Purpose
College Hour is a co-curricular program designed to support the spiritual, emotional and communal well-being of Fresno Pacific University students. Through weekly gatherings such as Chapel, Capax Dei, Alpha, Affinity Groups and Spiritual Formation Retreats, students are invited to engage in worship, reflection and meaningful dialogue.
Policy Statement
All full-time, traditional undergraduate students are required to attend a minimum of 15 College Hour gatherings per semester. This requirement applies to all first-year and sophomore students (including transfer students) enrolled during the academic year.
Eligible College Hour Gatherings
Students may fulfill their College Hour requirement by attending any of the approved College Hour events found at College Hour | Fresno Pacific University.
- Chapel
- Capax Dei
- Alpha
- Affinity Groups
- Spiritual Formation Retreats
Attendance Tracking
Students must use the Involve app to scan into College Hour events. Attendance is tracked digitally and can be reviewed at fpu.presence.io. Students are responsible for monitoring their own attendance. College Hour Attendance Credit will not be awarded retroactively.
- Students may scan in 10 minutes before and up to 5 minutes after the event start time.
- Students must remain for the entire duration of the event to receive credit.
- Attendance discrepancies must be reported within 24 hours to the Office of Spiritual Formation.
Non-Compliance and Fines
Students who do not meet the 16-event requirement will be fined $20 per missed gathering, applied to their student account. Students facing financial hardship may submit an appeal to fulfill their obligation through community service, calculated at the current minimum wage rate.
Attendance Waivers
Students who can demonstrate that they have extenuating circumstance, such as but not limited to conflicts with class, internships and clinicals, or a similar disability accommodation related to modified class attendance (approved by the office of Disability Access and Education – DAE), may may request a full or partial waiver. Attendance waiver requests must be submitted by the end of Week 3 of the semester. Attendance waivers are reviewed by Student Development in consultation with relevant departments. An attendance waiver can be submitted here: College Hour Waiver Form
Appeals
Students may appeal a fine after receiving notification of non-compliance or appeal an attendance waiver decision. An appeal must meet at least one of the appeal criteria listed below and be submitted within two weeks of notification of non-compliance or the attendance waiver decision. The Vice President of Student Development or their designee will determine the outcome of an appeal. All appeal decisions are final. An appeal can be submitted here: College Hour Credit Appeal
Appeal Criteria:
- Erroneous charges: A student can appeal a fine if the student believes that they have attended College Hour events that were not counted towards their total.
- Documented financial hardship: A student can appeal a fine providing they can demonstrate financial hardship and agree to complete community service hours in lieu of fines. The student will be assigned community service hours based on the following calculation: 1 College Hour = 1.25 hours (75 minutes) of Community Service hours multiplied by the number of missed sessions.
- Denied or Partially Approved Waiver: Students who can demonstrate that they have extenuating circumstances, such as but not limited to conflicts with class, internships and clinicals, or a similar disability accommodation related to modified class attendance (approved by the office of Disability Access and Education – DAE), may appeal a denied or partially approved waiver.