Student Conduct Information

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Policy Introduction

Note: this policy and procedure is intended to be followed when a complaint arises against a student. To file a complaint against a TMCC faculty or staff member, please refer to the Faculty/Staff Complaint Policy.

The purpose of this policy is to clarify what constitutes disruptive behavior in an academic setting, and what actions faculty and director/coordinator or designee may take in response to disruptive conduct.

The ultimate goal of this policy is to create a safe learning atmosphere of mutual respect and courtesy. Students and faculty share responsibility for maintaining a positive educational environment. Faculty, staff and students are expected to treat each other with respect.

It is the right and responsibility of faculty/staff to maintain an appropriate environment for learning, with the expectation of support from the College administration.

In order to facilitate an environment that fosters student success and academic excellence through instruction and interaction, this policy has been developed to assist with student conduct as it specifically addresses disruptive behavior which may hinder the educational environment.

Truckee Meadows Community College supports the principle of freedom of expression for both faculty/staff and students. The College respects the rights of faculty/staff to teach and provide services and students to learn and benefit from services. Maintenance of these rights requires class/office conditions that do not impede their exercise.

Behavior that seriously interferes with either, 1) the faculty/staff's ability to conduct the class/office; or 2) the ability of other students to profit from the instructional program or service will not be tolerated. An individual engaging in disruptive behavior may be subject to disciplinary action (see Nevada System of Higher Education Student Code of Conduct).

What Constitutes Disruption?

Disruptive behavior is any behavior that interferes with the instructional, administrative, or service functions of the college. Disruptive behavior for this purpose is defined by the faculty/director/coordinator or designee and includes behavior that occurs in web-based interactions.

Such behavior includes, but is not limited to: verbal or physical threats, repeated obscenities, unreasonable interference with class/office discussion, making/receiving personal phone calls, text messages or pages during class, excessive tardiness, leaving and entering class frequently in the absence of notice to faculty/director/coordinator or designee of illness or other extenuating circumstances, persisting in disruptive personal conversations with other students, and refusal to comply with faculty/staff directions.

For purposes of this policy, it may also be considered disruptive behavior for a student to exhibit threatening, intimidating, or other inappropriate behavior toward the faculty/staff or other students. Disruptive behavior-also includes any other behavior covered by the NSHE Code of Student Conduct. Civil expression of disagreement with the course faculty/staff, during times when the faculty/staff permits discussion, is not in itself disruptive behavior and is not prohibited by this policy.

Some disruptive students may have emotional, mental, or physical disorders. Although such students may be diagnosed with disabilities and eligible for accommodation under the Rehabilitation Act/ADA, they are held to the same standards of conduct as other students.

Procedures

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Students are required to adhere to the standards listed in the NSHE Code of Student Conduct and to refrain from disrupting class and other college settings, as defined in this policy.

The faculty/director/coordinator or designee member is hereby authorized to initiate means to ensure that the normal academic functions of the class room and other college settings are not compromised by disruptive student behavior. The procedures for this process are specified below.

  1. When a student's behavior is seriously disruptive as to compel immediate action, the faculty/director/coordinator or designee has the authority to remove a student from the class/office on an interim basis, pending an informal hearing on the behavior. At time of removal, the faculty/director/coordinator or designee will explain to the student why they are being removed on an interim basis. A student who has been removed from a class/office on an interim basis is entitled to an informal hearing before the head of the department where the disruptive behavior occurred within three working days of the removal.

    The department head may either:

    1. Facilitate an agreement of expectations between the student and the faculty/director/coordinator or designee and reinstate the student to class/office, or,
    2. Extend the removal of the student from the class/office and refer the case to the dean or associate dean for further action. The department head will send a copy of all supporting materials to the academic dean or associate dean and should also provide a copy of all supporting materials to the student's academic dean (should they be different).
      The dean or associate dean will meet with the student within three working days of the referral. The dean or associate dean will either assist in the development of an agreement of expectations between the student, the faculty/director/coordinator or designee and program chair and reinstate the student, or refer the case of misbehavior to the Student Conduct Officer for formal adjudication in accordance with the Nevada System of Higher Education Code of student conduct.
  2. When a student action is not so serious as to require immediate removal from the class/office, these steps are to be followed:
    1. The faculty/director/coordinator or designee responsible for the class/office or activity where the alleged disruptive behavior occurred will inform the student that his/her behavior has been inappropriate. The faculty/director/coordinator or designee will describe to the student specific needed changes in the student's behavior. The student will be provided an opportunity to modify his/her behavior in accordance with the changes identified. The faculty/director/coordinator or designee will provide the student with a written, dated summary of his/her discussion with the student, and the faculty/director/coordinator or designee will retain a file copy of this summary.
    2. If a student believes the faculty/director/coordinator or designee's expectations are unreasonable, he/she may confer with the faculty/director/coordinator or designee's department head about this matter. The department head will assist in negotiating a resolution to develop a set of expectations between the student and faculty/director/coordinator or designee. A signed and dated copy will be provided by the department head to both the student and the faculty/director/coordinator or designee.
    3. Should a student's behavior continue to be unacceptable, the faculty/director/coordinator or designee will apprise his/her (the faculty/director/coordinator or designee's) department head of what has occurred and will share with the department head the written summary of the discussion with the student. The department head may wish to initiate additional discussion with the faculty/director/coordinator or designee and/or the student in an attempt to resolve the issue at that level.
      If the department head can not resolve the issue with the student/instructor and concurs with the faculty/director/coordinator or designee's view that the problem has not been resolved, the situation may be referred to the dean or associate dean for further action. A memorandum briefly describing the student's behavior, as well as a copy of the written summary of the faculty/director/coordinator or designee's discussion with the student and any other related material, should be forwarded to the dean or association dean and to the student's dean or associate dean (if different).
    4. The dean or associate dean will meet with the student within three working days of the referral. The dean or associate dean will either work with the student/instructor to develop an approved agreement of expectations between the student, the faculty/director/coordinator or designee and program chair, which may include withdrawing the student from the class or, where warranted, refer the case of misbehavior to the Student Conduct Officer for formal adjudication under the Nevada System of Higher Education Code of student conduct.

Appeal Procedures

The student may appeal removal from a course or area of the College within three working days of the effective date of the removal by notifying the Vice President of the area where the removal applies. All appeals must be in writing.

The appeal will be heard at the earliest opportunity by an appeal committee consisting of the appropriate Vice President, Director of Admissions and Records, a faculty/staff member selected by the student, and a faculty/staff member selected by the faculty/director/coordinator or designee where the removal has occurred. Both the student and faculty/staff will be permitted to present their cases in person at this appeal.

The College's standard refund policy regarding registration fees will remain in effect for any student withdrawn from a course by an instructor.

(TMCC Policy and Procedure for Addressing Student Conduct, approved May 2013)

For more information, contact the Student Conduct Office at 775-673-7270, located in RDMT 120.