The institution publishes a clear and appropriate statement of student rights and responsibilities and disseminates the statement to the campus community.

_X_Compliance                      ___Partial Compliance                       ___Non-Compliance

Narrative

St. Petersburg College is in compliance with this comprehensive standard because it has an extensive set of policies, including:

• Protecting students from discrimination.
• Protecting students’ safety.
• Protecting students’ academic rights.

These policies address the needs of all types of students regardless of race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, sex, age, or disability.

Student Academic Rights and Responsibilities

St. Petersburg College Student rights and responsibilities are clearly explained in Board of Trustees Rules and Procedures and published in the College Catalog, Student Handbook, Student Supplement, and electronically via the College Web site.  The Board Rules outline general student rights and responsibilities, student conduct, Student Academic Appeals Procedures, disciplinary rules and procedures, and Student Grievance Procedures:

6Hx23-4.461   Academic Honesty, defines the expectations of students regarding cheating, plagiarism, bribery, misrepresentation, conspiracy, fabrication, collusion, duplicate submission or other violation of the Honor Code.

6Hx23-3.01    Academic Freedom, recognizes that students have academic freedom in the classroom in discussing their course topic and the research of their course topic.

6Hx23-1.35    Copyright and Patent, recognizes ownership of student projects that are the result of individual initiative with incidental use of College facilities and resources as residing with the student.  If the student is working on a project initiated and funded by St. Petersburg College ownership resides with the College.

6Hx23-4.33    Student and Student Organization Regulation, states the expectation that students will conduct themselves in a manner that reflects credit upon the College, and defines the rules for student and student organization conduct.

6Hx23-4.36    Student Grievances and Appeals, defines grievances as complaints alleging that students’ rights have been abridged and describes the appeals process.

6Hx23-4.362/

P6Hx23-4.362   Student Ombudsman Office, describe the purpose and functions of SPC’s Ombudsman’s office and procedures for filing appeals when denied access to a course.

Associate of Arts degree graduates are also guaranteed certain rights related to transfer admission, credit acceptance and course requirements under the Statewide Articulation Agreement approved by State Board Rule 6A-10.024.

Protection against discrimination

6Hx23-4.01     Discrimination, describes the policy of the College to provide equal access to and equal opportunity within all College programs and activities, including admissions, without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, sex, age, or disability.

Religious Accommodation, recognizes the Florida law to reasonably accommodate religious observances, practices, and beliefs of students.

Student right to privacy

6Hx23-4.37/

P6Hx23-4.37   Student Records, describe the policy and procedure for protecting the rights of students and their parents or guardians with respect to student records created, maintained, and used by the College.

Student safety

6Hx23-2.011  Sexual Harassment, states the College does not tolerate such behavior, whether between students, or between students, instructors, or staff.

6Hx23-4.332  Sexual Misconduct, defines further sexual behavior the College does not tolerate, such as sexual assault/battery, public indecency, or voyeurism.

6Hx23-2.013  Sexual Predator or Offender Information, defines the actions Faculty and staff must take in the event a sexual predator or offender enrolls at the College.

6Hx23-1.232  Student Safety and Security, defines SPC’s zero tolerance policy for threats, violent or stalking behavior, and weapons, while recognizing the right of individuals to express themselves as long as that expression is not disruptive, inappropriate, unprofessional, and would not cause a reasonable person to be put in fear of harm.

Development of policies on students’ rights

SPC’s Governance Model conforms to sound educational practice as described in Birnbaum’s (1992) excellent book, How Academic Leadership Works:  “A consideration of the large number of different leaders seen by various campus constituents serves as a useful corrective to the idea that all leadership in academic organizations comes from the top.“  Following Birnbaum’s advice, SPC’s policies are reviewed periodically by Collegewide committees.  The College’s Governance Model ensures that new or revised policies and procedures undergo careful review, discussion and agreement before being recommended to the Board of Trustees for action.  When a need surfaces for a new or revised policy affecting students rights and responsibilities, the College uses one of the standing cross-functional, cross-discipline committee with students, Faculty, and administrative staff to recommend changes to the policies.  Proposed changes are briefed to various standing councils, such as the Student Governing Association (SGA), the Provost Council, and the Cabinet, and incorporate feedback.  Modifications to policies are submitted to the Board of Trustees through the College Attorney’s Office to ensure all changes conform to requirements set by law.  The College publishes notifications of such changes according to provisions of the Administrative Practices Act (APA), including timely publishing for rule development and adoption.  Official publications such as the College Catalog, Supplement to the Catalog, and Student Handbook, are created by the office of Institutional Advancement, then reviewed and signed off by the content providers and, ultimately, approved by the President of the College.

