Student Conduct
Colleges recognize the student as an adult pursuing an education. Just as a student does not lose citizenship rights upon enrolling at a college, the student also does not become immune to society’s obligations and laws or to the responsibilities of daily living in a broader society. In general, the behavioral norms expected of the college student are those of common decency and decorum, recognition of and non-infringement upon the rights and property of others and of the College, honesty in academic work and all other activities, and observance of local, state, and federal laws.
When students enter Eastern Wyoming College, they take upon themselves certain responsibilities and obligations including satisfactory academic performance and social behavior consistent with the lawful purposes of the College. Student conduct, therefore, is not considered in isolation within the college community but as an integral part of the education process. All students are expected to know and abide by the Student Code of Conduct.
Attendance
A student at Eastern Wyoming College is expected to attend all sessions of each course in which the student is enrolled. Active participation in all scheduled learning activities is essential for the student to satisfactorily achieve the educational objectives of any course. Therefore, an instructor is authorized to withdraw a student from a course whenever:
- the student’s absences in the course exceed 20% (twenty percent) of the scheduled sessions for the semester, or
- the student has been absent 6 (six) consecutive class hours in the course.
Where a special program attendance policy varies from the above, that program policy will prevail.
A student who is withdrawn from a course on or before the College’s official last day to drop classes will receive a grade of W (Withdrawal) for the course. A student who has not withdrawn from a class after the last date published to drop will receive the grade they earned or a grade of IW (Institutional Withdrawal). A grade of IW is only assigned under special circumstances and with the approval of the Vice President of Student Services.
It is the responsibility of the instructor to notify, in writing, the College Registrar that the student is being withdrawn. The instructor also must indicate what grade the student is to receive, and the last date of attendance. The College Registrar will then notify the student of the action taken.
Due to the variation of course content and types of classroom activity, make-up policies will vary from instructor to instructor and will be given specifically in the course outlines given to each student.
Leave of Absence
A student who must be absent for an extended period of time because of health or other unavoidable circumstances may petition the Vice President for Academic Services for a leave of absence. A leave accounts for absences from classes, but does not relieve the student from making up all work missed, nor does it excuse the student from going through the regular withdrawal procedure (outlined below) if the student discontinues attendance for the remainder of the semester.
Academic Dishonesty
Eastern Wyoming College regards all forms of academic dishonesty as serious offenses that cannot be condoned. These forms include inappropriate dependence upon the aid of other persons in carrying out class or laboratory assignments; plagiarism; and cheating on quizzes, tests, or examinations. For a first offense, a student will be subject to the instructor’s disciplinary action which may include a grade of zero on the affected coursework, lowering of the final grade in the course, receiving a grade of “F” in the course or withdrawal from the course. The student who commits such an offense a subsequent time will be assigned the grade of “F” and may be subject to dismissal from the College with the reason for dismissal specifically stated and retained in college records. A student who has been the subject of disciplinary action for academic dishonesty may follow the EWC Grievance Policy included in the Student Code of Conduct.
Turnitin is a cloud-based text review service utilized by EWC for originality checking, including improper citations or potential plagiarism. Student work in a course may be submitted to and retained by this service, though the student retains copyright of their written work. Students can view information regarding Turnitin’s privacy and copyright policy at www.turnitin.com.
Sexual Harassment Policy
Definition
Eastern Wyoming College endorses the definition of sexual harassment provided under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Accordingly,
Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when (1) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment; (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual; or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.
Policy Statement on Sexual Harassment
Eastern Wyoming College strives to create a work environment that is desirable for all employees and students.
Sexual harassment of employees or students is reprehensible, illegal, and will not be tolerated at Eastern Wyoming College. Such activity which influences employment decisions or the academic success of students is contradictory and antithetical to the environment provided by this institution, and prompt and remedial action will be taken by Eastern Wyoming College upon any finding of sexual harassment.
All complaints of sexual harassment will be investigated. Employee complaints should be filed with the complainant’s immediate supervisor or the Affirmative Action Officer. Student complaints should be registered with the relevant Division Chair or the Affirmative Action Officer. If the complaint cannot be resolved at this level, the College Grievance Procedure under EWC/Board of Trustees Grievance Policy No. 1.7 should be followed. Victims of sexual harassment are strongly encouraged to disclose any episode(s) of sexual harassment. Such disclosure will assist EWC in its attempts to prevent future episodes of sexual harassment.
Any Eastern Wyoming College agent or employee who is found to have engaged in sexual harassment of another employee or student will be subject to disciplinary sanctions which may include, but not limited to, written reprimand, demotion, transfer, required professional counseling, and/or termination of employment. Any student who violates this policy will be subject to prompt and appropriate discipline. Such discipline may result in the student being expelled from Eastern Wyoming College.
No employee or student shall suffer reprisal from Eastern Wyoming College as a consequence of filing a “good faith” complaint.
Complaint Log
Eastern Wyoming College maintains a record of all formal student complaints received in the office of the President, Vice President for Academic Services, or the Vice President for Student Services. Student complaints are defined as those which are nontrivial in nature, either academic or nonacademic, made formally in writing, signed by a student, and addressed to and submitted to an organizational officer with the responsibility to handle the complaint. The formal Complaint Log is maintained in the office of the Vice President for Student Services and contains the following information:
- Date the complaint was first formally submitted to an appropriate officer;
- Nature of the complaint (e.g. dispute about a grade, allegation of sexual harassment etc.);
- Steps taken by EWC to resolve the complaint;
- EWC’s final decision regarding the complaint including referral to outside agencies; and
- Any other external actions initiated by the student to resolve the complaint, if known to the institution (e.g. lawsuit, EEOC investigation, etc.).
EWC will maintain, at a minimum, records of complaints for a two year period. The log is available for review by college staff, representatives of accrediting agencies, and by other, appropriate outside agencies. The names of any individuals involved in the complaint (including the names of any student(s) or EWC staff directly involved) are not part of the log.
Complaints, at EWC, are first addressed through the Informal Grievance procedure as outlined in the EWC Student Handbook. Those complaints that are not resolved using the Informal Grievance procedure, are resolved using the Formal Grievance Procedure also outlined in the EWC Student Handbook. The Handbook contains the EWC Student Code of Conduct (Board of Trustee Policy 5.13) that addresses how behavioral and other issues, including student complaints, are addressed by the College.
Student Grievance and Student Complaint Policy
Please see Board Policy 5.14 for Student Grievance and Student Complaint Policy
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