn it. Knowing facts may not be as important as knowing what those facts mean, how they are related and what impact they have from a broader perspective.

--Unfortunately, for those of you who expect to be entertained by your instructors, you will be somewhat disappointed. While many instructors use visual aids and try to make things interesting, for many of your classes you will be expected to listen to someone try to explain or impart knowledge to the best of their ability. What will be expected of you is to be respectful in listening, to ask questions if you don't understand and to do extra things to help fill in the gaps you may feel exist from your instructor's lecture or presentation.

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In the Classroom

--Some of your instructors will be graduate students while others will be full professors. Some instructors will have been hired just for one class or be responsible for both teaching and research as they work towards their full professor status. Very few of your instructors will have been trained as an effective teacher. Some will have office hours that will allow you to see them outside of the classroom while others will require you to make specific appointments with them. Some will be very willing to spend as much time as you need to help explain some idea or concept. Others will not be as interested and you may feel very intimidated in approaching them for help. The rest will be somewhere in between all of these characteristics.

--Like students, your instructors will be comprised of people with different personalities, different abilities, and different dispositions when it comes to working with students. If you are not able to connect to one instructor, it does not mean you will be unable to connect to any instructor. It merely means you may need to find alternatives for your support and/or to keep trying with other instructors.

--The university has a specific code of conduct students are expected to comply with. It includes traits such as integrity, honesty, and respect for others. Such behavior does not only apply within the class room. It is expected behavior of any student at Colorado State University and in any situation on or off campus. Once enrolled, you become a representative of the university and your behavior reflects back on other students as well as on the administration. You can choose to be a jerk or you can choose to be a respected member of the community. For more information, go to the Division of Student Affairs and click on Policy Brochures and Student Conduct. The Division of Student Affairs site will also give you information about other expectations the university will have of you as a member of this community.

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Your Journey Continues

--One last expectation. As a student, you will be expected to gain knowledge, acquire new skills, and develop professionally as well as personally to enter the 'real' world. But most of all, you can expect to grow and develop your potential to be whatever it is you would like to be and have the ability to be. Your time as a student will at times feel like an eternity but it will be over before you are aware of it. Take advantage of all that you can, including the activity of studying. Time put into learning about the world and about youself is never a waste. And, this is only the beginning of a new phase as learning about the world and your place in it is really a life-long journey.....

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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW	MORE EXPECTATIONS	Different Laws	Equal Opportunity/Access
Differences from High School	Your Learning Process	In the Class Room	Journey Continues