STUDENT SERVICES

Student Discipline - Continued

No student shall be suspended or dismissed from OWCC without approval by the president. The president shall have the authority to temporarily suspend, while awaiting the disciplinary procedures outcome, any student whose behavior is judged by him to be detrimental, or potentially detrimental, to the college community.

Upon recommendation, and after implementation of the hearing process, a student may be suspended or dismissed by the president for behavior which is prohibited or otherwise unacceptable. The Board of Trustees shall be advised of dismissal actions at its next regular meeting following such actions.

Disciplinary probation is in place for a minimum of one academic year, unless otherwise approved by the Dean of Student Services, and requires compliance with the following restrictions and obligations:

1. Conformance with all college policies, rules, and regulations pertaining to student behavior as specified in the current college catalog, Student Handbook, or any other official college publication .
2. Avoidance of involvement in actions or activities which could be considered disruptive to the educational process or detrimental to the health, welfare, and safety of any member of the college community.
3. No participation in any student extracurricular organized activity.
4. Reporting on a scheduled basis for appropriate counseling sessions with an assigned college counselor.
5. Remaining in full compliance with the conditions of applicable court-imposed probation/parole.
6. Reporting on a scheduled basis to the Dean of Student Services for review of compliance with the terms of disciplinary probation.

Disciplinary suspension terminates a student's enrollment at OWCC for a specified period.

Dismissal separates a student from the college for an indefinite period with readmission subject to the recommendation of the Admissions Committee and the approval of the president.

Students who become ineligible for enrollment because of disciplinary action may not continue their education through any programs, activities, or offerings of Okaloosa-Walton Community College until such time as they may be readmitted to the college.

Student Grievance Procedures. Okaloosa-Walton Community College student grievance procedures are designed to provide effective means for resolving legitimate issues that are subject to the grievance process. State Board Rules and College Policies are not grievable; only the application or interpretation of rules or policies may be grieved.

Resolution of Grievances. Any student who believes that he/she has been done an injustice through the action of another student, a college employee, or other person acting for the college may initiate a grievance under these procedures.

OWCC's student grievance procedures apply to all complaints on the part of students which may arise in matters of instruction and general student services when they involve rights provided for under the college's Equal Access/Equal Opportunity Plan and the Florida Educational Equity Act and when they directly affect the personal interests and well-being of individual students.

Complaints which do not directly affect the personal interests and well-being of individual students and which are not otherwise covered by these procedures shall ordinarily be referred to the Dean of Student Services for resolution.

The president of the college shall be the final arbiter where a dispute exists as to whether a particular matter is subject to coverage by these procedures. In making his decision, the president will interpret the coverage of these procedures liberally, denying their application only when the matter in question clearly concerns issues of rule or policy in which the complaining party has no direct interest, where there is good reason to believe that a grievance has been brought in bad faith for political or similarly inappropriate reasons, or for circumstances in which use of these procedures would clearly endanger their effectiveness as an instrument for the redress of grievances.

Informal Grievance Procedures. The college's informal student grievance procedures shall be implemented in the following sequence:

1. The aggrieved student shall first discuss his/her complaint with the instructor or faculty advisor concerned for resolution.
2. If the grievance remains unresolved, the student should refer it to the appropriate department or organizational unit head for resolution.
3. If the circumstances of the grievance preclude the use of steps 1 and 2, or if the department or organizational unit head does not resolve the grievance within ten (10) working days, the student should discuss the grievance with the Dean of Student Services, who will bring the matter to the attention of the president of the college.