Knowledge for the Real World

STC E-Catalog

Programs

Archives

Code of Conduct

On this page ...
Statement of Compliance
Grievance Procedures
School Codes
Computer Use Policy
Email Usage
Privacy Notice
Remote Access Usage
General Conduct
COE Contact Info

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE

Southeastern Technical College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, age, political affiliation or belief, disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam Era, or citizenship status (except in those special circumstances permitted or mandated by law). This nondiscrimination policy encompasses the operation of all educational programs and activities including admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other Technical College-administered programs. Southeastern Technical College also encompasses the employment of personnel and contracting for goods and services. Southeastern Technical College shall promote the realization of equal opportunity through a positive continuing program of specific practices designed to ensure the full realization of equal opportunity.

Southeastern Technical College shall maintain a grievance procedure for addressing discrimination concerns. This policy of nondiscrimination is consistent with Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246, the Equal Pay Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Acts of 1973, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 402 of the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and O.C.G.A. § 45-19-21 and other related state statutes.

The following individuals have been designated as responsible for coordinating these efforts:

Title VI and Title IX

Blythe Wilcox—Office 135
Acting Vice President of Operations

ADA/Section 504

Barry Dotson—Office 106
Vice President of Student Affairs

Equity Coordinator

Barry Dotson—Office 106
Vice President of Student Affairs

OCR Compliance Coordinator

Barry Dotson—Office 106
Vice President of Student Affairs

Sexual Harassment Coordinator

Blythe Wilcox—Office 135
Acting Vice President of Operations

These individuals may be contacted for inquiries concerning the application of these policies and procedures at:

Southeastern Technical College
3001 East First Street
Vidalia, GA 30474
912-538-3100

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES FOR:

TITLE VI

Barring Discrimination based on Race,

Color or National Origin

TITLE VII

Barring Discrimination based on Race,

Color, Religion, Gender or National Origin

TITLE IX

Barring Sex Discrimination

Section 504/American with Disabilities Act Barring Discrimination based on Disability

Southeastern Technical College is committed to ensuring an environment for all students and employees that is fair, humane, and respectful; an environment that supports and rewards students and employees on the basis of relevant considerations, and that is free from illegal or inappropriate conduct. Southeastern Technical College expects standards of professional behavior that exceed those minimally prescribed by law.

In an instance of perceived violation of Southeastern Technical College's policies, standards of professional conduct or state or federal law, a member of the Technical College community may file a complaint, which shall be resolved as set forth in this policy and procedures.

Prohibition Against Retaliation

Retaliation in any form against individuals bringing grievances is prohibited and will subject the offender to disciplinary action. In many instances, it is also a violation of state and federal law. An individual who initiates a fraudulent or bad faith claim or charge shall also be subject to disciplinary action.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality and privacy of those involved will be respected during all complaint procedures to the degree practicable. If an individual wishes to bring a complaint accusing another of misconduct and remain anonymous, the Technical College's ability to respond will be limited. Any member of the Technical College community who is particularly concerned about privacy is encouraged to discuss the matter with any other Technical College administrator with whom he or she feels comfortable. Consultations will be confidential to the full extent permitted by law.

This policy provides for policy advising and two avenues of pursuing a complaint, an Informal Resolution Procedure and a Formal Resolution Procedure. An individual may utilize either or both of these avenues.

Any member of the Southeastern Technical College community may submit a complaint alleging a violation of Technical College policy to the appropriate administrator. All persons are encouraged to file their complaints as promptly as possible because of the ability of the Technical College to effectively respond may be compromised by the passage of time. Grievances should generally be filed within 30 days of the date of the conduct complained of or within 30 days of the date the conduct was discovered.

Student academic complaints are not covered by this policy and procedure. Students seeking review of academic decisions may do so pursuant to the policy on Academic Misconduct.

Policy Advising

Individuals seeking information regarding the process of complaint resolution may consult with any of the following offices or individuals for advice and assistance:

Informal Resolution Procedure

Complainants are encouraged to seek informal resolution of their grievances or concerns. This informal procedure is intended to encourage communication between the parties involved, either directly or through an intermediary, in order to facilitate a mutual understanding of what may be different perspectives regarding the complained of act or directive.

Absent extraordinary circumstances, the complainant's academic Department Head, Dean, or Vice President of Student Affairs shall be responsible for the informal resolution procedure.

