XI. Discipline, Review, and Appeals
Overview
Oakridge College uses disciplinary review to address serious concerns involving students, faculty, staff, Department Chairs, Deans, or other college members. Minor problems may be handled through correction, warning, or direct leadership action. Serious or contested matters may be brought before a Disciplinary Committee.
This section gives a brief summary of the process. A full procedure should be maintained in Appendix B.
The Details
Disciplinary matters should be handled fairly, clearly, and through the proper chain of authority.
Not every concern requires a hearing. Some matters may be handled by the appropriate faculty member, Department Chair, Dean, Student Affairs, Campus Security, Vice President, or President, depending on the situation.
A hearing is used when the matter is serious, disputed, repeated, or when formal punishment may be necessary.
Matters That May Require Review
A disciplinary review may be needed for:
- Student misconduct
- Faculty misconduct
- Staff misconduct
- Repeated classroom disruption
- Harassment or intimidation
- Threats or unsafe conduct
- Misuse of authority
- Refusal to follow college procedure
- Academic dishonesty
- Serious boundary violations
- Impairment during official duties
- Conduct that harms students, faculty, staff, or the college
Safety concerns should be reported immediately to Campus Security or senior administration.
Student Discipline
Student discipline may begin with the faculty member, Department Chair, Dean, Student Affairs, Campus Security, or another proper authority.
A faculty member may handle ordinary classroom concerns directly. More serious student concerns should be reported.
Student discipline may involve:
- Warning
- Removal from class or event
- Referral to Student Affairs
- Referral to the Department Chair or Dean
- Campus Security involvement
- Disciplinary hearing
- Loss of privileges
- Suspension from activities
- Other sanctions approved by the college
Faculty and Staff Discipline
Faculty and staff discipline should be handled through the proper leadership structure.
For faculty or staff under an Academic School, the Dean of that School must be present for the disciplinary hearing.
If the matter involves a Dean, the President must be present for the disciplinary hearing.
If the matter involves the President, the matter should be handled by the highest available college authority or governing authority responsible for the President’s position.
Disciplinary Committee
A Disciplinary Committee may be formed to hear serious or contested matters.
The committee must always have an odd number of members.
The committee must have no fewer than 3 members.
The committee may include faculty, administrators, or other approved college representatives, depending on the matter.
The committee should be formed in a way that avoids clear conflicts of interest.
Basic Disciplinary Process
The general process is:
- A report is sent to the appropriate leadership.
- Disciplinary action is taken, or a hearing is scheduled.
- The hearing is held before the Disciplinary Committee.
- The Disciplinary Committee votes on whether punishment is necessary.
- Punishment is carried out, or an appeal is filed.
- The appeal is reviewed to decide whether it is allowed.
- If the appeal is allowed, a new hearing is held.
- The final decision is carried out when the final hearing is concluded.
This process should be used with fairness and good judgment.
Reports
A disciplinary matter begins with a report.
A report should be sent to the proper authority.
Examples:
- Classroom matters may be reported to the Department Chair.
- Department matters may be reported to the Dean.
- School-level matters may be reported to the Dean.
- Student life matters may be reported to Student Affairs.
- Safety matters may be reported to Campus Security.
- Dean-level matters may be reported to the President.
- College-wide matters may be reported to the Vice President or President.
Reports should be factual.
A report should include:
- What happened
- When it happened
- Where it happened
- Who was involved
- Who witnessed it, if known
- What action was already taken
- Whether there is an immediate safety concern
Reports should avoid insults, rumors, speculation, or unrelated personal information.
Leadership Review
After a report is received, the appropriate leader reviews the matter.
The leader may decide that:
- No action is needed
- A warning is enough
- The matter should be corrected informally
- The matter should be referred to another authority
- Immediate disciplinary action is needed
- A Disciplinary Committee hearing should be scheduled
Immediate action may be taken when safety, college order, or student welfare requires it.
Hearings
A hearing gives the Disciplinary Committee a chance to review the matter before deciding whether punishment is necessary.
A hearing may include:
- The report
- Statements from the person accused
- Statements from the person who made the report
- Witness statements
- Relevant records or messages
- Questions from the committee
- Discussion by the committee
- A committee vote
The hearing should stay focused on the issue being reviewed.
Committee Vote
After the hearing, the Disciplinary Committee votes.
The committee may decide:
- No punishment is needed
- A warning is needed
- A restriction is needed
- A duty or privilege should be removed
- A student should be removed from an activity
- A faculty or staff member should be removed from a duty
- A formal sanction is needed
- The matter should be escalated to higher authority
The decision should be recorded clearly.
Punishment or Sanctions
Possible disciplinary outcomes may include:
- Verbal or written warning
- Required correction of behavior
- Apology or restorative action
- Removal from a class, event, office, or activity
- Loss of privileges
- Change of assignment
- Suspension from teaching, advising, leadership, or student activity
- Removal from a faculty or staff appointment
- Referral to Campus Security
- Referral to senior administration
- Other action approved by college leadership
For students, the outcomes also include academic probation, suspension from the college, and expulsion from the college. Suspension and expulsion are not imposed by the Disciplinary Committee. The Committee recommends them to the President of Oakridge College, who holds the final word.
Punishment should fit the seriousness of the matter.
Appeals
An appeal is a request for the decision to be reviewed again.
An appeal may be filed after punishment is assigned.
A sanction imposed below the Disciplinary Committee may be appealed to the Committee, and the Committee votes on whether to allow that appeal.
An appeal may be allowed when:
- New information is available
- Procedure was not followed
- The punishment appears clearly unreasonable
- A conflict of interest affected the hearing
- The original hearing missed important facts
An appeal should not be used only because the person dislikes the result.
Appeal Against a Committee Decision
Proposed, not yet ratified.
An appeal against a decision of the Disciplinary Committee itself is made in writing to the Vice President of Oakridge College, under whom the Committee is convened. The Vice President may let the decision stand, or allow the appeal and seat a new Committee whose members did not sit on the original hearing.
Appendix B sets out the full route, including what happens when the Vice President or the President is involved in the matter.
Final Decision
If no appeal is filed, the decision is final.
If an appeal is denied, the decision is final.
If an appeal is allowed, a new hearing is held.
After the final hearing is concluded, the final decision is carried out.
A recommendation of suspension from the college or expulsion becomes final when the President has decided it.
General Rule
Discipline should be fair, organized, and handled at the proper level.
Minor issues should be corrected early when possible.
Serious issues should be reported and reviewed.
Hearings should be used when formal review is needed.
Appeals should be available when there is a valid reason to review the decision again.
For the full procedure, see Appendix B: Disciplinary Hearing and Appeals Procedure.