Office of the Dean of Student Life

The Office of the Dean of Student Life at Oregon State University serves as a primary link for students. When requesting assistance from and/or making inquiry to our office by phone, fax, in person, or by e-mail, our response can be more effective if you provide us the correct spelling of your name (as it appears in Banner), your student identification number, and the best phone number at which we can reach you.

Students ask us:

I’ve been absent from classes because I’ve been too sick to go/I had a family emergency. I missed an exam and a project deadline. What should I do?

Consult the course syllabus for your instructor’s expectations. If there is nothing express about attendance or missed exam or missed due dates, check with your instructor as soon as possible. The Office of the Dean of Student Life can assist with informing instructors and the college head advisor of a student’s absence. However, faculty has the authority and responsibility for excusing student absences, accepting late assignments, and giving make up exams. Missed and overdue work is negotiated between student and instructor. The Academic Regulation concerning attendance is AR14.

Students are reminded that providing false or misleading information to obtain an excused absence is a violation of student conduct regulations and may result in university student conduct action per the Oregon Administrative Rule 576-015-0020(6).

I need to drop a class but the deadline has passed. Can you help?

Academic Regulations 11 - 13 govern adding, dropping, and withdrawing. The Office of the Dean of Students can assist with helping you understand the process. When a student or the student’s family is unable to undertake the process due to medical or other critical circumstances the Dean of Student Life may submit a request for withdrawal.

I was graded unfairly/my grade isn't right/I can't figure how my instructor arrived at my final grade for a course. Is there anything I can do?

Academic Regulations pertaining to grades are AR 17 & 18. However, the University recognizes the importance of providing an opportunity for students to appeal academic decisions. The Office of the Dean of Student Life can assist you with coaching but the matter may only be successfully resolved through the academic grievance process - first appealing to the course instructor and then to the chair or head of the department in which the course is offered. If the situation is not resolved to your satisfaction, an undergraduate student should consult with the head advisor of the college in which the course is offered to obtain further information about that college’s appeal procedures. A graduate student should consult the dean of the graduate school regarding academic appeal procedures above the departmental level.

I'm transferring/applying to another college and need something called a Dean's Report or Dean's Certification.

Colleges might request from OSU information about a student's attendance, degree, and disciplinary record. For the college to obtain that information you must grant OSU permission to disclose. Permission is usually granted via your signature on the inquiry form. When OSU receives the inquiry, the Office of the Registrar may respond to the section about attendance and the Office of the Dean of Student Life or the Office of Student Conduct responds to the questions about disciplinary records. Sometimes the form requests information about a student's leadership and service experiences. If the Dean of Student Life has knowledge of the experience she may remark but most often the form allows for that section to remain blank. Certifications are not completed while-you-wait; allow one week for completion. When you submit the form for certification, be sure you have completed all the information the college is requesting from you, the applicant, and YOU PROVIDE to us the stamped envelope that you have pre-addressed to the college.