Disruptive Students and Disciplinary Procedures

Summary and Scope


This policy covers the process for addressing disruptive student behavior in classrooms and campus environments outside of the classroom (computer labs, shared studios, Library, student support offices, academic shops, Canvas, CCS email usage, etc.). This policy is meant to supplement the Code of Student Conduct and CCS Judicial Process found in the Student Handbook. This policy is not intended to address overt threats of violence or violent behavior. In the event an overt threat of violence or a violent action is taken by a student, Campus Safety should immediately be contacted to remove the student from the space and notify the Dean of Students or other CCS judicial officer as defined in the CCS Judicial Process.

Definition

Disruptive behavior in the classroom or campus environment is defined as behavior that significantly limits the ability of the instructor to teach or the other students to learn or for academic tasks to be completed.  Examples of disruptive behavior include but are not limited to:

  • Excessive disrespect of other students or the instructor (including but not limited to insults, personal attacks or verbal threats);
  • Creating excessive and intentionally disruptive noise;
  • Repeated use of obscenities;
  • Failure to follow instructor directions;
  • Repeatedly leaving and returning to the classroom without extenuating circumstances such as illness;
  • Frequent interruptions/inhibiting other students from participating in classroom discussions;
  • Distracting behaviors like phone calls, personal side conversations, use of technology for non-academic purposes.

Procedure

Disruptive behavior should first be addressed by the faculty member (classroom) or appropriate staff person (campus environment) at the time the disruption occurs. If the disruptive behavior continues, the following steps should be taken in order:

  1. An explanation of what behaviors are occurring and why they are unacceptable in the current environment should be provided to the student verbally. This should be done as soon as the disruptive behavior begins but does not need to occur outside of the classroom or academic environment. A simple statement such as “Student, you are interrupting and talking over your classmates, please allow other voices to be heard” may be sufficient.
  2. If the disruptive behavior continues after the initial intervention 
    • In the classroom, the student should be told to leave class and return at the next scheduled class time. This should be marked as an absence by the faculty member. 
    • In a campus environment, the student should be told to leave the space and may return during the next normal period of access (typically the next day).
  3. As soon as possible, after a student is removed from the classroom or campus environment the faculty member or relevant staff member should send an email to the Department Chair (if applicable) and the Dean of Students. This email will be used as the reporting format for the judicial process and should include:
    • Name of the disruptive student;
    • Date and time of incident;
    • Detailed description of the incident;
    • Preferred method of communication for follow-up.
  4. A follow-up conversation will happen between the faculty member/staff member and the Department Chair and/or the Dean of Students to determine next steps and potential outcomes.
  5. The Dean of Students will then meet with the student to learn any additional relevant information pertaining to the documented situation. If the student is permitted to return to the classroom or campus environment it is with the understanding that the disruptive behavior will cease and the student will be on judicial probation. Faculty/Staff will be notified if the student will be returning to the classroom prior to the next scheduled class session or environment availability by the Dean of Students and under what conditions they will be allowed to return.
  6. If the disruptive behavior continues after the steps outlined above, the continued disruption should be documented in the same manner outlined in step 3 for additional follow up. Follow-up may include other leadership team members as appropriate.
  7. If the disruptive behavior constitutes a repeated offense or the first instance is potentially severe enough to warrant removal from the class or permanent loss of access to an campus environment, the Dean of Students will reach that determination in consultation with the appropriate Academic Dean and Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services based on the information provided by the faculty/staff member and the information learned through the meeting between the Dean of Students and the Student. Faculty/Staff will be notified of the final outcome of this meeting prior to the next class session or environment availability.  If a student is removed from a course through this process, a grade of “W” will be entered into the student’s transcript.  Students are not eligible for a tuition refund when judicially removed from a course.

Faculty/Staff Rights and Responsibilities

  • Faculty/Staff have the right to tell any disruptive student that they need to leave the classroom/space immediately.
  • Faculty/Staff have the right to enlist the support of Campus Safety at any time to remove and/or support them in resolving a disruptive situation.
  • Faculty/Staff have the right to ask for support from their Department Chair or supervisor in addressing disruptive behavior.
  • Faculty/Staff have the right to request additional time with their Department Chair, supervisor, or Dean of Students to process or discuss the situation as needed.
  • Faculty/Staff have the right to be informed if the student will be allowed to return to the class/academic environment and additional information about the judicial outcome as outlined in the Judicial Follow Up section.
  • Faculty/Staff have the responsibility to address disruptive behavior as soon as possible.
  • Faculty/Staff have the responsibility to document the incident in the manner outlined above as soon as possible.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

