Apr 24, 2024  
2023-2024 College Catalog 
    
2023-2024 College Catalog

General Information



College Website

The college website, www.CF.edu, is an excellent resource for current college information. CF faculty and staff contact information can be found at www.CF.edu/directory. Campus maps are available for each location at www.CF.edu/locations.

Operating Hours

General college operating hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., though some departments or offices may have varied schedules. Visit www.CF.edu or call 352-873-5800 for information.

ID Cards

All credit students are entitled to photo identification cards that allow attendance at campus activities, use of the Learning Resources Center and use of the Learning Support Center. Photo ID cards are required when purchasing textbooks with financial aid and selling textbooks back to the bookstore. Ocala and Citrus campus students should report to the Public Safety office to have a photograph taken and a card issued. Hours are listed at https://www.cf.edu/student-life/about-our-campuses/campus-safety. Levy Campus students should inquire at the front desk in the lobby for information on photo scheduling.

Lost and Found

Lost and found items are stored in the Public Safety Office at the Ocala and Citrus campuses, and at the front desk in the lobby at the Levy Campus. Items will be held for 60 days. After 60 days, unclaimed items will be donated or discarded as appropriate. To reclaim an item, the party claiming ownership must provide a picture ID and properly identify the item.

(CF Board Policy 8.00; CF Administrative Procedure “Disposition of Lost and Found Items”)

Parking

Traffic and parking regulations have been established to maximize safety and parking convenience. All motor vehicles brought to campus (including motorcycles and motor scooters) by students or employees must be properly registered with Public Safety and display an appropriate parking decal. This can be accomplished at the Public Safety Office at the Ocala and Citrus campuses or from the front desk in the lobby at the Levy Campus. Visitors must obtain a special parking permit from their host, or from the Public Safety Office. A copy of the regulations and information on available parking areas is provided at the time of vehicle registration as well as on the CF website. All vehicles parked on campus without a current parking decal or special parking permit properly displayed will be ticketed, booted or towed at the owner’s risk and expense. See Special Fees and Charges  for information on fines and penalties for violation of traffic and parking regulations.

Religious Holiday Observance

In compliance with federal, state and District Board of Trustees rules which provide that there shall be no discrimination in the treatment of students and employees on the basis of religion, the college shall make reasonable accommodation for religious observance, practice and belief. Such accommodation shall apply to admissions, registration, class attendance and activities, scheduling of examinations and official ceremonies, and work assignments. Any student who believes that he or she has been unreasonably denied an educational benefit due to his or her religious belief or practice, may seek redress through the college grievance procedures.

No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student or employee availing him or herself of the provisions of this rule.

(Florida Statute 1006.53; CF Board Policy 1.01, 3.18)

Student Privacy

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act passed in 1974 by the United States Congress relates to accessibility and confidentiality of student records. Provisions of the act classify the following as ”directory information” that may be released to the public upon request, unless the student has specifically requested that all of the information not be released: name of student, date of registered attendance, major field of study, dates of degrees and awards received, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and weight and height of members of athletic teams.

Students not wishing the dissemination of “directory information” without prior consent must submit a written notice to the Office of Enrollment Services stating which of the above items are not to be released to the general public. All other information not listed above that relates directly to the student cannot be released without the student’s written permission.

Under the law, access to student records without the student’s permission is granted under the following circumstances: to teachers, administrators and the like in the same institution who have a legitimate educational interest in the student’s record; to other institutions in which the student intends to enroll; to the Comptroller General of the United States; in connection with a student’s application for, or receipt of, financial aid; to organizations such as Educational Testing Service or the College Entrance Examination Board involved in testing programs and student aid; to accrediting organizations; in compliance with judicial order or pursuant to any lawfully issued subpoena.

The college registrar can provide additional information on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (Buckley Amendment).

Patriots Email Account

Students are required to use their CF Patriots Email account to send and receive official communication from the college and to log in to the MyCF Portal. Failure to check and receive emails sent to the account could adversely affect the students ability to be successful at CF.

The College of Central Florida provides students a required CF Patriots Mail account through Microsoft. Students have the free benefit of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus, which includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access and OneDrive in the Microsoft cloud. The tools are available for up to five devices per account, which allows a student to access from a personal computer, tablet, and/or cell phone on any browser.

Photographs and Publications

The College of Central Florida photographs and videotapes students, faculty and staff, and posts photographs online, in viewbooks and other publications. If a student does not wish to have photographs and/or videotapes released, they must contact the director of Marketing and Public Relations, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala FL 34474-4415, brauckml@cf.edu, within the first 30 days of the semester enrolled. The college will then take every reasonable effort to ensure such photographs and videotapes will not be made public.

The College of Central Florida may use these photographs and videotapes for an indefinite period of time unless the director is notified at the above address. However, the college shall not be required to recall previously published images.

Surveillance equipment is utilized on college grounds for security and safety purposes. Student notice restricting photographs or videotapes does not apply to the use of surveillance equipment for safely, security and disciplinary procedures.

In addition, local media may come to campus with or without the college’s permission to photograph or video students and college personnel. Student notice restricting photographs or videotapes does not apply to publication of photographs or videotapes taken by local media or the college newspaper.

