2018-2019 Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Rules and Regulations


Academic Regulations

Students’ Rights and Responsibilities

Rules and Regulations for Student Behavior

Saddleback College students are responsible for regulating their own conduct and for respecting the rights and privileges of others in accordance with the Code of Conduct set by the district Board of Trustees (AR 5401). Saddleback students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with the function of the college as an educational institution and respect and obey all civil and criminal laws. Failure to show respect for the standards as set forth by Saddleback College is cause for disciplinary action.

Code of Conduct

In compliance with California Education code Section 66300 and in keeping with the above, the following regulations have been established to effectively and efficiently guide the approved educational programs, approved student activities, and community services.

Students may be disciplined for one or more of the following causes related to college activity or attendance:

  1. Disruptive behavior, willful disobedience, habitual profanity or vulgarity, or the open defiance of the authority of district personnel.
  2. Assault, battery, or any threat of force or violence upon a student, district personnel, or an authorized visitor.
  3. Willful misconduct resulting in injury or death to a student or district personnel or an authorized visitor, or willful misconduct resulting in damage, defacing, theft, or other injury to any real or personal property owned by the District, or district personnel, or students in attendance at the colleges or programs of the District.
  4. Unsafe behavior in a clinical or lab setting that poses a threat to self or others
  5. The unlawful use, sale, or possession on district property or presence on district property while under the influence of any controlled substance or any poison classified as such by state or federal law.
  6. Smoking in an area where smoking has been prohibited by law or by policy of the Board of Trustees or administrative regulation.
  7. Disorderly, lewd, indecent, or obscene conduct on district property or at district sponsored functions.
  8. Sexual assault (as defined in Board Policy 5404) on any student or employee of the District, on campus or off-campus grounds or facilities maintained by the District.
  9. The possession or use of any firearms, explosives, dangerous chemicals, deadly weapons, or other potentially harmful implements or substances while on district property or at a district-sponsored function without the prior authorization of the disciplinary officer.
  10. The obstruction or disruption, on or off campus, of any educational or administrative process or function of the District.
  11. Physical abuse, on or off campus property, of the person or property of any member of the campus community or of members of his or her family or the threat of such physical abuse when related to a district program or activity.
  12. Misrepresentation of oneself or of an organization as an agent of the District.
  13. Soliciting or assisting another to do any act which would subject a student to discipline.
  14. Use, possession, or distribution of alcoholic beverages and/or illegal narcotics/drugs on district premises, or at district-sponsored events, or appearance on district property or at district sponsored events while under the influence of alcohol or illegal narcotics/drugs unless otherwise provided by law and district policy.
  15. Unauthorized recording, dissemination, and publication of academic presentations or materials. This prohibition applies to a recording made in any medium.
  16. Actions of force or threat of force to injure, intimidate, oppress or threaten because of the other person’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation, or because of the perception that the other person has one or more of these characteristics.
  17. Academic dishonesty, including, but not limited to falsification, plagiarism, cheating or fabrication, which compromises the integrity of an assignment, a college record or a program.

  1. Falsification involves any conduct in academic work, records or programs that is intended to deceive, including, but not limited to, the following acts:

  1. forging signatures on official documents such as admissions cards and financial aid applications.
  2. changing or attempting to change official academic records without proper sanction.
  3. misrepresenting or falsifying successful completion prerequisites.
  4. providing false information, such as immigration materials, during the admission or matriculation process.
  5. falsifying one’s identification or falsely using another’s identification.
  6. logging in or otherwise gaining access to a computer, computer network or protected web site using the password or identity of another.
  7. citation of data or information not actually in the source indicated.
  8. including in a reference list of works cited a text or other information source which was not used in constructing the essay, paper or other academic exercise.
  9. submission in a paper, lab report or other academic exercise of falsified, invented, or fictitious date or evidence, or deliberate and knowing concealment or distortion of the true nature, origin, or function of such data or evidence.
  10. submitting as the student’s own work any academic exercises (e.g., written work printing, sculpture, etc.) prepared totally or in part by another.
  11. taking a test for someone else or permitting someone else to take a test for a student.