If the informal process does not result in the resolution of the complaint to the satisfaction of the complainant, the complainant may utilize the formal complaint procedure. For monitoring purposes, a record of any complaint alleging discrimination or any other violation of law shall be reported to the appropriate Grievance Coordinator, even when the complainant is using the informal process.

Formal Resolution Procedure

A formal complaint shall be in writing and shall set forth a statement of the facts, the Technical College policy(ies), procedure(s) or law allegedly violated and the specific remedy sought.

The formal complaint normally shall be filed as follows:

Hearings

Step 1:
Absent extraordinary circumstances, the Director to whom the complaint was forwarded shall, within five (5) business days, conduct a formal conference with the complainant, permitting her or him to provide any necessary information relevant to the complaint. The Director shall also meet with the respondent and conduct such additional investigation as he or she deems necessary. Absent extraordinary circumstances, a written recommendation shall be rendered within five (5) business days of the formal conference unless an extension is mutually agreed to by the parties. The recommendation shall be sent to the complainant and respondent. The written recommendation shall state the background information, the rationale for the recommendation, and the recommended remedy (if any). No transcript or recording of the conference shall be made by either party. For monitoring purposes, a copy of the report shall be sent to the Technical College or Department officer who received the initial complaint.

Step 2:
If the complaint is not resolved at Step 1, the complainant or respondent may, within ten (10) business days of receipt of the Step 1 recommendation, appeal to the Vice President administratively responsible for the unit of the Department(s) in which the alleged policy violation(s) occurred.

Absent extraordinary circumstances, the Vice President shall hold a hearing within fifteen (15) business days of receipt of the appeal or complaint. Absent extraordinary circumstances, a written recommendation shall be rendered within ten (10) business days of such hearing. The complainant and the respondent shall be afforded the opportunity to testify, to call witnesses and introduce documentary evidence. No transcript or recording shall be made of the hearing. For monitoring purposes, a copy of the report shall be sent to the Technical College officer who received the initial complaint.

Step 3:
In the event that the complaint is not resolved at Step 2, the complainant or respondent may file an appeal with the President within ten (10) business days of the receipt of the Step 2 recommendation.

Absent extraordinary circumstances, the President shall, within five (5) business days refer the complainant or respondent to a Grievance Hearing Officer. The Step 3 hearing shall be held as soon as practicable and normally within twenty (20) business days of referral of the complaint to the Grievance Hearing Officer by the President. The complainant and the respondent shall have the right to call witnesses, to testify, and to present relevant documentary evidence. The complainant and the respondent shall have the right to cross-examine all witnesses. A tape recording of the proceeding shall be made and a copy shall be provided, at cost, to the complainant and to the respondent. Following the hearing, the Grievance Hearing Officer shall, absent extraordinary circumstances, render a report and recommendation to the President within twenty (20) business days following the hearing. The report shall contain specific findings of fact and recommendations. Upon consideration of the report and recommendation, the President shall render a decision in writing and communicate the same to the complainant, the respondent, and to the Technical College monitoring officer.

Mediation

At any point in the procedure, a grievance may be referred to mediation upon the concurrence of the parties. The Grievance Coordinator shall assist the parties in locating either an in-house or external mediator.

Appeals

Absent extraordinary circumstances, the President's decision shall be final. However, a grievant may file an appeal of a President's decision to the Commissioner and thence to the State Board. Provided further, however, all student appeals will be final upon the decision of the President, unless the Technical College elects to allow a final appeal to its local Board of Directors.

The Commissioner and Board's consideration of any appeal shall be entirely discretionary and shall, absent extraordinary circumstances, be confined to an appellate-standard review of the record. The Commissioner or Board may decline to consider the appeal or may affirm, reverse or modify the decision below. The Commissioner or Board may also refer the appeal to a Hearing Officer for an evidentiary hearing and recommended action.

Harassment

In accordance with its Statement of Equal Opportunity, the Department and its Technical Colleges prohibit sexual harassment and harassment on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, national or ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, or citizenship status.

Sexual harassment is a form of gender discrimination and is a violation of State and Federal law.

Sexual harassment is defined to include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Such conduct is prohibited when the behavior is directed to an individual because of his or her gender and (1) when submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of instruction, employment or otherwise full participation in department or college life; (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct is considered in evaluating a person's academic or job performance or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of interfering with a person's academic or job performance; creating a sexually intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or educational environment; or interfering with one's ability to participate in or benefit from an educational program or activity. Examples of conduct that may constitute sexual harassment may be found in the accompanying procedures.

