Student Code of Conduct and Discipline
The California Education Code (section 66300) requires every community college governing board to adopt specific rules governing student behavior along with applicable penalties for violation of such rules. Students enrolling at Cuesta College assume an obligation to abide by all College regulations.
The Office of the Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Student Success & Support Programs is responsible for acting on behalf of the College in matters of student discipline. The Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Student Success & Support Programs is the Student Code of Conduct Officer of the College and shall be responsible for enforcing rules and regulations for all activities of students at times and places when students are under college jurisdiction.
It is the purpose of the student code of conduct system to further the educational mission of the College by resolving alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct and other applicable policies regarding student behavior. Cuesta College provides a student the opportunity to address the allegations as laid out in the Due Process procedures.
All students are expected to behave themselves honorably in all endeavors they undertake as students at the College. Our student disciplinary process exists to set a standard for behavior on any District site or elsewhere off-site during a College-sponsored activity or event, or through any online interaction the student may have with another member of the campus community. Conduct that is determined to impair, interfere with, or obstruct the opportunities of others to learn or that disrupts the mission, processes, or orderly functions of the College will be deemed misconduct and shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action. It is not meant to replace or substitute for the Federal or State legal system or other legal avenues.
Our processes are designed to educate and, where appropriate, sanction those students who violate College regulations. We seek both to promote a student’s sense of responsibility by enforcing accountability, and to protect our community, when necessary, which may mean removing or restricting those who pose a threat to others. Our intention is to emphasize the peaceful and productive handling of conflict as much as possible and where appropriate. We strive to be a safe, helpful and efficient resource for the entire Cuesta Community.
Review Administrative Policy 5520
Per Board Policy 5500-Standards of Conduct, Section I, Part D:
The Vice President of Student Success and Support Programs or designee shall be responsible for enforcing rules and regulations for all activities of students at times and places when students are under college jurisdiction, except that individual instructors are given the power to remove students for good cause for the remainder of the subject school day, plus up to one additional class meeting. The instructor shall immediately report the removal to the Vice President of Student Success and Support Programs or designee for appropriate action. (California Educational Code: Section 76032)
What this means is that an instructor can excuse a student from the remainder of a specific class and for the next class meeting, pending a discussion regarding acceptable standards of conduct with the instructor, Department Chair, Dean, and/or Vice President. In addition, an instructor may assign a failing grade for any exam, quiz, test, or assignment when it has been determined that the student has been engaged in academic dishonesty.
In either situation, the instructor will file an Incident Referral with the Office of the Vice President of Student Success and Support Programs. The incident will be reviewed for possible further disciplinary action.
The instructor cannot fail, drop, or suspend a student from the class for this incident but can make that disciplinary recommendation as part of the referral process. The recommendation of the instructor will be considered while the incident is under review and the student’s due process rights are being observed.
During the period of the instructor instigated removal, a student shall not be returned to the class from which he or she was removed without the concurrence of the instructor of the class.
FERPA affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. An "eligible student" under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older or who attends a postsecondary institution at any age. For more information about FERPA and students' rights concerning FERPA, please visit Admissions & Records Notification of Rights Under FERPA. You may be asked or required to complete FERPA Release Form in order for us to speak with individuals who are assisting you in student conduct related matters.
Examples of academic misconduct include cheating on exams or quizzes, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, providing false information or excuses, misuse of course materials, intimidation/disruption, or creating the appearance of dishonesty.
- Review the Cuesta College Student Code of Conduct each semester.
- Always read the class syllabus and directions for exams and assignments.
- If you are having problems or are uncertain about the rules, ask for help.
- Start studying and working on assignments early. Students who procrastinate have less time to get help, are more stressed, and more likely to succumb to the temptation to cheat.
Exams
Exams are important, but your grade will not rely on the outcome of one exam alone.
Resist the
temptation to seek an unfair advantage by cheating on exams. Remember that the possibility
of getting a few extra points isn't worth the risk of failing.
Exams in Classrooms
- Don’t sit with friends or study partners during exams. If you have similar answers, you are more likely to be suspected of misconduct (and potentially found responsible) if you sat next to each other.
- Make sure that all phones, notes or materials are stored away and out of sight before
you receive your exam. Phones or notes that are visible constitutes academic misconduct.
Keep your eyes on your exam. If you need to look away, be careful not to look in the direction of another student. - Don’t talk to anyone about anything during an exam. If you need something, ask a proctor.
- Cover your exam so others can’t copy from you.
- Stop working on your exam immediately when the instructor calls time.
- When you get an exam back, don’t make any alterations (changes or corrections) on the exam itself; make corrections on a separate sheet of paper. Do not submit an altered exam for re-grading.
Exams Taken Remotely
- Make sure you have a reliable internet connection. Eduroam is available globally for people with an edu email/login at universities across the world. UCs, CSUs and CA community colleges are all on eduroam. If you need access to wifi, you may be able to access it at a local institution. More information is available at https://www.eduroam.org/.
- Pay close attention to instructions and follow them carefully. If you are taking the exam on Canvas and are not permitted to have other applications, browsers or tabs open, don't. If you are not permitted to click outside the Canvas exam window, don't. Simply failing to follow directions is a violation, regardless of why you did so.
- An open note/open book exam usually does not mean open internet. Be sure you know exactly what resources are and are not permitted.
- Ask if you aren't sure whether you are permitted to use spelling, grammar or translation applications.
- Don't communicate with other students during your exam in any way. No talking, texting, chatting, etc.
- Wait until after the exam window closes to go online or communicate with other students to check your answers
Writing Papers
Avoid plagiarism. Do your best to put information in your own words and document all sources that you use.
- Understand the definition of plagiarism. If you copy words directly, you must use quotation marks and cite the source, including web sources.
- If you borrow facts, statistics, graphs, pictures, etc., you must cite the source.
- If you borrow someone else’s information or idea and don’t copy word for word, you must correctly paraphrase or summarize the information, that is, put it in your own words, and you must still cite the source.
- Not all websites are good sources of information.
- Ask if you aren't sure whether you are permitted to use spelling, grammar or translation applications.
- If you are not sure, ask the instructor for help or talk with a Student Success Center representative. Getting help from friends, online help sites, or private tutors can be risky because you may get more help than is appropriate.
- It is better to turn a paper in late or not at all than to hurry at the last minute
and submit work
that is not properly written.
Collaboration
Students are expected to do all coursework that will be submitted for a grade independently (i.e., on their own) unless the instructor has given explicit permission for students to work with and/or get help from others. Even when an instructor allows some degree of collaboration, the instructor often limits how much or the type of help a student may give and/or receive.
- Do not work together more than the instructor allows.
- If you are allowed to work together, do not copy someone else’s work or allow someone else to borrow your work.
- Do not copy answers from solution manuals, students who previously took the class, or other sources.
- If you are not certain, ask the instructor about whether and how much you can work together.
Additional suggestions to avoid problems:
- Do not post an instructor’s materials online without the express permission of the instructor.
- Do not make up false excuses to miss an exam or obtain an extension on an assignment.
- Do not falsify/make up data for lab results.
