II. Student Rights and Responsibilities
Overview
Students at Oakridge College have the right to learn, participate, ask questions, seek support, and be treated with basic fairness and respect.
Students also have responsibilities. They are expected to follow college rules, respect others, take academic work seriously, use college spaces properly, and avoid conduct that harms the learning environment or campus community.
The Details
Student rights and responsibilities work together.
A student’s rights help protect their place in the college community. A student’s responsibilities help protect the rights of others.
Oakridge students should understand both. A student may disagree with a rule, decision, professor, staff member, or other student, but they are still expected to act with maturity and use the proper process when raising concerns.
Student Rights
Oakridge students have the right to:
- Be treated with basic fairness and respect
- Take part in approved classes, activities, and campus life
- Ask questions in class when appropriate
- Express disagreement respectfully
- Seek academic support and advising
- Report concerns without retaliation
- Be informed of major rules and expectations that apply to them
- Receive reasonable notice when a formal disciplinary matter is brought against them
- Respond to complaints made against them
- Request an appeal when allowed by college procedure
- Have private student information handled with care
- Use approved college spaces and resources for their intended purpose
- Be free from harassment, intimidation, threats, and discrimination
These rights do not give students permission to disrupt classes, ignore instructions, harass others, damage property, or interfere with college operations.
Academic Rights
Students have the right to learn in an environment where academic work can continue safely and fairly.
Students may:
- Ask questions about course material
- Request clarification about assignments or expectations
- Seek feedback on academic work
- Speak with faculty during approved availability or office hours
- Ask for help when they are struggling
- Express academic disagreement respectfully
- Receive fair consideration under course expectations
Students do not have the right to demand special treatment, ignore course requirements, pressure faculty for grades or credit, or prevent other students from learning.
Right to Participate
Students have the right to participate in college life when they meet the requirements for the activity.
This may include:
- Classes
- Clubs
- Student organizations
- Residence life
- Athletic activities
- Academic events
- Public lectures
- Campus ceremonies
- Student government
- Approved social events
Participation may be limited when a student does not meet the requirements, violates conduct rules, creates a safety concern, or disrupts the activity.
Right to Respectful Disagreement
Students may disagree with faculty, staff, student leaders, and other students.
Disagreement may happen in class discussions, student government, club meetings, residence life, disciplinary processes, and campus events.
Students should be able to question ideas, challenge arguments, and express different views.
However, disagreement must remain respectful and safe.
Students may not use disagreement as an excuse for:
- Threats
- Harassment
- Personal attacks
- Intimidation
- Repeated disruption
- Discrimination
- Targeted humiliation
- Refusal to follow reasonable instructions
A student may challenge an idea. A student may not use that challenge to attack a person.
Right to Report Concerns
Students have the right to report concerns to the proper college authority.
A student may report:
- Harassment
- Discrimination
- Threats
- Unsafe conduct
- Faculty misconduct
- Staff misconduct
- Student misconduct
- Residence life concerns
- Academic concerns
- Retaliation
- Misuse of authority
- Serious disruption
- Safety concerns
Reports may be made to Student Affairs, a faculty advisor, an instructor, a Department Chair, a Dean, a Residence Assistant, Campus Security, the Dean of Student Affairs, the Vice President, or the President, depending on the issue.
A student should not be punished for making a good-faith report.
Right to Privacy
Students have the right to have personal and academic information handled with care.
College officials may share student information only when there is a proper college reason.
A proper reason may include:
- Academic advising
- Student support
- Residence life concerns
- Safety concerns
- Disciplinary review
- Campus Security response
- Academic records
- Official college procedure
Students should also respect the privacy of others.
Student Responsibilities
Oakridge students are responsible for their conduct.