All persons who believe that they are or may have been victims of improper harassment are encouraged to seek resolution promptly through the established informal and formal procedures of the Department and Technical Colleges. Those who have been witness to sexual harassment or other improper harassment should report their observation to an appropriate official whose offices are listed below:

All employees of the Technical College System of Georgia are expected to make every effort to ensure that students and co-workers are not subjected to any form of sexual or other improper harassment. (This effort may be formal or informal depending on the circumstances.) However, all students and employees should report any sexual or other improper harassment that they experience, observe or believe may be occurring to the Sexual Harassment Coordinator at the Technical College.

Other violations of this policy include (1) retaliating against a person who reports alleged harassment or participates as a witness in a harassment investigation; (2) disregarding, failing to investigate adequately or delaying investigations of harassment allegations when responsibility or report and/or investigation harassment complaints comprises part of one's supervisory responsibilities; or (3) deliberately making a false allegation of sexual or other improper harassment. However, failure to prove a claim of harassment does not constitute proof of a false accusation.

Violations of this policy by employees will constitute grounds for disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination.

Student who engage in sexual or other improper harassment on college premises or off college premises at a college-sponsored activity will be subject to discipline in accordance with the college's student disciplinary process.

In most circumstances, it is best for all parties that complaints of harassment be resolved at the lowest possible organizational level with a minimum of formality. Sexual harassment complaints shall be handled in accordance with the sexual harassment procedure. Confidentiality and privacy of those involved will be respected during all complaint procedures to the degree the procedure and the law will allow. If an employee or student wishes to bring a complaint and remain anonymous, the ability of the Department or Technical College to respond will be limited. To the extent permitted by law, information shared in confidence shall be maintained as confidential.

Sexual Harassment Complaint Procedures

The following procedure is designed specifically for the reporting and processing of complaints of sexual harassment. This procedure is equally applicable to students and employees of Southeastern Technical College.

Any student or employee who alleges a violation of this policy shall notify the Sexual Harassment Coordinator within seven (7) business days following the alleged incident or as soon thereafter as reasonably possible. The complaint shall contain a brief description of the alleged violation and relief requested. If the complaint is oral, the Coordinator shall prepare a written record of the complaint and ask the Complaining Party to sign the statement, indicating that it accurately reflects the essentials of the complaint.

Examples of conduct that violate this policy include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Physical assault;
  2. Direct or implied threats that submission to sexual advances will be a condition of employment, work status, compensation, promotion, grades, or letters of recommendation;
  3. Sexual advances, physical or implied, or direct propositions of a sexual nature, which may include inappropriate/unnecessary touching or rubbing against another; sexually suggestive or degrading jokes or comments; remarks of a sexual nature about one's clothing and/or body; preferential treatment in exchange for sexual activity; and the inappropriate display of sexually explicit pictures, text, printed materials, or objects that serve no academic purpose;
  4. A pattern of conduct, which can be subtle in nature, that has sexual overtones and is intended to create or has the effect of creating discomfort and/or humiliates another; and
  5. Remarks speculating about a person's sexual activities or sexual history, or remarks about one's own sexual activities or sexual history, that serve no medical or academic purpose.

College Response

Within thirty (30) business days following the filing of a complaint, the Coordinator will conduct an investigation of the alleged incident. This investigation may include compiling any and all documentation involved in the claim, interviews and/or sworn statements from all individuals involved. Within five (5) business days after concluding the investigation, the Coordinator will review the evidence gathered during the investigation and make a written report presenting findings of fact, investigative conclusions, and recommendations as to any disciplinary action to be taken, if appropriate. The report shall be made to the President of the institute. A copy of this report shall be given to the Complaining Party and accused offender. Upon reasonable request, the President may grant the Coordinator additional time for completing the investigation or written report.

The accused offender (referred to as the Respondent) or Complaining Party may respond to the report of the Coordinator. Written responses must be submitted to the President within ten (10) business days from receipt of the Coordinator's report. Requests to meet with the President shall be submitted in writing within five (5) business days of the receipt of the report. The President shall meet with the Complaining Party or the Respondent within a reasonable time. This meeting may be informal and include other individuals at the discretion of the President.

Within a reasonable time, the President shall evaluate all evidence presented and make a decision regarding a resolution. This decision shall be in writing and copied to the Complaining Party and the Respondent. Such decisions shall include a statement of the right to appeal the President's decision to the Commissioner, Technical College System of Georgia. A total time period from receipt of complaint to the President's decision should not exceed thirty (30) business days.