2. Plagiarism is any conduct in academic work or programs involving misrepresentation of someone else’s words, ideas or data as one’s original work, including, but not limited to, the following:

  1. intentionally representing as one’s own work the work, words, ideas or arrangement of ideas, research, formulae, diagrams, statistics, or evidence of another.
  2. taking sole credit for ideas and/or written work that resulted from collaboration with others.
  3. paraphrasing or quoting material without citing the source.
  4. submitting as one’s own a copy of or the actual work of another person, either in part or in entirety, without appropriate citation (e.g., term-paper mill or internet derived products).
  5. sharing computer files and programs or written papers and then submitting individual copies of the results as one’s own individual work.
  6. submitting substantially the same material in more than one course without prior authorization from each instructor involved.
  7. modifying another’s work and representing it as one’s own work.

3. Cheating is the use of any unauthorized materials, or information in academic work, records or programs, the intentional failure to follow express directives in academic work, records or programs, and/or assisting others to do the same including, but not limited to, the following:

  1. knowingly procuring, providing, or accepting unauthorized examination materials or study aids.
  2. completing, in part or in total, any examination or assignment for another person.
  3. knowingly allowing any examination or assignment to be completed, in part or in total, for himself or herself by another (e.g., take-home exams or on-line assignments which have been completed by someone other than the student).
  4. copying from another student’s test, paper, lab report or other academic assignment.
  5. copying another student’s test answers.
  6. copying, or allowing another student to copy, a computer file that contains another student’s assignment, homework lab reports, or computer programs and submitting it, in part or in its entirety, as one’s own.
  7. using unauthorized sources of information such as crib sheets, answers stored in a calculator, or unauthorized electronic devices.
  8. storing answers in electronic devices and allowing other students to use the information without the consent of the instructor.
  9. employing aids excluded by the instructor in undertaking course work.
  10. looking at another student’s exam during a test.
  11. using texts or other reference materials (including dictionaries) when not authorized to do so.
  12. knowingly gaining access to unauthorized data.
  13. altering graded class assignments or examinations and then resubmitting them for regrading or reconsideration without the knowledge and consent of the instructor.

R. Contravention of Copyright Laws.
S. Violation of District Board Policies and Administrative Regulations.

Disciplinary Procedures

  1. Initiation of the Disciplinary Process
    A request for disciplinary action may be initiated in writing by district employees. When there is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, the following procedures will be followed:
    1. If the conduct occurred in the classroom, the instructor may remove the student from his or her class for that day and the next class meeting if the student interfered with the instructional process. Removal must be reported to the disciplinary officer immediately. If the student is a threat to self or to others, the instructor must contact Campus Police immediately. If the student removed is a dependent minor, the instructor may request that the student’s parent or guardian attend a parent conference regarding the removal. Upon removal of a student, the instructor will give the student verbal and/or written notice of the reasons for the removal.   
    2. If the conduct did not occur in the classroom, the district employee discovering the conduct will report the incident to the disciplinary officer and submit a written report on the appropriate form (i.e., Conduct Referral form). The report should include (a) date of the conduct, (b) location, (c) names of witnesses, and (d) a detailed explanation of the alleged misconduct along with a description of efforts made to correct behavior or action taken by employee.
    3. When the report of alleged misconduct is sent to the disciplinary officer, the officer will evaluate the information to determine if it alleges a violation of the District’s student conduct policy and/or regulations. If the disciplinary officer determines that the report supports such allegations, a meeting will be requested with the student to provide the student an opportunity to respond to the allegations.
    4. The disciplinary officer will review all documentation related to the case to make a determination if disciplinary action is required.
    5. The disciplinary officer will send a notice by certified mail to the student charged with the violation when suspension or expulsion is recommended. This notice will include a written explanation of the incident and the charges that have been made (i.e., the specific conduct involved and the specific regulation(s) alleged to have been violated.
    6. The disciplinary decision is final and it is immediately in effect unless it involves termination of State and/or local financial aid, suspension, or recommendation of expulsion, in which case the student may appeal the decision to the Disciplinary Hearing Panel within ten days. In cases referred to the Panel by the disciplinary officer or in cases where the decision is appealed to the Panel, the procedures in Section V will be followed. The student may accept the penalty of suspension or expulsion without further hearing and without admitting participation in the conduct charged.
  2. Range of Disciplinary Actions