Students are expected to:
- Follow college policies
- Follow course expectations
- Treat others with respect
- Attend and participate when expected
- Complete academic work honestly
- Use college spaces responsibly
- Respect college property
- Respect the rights and safety of others
- Communicate honestly with faculty and staff
- Seek help when needed
- Follow reasonable instructions from college officials
- Leave a class, event, or space when properly directed
- Report serious safety concerns
- Accept consequences when they violate college rules
A student is responsible for their choices even when they are upset, embarrassed, angry, confused, or acting under social pressure.
Academic Responsibility
Students are expected to take academic work seriously.
This includes:
- Attending class when expected
- Reading course information
- Completing assignments honestly
- Participating respectfully
- Asking questions when confused
- Respecting deadlines when used
- Keeping track of academic progress
- Avoiding cheating, plagiarism, and false records
- Communicating with faculty when problems arise
Students are not expected to be perfect. They are expected to make a good-faith effort.
Responsibility for Conduct
Students are expected to act in a way that supports a safe and functional college community.
Students should not:
- Harass others
- Threaten others
- Discriminate against others
- Damage property
- Steal property
- Disrupt classes or events
- Refuse to leave when properly directed
- Misuse college spaces
- Misuse student leadership roles
- Misuse college systems or records
- Bring weapons into college spaces
- Act in a way that creates danger for others
Student conduct may be reviewed when it affects Oakridge College, even if the conduct happens outside a classroom.
Responsibility in Shared Spaces
Students are expected to:
Responsibility in Residence Life
Students who live in or visit residence spaces must respect residence rules.
Students are expected to respect:
- Roommates
- Guests
- Residence Assistants
- Quiet hours
- Common spaces
- Safety rules
- Privacy
- Room access procedures
- Residence hall staff authority
Residence halls are living spaces, not only social spaces. Students should act in ways that allow others to rest, study, and feel safe.
Responsibility in Student Organizations
Students involved in clubs, organizations, athletics, Student Council, Greek Row, or other student groups are responsible for the conduct of those groups.
Student leaders are expected to:
- Use their role fairly
- Follow college rules
- Respect faculty advisors and Student Affairs
- Plan events responsibly
- Avoid hazing, harassment, or intimidation
- Keep group activities connected to their approved purpose
- Report serious concerns
- Avoid using student leadership for personal control or retaliation
Student organizations are part of Oakridge College. They are not outside college authority.
Responsibility to Follow Instructions
Students are expected to follow reasonable instructions from college officials.
This may include instructions from:
- Faculty
- Instructors
- Department Chairs
- Deans
- Student Affairs staff
- Residence Assistants
- Campus Security
- Event organizers
- Athletic staff
- Senior college administration
A student may disagree with an instruction and still be required to follow it at the time.
The student may later report the concern or appeal a decision through the proper process.
Responsibility to Leave When Directed
A student may be directed to leave a class, event, residence space, office, or campus area when their conduct is disruptive, unsafe, or violates college rules.
A student who is directed to leave is expected to leave promptly and without further disruption.
Refusing to leave may result in Campus Security involvement and disciplinary review.
Responsibility to Report Safety Concerns
Students should report serious safety concerns immediately.
This includes:
- Threats
- Violence
- Weapons
- Fire
- Medical emergencies
- Stalking
- Harassment
- Dangerous impairment
- Unsafe behavior
- A person who may harm themselves or others
Students should contact Campus Security, a Residence Assistant, Student Affairs, faculty, staff, or another appropriate authority depending on the situation.
In an emergency, safety comes first.
Retaliation Is Prohibited
Students may not retaliate against someone for making a good-faith report, participating in a hearing, serving as a witness, asking for help, or raising a concern through the proper process.
Retaliation may include:
- Threats
- Harassment
- Exclusion
- Rumor-spreading
- Intimidation
- Social pressure
- Abuse of student leadership
- Academic or organizational punishment
- Attempts to silence or punish the person
Retaliation may result in discipline.
General Rule
Students have the right to learn, participate, ask for help, and be treated with fairness.
Students also have the responsibility to act with respect, follow college rules, protect the rights of others, and use college spaces responsibly.
Oakridge College works best when students understand that rights and responsibilities belong together.