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Online Campus Policies

Sabbath Hours

As Southern Adventist University is a Seventh-day Adventist institution, our online courses and professors have the same dedication to the Sabbath hours as our face-to-face courses and offices. While the course management system remains open during Sabbath hours, the professor and support staff will not be available from sundown on Friday night till sundown on Saturday, and no assignments will be due or expected to be in progress during this time period. In addition please be aware that in online courses students and faculty may be working from varying time zones and Sabbath hour accommodations will differ for each course participant. Your understanding and patience are appreciated.

ID Authentication

The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 [viewable here] requires Southern Adventist University to authenticate the identity of all students who enroll in distance education courses offered by the university.  Southern requires students enrolled in an online course or program to authenticate their identity at the time of initial registration in their first semester at Southern in order to ensure that a student who is enrolled is the same student who completes and submits work and assignments in that course or program.  This process helps protect the integrity of the education provided by Southern Adventist University. 

If authentication is required, the student will receive a personal email outlining the steps to complete the authentication.

The student should authenticate their identity by using ONE of the following options: 

  1. Authenticate in person at Southern Adventist University.
  2. Authenticate online with a secure identity verification partner chosen by Southern Adventist University. 
Students who do not authenticate their identity during their first semester in which they are enrolled in online classes will receive an incomplete in these course(s). If they do not complete their authentication by the end of the following semester, their final grade will automatically convert into an F.  The student will not be allowed to register for further online classes until the authentication process is completed.  In addition, non-compliance with the authentication policy may make the student subject to discipline according to the Procedures for Handling Academic Dishonesty in the Southern Adventist University Graduate Catalog.