Awareness

Students’ awareness of their rights and responsibilities begins with the online Interactive Student Orientation, required for all new students.  The topic of students’ rights and responsibilities is also covered in depth in the Student Handbook, College Catalog, and Faculty Manual, all updated annually, and is available on the SPC Web site on the Prospective Student and Current Student pages.  Access to the Board of Trustees Rules and Procedures is found on those pages as well as on the Interested Visitor, Potential Employee, Employee, and Alumnus pages.  In addition, Faculty are made aware of FERPA, grading, and other critical policies regarding student rights during the annual new Faculty orientation and in the adjunct initial training.

In the Supplement to the Student Handbook, updated Fall and Spring, and on the College’s Student’s Right-to-Know Web page SPC publishes statistics on student success and safety.

• Completion Rates and Gender Equity in Athletics
• Crime Statistics
• Graduation and Transfer Rates
• Job Placement Rates

Implementation procedures

Student Academic Rights and Responsibilities.  Implementing policies regarding student academic rights and responsibilities is the purview of the two academic Senior Vice Presidents and the campus Provosts and Associate Provosts.

• Academic honesty.  By enrolling at the College, students agree to adhere to high standards of academic honesty and integrity and understand that failure to comply with this pledge may result in academic and disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from the College.  Each semester students are required to sign a pledge to adhere to the academic honesty policies at registration which is printed at the bottom of the Registration form (per BOT Rule 6Hx23-4.461).  The pledge is contained on the Registration and Drop/Add Form.  When a student is alleged to have violated the Academic Honesty Policies, the Faculty member involved should meet with the student and attempt to determine if a disciplinary proceeding is warranted.  The Faculty member may impose the sanction of requiring an appropriate educational assignment and/or a Reduced or Failing Grade on the test, assignment or for the course if the violation is the first offense.  The student and Faculty member reach a written agreement as to the sanctions.  No further action is required other than the Faculty member forwarding a copy of the written agreement to the Associate Provost. A student who is charged with an academic honesty violation for whom the Faculty adjudication process is not appropriate will meet with the Associate Provost to be advised of the hearing procedures and the student’s rights and possible sanctions.
• Academic Freedom.  Students have academic freedom in the classroom in discussing their course topic and in research of their course topic.  Should any student believe his or her academic freedom has been abridged, there is opportunity for redress through the student grievance and appeals process described below.
• Copyright and Patent. Rights to copyrightable material or patents created by the student reside with the student as long as the effort was not a result of an assignment while employed by the College and there was only incidental use of college facilities or resources.  If the College assisted in supporting the creation of copyrightable material or patents, income derived from individual efforts will be distributed according to a written Copyright/Patent Royalty Agreement between the student and the College.  In the absence of a written agreement, the income is distributed thirty percent to the College and seventy percent to the author or inventor.  The Senior Vice President of Educational and Student Services reviews all programs paid by the College that may be expected to generate copyrightable materials and patents to determine in advance the disposition of the material and income generated.  The President, with approval of the Board and the author or inventor, executes an agreement governing the determination of rights, disposition, and distribution of income prior to program commencement.
• Student and Student Organization Conduct.  SPC identifies an extensive list of actions, including use of alcohol or drugs, vandalism, stealing, cheating, or using indecent or abusive language, that are prohibited at or on any campus or at any College-sponsored event.  Student organizations are also prohibited from engaging in the conduct listed.   Violation of any of these regulations may result in disciplinary action.  When a student is reasonably suspected of threatening or causing physical harm or property damage a student may be immediately suspended from classes or from the College upon the recommendation of the Associate Provost and approval of the Provost or the President. Any student who is alleged to have violated the conduct rules is contacted by the Associate Provost to request that the student come in to share his/her side of the story in advance of consideration of whether or not the suspension should be imposed.  The student is entitled to an informal preliminary hearing to determine whether or not there is trustworthy information to support the student’s violation or continued suspension.
• Student Grievances and Appeals.  A "grievance" is defined to be a complaint, other than a discrimination grievance, alleging that a student's rights have been abridged by violating College rules and procedures, arbitrarily assigning grades, removing a student from or denying admission to a program, or placing information in a student’s record.  Grievances and student academic appeals are normally directed to the next level of authority above which the decision was made.  If the student wishes to pursue the grievance further, the matter goes to the Associate Provost.  The Associate Provost provides the student with a copy of Board of Trustees Rule 6Hx23-4.36 Student Grievances and Appeals.  If the matter is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student at the informal level, the student files the appeal in writing with the Provost of the campus or center where the alleged matter took place, stating the reasons and grounds for the appeal to the Campus/Center Appeals Committee, with a copy to the Associate Provost.
• Student Ombudsman Office.  The Office of the Student Ombudsman may assist a student any time in matters related to the student’s access to courses and credit granted toward their degree.  A student who believes that his/her rights to access a course or to credit granted toward their degree has been wrongfully abridged may appeal to the Office of the Student Ombudsman after the student has met with the appropriate program director or other appropriate administrator seeking resolution and the Associate Provost has affirmed the Program Director’s decision.  The student may request the Student Ombudsman to investigate and review the matter and based upon the investigation and review, the Student Ombudsman shall have the right without holding a hearing to enter a decision.  Alternatively, the student may request a hearing with the Student Ombudsman serving as the hearing officer and decision maker.  The student, the Program Director, or the Associate Provost may appeal the decision of the Student Ombudsman to the President.  The President will not reverse the decision of the Student Ombudsman unless the action is not supported by substantial information or is beyond the authority of the Student Ombudsman.  In lieu of appealing to the Student Ombudsman, students may use the appeal procedure for student grievances described above.  The current Student Ombudsman is the Senior Vice President of Educational and Student Services.  The College works proactively to resolve complaints before reaching this level and, as a result, there have been no requests for Ombudsman intercession since the last SACS visit.

