Rights of Citizenship and Off-Campus Freedom of Students
Rights of the Associated Student Government
Student Participation in the Institutional Government
Academic Freedom
Students have the right of free discussion, inquiry, and expression. Students may take reasonable exception to the data or views offered in any course of study and retain personal judgment about matter of opinion. Students will be evaluated solely on academic performance.
Students will be protected against capricious or arbitrary academic evaluation. Information about student views, beliefs, and political associations which professors acquire in the course of their work as instructors, advisors, or counselors is confidential.
Rights of Citizenship and Off-Campus Freedom of Students
As citizens and legal residents, students enjoy the same freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and right of petition that other citizens and legal residents enjoy. Faculty members and administrative officials will ensure that institutional powers are not employed to inhibit such intellectual and personal development of students, nor to duplicate the function of civil authorities.
Students are free to organize and join associations to promote their common interests. Campus and approved off-campus organizations will be open to all students and must not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or family relationship.
Rights of the Associated Student Government
(Chartering of Student Organizations)
Only Members of the Associated Student Government of OCCC (ASGOCCC) will approve the chartering of student organizations subject to the approval of the Vice President Student Affairs. Student organizations will be required to submit a statement of purpose, criteria for membership, and rules of procedures before the granting of a charter, as outlined in the ASGOCCC constitution and by-laws. They will not be required to submit a membership list as a condition of institutional recognition. Each organization will choose its own advisor from the OCCC staff. If an advisor is not selected by the organization, the College may assign an advisor. Institutional recognition will not be withheld or withdrawn solely because of the inability of a student organization to secure an advisor. Coadvisors may be secured from off campus. Campus advisors may advise organizations in the exercise of responsibility, but they will not have the authority to dictate the policy of such organizations.
Affiliations with an off-campus organization will not prevent institutional recognition, unless the affiliation seriously threatens to cause a substantial disruption or material interference with normal operation of the College. Campus organizations, including those affiliated with an off-campus organization, will be open to all students in accordance with applicable College policies.
Student Participation in the Institutional Government
As constituents of OCCC, students will be free to express their views on issues of institutional policy and on matters of general interest to the students. The students and/or their association are given the opportunity to provide input in the formulation and application of institutional policy. To this end, students are encouraged to attend OCCC Board of Education meetings.
Student Publications
In the delegation of editorial responsibility to students, the institution provides sufficient editorial freedom and financial autonomy for the student publications to maintain their integrity of purpose as vehicles for free inquiry and free expression in an academic community. Publications will adhere to the Oregon Code of Ethics for Journalism of the Oregon Newspaper Publisher's Association.
All OCCC published and financed student publications will explicitly state on the editorial page that the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the College or ASGOCCC. Complaints on publication rights will be handled through the Conflict Resolution Procedure.