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Awards Regulations - Conferral of Aegrotat and Posthumous Awards Procedure

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Section 1 - Summary

(1) This Procedure sets the process for the granting and conferral of Victoria University Aegrotat and Posthumous Awards for higher education (HE) and research students. 

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Section 2 - Accountability

Accountable/Responsible Officer

Role
Accountable Officer Associate Provost, Students
Responsible Officer Director, Student Administration
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Section 3 - Scope

(2) This Procedure applies in the event that a HE or research student has been prevented from completing their studies, or has completed studies but not yet graduated, due to an incapacitating illness, missing status, injury and or death.

(3) Posthumous awards, granted under Part 3 of the Awards Regulations 2018, are given to students who have completed all the requirements for the award, but have died before conferral has occurred. It is also appropriate in a situation where a student has sustained an incapacitating injury that precludes the completion of an award course.

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Section 4 - Definitions

(4) Nil

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Section 5 - Policy/Regulation

(5) See Awards Regulations 2018.

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Section 6 - Procedures

Part A - Summary of Roles and Responsibilities

Roles Responsibility
College Responsible for the coordination of the course . Initiate the process for consideration of the award. 
. Seek endorsement from Dean.
Research Student Supervisor . Initiate the process for consideration of the award.
. Seek endorsement from Dean.
Senior Coordinator, Assessments and Completions . Review submission.
. Prepare memo to be sent to Director, Student Administration for referral.
Dean . Endorse, or otherwise, the granting of the posthumous or aegrotat awards (including granting in aegrotat).
Director, Student Administration . Reviews and recommends students for posthumous awards or aegrotat awards to the Associate Provost, Students.
Associate Provost, Students . Approves, or otherwise, recommendation for posthumous awards or aegrotat awards.

Part B - Procedures

(6) The responsible college or supervisor will recommend the conferral of a posthumous award where the student:

  1. has completed all the requirements for the degree; but
  2. has died before the degree has been conferred.

(7)  The responsible college or supervisor will recommend the conferral of an aegrotat award where the student: 

  1. has died or sustained a permanent incapacitating injury or illness that precludes the completion of an award course;
  2. had satisfactorily completed at least half of the course leading to the award in question;
  3. had in aggregate been enrolled at the University for at least one academic year;
  4. received results whilst studying at the University that would lead to the reasonable conclusion that the student would have successfully completed the course and qualified for the award in question. 

(8) In both cases, it should be confirmed that the conferral of an award will not cause offense or undue distress to the relatives of the deceased, the incapacitated student or to others within the University or the community.

(9) The responsible college or supervisor will seek endorsement by the relevant Dean.

(10) The responsible college or supervisor will submit a letter to request the granting of aegrotat and/or posthumous award and Application for Graduation to the Senior Coordinator, Assessments and Completions.

  1. An exception to this case is where a student has applied to graduate, but has died subsequent to the Application for Graduation.

(11) The Senior Coordinator, Assessments and Completionswill review the submission to determine if it meets the criteria in the Awards Regulations 2018 and has the endorsement of the Dean.

(12) The Senior Coordinator, Assessments and Completions will prepare a memo/letter to be sent to the Director, Student Administration with a recommendation to grant aegrotat or posthumous award. The Director, Student Administration forwards the request to the ACR with a recommendation that it be approved.

(13) The Associate Provost, Students approves, or otherwise, the award.

(14) The relatives of the (deceased) student should be invited to receive the award either In Absentia or as a presentation at the appropriate graduation ceremony. In the case of an aegrotat award to a living person, the student should be invited to participate as fully as practicable in the appropriate graduation.

(15) Wherever possible, posthumous and aegrotat awards should be conferred at the point in time when the student might otherwise have expected to graduate, providing this is within two years of the death of the student. This provides for the sharing of the experience of grief and support between surviving relatives, friends and peers.

(16) In the case of the missing students, the Deceased Student or Missing Person Arrangements Procedure should be referred to, with individual cases being assessed by the Director, Student Administration.

(17) As per ASQA regulations, VE students are not eligible for Aegrotat awards. 

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Section 7 - Guidelines

(18) Nil