Protection against discrimination.  Policies protecting students against discrimination are implemented through the EA/EO office, the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (OSSD) office, Institutional Advancement (IA), and campus Provosts and Associate Provosts. In accordance with state statute, all guidance, counseling, financial assistance, academic, career and vocational programs, services and activities are offered at SPC without regard to race, sex, national origin, marital status or handicap, including recreational, athletic, co-curricular or extracurricular activities.  Further, state statute directs that factors of race, sex, national origin, marital status or handicap are not to be used to encourage or discourage a student's enrollment in a particular program or participation in a particular activity or to measure or predict a student's prospects for success in any career, occupation, program, course or activity.

EA/EO.  The Equal Access/Equal Opportunity (EA/EO) office helps students seek fair and just resolutions to conflicts in College matters in a non-adversarial, non-litigious manner.  To assist with protection against discrimination, the EA/EO Officer is a member of the President’s Cabinet and must sign off on all policies related to courses, fees, and student affairs.  The EA/EO Officer facilitates procedures for handling conflicts but is not an advocate for either party nor does the officer determine the outcome of these matters.  The charter of the EA/EO office is to provide a safe, neutral environment in which to talk over difficulties with college-related discrimination or sexual harassment.  The EA/EO officer attempts to maintain confidentiality, except in instances where the law requires reporting or where the physical or mental safety of students is involved.  Information for students is disseminated through the Student Handbook, the FAQs on the HR Web site, and a brochure titled, “Equal Access & Equal Opportunity at St. Petersburg College” available at campus registration and administrative offices.  To promote a culture of inclusion, the EA/EO office publishes a quarterly newsletter titled Equity and Diversity Matter.

