Administration of Discipline
The responsibility of administering the PCC student discipline system is delegated by the President of the College to the Dean of Student Services. The Dean of Student Services may delegate authority to other groups or individuals for handling violations of the College Code of Conduct.
The College believes that cases should be resolved at the lowest level possible, and all discipline-related activities should be monitored by a central administrative authority to ensure fairness and consistency. Therefore, all disciplinary proceedings and sanctions imposed by any designated discipline officer will be reported to the Dean of Student Services or designee for record-keeping purposes.
When a case is not resolved at the lowest possible level, other persons may become involved in the discipline process as identified herein.
Procedure for Disciplinary Cases: Charges
Any member of the College community may file charges against any student for misconduct. Charges shall be prepared in writing and submitted to the Chief Student Services Officer (Dean of Student Services). Any charge should be submitted as soon as possible after the event takes place.
Decision
The Chief Student Services Officer or designee shall receive all allegations of student misconduct. Each allegation will be forwarded to the College Student Judicial Affairs Officer who will investigate the complaint and make a Decision. He/she may decide that the charges can be disposed of administratively by mutual consent of the parties involved on a basis acceptable to him/her. If an administrative resolution is not achieved, the College Student Judicial Affairs Officer shall issue a Decision, which can be that
- the allegation is dismissed as unfounded.
- the allegation is dismissed for lack of clear and convincing evidence.
- the student or organization representative has admitted to violating a standard and a sanction (or sanctions) will be imposed.
- a violation of the Code of Conduct has occurred based on clear and convincing evidence, and a sanction or sanctions will be imposed.
The student shall receive written Notice of the Decision and be advised of his/her right to appeal the Decision by filing a written appeal with the Chief Student Services Officer within seven (7) days of service of the Decision. In the case of suspension or expulsion, the sanction shall be imposed no earlier than six days after service of the Notice unless it is a summary suspension or the sanction is agreed to by the student. If an appeal is requested, suspension and/or expulsion shall not be imposed until the appeal procedures below have been completed.
Appeal
In the event of an appeal, the Chief Student Services Officer shall serve as Impartial Decision Maker for the process. The Chief Student Services Officer shall give written Notice to the student that describes the conduct to be inquired into; the Code of Conduct and/or College policies or procedures which were allegedly violated; the date, time and place of the alleged violation; the sanction that is threatened and the date, time and place of the hearing before the Impartial Decision Maker. The Notice shall be given at least seven (7) days prior to the hearing, unless a shorter time is agreed to by the parties.