    1. Verbal reprimand: A warning that the conduct is not acceptable.
    2. Written reprimand: Becomes part of the student file for a minimum of five years or longer at the discretion of the disciplinary officer and is considered in the event of future violations.
    3. Mental Health Clearance: Mental health clearance may be required before a student is readmitted to a particular class or allowed to be on district property. The disciplinary officer (or designee) must receive a letter from a licensed mental health professional stating that in his or her professional judgment, the student will no longer continue the behavior which gave rise to the disciplinary action or that the student’s presence on campus is not a threat to himself or herself or others. The mental health professional must be licensed by the State of California. The student shall bear the cost and expense of obtaining mental health clearance.
    4. Disciplinary Probation: A specific period of conditional participation in campus and academic affairs, which may involve any or all of the following:
      1. Ineligibility for all student government roles;
      2. Removal from any student government position;
      3. Revocation of the privilege of participating in district and/or student-sponsored activities;
      4. Ineligibility for membership on an athletic team;
      5. Limitation of courses and/or instructors the student may take.
    5. Suspension: The Board of Trustees or the disciplinary officer may suspend a student for cause as provided in Section III. Suspension may involve:

      1. Removal from one or more classes for the remainder of the academic term.
      2. Removal from all classes and activities of the District for one or more terms. During this time, the student may not be enrolled in any class or program within the District.
    6. Expulsion: The Board of Trustees may expel a student for cause as provided in Section III when other means of correction fail to bring about proper conduct or when the presence of the student causes a continuing danger to the physical safety of the student or others. Expulsion will be accompanied by a hearing conducted by the Disciplinary Hearing Panel.

Appeal Process

The student has the right to appeal the decision of the instructor or the disciplinary officer.

  1. Appeal of an Academic Dishonesty Decision
    1. The student has the right to file an appeal of a decision regarding academic dishonesty to the dean of the department or school in which the alleged dishonesty occurred. The appeal must be in writing and received by the dean within ten working days of the informal meeting with the instructor. A grade, however, is not a disciplinary action but an evaluation of work, and is not subject to appeal except as provided in the grade grievance process as set forth in Board policy 5505.
    2. The dean may request that the instructor submit a written statement supporting his or her position.
    3. Within thirty days of receipt of the request of appeal, the dean will arrange a meeting with the instructor and the student. If the instructor is no longer employed by the District, or is unavailable because of sabbatical or other leave, the dean will appoint another instructor in the same disciplinary area to assume the responsibilities of the instructor.

      At the meeting, the evidence of academic dishonesty will be presented and every effort will be made to resolve the matter. In the absence of a resolution, the student may elect to follow the appropriate grievance or disciplinary appeal procedure as specified in Board policies and regulations.
  2. Appeal of a Hearing Panel Decision to Suspend or Recommendation to Expel
    The student may appeal a Hearing Panel decision in writing to the college president, within ten days of the decision/recommendation. The basis for the appeal will include evidence to support one or more of the following factors:
    1. The decision lacks substantial basis in fact to support the findings,
    2. There is substantial incongruity between the proposed sanction and findings,
    3. There is substantial unfairness in the proceedings which has deprived the student of a fair and impartial process; and/or
    4. There is newly discovered critical evidence, that despite due diligence on the part of the student, was not known at the time of the hearing.

The college president or the president’s designee may decide the issue based solely on the written appeal. The decision will be made available to the student charged within ten days of receipt of appeal. The decision will be final except in the case of expulsion where final action will be taken by the Board of Trustees.