Institutionally, the College monitors enrollment and academic achievement carefully to note the participation and success of minorities and disabled students.  In the 2005-2006 Implementation Plan of the Florida Educational Equity Act Report, SPC reported that progress in reducing performance gaps was substantial:

Excerpt from 2005-2006 SPC Implementation Plan of the Florida Educational Equity Act Report

Target Programs	A.A. Degree – Performance Gaps
Target Students	Black and Hispanic
Documented Evidence of Progress per the DOE Analysis	White/Black      Gap 2004:    -17.9         Gap 2005: -5.7   White/Hispanic Gap 2004:    N/A          Gap 2005:  -7.8
Description of 04-05 Methods and Strategies Intended to Address Racial/Ethnic Minority Student Completion Rates	1.      Expand the Brother-to-Brother Program (Black Male Success Program) that focuses on retention of Black male students. 2.      Accelerate academic support and tutorial services and provided one-on-one counseling/advising to support and track students’ completion of coursework. 3.      Implement a plan to increase Dual Enrollment participation by Black students as an acceleration mechanism for degree completion

The College continues to identify and implement strategies to increase retention rates of minority students as well as to increase the number of minority students completing Associate of Arts degrees.  The Brother-to-Brother program has reported an 80% retention rate of African-American males enrolled in the program.

OSSD.  The mission of OSSD is to ensure accessibility through the provision of comprehensive quality support service, in-service training and innovation in educational programming for students who have qualifying documented disabilities that affect academic performance.  In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the College ensures that admission, services, activities, facilities, and academic programs are accessible to and usable by qualified students with disabilities.  Reasonable accommodations are provided for students with a qualifying documented disability, both in the classroom and during College-sponsored campus activities and programs  Each student is responsible for providing documentation of his/her disability and requesting appropriate accommodations.  Documented students with disabilities will need to secure a Student Accommodations Sheet from their home campus Learning Specialist each new session that they are enrolled if they are requesting reasonable accommodations in their classes at SPC.  OSSD provides technology and people to ensure access for disabled students.  Facilities at SPC are reviewed periodically to ensure they adhere to state building codes that require access for disabled persons.  Any deficiencies are listed in the facilities plan for correction.  Funding for larger accommodations is given a high priority through the College’s strategic planning process.

In the policies and procedures resource manual, OSSD outlines the rights and responsibilities the disabled students and the principles that guide the College:

Excerpt from the OSSD Policies and Procedures Resource Manual: Principles

Principles of ACCESS   A – Accessibility:  Faculty members play a major role in making their classrooms accessible to all students. C – Communication:  It is imperative that students with disabilities, Faculty members, and OSSD communicate on a regular basis. C – Confidentiality:  All instructors and OSSD staff must respect a student’s right to     confidentiality. E – Eligibility for Accommodations:  OSSD is the office designated to determine eligibility for federally mandated academic accommodations and services.  S – Student Responsibility:  Students have a responsibility in ensuring they get the necessary services. S – Support:  Both Faculty and OSSD work together to support students in their legal right to access an education.

St. Petersburg College is serving 455 disabled students in 2006-2007 with a wide range of services:

Excerpt from the OSSD Policies and Procedures Resource Manual:  Services Provided

Institutional Advancement  (IA).  In accordance with state statute, Institutional Advancement’s promotional materials are careful not to state or imply, through text or illustration, that access to those programs, services or activities is restricted on the basis of race, sex, national origin, marital status or disability.  IA promotes a culture of inclusion by ensuring that photographs and illustrations in all College literature reflect a diverse population.  IA also ensures that all College Publications such as the Student Handbook and the Faculty Manual correctly reflect student rights regarding protection from discrimination and religious accommodation.

St. Petersburg College Viewbook

Campus activities.  Campus Provosts and Associate Provosts promote a culture of inclusion at their campuses by encouraging and supporting campus events celebrating diversity, such as Black History month or Hispanic Heritage Month.  In 2006, for example, highlights of St. Petersburg College’s celebration of African-American History Month included activities at every campus, including “A Soulful Showcase in the Park” at SPC Downtown, “Career Talk,” with successful African-American professionals speaking to students about careers at the Clearwater campus, and a “Feeding our Soul” luncheon at the Seminole campus.  Provosts and Associate Provosts monitor counseling, financial aid, and student activities to ensure adherence with state statutes against discrimination.

Discrimination Grievances.  To provide each student of the College an opportunity to register a charge of discrimination and get a resolution, the Board of Trustees tasked the President of College with developing procedures for hearing and responding to informal discrimination inquiries and formal complaints of discrimination.  The Board of Trustees further directed that these procedures involve the establishment of a hearing panel responsible for hearing formal complaints of discrimination and making recommendations to the President.  The purpose of the policy is to secure the resolution of charges of discrimination at the earliest possible procedural level through informal and formal procedures that allow charges to be presented free from coercion, interference, restraint, discrimination, or reprisal in order to give students adequate opportunity to resolve the charges.