Appeal

An appeal of the final decision of the President may be submitted in writing to the Commissioner indicating the reasons for appeal and stating what relief is requested. This appeal to the Commissioner must be submitted within fifteen (15) calendar days after receipt of the final decision.

The Commissioner may elect to consider the appeal or appoint an administrative hearing officer to hear the appeal and make appropriate recommendations. Absent extraordinary circumstances, no new or additional evidence will be accepted for purposes of this appeal. The Commissioner shall issue a decision within fifteen (15) business days following the receipt of the written appeal. The decision of the Commissioner shall be final.

DRESS CODE

Students at Southeastern Tech are expected to dress and groom themselves in such a way as to reflect neatness, cleanliness, and good taste. Jewelry such as rings, bracelets, and necklaces should not be worn in the shop areas where safety would be compromised. Extremes in dress and grooming should be avoided. Examples of such extremes are:

Instructors will notify the administration if they feel a student is violating the dress code policy. The student will be asked to leave and not return until dressed appropriately.

PHONE CALLS

Students should stress to family, friends, and others that there are no provisions for the receipt or delivery of personal messages, flowers, etc. Classes will not be interrupted by the public address system for this purpose. A courtesy phone is located in the lobby of the main campus and in the student center a the medical building, for students to use. Should a bona-fide emergency occur, such as a death or serious injury, every effort will be made to notify students. The person calling must state the nature of the emergency.

SMOKING/FOOD/DRINK/LITTER POLICIES

Tobacco Use

Smoking is allowed in designated smoking areas only. Ash cans placed at the front entrances to buildings exist for the sole purpose of allowing visitors to dispose of tobacco products prior to entering the Southeastern Technical College facilities.

The use of smokeless tobacco is prohibited within Southeastern Technical College facilities.

Food and Drink

Food and drink are not permitted in classrooms, laboratories, or auditorium facilities.

Litter

Littering is an infraction of the student code of conduct and may result in discipline of the persons involved. All forms of litter (including tobacco waste) are to be disposed of properly through placement in the proper waste receptacles.

PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Headsets, cassette/CD players, portable radios, hand-held electronic games, cellular phones, and other similar devices are not permitted to be operated inside buildings on campus. Beepers may be maintained in vibrate only mode. Exceptions: tape cassette players may be operated to record classroom lectures if the instructor grants prior approval. Cassette/CD players and portable radios operated outside of campus facilities will be played at a volume that does not interfere with, or distract, others. This regulation pertains to all STC training sites and locations.

FIELD TRIPS

Field trips with specific educational objectives will be planned by the instructors and approved by the Vice President of Academic Affairs. During field trips, students will conduct themselves properly at all times and adhere to all the regulations of the institution.

STUDENT LIABILITY

Students are responsible for equipment, books, personal articles, and materials brought to school. The school will not be liable for any personal articles left or brought to school that might get stolen or broken. The school will not be liable for damage or theft of articles brought to the school for repair.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Student organization activities are considered to be a part of Southeastern Tech's instructional program whether they occur during regular program hours on campus or after school hours on the campus or at some other location. Therefore, the normal school behavior code applies to all organized student organization activities regardless of the time or place.

It is the responsibility of student organization advisors and chaperons to inform their students that leadership conferences, competitive events, and other student organization activities are part of the College's instructional program, and that students are to follow regular school conduct when participating in these activities.

Students who fail to follow regular College behavior guidelines will be sent home immediately at their own expense and will be subject to appropriate disciplinary actions by the school's administrative personnel.

Technical College System of Georgia and Southeastern Technical College

Computer Use Policy

Overview

Due to the technological revolution in the workplace, businesses such as Southeastern Technical College (STC) have turned to computer technology as the primary tool to use communicate, perform research, and accumulate information. As the number of users logging on to the college's network at the school or by remote access has increased, so has the possibility of STC's computer resources being mistreated; compromised; or experience unauthorized access, disclosure, destruction, modification, or loss. With easy access to STC's Internet and network resources, it is very important to have a well defined computer use policy. A well defined policy helps protect the end-user as well as STC.

Effective security is a team effort involving the participation and support of every STC employee and affiliate who deals with information and/or information systems. It is the responsibility of every computer user to know these guidelines, and to conduct their activities accordingly.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline the acceptable use of computer equipment at STC. These rules are in place to protect STC as well as its employees, students, and guests. Inappropriate use exposes STC to risks including virus attacks, compromise of network systems and services, and legal issues.

Scope

This policy applies to employees, students, contractors, consultants, temporaries, and other workers at STC, including all personnel affiliated with third parties. This policy applies to all equipment that is owned or leased by STC.

