Institutional Procedures for Handling Misconduct 

The College expects that all students will act as responsible adults, however, action may be taken against a student when his or her conduct interferes with the mission of the institution and its additional responsibility to provide a safe environment for others. The Student Code of Conduct contains regulations for dealing with the alleged student violations of the code of conduct in a manner consistent with the requirements of due process.

1. Any member of the College community has authority to call for immediate emergency assistance (police, fire, life squad, etc.) as deemed appropriate.

2. Any member of the College community may file charges against any student for misconduct.

3. Charges shall be prepared in writing (complaint forms are available on each campus in the Director’s Office) and directed to the Dean of Student Services or designee or in the Student Services office at Central Campus.

4. Charges should be filed as soon as possible after the alleged event takes place so as not to cause an unnecessary delay in the judicial process. Except in situations deemed by the Dean of Student Services or designee to warrant an extension, no complaint shall be accepted beyond fifteen (15) working days following the date of the alleged violation.

5. The Dean of Student Services may conduct an investigation to determine if the charges have merit and/or if they can be disposed of administratively by mutual consent of the parties involved on a basis acceptable to the Dean of Student Services. Such disposition shall be final and there shall be no subsequent disciplinary proceedings. If the charges cannot be disposed of by mutual consent, the student is entitled to due process and a hearing before the Student Disciplinary Committee. The Dean of Student Services may later serve in the same matter as a member of the Student Disciplinary Committee.

6. The Dean of Student Services shall present all charges in written form to the accused student. A time shall be set for a hearing, neither less than five (5) working days nor more than fifteen (15) working days after the student/students have been notified. Maximum time limits for scheduling of hearings may be extended by mutual written consent of the Dean of Student Services and the student.

7. Hearings shall be conducted by a Student Disciplinary Committee according to the following guidelines:
a. Hearings shall be conducted in private and proceedings should not be discussed with individuals outside the committee.
b. In hearings involving more than one accused student, the chairperson of the Student Disciplinary Committee, at his or her discretion and with written consent of students, may hold hearings jointly. The chairperson of the Student Disciplinary Committee may permit the hearings concerning each student to be conducted separately.

c. The complainant and the accused have the right to be assisted by any advisor they choose, at their own expense. The advisor may be an attorney. The complainant and/or the accused is responsible for presenting his or her own case and, therefore advisors are not permitted to speak or to participate directly in any hearing before a Student Disciplinary Committee. At the discretion and direction of the Committee chair, an advisor may be allowed to ask specific questions or make clarifying statements to promote overall fairness.

d. The complainant, the accused and the Committee shall have the privilege of presenting witnesses, subject to questions from the other participants (complainant, accused, or committee). 

e. The Committee at the discretion of the chairperson may accept pertinent records, exhibits, and written statements for consideration.

f. All procedural questions are subject to the final decision of the chairperson of the Committee.

g. After the hearing, the Committee shall determine by majority vote in a closed session, whether the student has violated the section of the Student Code of Conduct for which the student is charged with violating.

h. There shall be a single verbatim record, such as a tape recording of all hearings before the Student Disciplinary Committee. The record shall be the property of the College. Accused students may, at their expense, request a copy of the record for purposes of appeal.

The College recognizes that misconduct and personal issues often go hand in hand, therefore students should also be aware that free, confidential counseling services are available to them.