This policy is meant to supplement the Code of Student Conduct and CCS Judicial Process found in the Student Handbook. Additionally:

  • Students have the right to attend classes and utilize campus environments free from disruption.
  • Students have the right to report a disruption to the Dean of Students without going through the relevant faculty or staff member.
  • Students have the right to a fair and impartial hearing process as outlined in the CCS Judicial Process.
  • Students have the right to be held to equitable standards in all CCS environments.
  • Students have the responsibility to engage with peers and CCS educators in a respectful and manner that is appropriate to our professional learning environment.
  • Students have the responsibility to modify their behavior in an appropriate fashion in response to reasonable requests.

Judicial Follow-Up

CCS officials will respond to reports of disruptive behavior in line with the CCS Judicial Process.  If the disruptive behavior occurred in a campus space, a determination on temporary access will be made based on the student’s educational circumstances and nature of the disruption. Temporary access may be granted on a probationary basis. If the disruptive behavior occurs in the classroom, the judicial process may take more than one class session to resolve. Temporary classroom access restrictions will be determined in collaboration with the student and faculty member.

Notice will be provided by the Dean of Students to the reporting faculty/staff member regarding the final judicial outcome for the student. Full details of judicial sanctions may not be available to share with the reporting faculty/staff member but will include at a minimum whether the student is permitted to rejoin the class/return to the academic environment, any relevant probationary status, and relevant conditions/restriction for returning.

Code Of Student Conduct

The Code of Student Conduct is in place to ensure students are aware of the behavior expected of them as members of the CCS community. The purpose of this Code is to create an environment that fosters civility, personal responsibility, and mutual respect for others and their differences.

For further information, please see the CCS Code of Student Conduct.

Grade Change Forms

An instructor may change a student’s grade. The reason for this change may be due to completion of work from the previous semester (grade of “I” being changed to a letter grade) or a review of the student’s work which resulted in a better grade. A student who receives an “I” grade has one semester (Fall or Winter) to complete the work and receive the appropriate grade. After the one semester deadline, the “I” grade will be changed to an “F”. Instructors and Program Managers can obtain the Grade Change form from the Academic Advising and Registration Office (AARO). The instructor and Department Chair must sign the form, and it is then sent to the Office of Academic Affairs who return the approved form to the AARO. Instructors must provide complete and accurate information to ensure quick processing.

Students may appeal a grade up to 60 days after the last day of the semester in which the student was enrolled in the course. Appealing students should submit a written request to the Office of Academic Affairs identifying the course, instructor, and an explanation of the circumstances and reason for the request. The request will be reviewed and decided upon by the Academic Performance Committee.

Dean’s or President’s List

Undergraduate students who complete a minimum of 12 credits during any semester and who attain a grade point average of 3.50 to 3.799 are placed on the Dean’s List. Students who achieve a GPA of 3.80 or above are placed on the President’s List. A notation will be placed on the student’s transcript for each semester that Dean’s List status is achieved.

Course Repetitions

A student may repeat a course in which credit has been earned in order to improve their grade. When a course is repeated, the higher grade will be used in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average. Any course, or its equivalent transfer course, may be applied only once toward fulfillment of any and all degree requirements, including elective credit. Work from previous attempts at the course cannot be reused in future attempts without written approval from the faculty member teaching the repeated course.

Academic Advising and Registration Office Forms

A list of helpful Academic Advising and Registration forms available on the College’s Campus Offices page follows:

  • Academic Alert Form – This online form was designed to proactively help students who may need additional support with their academic progress. An instructor may submit an Academic Alert Referral for any student in order to address an academic concern.
  • Registration Permission – An online form that requires the signature of the Department Chair or Program Manager, granting a student permission to register for a course that is filled or that has some other restriction.
  • Drop Request – An online form that the student must complete in order to begin the process of dropping (withdrawing) a course. The student’s Academic Advisor must sign the form for drops. If the student is changing section numbers no Advisor’s signature is needed.
  • Curriculum Change – An online form completed by a Department Chair advising Registration to alter a student’s curriculum in some way. Contact the Academic Advising and Registration Office to obtain the appropriate form.
  • Change of Major – A form with which a student may transfer from one program to another. The student must present their portfolio to the proposed new Department Chair for acceptance. The new Department Chair will sign and date the form, which indicates acceptance of the student into the major and confirms the assignment of studio credit.
  • Declaration of Minor – A form with which an undergraduate student may declare a minor.
  • Complete Withdrawal Form – If a student intends a complete withdrawal from CCS for the semester they must meet with an Advisor in the Academic Advising and Registration Office and then a Financial Aid officer for an exit interview. The Academic Advising and Registration Office processes the Complete Withdrawal form and distributes it to all concerned departments.