Policy

General Use and Ownership

  1. While STC's network administration desires to provide a reasonable level of privacy, users should be aware that the data they create on the college systems remains the property of STC. Because of the need to protect STC's network, users should not expect files stored on STC's computers and/or network to be private.
  2. End-users are responsible for exercising good judgment regarding the reasonableness of personal use. Occasional and appropriate personal use is acceptable and permitted by the college. However, this use should be brief, infrequent, comply with this policy, and shall not interfere with the user's performance, duties, and responsibilities.
  3. For security and network maintenance purposes, authorized individuals within STC may monitor equipment, systems and network traffic at any time.
  4. STC reserves the right to audit networks and systems on a periodic basis to ensure compliance with this policy.
  5. Only the Information Technology Department staff is authorized to provide support, perform installations of new equipment/software, and/or configure devices for the multi-campus network.
  6. Any individual associated with STC needing to connect personally owned devices to the college's network must obtain prior approval from the Information Technology Department.

Security and Proprietary Information

  1. Keep passwords secure and do not share accounts. Authorized users are responsible for the security of their passwords and accounts. Passwords should be changed every 90 days.
  2. All faculty and staff PCs, laptops and workstations should be secured with a password-protected screensaver with the automatic activation feature set at 10 minutes or less, or by logging-off (control-alt-delete) when the host will be unattended.
  3. Because information contained on portable computers is especially vulnerable, special care should be exercised.
  4. Any and all critical information (data, files, etc) should be saved to the network. The IT Department is not responsible for any end-user files not saved to the network.
  5. Postings by employees from a STC email address to newsgroups should contain a disclaimer stating that the opinions expressed are strictly their own and not necessarily those of STC, unless posting is in the course of business duties.
  6. All computers that are connected to the STC Internet/Intranet/Extranet, whether owned by an employee, student, third-party, or STC, shall be continually executing approved virus-scanning software with a current virus database.
  7. Employees and students must use extreme caution when opening e-mail attachments received from unknown senders, which may contain viruses, e-mail bombs, or Trojan horse code.

Unacceptable Use

Under no circumstances is an employee, student, or third-party of STC authorized to engage in any activity that is illegal under local, state, federal or international law while utilizing STC-owned resources.

The lists below are by no means exhaustive, but attempt to provide a framework for activities which fall into the category of unacceptable use:

  1. System and Network Activities

    The following activities are strictly prohibited, with no exceptions:
    1. Violations of the rights of any person or company protected by copyright, trade secret, patent or other intellectual property, or similar laws or regulations, including, but not limited to, the installation or distribution of "pirated" or other software products that are not appropriately licensed for use by STC.
    2. Unauthorized copying of copyrighted material including, but not limited to, digitization and distribution of photographs from magazines, books or other copyrighted sources, copyrighted music, and the installation of any copyrighted software for which STC or the end user does not have an active license is strictly prohibited.
    3. Exporting software, technical information, encryption software or technology, in violation of international or regional export control laws, is illegal. The appropriate management should be consulted prior to export of any material that is in question.
    4. Introduction of malicious programs into the network or server (e.g., viruses, worms, Trojan horses, e-mail bombs, etc.).
    5. Revealing your account password to others or allowing use of your account by others. This includes family and other household members when work is being done at home.
    6. Using an STC computing asset to actively engage in procuring or transmitting material that is in violation of sexual harassment or hostile workplace laws in the user's local jurisdiction.
    7. Making fraudulent offers of products, items, or services originating from any STC account.
    8. Effecting security breaches or disruptions of network communication. Security breaches include, but are not limited to, accessing data of which the employee, student, or third-party is not an intended recipient or logging into a server or account that the employee, student, or third-party is not expressly authorized to access, unless these duties are within the scope of regular duties. For purposes of this section, "disruption" includes, but is not limited to, network sniffing, pinged floods, packet spoofing, denial of service, and forged routing information for malicious purposes.
    9. Port scanning or security scanning is expressly prohibited unless prior authorization from the Information Technology Department authorized.
    10. Executing any form of network monitoring which will intercept data not intended for the end-user's host, unless prior approval of this activity from the Information Technology Department is authorized.
    11. Circumventing user authentication or security of any host, network, or account.
    12. Interfering with or denying service to any other host or user other than the end-user's host (for example, denial of service attack).
    13. Using any program/script/command, or sending messages of any kind, with the intent to interfere with, or disable, a user's terminal and/or network session, via any means, locally or via the Internet/Intranet/Extranet.
    14. Providing information about, or lists of, STC employees to parties outside STC.
  2. Email and Communications Activities
    1. Sending unsolicited email messages, including the sending of "junk mail" or other advertising material to individuals who did not specifically request such material (email spam).
    2. Any form of harassment via email, telephone, Linc, or paging, whether through language, frequency, or size of messages.
    3. Unauthorized use, or forging, of email header information.
    4. Solicitation of email for any other email address, other than that of the poster's account, with the intent to harass or to collect replies.
    5. Creating or forwarding "chain letters", "Ponzi" or other "pyramid" schemes of any type.
    6. Use of unsolicited email originating from within STC's networks of other Internet/Intranet/Extranet service providers on behalf of, or to advertise, any service hosted by STC or connected via STC's network.
    7. Posting the same or similar non-business-related messages to large numbers of Usenet newsgroups (newsgroup spam).

