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GENERAL INFORMATION
Chief Dull Knife College was originally chartered in September, 1975, by Tribal Ordinance as the Northern Cheyenne Indian Action Program, Incorporated, and granted funding by the Indian Technical Assistance Center of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council appointed six directors to manage the affairs of the corporation. The original curriculum was aimed at training students for jobs in the developing mining enterprises in communities near the reservation. But, due to a recognition on the part of the staff, the Board of Directors, and tribal leadership of the need for continued expansion of the vocational program and incorporation of academic classes, Chief Dull Knife College evolved. The College consequently grew from a limited vocational training program toward a broader vocational and postsecondary educational institution. The first academic courses were offered at Dull Knife during Winter Quarter of 1978. Since that time the College has expanded its curricular offerings to provide an Associate of Arts Degree in the academic disciplines, an Associate of Applied Science in the vocational areas, and Vocational Certificates in various skill areas. Chief Dull Knife College is located on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana. The reservation is approximately 44 miles long and 23 miles wide, encompassing 434,120 acres. Located in a rural area, the reservation is predominantly surrounded by ranching and coal mining activity. Major electrical generation plants are located just north of the reservation at Colstrip, Montana. The majority of the reservation population lives within the four distinct community areas of Busby, Ashland, Lame Deer, and Birney. The largest population center is Lame Deer with approximately 1,500 people. Chief Dull Knife College is located in Lame Deer approximately two blocks east and one block north of the intersection of Highways 212 and 39. Also located in Lame Deer are the Bureau of Indian Affairs offices, Indian Health Service facilities, and tribal government offices as well as a public K-12 school and various churches. The College has one main building which houses administration, faculty offices, cafeteria facilities, the bookstore, and sufficient classroom space to serve 300 students. Specialized laboratory facilities include a science laboratory, greenhouses, a secretarial skills lab, a computing/technical graphics lab, a photography darkroom, and a learning skills center. In addition, separate facilities house the library, a writing center, and the day care center. The Boys & Girls Club facility, fitness center, the Lame Deer School gymnasium, and community playing fields are available for athletic activities. Off-campus classes serving the Northern Cheyenne reservation and surrounding areas are held in classroom facilities at Colstrip High School, St. Labre Indian School, Northern Cheyenne Tribal School of Busby, and Morning Star High School- Chief Dull Knife College is accreditation by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, and as such CDKC operates as an independent institution of post-secondary education. Professional memberships are maintained in the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC), and in the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. All CDKC course credits, properly selected to meet the lower-division requirements of a given subject major, are accepted by the colleges and universities of Montana, as well as by accredited colleges and universities outside the state. Students should check with the department to which they plan to transfer to insure full acceptance of credits in a specific program. If you plan to transfer to a four-year college or university, follow the steps listed below: 1. Determine as soon as possible the school to which you wish to transfer. 2. Obtain a current catalog of that institution and study entrance requirements and suggestions for courses for freshman and sophomore students in your major field of interest. Also, refer to current transfer agreements if available. 3. Confer with your advisor about fulfilling requirements. CDKC has a Transitional Counselor specifically for this purpose. Please see the Department of Student Affairs Department. 4. Confer, either by letter or by personal interview, with an admissions officer or department chair of the school to which you want to transfer for further information about curriculum and transfer regulations. 5. Check at lease a semester before transfer, to be certain all requirements will be met to the satisfaction of the four-year school. 