Waived Course

A required course may be waived by the Department Chair only. Waiving a course means only that the specific course is waived, not the credits attached to that course. The student must still plan to take a course to fill the credit deficiency. The Program Chair must complete a Curriculum Change form to indicate which course will replace the waived course. The Curriculum Change form is then submitted to the Academic Advising and Registration Office.

Class Rosters

Class rosters are available in Self-Service and are emailed by the Academic Advising and Registration Office (AARO) to the Program Managers at the beginning of the semester for distribution to their faculty. Rosters provide the following information: student ID number, student name, telephone number (local phone number will be printed, if available; otherwise the permanent phone number will be printed), Veterans Administration status, major, class (indicated as CLS, this indicates whether the student is a freshman, sophomore, etc.), credits earned for this class, add/drop date

To be in compliance with the U.S. Department of Education regulations, faculty must record attendance during each class period and Academic Affairs must monitor attendance records every day for the first fourteen days of the semester. This requirement applies to all classes, on campus, online, internships, and independent study.

Regular class attendance is essential for learning and academic success. Students are expected to attend all class meetings, on time and for the full duration, and be prepared to work on that day’s assignment. Faculty are responsible for establishing an attendance policy for each of their classes and for outlining that policy on the course syllabus. Students are responsible for knowing the attendance policy for their class and adhering to those requirements. Exceptions to an instructor’s attendance policy should be discussed with that instructor.

CCS students using veterans’ benefits will have attendance monitored throughout the semester for reporting purposes to the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA).

The first week of each semester is an add/drop period during which students may drop courses for which they previously registered or register for new courses with no penalty. After the add/drop period instructors must access their attendance roster online. Instructors are required to maintain attendance records electronically, which must be submitted at the end of the semester along with final grades. The roster includes all students registered in your class(es) through the end of the add/drop period.

If there is a person in class who is NOT on the class roster, it means the student is NOT REGISTERED for the class. It is imperative that faculty members immediately send the student to the Academic Advising and Registration office. Students are not permitted to be in class unless they have officially registered for that class.

Faculty will begin to receive a weekly “drop notice” via email to inform them of any student who has officially withdrawn from their class(es). If there is a student listed on your roster who is not attending class, faculty members must contact the Academic Advising and Registration Office, and they will inquire why they have not been attending.

In addition, faculty members may notice a “V” next to the names of some students on the class roster. This means the students receive benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA requires attendance rosters, and it is the instructor’s responsibility to monitor this. The Academic Advising and Registration Office must report non-attendance of these students to the VA within 30 days of the last date of attendance. Instructors must report any “V” student who has missed three (3) weeks of class as soon as they miss the third week.

Registration Procedures

New Students

New students receive a letter welcoming them to the College along with their username and password. Students are sent electronic communication from their academic advisor with directions on how to register along with an academic evaluation. New Students are encouraged to register online  or in person with their Academic Advisor. Self-Service is a secure Web interface that allows students and faculty to access information contained in the College’s administrative database. For example, students can view their grades and transcript, search for open classes, view account balance information, and print degree audits. Faculty members can view their class rosters, their scheduled classes, student information, and enter grades.

Returning Students

Returning students are emailed an academic evaluation from the Academic Advising and Registration Office. The Advisor audits the student’s academic evaluation. If the student is on track with their academic program, they are free to register in person or on-line.  If the Advisor detects a concern with the academic evaluation, they place an advising hold on the student’s record. The student is then required to meet with their Academic Advisor to consult about their schedule. Once the hold is removed, the student may register online or at the Academic Advising and Registration Office. All students pay a $100 Registration Fee.

 

 

Academic Advising

CCS believes that academic advising is an essential part of the educational process. The advising program is intended to make advising consistent across all departments and to assure that the academic needs and progress of each student are carefully supervised so that each may achieve their full educational and professional potential.

The Academic Advising and Registration Office coordinates all advising activities. Trained advisors advise students, conduct academic evaluations, and assist students through the registration process.