Student Rights & Responsibilities

Code of Conduct

West Hills College Coalinga is committed to maintaining an environment that encourages and supports student success. To ensure that students have opportunity for achievement, a code of conduct has been adopted by the Board of Trustees as Board Policy 5500 - Standards of Student Conduct. https://www.westhillscollege.com/district/administration/board-of-trustees/documents/5500standardsofconduct.pdf

The following conduct shall constitute good cause for discipline including, but not limited to, the removal, suspension or expulsion of a student:

1. Causing, attempting to cause, or threatening to cause physical injury to another person.
2. Open contempt for any safety rules and regulations.
3. Disruption or obstruction of teaching; research; administration; disciplinary proceedings; other West Hills Community College District (WHCCD) activities, including its public service functions on or off campus; or other authorized non-WHCCD activities when the act occurs on WHCCD premises.
4. Possession, sale or otherwise furnishing any firearm, knife, explosive or other dangerous object including, but not limited to, any facsimile firearm, knife or explosive, unless, in the case of possession of any object of this type, the student has obtained written permission to possess the item from a district employee, which is concurred in by the College President.
5. Unlawful possession, use, sale, offer to sell, furnishing, or being under the influence of, any controlled substance listed in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11053) of Division 10 of the California Health and Safety Code, an alcoholic beverage, or an intoxicant of any kind; or unlawful possession of, offering, arranging or negotiating the sale of any drug paraphernalia as defined in California Health and Safety Code Section 11014.5.
6. Committing or attempting to commit robbery or extortion.
7. Causing or attempting to cause damage to district property or to private property on campus.
8. Stealing or attempting to steal district property or private property on campus, or knowingly receiving stolen district property or private property on campus.
9. Willful or persistent smoking in any area where smoking has been prohibited by law or by regulation of the college or the district.
10. Committing sexual harassment as defined by law or by district policies and procedures.
11. Engaging in harassing or discriminatory behavior based on race, sex (i.e., gender), religion, age, national origin, disability, or any other status protected by law.
12. Willful misconduct which results in injury or death to a student or to college personnel or which results in cutting, defacing, or other injury to any real or personal property owned by the district or on campus.
13. Disruptive behavior, willful disobedience, habitual profanity or vulgarity, or the open and persistent defiance of the authority of, or persistent abuse of, college personnel.
14. Cheating, plagiarism (including plagiarism in a student publication), or engaging in other academic dishonesty.
    • The term “cheating” includes, but is not limited to:
      • Use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations;
      • Dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments; or acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic material belonging to a member of the WHCCD faculty or staff.
    • The term “plagiarism” includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the buying or selling of term papers or other academic materials.
15. Dishonesty, forgery, alteration or misuse of college documents, records or identification; or knowingly furnishing false information to the district.
16. Unauthorized entry upon or use of college or district facilities.
17. Lewd, indecent or obscene conduct on district-owned or controlled property, or at district sponsored or supervised functions.
18. Engaging in expression which is obscene, libelous or slanderous, or which so incites students as to create a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts on college or district premises, or the violation of lawful district administrative procedures, or the substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the district.
19. Persistent, serious misconduct where other means of correction have failed to bring about proper conduct.
20. Violation of published WHCCD policies, rules or regulations, including those concerning student organization and the use of college facilities or the time, place and manner of public expression or distribution of materials.
21. Violation of federal, state or local law on WHCCD premises or at WHCCD sponsored or supervised activities.
22. Participation in a campus demonstration which disrupts the normal operations of WHCCD and infringes on the rights of other members of the WHCCD community; leading or inciting others to disrupt scheduled and/ or normal activities within any campus building or area; intentional obstruction which unreasonably interferes with freedom of movement, either pedestrian or vehicular, on WHCCD premises or at WHCCD sponsored or supervised activities.
23. Unauthorized preparation, giving, selling, transfer, distribution, or publication, for any commercial purpose, of any contemporaneous recording of an academic presentation in a classroom or equivalent site of instruction including, but not limited to, handwritten or typewritten class notes, except as permitted by any district policy or administrative procedure.
24. Theft or other abuse of phones, electronic devices or computer time, including but not limited to:
    1. Unauthorized entry into a WHCCD system file to use, read, or change the contents or for any other purpose.
    2. Unauthorized or illegal transfer or downloading of files
    3. Unauthorized use of another individual’s identification and password.
    4. Unauthorized use of electronic devices in the classroom including, but not limited to, head phones, cellular phones, and pagers.
    5. Use of computing facilities to interfere with the work of another student, faculty member, or WHCCD staff member.
    6. Use of computing facilities to download or view material deemed to be lewd, indecent and/or obscene matter that is not education related.
    7. Use of computing facilities to send obscene or abusive threatening messages.
    8. Use of computing facilities to interfere with normal operation of WHCCD computing systems.
25. Abuse of the Standards of Student Conduct including, but not limited to:
    1. Failure to obey the summons of a Student Conduct Hearing Panel or WHCCD official.
    2. Falsification, distortion, or misrepresentation of information.
    3. Disruption or interference with the orderly conduct of a judicial proceeding or Student Conduct Hearing Panel.
    4. Institution of a judicial proceeding or Student Conduct Hearing Panel knowingly without cause.
    5. Attempting to discourage an individual’s proper participation in, or use of, the WHCCD judicial system.
    6. Attempting to influence the impartiality of a member of a judicial body prior to and/or during the course of the judicial proceeding or Student Conduct Hearing Panel.
    7. Failure to comply with the sanctions imposed under the Student Code of Conduct and/or Education Code.
    8. Influencing or attempting to influence another person or commit an abuse of the judicial system