Enforcement

Abuse or misuse of computing/information technology services may violate this policy, but it may also violate criminal statutes. Therefore, STC will take appropriate action in response to user abuse or misuse of computing/information technology services. Action may include, but not necessarily limited to, the following:

  1. Suspension or revocation of computing privileges. Access to all computing facilities and systems can, may, or will be, denied;
  2. Reimbursement to Southeastern Tech for resources consumed;
  3. Other legal action including action to recover damages;
  4. Referral to law enforcement authorities;
  5. Computer users (faculty, staff and/or students) will be referred to the appropriate office for disciplinary action.

Definitions

End-user
Any person using STC's information systems and/or computers.

Ponzi
Fraudulent investment operation that involves paying returns to investors out of the money raised from subsequent investors.

Spam
Unauthorized and/or unsolicited electronic mass mailings.

Trojan horse
A program in which malicious or harmful code is contained inside.

Virus
A software program capable of reproducing itself and usually capable of causing great harm to files or other programs on the same computer.

EMAIL USE POLICY

Overview

To prevent tarnishing the public image of Southeastern Technical College (STC) from email use - i.e., when email goes out from STC the general public will tend to view that message as an official policy statement from STC.

Scope

This policy covers appropriate use of any email sent from a STC email address and applies to all employees, students, vendors, and agents operating on behalf of STC.

Prohibited Use

The STC email system shall not to be used for the creation or distribution of any disruptive or offensive messages, including offensive comments about race, gender, hair color, disabilities, age, sexual orientation, pornography, religious beliefs and practice, political beliefs, or national origin. Employees and students who receive any emails with this content from any STC employee or student should report the matter to their supervisor or instructor immediately.

Personal Use

Using a reasonable amount of STC resources for personal emails is acceptable, but non-work related email shall be saved in a separate folder from work related email. Sending or forwarding chain letters, offensive messages as described in section 3.1, joke emails, or emails promoting a personal business from an STC email account is prohibited.

Monitoring

STC employees or students shall have no expectation of privacy in anything they store, send or receive on any of STC's email systems. STC authorized personnel may monitor messages without prior notice. However, STC is not obligated to monitor email messages.

Security Notices

Official virus or other malware and security warnings will come from a member of the Information Technology Department. All virus or other malware and security warnings NOT generated from the Information Technology Department are considered unofficial and should be ignored.

Enforcement

Abuse or misuse of e-mail systems may violate this policy, but it may also violate criminal statutes. Therefore, STC will take appropriate action in response to user abuse or misuse of e-mail systems and services. Action may include, but not necessarily limited to, the following:

  1. Suspension or revocation of computing privileges. Access to all computing facilities and systems can, may, or will be, denied;
  2. Reimbursement to Southeastern Tech for resources consumed;
  3. Other legal action including action to recover damages;
  4. Referral to law enforcement authorities;
  5. Computer users (faculty, staff and/or students) will be referred to the appropriate office for disciplinary action.

Definitions

Email
The electronic transmission of information through a mail protocol such as SMTP or IMAP. Typical email clients include Eudora and Microsoft Outlook.

Forwarded email
Email resent from an internal network to an outside point.

Chain email or letter
Email sent to successive people. Typically the body of the note has direction to send out multiple copies of the note and promises good luck or money if the direction is followed.

Sensitive Information
Information is considered sensitive if it can be damaging to STC or its customers' reputation or market standing.

Virus Warning
Email containing warnings about virus or malware. The overwhelming majority of these emails turn out to be a hoax and contain bogus information usually intent only on frightening or misleading users.

