Other University Policies

Lipscomb University is committed to providing equal access to education, housing, facilities, and all school-sponsored events through a dedicated effort to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and state and local regulations regarding individuals with disabilities. Pursuant to these laws, no qualified individual shall unlawfully be denied access to or participation in any services, programs, or activities of Lipscomb University on the basis of their disability. Lipscomb University will provide reasonable accommodations for the needs of qualified students as they pursue post-secondary education.

For more information regarding disability services and the ACCESS Programs, please visit the Lipscomb University Disability Services webpage, where students will find links to register for the ACCESS program and and additional directions for accommodation requests.

For details regarding the utilization of accommodations in the School of Physician Assistant Studies, please refer to the Utilizing Accommodations section of this handbook.

Should a change of legal name occur while enrolled in the program, the student must notify the University, the School of Physician Assistant Studies, and any applicable third parties as soon as possible. Students are expected to follow the procedures outlined below regarding legal name changes.

1. The student must email the Office of the Registrar (registrar@lipscomb.edu) to notify the office of the legal name change. The student will provide the registrar with the appropriate supporting documentation needed to complete the name change in all university software platforms. 

2. Once the student has verified that the registrar has completed the name change process, the student must request the name change through Information Technology Services. To initiate the request, submit a ticket at the Lipscomb IT Help Desk or via email (helpdesk@lipscomb.edu). Below are the options that IT provides for a name change:

   • Complete account change: With this option, your email address, account, and display name will all change. The student will get a new email address, which will cause the student to lose access to the “old” account until the “updated” account starts working. Since the process can take several hours, IT prefers to schedule this change so students are fully aware and ready to lose access for a brief period of time.

   • Update of display name only: The email account will remain the same, but the display name that pops up on email, Canvas, etc., will show the student’s new name. There is no loss of access associated with this update. 

3. The student must go to the Department of Security for a new student ID to be made which reflects the new legal name. An ID fee will apply and remain the responsibility of the student. More information regarding ID cards can be found on the ID Card webpage.

4. As soon as the student's name has been officially changed and appears correctly in all university systems, the student will notify the Director of Student Affairs of the name change in writing, along with the updated email address, if applicable. The Director of Student Affairs will notify the faculty/staff and initiate the procedure for reinstating ID access to the building and appropriate labs. 

5. The student is also responsible for contacting myRecordTracker© and all insurance carriers for notification of the legal name change. The student will provide these vendors with the appropriate supporting documentation needed to complete the name change.  

6. Complete the Legal Name Change form and submit it to the Director of Student Affairs.

Should an event (weather-related or otherwise) occur that requires disruption of the School of Physician Assistant Studies class schedule, students will be subject to the Class Schedule Disruption Policy as defined on the Lipscomb University website. 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 provides protection for all educational records related to students enrolled in an educational program.  Information about your rights and the protection of your records is available on the Lipscomb University Policies and Consumer Information website.

The School of Physician Assistant Studies maintains student academic records in electronic format, keeping such records readily accessible only to authorized program personnel in a manner consistent with FERPA guidelines. PA students and other unauthorized persons do not have access to the academic records or other confidential information of students.

Student academic records will contain, but are not limited to, the following:

• Documentation that the student has met published admission criteria

• Documentation that the student has met institution and health screening and immunization requirements

• Documentation of student performance while enrolled

• Documentation of remediation efforts and outcomes

• Documentation of summaries of any formal academic/behavioral disciplinary action taken against the student

• Documentation that the student has met the requirements for program completion.

The program does not require nor keep health records for its students. Needle stick/sharp reports, results of drug screening, and criminal background checks are not considered a part of a student’s health record and, therefore, may be accessible to the program. However, all student health records are confidential as outlined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and remain inaccessible to the program and its personnel.

Programmatic health screening and immunization requirements are documented through a third-party compliance vendor chosen by the program. Immunizations, screening results, and other information contained in this service will be accessible to the program and may be released with written permission from the student. Furthermore, the program does not consider this information part of the health record. No personally protected health information will be required on this site. The program will control access to this information appropriately to protect the student. Students may also release information from this repository at their discretion if required by a clinical site. 

To view the University's legal considerations and policies related to substance use (including alcohol, tobacco, and drugs), please read the Alcohol & Drug Policy or refer to the Lipscomb University Student Handbook (Section: Community Standards: Code of Conduct → Sub-section: Substance Abuse). 

Additional Information regarding alcohol and drugs may also be found in the Lipscomb University Graduate Student Handbook (Section: Community Standards: Code of Conduct → Sub-section: Substance Abuse) or obtained through the Lipscomb University Student Expectations website. 

For anyone struggling with substance abuse issues, please refer to the  Access and/or Referral to Resources Addressing Personal Issues Policy for a list of resources available to PA students.

Lipscomb is committed to maintaining a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all students, faculty, and staff on campus. To report an incident or learn more about the university's Title IX policy and resources, please visit the Title IX webpage.

Additionally, students may report an incident through the "Report an Incident" tab in the Lipscomb Ready app on their mobile device.