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NOTICE: Garden City Community College reserves the right to revise the Code of Conduct and other related policies at any time for any reason. At the time of printing, these policies were current, however, please check the on-line version on the Garden City Community College website for up to date revisions.
Garden City Community College (hereinafter referred to as “GCCC” or “the College”) students are responsible for knowing and adhering to the information, policies, and procedures outlined in this document. The College reserves the right to revise the Code of Conduct and other related policies as necessary and once those changes are posted online, they are in effect. Students are encouraged to review all College policies to ensure they understand them. College policies are posted at: http://gcccks.edu/about_gccc/policies.aspx.
The College community is committed to fostering a campus environment that is conducive to academic inquiry, a productive campus life, and thoughtful study and discourse. At GCCC, student members of the community are expected to uphold and abide by certain standards of conduct that form the basis of the Student Code of Conduct. These standards are embodied within a set of core values that include:
Bold innovation
Unwavering Integrity
Service and Collegiality
Trust, Transparency, & Accountability
Empowered Creativity & Academic Freedom
Responsible Leadership
Student-centered focus
When students fail to exemplify these values by engaging in conduct in violation of this Policy, campus conduct proceedings are used to assert and uphold the Student Code of Conduct.
The College assumes that all students are able and willing to maintain the standard of self-discipline appropriate for membership in a College community. The College’s student conduct process is not intended to punish students; rather, it exists to protect the interests of the community and to challenge those whose conduct is not in accordance with GCCC’s policies. Sanctions are intended to challenge students’ moral and ethical decision-making and to help them bring their behavior into accord with the College’s community expectations.
Discipline is the responsibility of the Vice President for Student Services (All references herein to the Vice President for Student Services also include a designee of the Vice President for Student Services). Disciplinary action may be initiated when a student’s conduct is determined to be dangerous to their health/well-being, infringes on others’ rights, damages College property, or any other situation which reflects negatively on the College community, programs, organizations, or activities. The College reserves the right to discipline students whose conduct is at any time unsatisfactory in the judgment of College officials, up to and including dismissal.
Jurisdiction
All GCCC students are provided with a copy of the Student Code of Conduct annually in the form of a link on the College’s website. Hard copies are available upon request from the Office of Student Services.
The Student Code of Conduct and the student conduct process apply to the conduct of individual students, student groups, and student organizations. The College retains conduct jurisdiction over students who choose to take a leave of absence, withdraw, or have graduated for any misconduct that occurred prior to the leave, withdrawal, or graduation. If sanctioned, a hold may be placed on the student’s ability to re-enroll, obtain official transcripts, and/or graduate and all sanctions must be satisfied prior to re-enrollment eligibility.
The Student Code of Conduct applies to conduct that take place on campus, at College-sponsored events, and may also apply off-campus when the Dean of Students (All references herein to the Dean of Student Services also includes a designee of the Dean of Student Services) determines that the off-campus conduct affects a substantial College interest. A substantial College interest is defined to include:
- Any action that constitutes a criminal offense as defined by law. This includes, but is not limited to, single or repeat violations of any local, state, or federal law.
- Any situation in which it is determined that the Respondent poses an immediate threat to the physical health or safety of any student, employee, or other individual.
- Any situation that significantly impinges upon the rights, property, or achievements of others, significantly breaches the peace, and/or causes social disorder.
- Any situation that substantially interferes with the educational interests or mission of the College.
This Policy applies to online misconduct, via email, social media, or through other electronic means. Students should be aware that online postings are not always private and can be subject to allegations of conduct violations if evidence of policy violations are posted online. The College does not regularly search for this information but may take action if and when such information is brought to the attention of College officials. While most online speech by students not involving College networks or technology is protected as free expression and not subject to this Policy, two narrow exceptions exist when the conduct:
- Constitutes a true threat (For purposes of this Policy, “true threat” is defined as a threat a resonable person would interpret as a serious expression of intent to inflict bodily harm upon specific individuals), or
- Is speech posted online about the College or its community members that causes a significant on-campus disruption to the mission or operations of the College.
This Policy applies to guests of community members whose hosts may be held accountable for the misconduct of their guests. Visitors to and guests of the College may seek resolution of violations of this Policy committed against them by members of the College community on College property or within College programs.
There is no time-limit on reporting violations of this Policy; however, the longer someone waits to report an offense, the harder it becomes for College officials to obtain information and witness statements and to make determinations regarding alleged violations.
Glossary of Terms
Advisor means a person chosen by a party or appointed by the institution to accompany the party to meetings related to the conduct process, to advise the party on that process, and to accompany the party to the hearing, if any.
College Business Day means any weekday (Monday - Friday) when the College is open.
Complainant means an individual who has alleged to have been impacted by conduct that could constitute a violation of this Policy.
Final Determination is a conclusion by the standard of proof that the alleged conduct did or did not violate policy.
Finding is a conclusion by the standard of proof that the conduct did or did not occur as alleged (as in a “finding of fact”).
Investigator means the person authorized by the College to gather facts about an alleged violation of this Policy, assess relevance and credibility, synthesize the evidence, recommend findings, and compile this information into an investigation report.
Parties means the Complainant(s) and Respondent(s), collectively.
Preponderance of the Evidence Standard means whether the evidence supports that it is more likely than not that the Respondent violated the Policy as alleged.
Respondent means a student who has been reported to have engaged in conduct that could constitute a violation of this Policy.
Sanction means a consequence imposed on a Respondent who is found to have violated this Policy.
Student means any individual who has accepted an offer of admission, or who is registered or enrolled for credit or non-credit bearing coursework, and who maintains an ongoing relationship with the College.
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