Social Security Number Collection, Usage and Release

Florida Statute 119.071(5) and Sections 483 and 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 authorize the collection, usage and release of your Social Security number by the College of Central Florida. CF collects, uses and releases your Social Security number only if specifically authorized by law to do so, or when it is imperative for the performance of its duties and responsibilities as prescribed by law. To protect your identity, the college will secure your Social Security number from unauthorized access, strictly prohibit the release of your Social Security number to unauthorized parties in compliance with state and federal law, and assign a unique CF identification number. This identification number will be used for all associated employment and educational purposes at CF. Specifically, CF collects, uses or releases a Social Security number for the following purposes:

Admissions

Federal legislation relating to the American Opportunity Tax Credit requires that all postsecondary institutions report student Social Security numbers to the Internal Revenue Service. This IRS requirement makes it necessary for CF to collect the Social Security number of every student. A student may refuse to disclose their Social Security number to CF, but the IRS is then authorized to fine the student in the amount of $50. In addition to the federal reporting requirements, the public school system in Florida uses Social Security numbers as a student identifier (section 229.559, Florida Statutes, new school code section 1008.386). In a seamless K-20 system, it is beneficial for postsecondary institutions to have access to the same information for purposes of tracking and assisting students in the smooth transition from one education level to the next. All Social Security numbers are protected by federal regulation under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Continuing Education, Corporate Training

Under Florida education reporting requirements, students who enroll in continuing education and corporate training seminars are required to submit their Social Security number.

Financial Aid

The Office of Financial Aid at CF requires students and parents of dependent students to submit their Social Security number on various forms in order to correctly identify applicants, match each applicant’s financial aid application information and data with the institution’s records, and to help coordinate state aid programs with federal and institutional aid programs.

Human Resources

The Social Security number is used for legitimate business purposes for completing, processing or distributing the following: employment application forms; Federal I-9 (Department of Homeland Security); Federal W4, W2, 1099 (Internal Revenue Service); Federal Social Security taxes (FICA); Federal W2 (Internal Revenue Service); Unemployment Insurance (Florida Department of Revenue); Florida Retirement System (Florida Department of Management Services); Worker’s Compensation Claims (FCSRMC and Department of Labor); Federal and State Employee and Educational Reports; Direct Deposit Files (Truist, ACH); 403b and 457b contribution reports; group health, life and dental coverage; completing and processing various supplemental insurance deduction reports; background checks; and payroll documents.

Workforce Programs

These programs use Social Security numbers as identifiers for program enrollment and completion. Also, it is used for entering placement information into either the One Stop Management Information System or the Employ Florida Marketplace statewide data collection and reporting system. Because these are performance-based contract programs, it is required that all participants and their program related activities be recorded in the Florida state systems.

Limited Access Health Sciences Programs

Limited access programs in Health Sciences collect Social Security numbers for the purpose of authorizing students and graduates to sit for state and/or national licensure or certification examinations. This information is shared directly with appropriate state and national licensure/certification boards through secure communication platforms as required by each individual licensure/certification board.

Criminal Justice and Public Service Programs

Criminal Justice and Public Service programs collect Social Security numbers for the purpose of authorizing students and graduates to sit for state and/or national licensure or certification examinations as authorized in Florida Statute “943.13 Officers’ Minimum Qualifications for Employment or Appointment” and Florida Administrative Code “11B-27 Certification and Employment or Appointment” and “11B-35.0011 Training Programs.”

Miscellaneous

The Social Security number is used for identification and verification, billings and payments, data collection, reconciliation, tracking, benefit processing, and tax reporting.

Release Statement

Social Security numbers may be disclosed only pursuant to Florida Statute 119.071 (6a - 6h).

Independent Contractors

The college collects contractors’ Social Security numbers in order to file information with the Internal Revenue Service, as required and authorized by federal law.

(CF Administrative Procedure “Social Security Number Collection, Usage, and Release”)

CF Transcripts

An official transcript request can be made online via the CF website. A transcript fee of $5 is required at the time of the request for each transcript and can be paid by credit or debit card. Students must be in good standing with the college (including all financial obligations and other holds) before the transcript request will be processed.

In accordance with F.S., 1009.95(5), “No individual borrower who has been determined to be in default in making legally required scholarship loan, student loan, or guaranteed loan repayments shall be furnished with his or her academic transcripts or other student records until such time as the loan is paid in full or the default status has been removed.” A student record is any information or data recorded that is directly related to a student in any medium including, but not limited to, handwriting, print, tapes, film, microfilm, microfiche, and any electronic storage or retrieval media.

Official transcripts are sent by CF through the U.S. Postal Service or electronically to Florida state schools unless the student selects the FedEx option on the online transcript request or selects for the transcript to be picked up. Unofficial transcripts can be obtained from the Florida Academic Counseling and Tracking System at www.floridashines.org or from the CF website through the MyCF portal.

Transcript requests may take up to three business days to process from the date of the request. Please allow one week for transcript requests to be processed from archives (course taken prior to 1990).