Unauthorized Disclosure
The intentional or unintentional revealing of restricted information to people, both inside and outside STC, who do not have a need to know that information.

PRIVACY NOTICE TO COMPUTER USERS

Overview

Due to the technological revolution in the workplace, businesses such as Southeastern Technical College (STC) have turned to computer technology as the primary tool to use communicate, perform research, and accumulate information. As the number of users logging on to the college's network at the school or by remote access has increased, so has the possibility of STC's computer resources being mistreated; compromised; or experience unauthorized access, disclosure, destruction, modification, or loss. With easy access to STC's Internet and network resources, it is very important that all end-users are aware of the expectation of privacy and the terms of use when using STC information systems.

Purpose

The purpose of this privacy notice is to alert information system end-users of the terms and conditions of use and inform them of the level of privacy they can expect when using STC information systems. This privacy notice is in place to protect STC as well as its employees, students, and guests.

Scope

This privacy notice applies to employees, students, contractors, consultants, temporaries, and other workers at STC, including all personnel affiliated with third parties. This privacy notice applies to all equipment that is owned or leased by STC.

Privacy Notice to Computer Users

This is a private computer system and is the property of Southeastern Technical College (STC). It is for authorized STC use only. Users [authorized or unauthorized] have no explicit or implicit expectation of privacy. Any or all uses of this system and all files on this system may be intercepted, monitored, recorded, copied, audited, inspected, and disclosed to authorized personnel of STC. By using this system, the user consents to such interception, monitoring, recording, copying, auditing, inspection, and disclosure at the discretion of authorized STC personnel. By using this system you agree to abide by the guidelines of the following STC policies: Computer Use Policy, E-mail Policy, and Remote Access Policy. Unauthorized or improper use of this system may result in administrative disciplinary action and/or civil and criminal penalties. By continuing to use this system you indicate your awareness of, and consent to, these terms and conditions of use. LOG OFF IMMEDIATELY if you do not agree to the conditions stated in this notice.

Authorized Personnel

Authorized STC personnel are defined as:

  1. The Director of Information Technology
  2. The Vice-President of each Division
  3. The President
  4. Members of the IT Department staff under the explicit direction 1, 2, or 3

Enforcement

Abuse or misuse of computing/information technology services may violate this notice, but it may also violate criminal statutes. Therefore, STC will take appropriate action in response to user abuse or misuse of computing/information technology services. Action may include, but not necessarily limited to, the following:

  1. Suspension or revocation of computing privileges. Access to all computing facilities and systems can, may, or will be, denied;
  2. Reimbursement to Southeastern Tech for resources consumed;
  3. Other legal action including action to recover damages;
  4. Referral to law enforcement authorities;
  5. Computer users (faculty, staff and/or students) will be referred to the appropriate office for disciplinary action.

Definitions

End-user
Any person using STC's information systems and/or computers

REMOTE ACCESS POLICY

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to define standards for connecting to STC's network from any host. These standards are designed to minimize the potential exposure to STC from damages which may result from unauthorized use of STC resources. Damages include the loss of sensitive or company confidential data, intellectual property, damage to public image, damage to critical STC internal systems, etc.

This policy applies to all STC employees, students, contractors, vendors and agents with a STC-owned or personally-owned computer or workstation used to connect to the STC network. This policy applies to remote access connections used to do work on behalf of STC or for STC academic courses, including reading or sending email and viewing Intranet web resources.

Remote access implementations that are covered by this policy include, but are not limited to, dial-in modems, frame relay, ISDN, DSL, VPN, SSH, cable modems, Remote Lab Access (RLA), Information Delivery System (IDS), etc.

General Policy

  1. It is the responsibility of STC employees, students, contractors, vendors and agents with remote access privileges to STC's multi-campus network to ensure that their remote access connection is given the same consideration as the user's on-site connection to STC.
  2. General access to the Internet for recreational use by immediate household members through the STC Network on personal computers is not permitted.
  3. Please review the following policies for details of protecting information when accessing the multi-campus network via remote access methods, and acceptable use of STC's network:
    1. Computer Use Policy
    2. E-mail Use Policy
    3. Privacy Notice to Computer Users
  4. For additional information regarding STC's remote access connection options, including how to request service and obtain technical support go to the STC Information Technology Department web site.

