Military Leave Policy

Emergency Military Leave Policy - COVID-19 (Disaster Policy)

A specialized Emergency Military Leave Policy departure procedure was created for students who are called to duty stemming from Governor Larry Hogan's RoadMap to Recovery plan.

All military servicemembers who are called for emergency military leave should complete the Military Leave Notification Form. The Veterans Engagement Services team will review the form's departure status, dates, and assignments. The faculty members for the courses taken by this servicemember will be contacted with next steps. 

For additional university-wide COVID-19 Coronavirus policies go to the University Health Center's Coronavirus Resource and Information page for more information. 

General Military Leave Policy

Students who are called to active service during the course of a NON-COVID-19 related situation will follow the sequences below that best meet the parameters of their situation before departing and reporting for duty or training.

Step 1:

All students should complete the Military Leave Notification Form.  This form is to be used by any student veteran who is being called to military duty during the course of a current term in which the student is enrolled. This applies to student veterans called to military service, military training, or emergency military leave. This form will notify the Veterans Engagement Team of the servicemember's departure status, dates, and projected return times. The Veterans Engagement Services team will assess the documentation provided to determine the next best course of action for the servicemember. The Military Leave Notification form should be filled out in its entirety to include courses taken, faculty members' names, and contact information.  The Veterans Engagement Services team will coordinate with both the service member and the faculty for the best course of action.  (See scenarios in Step 2)

Step 2: 

After completing the Military Leave Notification Form, all student veterans should also directly notify their faculty members of their anticipated leave. Looking at the scenarios below, the service member, faculty member, and Veterans Engagement Services representatives will review the term status, timeframe, and academic standing of the servicemember at the time of reporting. All parties involved will review the term timetables below and follow the prompts as deemed appropriate.

All students called to active service on or prior to the last day of the Drop/Add period for the semester (beginning of week 2) should:

1. Contact Veterans Engagement Services to speak with the Schools Certifying Official by emailing veterans@morgan.edu.
2. Servicemember will complete the Military Leave Notification Form, and upload a copy of your Military orders.
3. The Veterans Engagement Services team will review the submission so that the best course of action can be determined based on your specific situation. 
4. If your orders require more than 7 consecutive days of absence, in most cases you will be directed to elect a withdrawal from the university with a full refund of all academic tuition and segregated fees and the prorated refund of board and room fees. Under this circumstance, no course credit and no course grades will be awarded.
5. Students must log in to their WEBSIS account and remove all classes for which they are enrolled that are listed in the WEBSIS system. 

Students called to active service on or prior to the mid-term point of a full-course semester (end of the ninth week) may elect to request a "retroactive cancelation" of all courses.

This will apply to those whose military dates are excessive of 14 consecutive days of absence. 

• Retroactive Cancellations allow the student's account to be assessed and charges related to tuition and fees to be canceled, eliminating the student from any monetary debt or financial obligation to the university.
• Students who elect this alternative are eligible for a Full refund of academic tuition and segregated fees and will be prorated a refund of board and room fees with the proper approval and contract termination documentation submitted.
• Students MUST contact all supporting departments such as the Office of Residence Life, Financial Aid, and Bursar for full disclosure of departure so that every area can assess their process and ensure that procedures are accurately followed to eliminate any pending charges or penalties to the student and or the student's account. 

Students called to active service after the mid-term period, but before the end of the term for a full-course semester (weeks 10-12) may elect to withdraw from the university for the term in which he/she was called to active service.

• Students who elect this alternative are NOT eligible for the refund of academic tuition and segregated fees but are eligible for the prorated refund of board and room fees, as long as the appropriate cancelation documentation has been submitted for consideration, along with a copy of the orders to the Office of Residence Life. 

Students called to active service after the last permissible day to withdraw from the university, as published in each semester's Academic Calendar, may elect, with the permission of the course instructor, to take the grade of "Incomplete" in all courses.

• This will apply to those whose military dates are excessive of 14 consecutive days of absence. Under this circumstance, a normal University policy for the award of "Incomplete" grades would apply.
• The time period allowed to satisfy Incomplete Contracts would begin at the date of release from enrollment and expire at the end of the close of the following full-course term.
• Students who elect this alternative are NOT eligible for the refund of tuition or university fees. All negotiated terms must be met and grades must be submitted prior to the close of the following full-course term, or students will automatically receive a punitive grade.

 **Students attending a non-standard 5-week semester (Summer Session) or a 3-week semester (Winter) will be directed based on the deadlines outlined in the Academic Calendar based on university enrollment guidelines and procedures. 

Step 3:

After completion of duty, based on the length of time served, will determine the next steps for the servicemember to follow in order to return to the university.

Students called to active service for a week or more, but less than 12 months must send an email to records@morgan.edu for an account reactivation.

Students called to active service for over a year or more will have to reapply for admission to the university by contacting the Office of the Registrar. The service member should also contact the Veterans Engagement Services area with their official discharge paperwork (ie DD214) showing the separation or providing new orders showing a new military assignment/location. Documents can be submitted via the Military Funding Request Form for the next term in which the student wishes to attend.

***If any incomplete grades were administered, the student veteran has until the end of the following term from when the grade was assigned, to complete any outstanding assignments. Grades not updated by the end of the following term will automatically be converted to a punitive grade. 

****Students who withdraw with a grade of "W" can claim mitigating circumstances. Please coordinate this with your SCO to avoid debt or loss of benefits.