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Students and Military Leave Statement: Provisions have been made by the university to serve the best interests of applicants for admission and for enrolled students who are called to active military duty. As a result of the increased need for military personnel, the university can expect potentially as many as 100 currently enrolled students and another 20 to 30 applicants to be called away from their educational commitments. A few instances have already occurred. In response, the deans and senior administration of the university have declared that any enrolled student called to active duty for the “Enduring Freedom” campaign will receive a full refund of all payments for academic charges for the semester. This refund will be returned to the payment source (payer) and will be for the amount related to the refund of academic charges and fees. Monies paid to the payer beyond that which covers academic charges shall be addressed between the payer and the student directly. Additionally, if a student is called to active duty, s/he may be granted military leave for the period of active duty plus one academic year upon presenting a copy of the military orders to his/her dean along with a request for leave.  Readmission to the university will be processed by the office of student enrollment services without charge if it falls within the period of leave. Students in lock-step curricula should consult with their dean regarding the appropriate semester to resume study. Access to student academic records by federal agencies will be permitted by the university only if such access is directed by the office of the Attorney General of the United States and indicates how the information would be used under those conditions related to a national emergency. In general, the privacy rights guaranteed to students under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act will continue to guide access even during times when a “health or safety emergency” condition exists. The office of student enrollment services will open student records to the office of the Attorney General only after consultation with the university’s general counsel. The admission officers of the six university colleges, in coordination with the office of student enrollment services, have also modified admission procedures that recognize the special circumstances of those applicants called away to military duty. Upon receiving a copy of the military orders, the university will accommodate interruption of the applicant’s admission process according to the following plan. For those requesting an application, staff will recommend that the application not be filed until after discharge. For those who have filed and paid the filing fee but for whom the file is yet incomplete, a full refund of the filing fee will be made and all documents will be returned to the applicant. For applicants whose file is under review, the fee will not be refunded but documents will be held for two years. For those applicants who have been offered admission but who have not accepted the offer, the fee will not be refunded but all documents will be held for two years and the admitted applicant will be guaranteed a place in the class for one year after discharge. For admitted applicants who have accepted the university’s offer and who have deposited their matriculation fee, the university will not refund the filing fee, will refund the matriculation fee, will hold all documents for two years, and will guarantee a place in the class for one year after discharge. The matriculation fee that is paid at the time of the applicant’s return will be the same amount as the original fee even though an increase may have occurred during the period of military duty. However, the admission officers wish to state that these standard responses as described above are all subject to changes that can promise greater benefit based on the special circumstances of the applicant.  For example, the guaranteed place in the class might be extended to two years instead of one, depending on the nature of the applicant’s program of study and her/his personal situation. Questions about refunds should be addressed to the office of student accounting.  Concerns about leaves of absence and interruption of the admission process should be addressed to the office of student enrollment services. While the university is aware of students who seek to become voluntarily engaged in military action, the provisions described above apply only to those persons called from a reserve status to active status. In general, the university would advise other students that their greatest contribution to the welfare of the United States will be first to complete their professional training, after which time they would be well-prepared to contribute in a highly specialized and greatly needed capacity.     Military Leave Policy As a result of the Sept. 11 tragic events, thousands of reservists and other military personnel are being called to active military duty.  Under the current Military Leave Policy, all officers and employees of the State, who are either enlisted or commissioned members of the South Carolina Guard, The United States Army, Air Force, Naval, Marine Corps or Coast Guard Reserves are entitled to leaves of absence from their respective duties, without loss of pay, time or efficiency rating for one or more periods not exceeding an aggregate of 15 regularly scheduled workdays in one year for training or other duties.  In the event an employee is called upon to serve during an emergency, he or she is entitled to an additional leave of absence, with pay, for a period not exceeding 30 additional workdays.  This broadcast may be revised as a result of additional anticipated information from the Governor’s Office and the State Office of Human Resources.  The current Military Leave Policy can be found on the Human Resources web site, http://www.musc.edu/hrm/policies/policy22.html. If you have any questions, please call extension 2-2683.