College Success Tip #1

 Student Rights and Responsibilities 

 

What are Student Rights and Responsibilities?

 Students are members of both society and the academic community with attendant rights and responsibilities. Students are expected to comply with the general law, as well as college policies. A student has the right to due process, or an established course of action, should it be alleged that the student has violated the Student Conduct Code.

Why are Student Rights and Responsibilities important?

It is important that students understand both the grounds for disciplinary action, so as to avoid a violation, and the components and timelines involved with due process. A student’s ability to successfully complete a course can be greatly enhanced if the student is aware of the expectations the college has for student conduct both in the classroom and on the campus grounds or when engaged with college-sponsored activities.

Examples:

Upholding academic integrity is of utmost concern for college staff.  As such, disruptive behavior in the classroom, cheating, and plagiarism, i.e. using someone else’s words or ideas as your own, each are taken seriously and are immediate grounds for disciplinary action. Many instructors list in their course syllabus the classroom rules by which students should abide while participating and attending the instructor’s class. Avoiding an allegation of disruptive behavior, therefore, is as easy as following the class rules. To avoid the allegation of plagiarism, a student should understand how to properly cite sources that are quoted directly or paraphrased in the text of the student’s paper.

Internal links to College of the Canyons resources for Student Rights and Responsibilities:

1. The 2008-2010 College of the Canyons catalog details the Student Conduct Code and    student disciplinary process. http://www.canyons.edu/info/catalog/issues/20082010.pdf           

2. The Student Services Division web page describes the Student Conduct Code and student         disciplinary process.  http://www.canyons.edu/offices/Student_Services/Academic_Info/ConductPolicy.asp

External links for Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism:

1. The following site assists students with citing sources correctly:             http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/how_to_cite_sources.html

2. UCLA Young Research Library provides information about how to cite Internet sources: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/url/referenc/citing.htm

3. University of Purdue provides information about avoiding plagiarism:             http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/

Upcoming Workshops, Activities or Events for Student Rights and Responsibilities:

Example:           Cougar Mentor Student Success Workshop – “How to Avoid Plagiarism”

                        Tuesday, September 16, 2008

                        Noon – 1:30 p.m., Student Center Room S-129

Sources:

1. The Community College Experience by Amy Baldwin (Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005).

2. Cornerstone: Building on Your Best, 4^th Ed., by Robert M. Sherfield, Rhonda J. Montgomery, and Patricia G. Moody (Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005).

3. Becoming a Master Student, 10^th Ed., by Dave Ellis (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003).

4.  Study Guides and Strategies, http://www.studygs.net/index.htm.

5. Dartmouth’s Academic Skills Center, http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/index.html.