Page 77 - Southwestern Community College Handbook 2019-2020

REGULATIONS
All policies are subject to change. Revisions are posted to the SCC website.
PREAMBLE
Academic institutions exist for the transmission of knowledge, the pursuit of truth, the develop- ment of students, and the well-being of society. Free inquiry and free expression are indispensable to the attainment of these goals. As members of this academic community, students are encouraged to develop the capacity for critical judgment and to engage in a sustained and independent search for truth.
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic conditions in the class- room, on the campus, and in the community. Students should exercise their freedom with responsibility. As members of the larger community of which the College is part, students are entitled to all rights and protection accorded them by the laws of that community. The SCC Policy and Procedures manual defines rights and protections students are entitled to as members within our learning community.
Students are also subject to all laws, the enforcement of which is the responsibility of duly consti- tuted authorities. When students violate laws, they may incur penalties prescribed by legal authorities. In such instance, College discipline will be initiated only when the presence of the student on campus will disrupt the educational process of the College. However, when a student’s violation of the law also adversely affects the College’s pursuit of its recognized educational objectives, the College may enforce its own regulations. When students violate college regulations, they are subject to disciplinary action by the College whether or not their conduct violates the law. If a student’s behavior simultaneously violates both college regulations and the law, the College may take disciplinary action independent of that taken by legal authorities.
It is the expectation of college administration, faculty and staff that all students within our learn- ing community conduct themselves in a manner which is conducive to achieving maximum learning outcomes. The following pages outline important processes, policies and procedures which will guide your behavior and protect your rights as an SCC student. The College seeks to actively maintain compli- ance with all Title IV, Title IX, Clery Act, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regulations.
STUDENT RIGHTS
Students are free to pursue their educational goals. Appropriate opportunities for learning in the classroom and on the campus shall be provided by the College.
Students have the right to have their performance evaluated solely on an academic basis as defined by the course syllabus, not on opinions or conduct matters unrelated to academic standards.
Students have the right to freedom of expression, inquiry, and assembly without restraint or censor- ship subject to reasonable and non-discriminatory rules and regulations regarding time, place and manner. Students have the right to form clubs, as defined through Student Life, to show solidarity to an
academic program, societal issue or personal cause.
Students have the right to safeguard and protect their official college record, as defined by the Fam-
ily Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. Students and former students have the right to review their official records and to request a hearing if they want to challenge the content of their record. All rights and privileges guaranteed to every citizen by the Constitution of the United States and
by the State of North Carolina shall not be denied to any student.
Should a student violate a College policy, College discipline will be initiated when the presence
of the student on campus will (or has) disrupt the educational process. Students have the right to due process during these situations. Due process procedures are established to guarantee a student accused of a Standards of Student Conduct Violation (academic or non-academic) the right to a hearing, a pre- sentation of charges, evidence of charges, the right to present evidence, the right to have a witness on one’s behalf, the right to hear witness on behalf of the accuser, and the right to an appeal. If a student violates State or Federal law and the violation adversely impacts the College’s pursuit of its recognized educational objectives, the College will enforce its own disciplinary sanctions, in addition to penalties incurred by legal authorities, to maintain a safe and orderly academic environment.
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