PCC Student Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Portland Community College provides students with broad, comprehensive programs of general education, development/remedial programs, and vocational/technical curricula. The College also provides cultural, recreational, and community service activities. It is, in turn, the responsibility of the student to observe campus rules and regulations and to help maintain appropriate conditions in the classroom, on the campus, and in the community. A student's registration obligates him/her to comply with the policies and regulations of the College. PCC will restrict a student's admission to or registration with the College and will withhold degrees and academic transcripts as prescribed by the College and/or state guidelines if a student fails to meet financial obligations to the College or any other legal reasons. Portland Community College is granted the right by law to adopt such rules as are deemed necessary to govern its operations.

Included in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook (Nota: Esta manual tambien esta disponible en español.):

Student Rights: Students at PCC have the right to various freedoms and protections, such as the right to: freedom from harassment and discrimination, freedom of expression, protection from improper evaluation or disclosure, formation of student organizations, participation in creating student policies and fund-raising activities, access their student records, and access college facilities.
Code of Student Conduct: Students enrolled at PCC must conduct themselves in accordance with standards of conduct which are appropriate to the pursuit of education goals. Violations of the Code of Student Conduct include things such as: cheating in the classroom, theft or destruction of property, harassing or threatening students/staff, misusing college electronic services, and interfering with college processes. Students have the right to a fair hearing before any penalties are imposed.
Academic Integrity Policy: Students are expected to be honest and ethical in their academic work. Cheating, plagiarisim, falsifying, and working with others to cheat are all forms of academic dishonesty. Various penalties may be imposed and a fair hearing process is in place.
Grievance Procedure: Students who believe their student rights have been violated have the right to file a formal grievance. The grievance will be reviewed and appropriate actions will be taken.
Consensual Relationship Statement: The college seeks to maintain professional, fair, and unbiased relationships between faculty/staff and students. This mission is potentially jeopardized when faculty/staff enter into consensual romantic relationsips with their students. Questions of fairness, favoritism and coercion may arise. Therefore, faculty/staff should not engage in consensual romantic relationships with their current students.
Children on PCC Properties: Children are welcome on Portland Community College campuses and properties in appropriate situations and while actively supervised by a parent, guardian, or responsible adult. This policy outlines the College's approach to ensuring that reasonable steps are taken to protect the study and work environment of the College, and the health, safety, and liability issues associated with children on PCC properties.

What Are My Rights?

As a student, you are not only bound by the rules and regulations of PCC, but you also have certain rights to protect you. The links below take you to the full document of the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook, or just the sections you need to review. To gain an idea of why the handbook is so important read the scenarios below.

I was accused of cheating in class—what are my rights as a student?

There are different kinds of academic dishonesty, such as copying someone else’s work, making up data, using unapproved materials, tampering with college documents, or turning in someone else’s work as your own. If you have been accused of cheating on an assignment, the Instructor will provide you information about the incident. You will be given a chance to explain what happened. If you both agree on what happened, the situation may be easily resolved with a warning or a failing grade on the one assignment. If you don’t agree with the faculty member's decision, you may request a hearing with the Division Dean of the department. The Dean will review everything, meet with you and the Instructor, and make a decision. You may bring an advisor with you to the meeting. The final information is sent to the Dean of Student Development. If there is evidence of repeated academic dishonesty, additional sanctions may be imposed. You can’t receive a failing grade for the whole course without a hearing. For more detailed information about the process and deadlines, see the Academic Integrity Policy.

I received a grade that I think is unfair—What can I do?

An Instructor’s expectations for grading, attendance, participation, and assignments are supposed to be outlined in the course syllabus. Students have the right to be evaluated fairly based on those criteria. If you feel that the criteria were not fairly applied in your situation, you may follow the Grievance Procedure to ask for a review.
There are three steps in the Grievance Procedure:

Communicate directly with the Instructor.
Submit a Grievance Form to the Dean of Student Development and a hearing is held with the appropriate administrator.
Appeal to the Dean of Student Development.

The situation may be resolved at any step. Students sometimes worry about getting someone in trouble, or causing problems, or complaining. Fair grading is a student right and it’s OK to ask for a review when you have questions.

What’s the difference between a complaint and a grievance?

Students at PCC are guaranteed rights that are outlined in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. These are clearly listed and include things like the right to freedom from harassment, the right to freedom of expression, the right to form student organizations, and the right to access college facilities.

If you feel that one of your student rights have been compromised or violated, you may follow the Grievance Procedure. You have the right to meet with the person involved, an administrator, and the Dean of Student Development in order to resolve the issue. Other items not on the list of Student Rights may be addressed through a Complaint Form. This would cover things such as a complaint about food in the cafeteria, a problem with parking, a rude staff member. Complaint forms are available online and at the Information Desk of each campus.

I was the victim of harassment or a hate crime. Where do I go for help?

It is against the College's policy for any manager, supervisor, faculty, staff, or student to engage in harassment or discrimination of any member of the College community based on his/her race, color, religion, ethnicity, use of native language, national origin, age, sex, marital status, height/weight ratio, disability, or sexual orientation.

Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against or harassed by a College employee, representative or student is encouraged to file a complaint through the Affirmative Action Office, SSB 301 Cascade, 503-978-5840. Non-affirmative action complaints are to be filed in accordance with the Student Grievance Procedure or Complaint Form.