6. Some schools have specific grade and / or test requirements. Research such requirements carefully. Daytime classes, evening classes, and weekend (Friday-Saturday) workshops are offered by the college during each semester of the academic year. There is little or no distinction between daytime and evening classes. The latter are offered primarily for the convenience of adults in Lame Deer and surrounding communities, as well as for other part-time or regular daytime students. In accordance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX of the Education Amendments, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Chief Dull Knife College has a policy of non-discrimination in employment practices and in admission, access to, and conduct of educational programs. Discrimination is prohibited on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, handicap, marital or parental status. Any student, employee, or applicant for admission or employment may file a discrimination grievance. Inquiries or grievances should be directed to the Equal Opportunity Officer, Chief Dull Knife College. A student who desires to drop, add, or withdraw from a course must obtain the appropriate form from the Registrar's Office. Before the transaction is official, the form must be signed by the instructor of the course, the student's advisor, and the veteran's coordinator when applicable. Should a student desire to withdraw from all his or her courses, signatures of the Librarian, Business Manager, Financial Aid Director, and Registrar are also required. A student can withdraw from a course until the Friday of mid-term week without a notation on the transcript. After this time, a "W" will be placed on the transcript if the student is passing the course at the time of withdrawal; an "E" will be placed on the transcript if the student is not passing the course at the time of withdrawal. This 'E' will be considered within the GPA. The last day to withdraw from the class will be five days before the final. The Vice President - Academic Affairs will be responsible to make exceptions for extraordinary circumstances. "I" grades are assigned when illness or unavoidable circumstances have prevented a student from completing the quantitative requirements of the course. The student and instructor must complete an "Incomplete Grade Report Form" indicating the course work to be completed and the deadline date for completion. Students will have the following semester to complete the course work unless the instructor indicates an earlier date. If the course work is not finished, the grade will be changed from and "I" to an "F" grade. "Incompletes" should be given only if a student has completed 2/3 of their class. Students receiving an "I" may lose their eligibility for Financial Aid, Honor Roll or Graduation. Students who repeat a course will have the most recently earned grade counted toward GPA and graduation requirements. Both credit entries and both grades appear on the student's transcript. Students may audit courses for no grade or credit. This must be so indicated to the Registrar by the "last day for adding classes" each semester. After this date, no changes can be made from Audit to regular enrollment, or vice versa. GRADES AND GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA) Grades are based upon the quality of work done. The grade-point-average
is determined by dividing total grade points earned by the number of credits carried. The
meaning of each grade and its value in grade points is as follows:
MIDTERM GRADES A student who wishes to see his/her mid-term grades should contact the instructor of the class. Students who are failing or who are remiss in attendance will be notified by CDKC.. FINAL GRADES Final grades are submitted by the instructor at the end of the semester. Final grade reports will be mailed to students by the Registrar's Office. Some courses are graded on a pass / fail basis. Students performing at a satisfactory level will receive a grade of "P" which will not be included in the computation of the Grade Point Average (GPA). Students not performing satisfactorily will receive a grade of "F" which will be used in calculating the GPA. All courses offered on a pass / fail basis will be indicated with (P / F) following the course description in the back of this catalog.CLASSIFICATION OF STUDENTS
STUDENT ORIENTATION The Student Orientation Class is mandatory for all new incoming students. This orientation class is designed to make the adjustment to college life a pleasant experience. Students will become acquainted with college personnel and location of classrooms. This class will also acquaint students with registration, financial aid, tutoring, counseling, student clubs and organizations. COLLEGE SKILLS College Skills is a mandatory class for returning students who are on probation and suspension. This class is in conjunction with student orientation. The goal is to reinforce the necessary skill to attain academic success at CDKC. The college will make all reasonable efforts to assist students toward academic success. Degree and certificate students are required to maintain a cumulative 2.0 "C" Grade-Point-Average (GPA). Students who do not achieve a minimum of 2.0 GPA for any one semester will be notified that their work for that semester does not reflect a satisfactory level of progress, and jeopardizes their degree or certificate objective. Two successive semesters of such notification will require a consultation among student, faculty advisor, and counselor to determine the most appropriate course of action, and may result in a recommendation that the student be dropped from enrollment at the college for at least one semester. Student attendance is the responsibility of the student; however, it is the decision of the faculty member whether or not absences affect performance. Individual faculty members, therefore, can exercise the option of making class