If a discrimination grievance is reported, all attempts will be made to reach a satisfactory resolution through an informal process before proceeding to a formal hearing.  The Informal Discrimination Inquiry by the aggrieved party is the first step in the informal process. The EA/EO Officer arranges whatever meetings are necessary to collect the information needed to resolve the dispute informally. If a dispute can be resolved by mutual agreement, a Mutual Resolution of Dispute is signed by all parties.  If not, then the aggrieved party may file a Formal Complaint.  Formal complaints are referred to a Hearing Panel selected from a pre-designated pool of ten employees that includes an appropriate mix of minorities, women, disabled, and other persons, selected on the basis of familiarity with various phases of the College.  At a pretrial conference a hearing panel composed of three members is selected from the pre-designated pool.  The complainant and the respondent each select one panel member and the two panel members select the third member.  In addition, the EA/EO Officer serves as a nonvoting chairman.  After the hearing, the panel will arrive by a majority vote at a Findings of Fact and Recommendation that contains the facts and issues not in dispute, the facts and issues in dispute, and a fair and equitable resolution of the dispute.  The hearing panel has recommendation authority only.  The President will make the final decision in all cases after receipt of the hearing panel's report.  The President notifies all affected parties within a reasonable period of time and initiates any action which he deems necessary.

Student Privacy.  Policies protecting students’ privacy are implemented by the Vice President of Educational and Student Services and the College Registrar and the Associate Vice President of Information Systems.  Detailed information on how the policy is implemented is in section 3.4.11 and 3.9.2.

Student Safety.  Policies involving student safety are implemented by the Director of Security – Risk Management and Operations within the Facilities Planning and Institutional Services office and by campus Provosts and executive directors.  Detailed information on how the policy is implemented is in section 3.10.6.

Sexual Harassment.  Policies involving sexual harassment are implemented by the College Attorney.  Immediately upon receipt of a complaint, the College Attorney will have the responsibility for directing an investigation.  The College Attorney may appoint other persons to conduct or aid in the investigation.  The College Attorney is sensitive to the gender of the complaining party and reporting relationships when making these appointments.  Upon completion of the investigation, the results are submitted to the President for determination of what action, if any, is appropriate.  The complaint may be resolved by intervention, corrective action taken by the President, or by official disciplinary procedures.  The complaining party is advised of the results of the investigation.  The victim of the sexual harassment may also bring a discrimination grievance which shall be processed in accordance with Rule 6Hx23-1.34.  Student identifiable records are protected from public disclosure as provided in Florida Statutes and under the Buckley Amendment.

Sexual Harassment training is required of all new employees and recurring training also is provided.  A professionally-developed, online training program tailored for St. Petersburg College is one option for initial or recurring training.  A ten-page section of the Supplement to the Faculty, Staff, and Student Handbooks is updated and reissued Fall and Spring.  It is devoted to SPC’s policies on Sexual Misconduct, including Sexual Harassment, and includes a segment on Creating Awareness.

Communications between the College and Students

Campus Provosts meet with their respective Student Government Associations and visit Student Activities Offices on campus regularly.  Collegewide, the Vice President of Educational and Student Services and the President meet with a representative group of students at least once per session.  Students are also represented on many committees and a student sits as a member of the President’s Cabinet.  The Student Government Association is the official liaison between the students and the administration.  The Student Government meets regularly and any petitions or concerns submitted by students are discussed and forwarded to the Associate Provost for response and/or action.

The Collegewide Student Activities Budget is determined by a committee consisting of the Student Activities Coordinators and the Associate Provosts of each site, the Student Government President, and Vice President of Educational and Student Services.  On each campus, students are given the opportunity to determine how a percentage of the site Student Activities budget is spent.

The President of the College hosts student leadership meetings each fall and spring semester.  Students invited to these meetings include representatives from the honor society for two-year college students, Phi Theta Kappa, SGA, and other student organizations.

Excerpts from notes of President’s meeting with students

The policy is furthered by the President’s open door policy.  Any employee, student, or other person is encouraged to contact the President’s Office whenever there are matters to discuss with the President.

References