Drug Abuse Policy

For the protection of other students at West Hills College Coalinga and in compliance with Section 10603 of the California Education Code, the Executive Vice President is authorized to expel or suspend a student whenever it has been established to the satisfaction of the Governing Board of West Hills Community College District, and the Chancellor, as the case may be, that the student has on college premises used, sold, or been in possession of alcohol, narcotic, or other hallucinogenic drugs or substances, or has on college premises inhaled, or breathed the fume of, or ingested any poison.

Policies Prohibiting Discrimination in Education

It is the policy of West Hills Community College District not to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, Vietnam-era veteran status, or sexual orientation. This policy extends to all programs and activities, as required by Federal Law, including Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Executive Vice President is the Section 504 Coordinator. The Director of Human Resources/Affirmative Action Officer is the Title IX Coordinator and the ADA Coordinator.

Sexual Harassment Policy

WHC Coalinga/North District Center is committed to eliminating all forms of unlawful discrimination and sexual harassment. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities which receive Federal financial assistance. Title IX states that:

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

The underlying intent of Title IX is to eliminate any form of discrimination based on gender that may interfere with a student’s physical well-being, emotional well-being, and academic performance. Colleges and universities receiving federal funds bear an affirmative duty to ensure that no student (male or female) is deprived of an educational opportunity or benefit due to such discrimination.

Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when:

1. Submission to the conduct is explicitly or implicitly made a term or condition of an individual’s employment, academic status, or progress.
2. Submission to, or rejection of, the conduct by the individual is used as the basis of employment or academic decisions affecting the individual.
3. The conduct has the purpose or effect of having a negative impact upon the individual’s work or academic performance, or of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or educational environment.
4. Submission to, or rejection of, the conduct by the individual is used as the basis for any decision affecting the individual regarding benefits and services, honors, programs, or activities available at or through the district.

Harassment on the basis of sex is a violation of Section 703 of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Sexual harassment is included among legal prohibitions against discrimination. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 also establishes sexual harassment as discriminatory and unlawful.

If you feel you have been the victim of sexual misconduct, know your rights. Contact the Title IX Compliance office at 559.934.2324.

A copy of the district’s sexual harassment policy and procedures may be obtained from the district’s Human Resources Office, 9900 Cody Street, Coalinga, CA 93210 or via the website at www.westhillscollege.com

The Clery Act and SaVE Act

Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (20 USC § 1092(f)) is a federal law that requires colleges and universities across the United States to disclose information about crime on and around their campuses. On October 20, 2014 the US Department of Education published regulations which amended the Jeanne Clery Act and gave additional rights to campus victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination (SaVE) Act represents these rights. For more information about WHC Coalinga’s crime statistics, contact our Title IX Compliance Officer at 559.934.2176, or visit our website at www.westhillscollege.com/coalinga/student-life/campus-safety/crime-statistics.php

Student Grievance Procedure

In order to protect the rights of individual students, the Board of Trustees of the West Hills Community College District has adopted certain due process procedures. If a student feels that they have been subjected to unjust action or denied their rights by a member of the academic community, the student can seek redress according to the West Hills College grievance procedure. The grievance form may be obtained by any student from student services staff during office hours or via the website at www.westhillscollege.com/district/administration/board-of-trustees/documents/ap5530studentsrightsandgrievances.pdf

Most complaints, grievances or disciplinary matters should be resolved at the campus level. This is the quickest and most successful way of resolving issues involving a California Community College (CCC). You are encouraged to work through the WHCC complaint process first before escalating issues to any of the following resources. Issues that are not resolved at the campus level may be presented:

• To the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) at http://www.accjc.org/complaint-process if your complaint is associated with the institution’s compliance with academic program quality and accrediting standards. ACCJC is the agency that accredits the academic programs of the California Community Colleges.
• To the CCC Chancellor’s Office by completing the web form below if your complaint does not concern CCC’s compliance with academic program quality and accrediting standards.

If your complaint involves unlawful discrimination, to the Chancellor’s Office website at https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/Contact