attendance affect the grade. This requirement must be included in each course outline or course syllabus and will, thereby, be communicated to the student in writing at the beginning of each course. The names of students carrying 12 or more credits who maintain a grade-point-average of 3.5 or higher will appear each semester on the President's Honor List. Students with a 3.0-3.49 will appear on the Dean's List. SEMESTER UNIT OF CREDIT - DEFINITION College work at Chief Dull Knife College is measured in terms of semester credits. A "credit" in a lecture type class involves 1 hour of classroom work and 2 additional hours of outside work or preparation weekly. There may be variations of this pattern to accommodate courses which utilize laboratory, studio, shop, workshop, or cooperative education types of training. A 3-credit course (lecture type) thus meets 3 class periods per week, but assumes that an additional 6 hours will be spent in study or other course-related work. Computed in this manner, the average credit load of 15 units involves approximately 45 hours of college work per week on the part of the student. A full study "load" for the average student is 15 credits per semester, which means that approximately 45 hours per week is devoted to college work. Students employed in outside work should reduce their credit load proportionately and should consult with their Faculty Advisor in determining an appropriate credit load. The following are maximum credit load recommendations: Freshman - 15 credit hours COURSE NUMBERS AND CLASSIFICATION Course numbers at Chief Dull Knife College are interpreted as follows: 1. The two letter prefix indicates an area of study. For example AD is an abbreviation for Alcohol and Drug Studies and all courses offered in this specific area are prefixed by this two letter code. 2. The first digit of the three digit code following the two letter prefix indicates whether a course is at the developmental (0), freshman(l), or sophomore (2) level. Sophomore level courses may be taken during the first year of study if a) they have no unsatisfied pre-requisites and b) the instructor determines that the student has sufficient background to be successful in the course. 3. The second digit of the three digit code indicates whether the course is designed as an occupational/ vocational course or is designed for transfer. A second digit of 0,1,2,3, or 4 indicates an occupationally (A.A.S. degree or Vocational Certificate program) oriented course. A second digit of 5,6,7,8, or 9 indicates a transfer (A.A. degree) oriented course. Courses designated as occupational or vocational are not intended for transfer to four-year institutions but are designed to provide skills applicable to the College's designated A.A.S. and Certificate programs. 4. The third digit in the three digit sequence indicates whether the course is one of the sequence (digits 1,2,3, 6, 7, or 8) or is a stand-alone course not part of a sequence (0, 4, or 5). Special case numbers are as follows: 241 or 271 Practicum Courses - Students may enroll in practicum experience courses which will be numbered under the appropriate departmental heading. These courses are designed to give the students working experience in their field of concentration. A maximum of 4 credits per semester will be awarded for Practicum courses, with a maximum of 12 credits counted toward graduation. 240 or 270 Independent Study Courses - CDKC offers two categories of independent study. One category is the regular coursework equivalent. When there is an unalterable schedule conflict a student may take a regular course by independent study. Course requirements are the same as for regular courses. The other category is independent study for which there is no course equivalent. The student must obtain approval from a sponsoring instructor and must work with the instructor in developing an individual contract that states the objectives, the resources to be used, the method(s) of evaluation, and the relationship of the independent study to the individual's educational objectives. Permission of both the sponsoring instructor and the Vice President - Academic Affairs is required in order to take a course in either category of independent study. A student may take a maximum of one independent study course per semester. A maximum of 9 credits of independent study may be applied to graduation requirements. 249 or 299 Special Courses, Workshops, Seminars - A course, seminar or workshop within a subject area may be organized for the study of some special topic of interest which is not available in the regular curriculum. Special topic courses will not fulfill the group requirements for graduation. The maximum number of credits within this category that a student can apply toward graduation is six. Students may, with the approval of the student's academic advisor, the instructor, and the Vice President Academic Affairs, request to receive credit for a course by special examination. Performance on the examination will become the basis for a grade in the course and the results will be recorded on the student's permanent record. Students may not challenge a course which is a prerequisite to a course already completed. Official approval forms should be secured in advance from the Office of the Registrar.
