sanctions for rape, acquaintance rape, or other sex offenses( forcible or non-forcible). If disciplinary sanctions are imposed, they will follow either the staff disciplinary procedures as identified in the Administrative Regulations, or the student disciplinary procedures found in the Student Code of Conduct.
Procedures for on campus disciplinary action in cases of alleged sexual assault shall include: 1. The accuser and the accused are entitled to the same opportunities to have a counselor / advocate or legal counsel present during a campus disciplinary proceeding. 2. Both the accuser and the accused shall be informed of the outcome of any campus disciplinary proceeding brought about by alleged sexual assault.
3. Students and staff will be informed of their opinions when notifying proper law enforcement authorities, if they have not already done so. A counselor or the College Diversity and Inclusion Director will assist the student or staff members in contacting authorities.
4. Students and staff will be informed of existing counseling, mental health or student services for victims of sexual assault both on campus and in the community.
5. Students and staff will be informed of options for the available assistance in changing academic / work and living situations after an alleged sexual assault incident, if so requested by the victim, and if such changes are reasonably available.
STUDENT ACADEMIC GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
Procedural Standards for Student Academic Redress If a student has sufficient justification( definite data) to question a grade received, the following steps should be taken( there should be no outstanding balance for the course in question): Step 1 – Within five working days of receipt of a grade to be disputed, a student should first contact the instructor who submitted the grade. If a satisfactory resolution is not reached, the student must, within five subsequent working days, contact a counselor, advisor or case manager. The counselor, advisor or case manager may facilitate a meeting with the student, the instructor, and if appropriate, the division Dean or Associate Dean. All grade disputes must be taken to the appropriate Dean or Associate Dean before moving forward. Step 2 – If the issue is not satisfactorily resolved, the student may request that the Faculty-Student Committee hear the dispute. The Vice President of Student Services, or his / her designee, determines whether an appeal moves forward to the committee for a hearing. This request must be submitted in writing to the office of the Vice President of Student Services within five working days following consultation with the appropriate Dean or Associate Dean. A copy of the complaint must be given to the division’ s Associate Dean or Dean. The student will be provided the procedural protocol followed by the committee.
The Faculty-Student Committee has the following guidelines:
• The committee will be chaired by a divisional Dean( or designee of Vice President of Student Services) and have seven members. Membership will include three students named by the NWTC Student Senate and three faculty members, with one being a counselor, advisor or case manager. The committee will strive for a cross-section of program divisions; avoiding any conflict of interest through program division assignment or student familiarity.
• If members have a conflict of interest in an individual hearing, they shall be excused from the proceedings.
• The committee should govern itself according to Robert’ s Rules of Order and / or other pertinent regulations.
• These meetings will be closed meetings. Parties involved have the right to request the presence of other college students or staff to speak on their behalf, but such persons must be pertinent to the request( fellow students or college staff – no parents, spouses, or other outside persons).“ Fellow students” is defined as a student who is in the same class as the claimant and has“ first hand” knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the disputed grade. Students from prior semester classes / clinicals will not be allowed to testify.
• The Faculty-Student Committee shall hear all testimony in an impartial manner and shall issue a ruling. Testimony by any party( staff or student) should not exceed 30 minutes.
• The Committee’ s operational guidelines will be written and available for review via the chairperson.
• The hearing will be recorded to ensure accurate information should the committee’ s opinion be appealed.
• Decision of the Faculty-Student Committee will be communicated through the office of the Vice President of Student Services.
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