Chief Dull Knife College has an open admissions policy which stipulates that anyone who can benefit from CDKC's educational offerings and services will be admitted as a full or part-time student. Students are accepted into the college in any of the following classifications. Those eligible are students who have completed high school or a GED program and have never attended a college or university. The following items are required of each applicant:
Admission is not complete until each of these items has been received by the Office of the Registrar and the applicant has received a letter of acceptance. Those eligible are students who have attempted college credit at another college or university. Students having fewer than 30 semester hours of college credit will be accepted regardless of academic standing. If the GPA is below Chief Dull Knife College standards, the student will enter on academic probation. Students dropped from another institution for disciplinary reasons may be admitted at the discretion of the college administration. Those eligible are juniors or seniors in high school who wish to enroll to strengthen and enrich their educational program. Eligible students must be at least 16 years of age, and may enroll in any course with the written consent of their high school principal. Credit for completed coursework will be deferred until the student has graduated from high school or receives a high school equivalency certificate. STANDARDS FOR VETERAN'S STUDENTS 1. Registration - Each veteran student will be counseled about benefits, credit load, withdrawal procedures, remedial and tutorial assistance and his own responsibilities in these matters and then have his enrollment card approved by the Veterans Affairs Office (VAO) during each registration. 2. Drop-Add - Each veteran must have the approval of the VAO before dropping or adding classes. Instructors are to note the last date of the veteran's attendance on the drop-add slip. The veteran will be counseled about credit load and applicability of courses to his major field. All changes in enrollment are reported to the Veteran's Administration. 3. Prior Credit - All previous military and civilian training will be evaluated for the purpose of granting appropriate credit. 4. Standards of Programs - Any veteran or other eligible student receiving educational benefits from the Veteran's Administration is expected to maintain satisfactory progress toward his or her educational goal, and must meet the following standards:
5. Refund - Refunds for veterans and other eligible persons, as required by V.A. Regulation 14254 (c)(13), are based on the pro-rated balance of the total charges, and are provided whether the veteran withdraws from school or is dismissed. The MSU-Northern Veterans' Upward Bound is housed on the MSU-Billings Campus. The Veterans' Upward Bound and Chief Dull Knife College share a proud tradition of academic excellence and personal attention to their students. There are two programs available to eligible students: Veterans College Transition Program: Is a twelve week developmental skill program held on the MSU-Billings campus each semester. The course work is non-credit refresher classes in math, writing, reading, speech, science and computers, are offered free of charge to eligible veterans. Tribal College Program: Allows eligible veterans to enroll at their tribal college campus. Veterans' Upward Bound will pay up to $360.00 for tuition only. This often allows the veteran to attend college on a full- time basis. Veterans must complete either the colleges or VLTBs skill assessment in math, writing and reading, to qualify. Veterans qualifying for this program are eligible to receive student assistance in applying for veterans benefits, federal financial aid, career assessment and planning. ELIGIBILITY A U.S. veteran having served at least 181 days of active duty or have been medically discharged. *Have received a discharge other than dishonorable. *Meets low-income and/or first generation college student criteria. All students seeking admission to Chief Dull Knife College must provide evidence of immunization for measles and rubella or proof of a positive serologic test for measles and rubella or proof that the student has a medical exemption to the immunization requirement or a signed statement of a religious philosophical exemption to the immunization requirement. All new and transfer students are required to take a short battery of tests, unless waived by the Admissions Office, which will assist advisors in helping students select appropriate courses. Testing is conducted prior to registration each semester or by appointment. The Special Services Office initially makes the faculty advising assignment. Advisors are assigned on the basis of the students' area of interest to assist them in developing a course of study to meet their needs. Undecided students will work with the Special Services Office in determining their interests and educational goals. Academic advisors will sign off on semester class registrations, approve course of study plans, and provide academic counseling. Students may change advisors at any time. Although faculty advisors are here to help, it is important for students to realize that the ultimate responsibility for meeting all graduation requirements is their own. Students can increase their academic planning effectiveness by fully utilizing the advising system, and by acquainting themselves with the academic requirements of their major fields, college policies for registration and graduation, and scholastic requirements. The CDKC catalog is the official source of information on these matters and is available upon request from the Registrar's Office.
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