Requirements

  1. At no time should any STC employee, student, contractor, vendor or agent with remote access privileges provide their login or email password to anyone, not even family members.
  2. Routers for dedicated ISDN lines configured for access to the STC network must meet minimum authentication requirements of CHAP.
  3. Reconfiguration of a home user's equipment for the purpose of split-tunneling or dual homing is not permitted at any time.
  4. Frame Relay must meet minimum authentication requirements of DLCI standards.
  5. Non-standard hardware configurations must be approved by the Information Technology Department, and the IT Department must approve security configurations for access to hardware.
  6. All hosts that are connected to STC internal networks via remote access technologies must use up-to-date anti-virus software (http://www.southeasterntech.edu/it/virus_info.asp, this includes personal computers.
  7. Organizations or individuals who wish to implement non-standard Remote Access solutions to the STC production network must obtain prior approval from the Director of Information Technology.

Enforcement

Abuse or misuse of computing/information technology services may violate this policy, but it may also violate criminal statutes. Therefore, STC will take appropriate action in response to user abuse or misuse of computing/information technology services. Action may include, but not necessarily limited to, the following:

  1. Suspension or revocation of computing privileges. Access to all computing facilities and systems can, may, or will be, denied;
  2. Reimbursement to Southeastern Tech for resources consumed;
  3. Other legal action including action to recover damages;
  4. Referral to law enforcement authorities;
  5. Computer users (faculty, staff and/or students) will be referred to the appropriate office for disciplinary action.

Definitions

Cable Modem
Cable companies such as AT&T Broadband provide Internet access over Cable TV coaxial cable. A cable modem accepts this coaxial cable and can receive data from the Internet at over 1.5 Mbps. Cable is currently available only in certain communities.

CHAP
Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol is an authentication method that uses a one-way hashing function. DLCIData Link Connection Identifier ( DLCI) is a unique number assigned to a Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC) end point in a frame relay network. DLCI identifies a particular PVC endpoint within a user's access channel in a frame relay network, and has local significance only to that channel.

Dial-in Modem
A peripheral device that connects computers to each other for sending communications via the telephone lines. The modem modulates the digital data of computers into analog signals to send over the telephone lines, then demodulates back into digital signals to be read by the computer on the other end; thus the name "modem" for modulator/demodulator.

Dual Homing
Having concurrent connectivity to more than one network from a computer or network device. Examples include: Being logged into the Corporate network via a local Ethernet connection, and dialing into AOL or other Internet service provider (ISP). Being on a <Company Name>-provided Remote Access home network, and connecting to another network, such as a spouse's remote access. Configuring an ISDN router to dial into <Company Name> and an ISP, depending on packet destination.

DSL
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is a form of high-speed Internet access competing with cable modems. DSL works over standard phone lines and supports data speeds of over 2 Mbps downstream (to the user) and slower speeds upstream (to the Internet).

Frame Relay
A method of communication that incrementally can go from the speed of an ISDN to the speed of a T1 line. Frame Relay has a flat-rate billing charge instead of a per time usage. Frame Relay connects via the telephone company's network.

ISDN
There are two flavors of Integrated Services Digital Network or ISDN: BRI and PRI. BRI is used for home office/remote access. BRI has two "Bearer" channels at 64kbit (aggregate 128kb) and 1 D channel for signaling info.

Remote Access
Any access to STC's multi-campus network through a non-STC controlled network, device, or medium.

Split-tunneling
Simultaneous direct access to a non-STC network (such as the Internet, or a home network) from a remote device (PC, PDA, WAP phone, etc.) while connected into STC's multi-campus network via a VPN tunnel. VPN Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a method for accessing a remote network via "tunneling" through the Interne

STUDENT DISCIPLINARY POLICY AND PROCEDURE

I. POLICY:
The administration reserves the right to maintain a safe and orderly educational environment for students and staff. Therefore, when, in the judgment of college officials, a student's conduct disrupts or threatens to disrupt the college community, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken to restore and protect the atmosphere of collegiality and mutual respect on campus. This procedure is intended to provide an orderly protocol for handling student disciplinary cases in accordance with the principles of due process and justice.

II. APPLICABILITY:
This procedure is applicable to all technical colleges associated with the Technical College System of Georgia.

III. DEFINITIONS:

  1. The term "Technical College System of Georgia" is synonymous with the term "Technical College System of Georgia."
  2. The term Technical College refers to Southeastern Technical College.
  3. The term "Student" includes all persons taking courses at the Technical College, both full-time and part-time. Persons who are not officially enrolled for a particular term but who have a continuing relationship with the Technical College are considered "students."
  4. The term "Faculty Member" means any person hired by the Technical College to conduct teaching service, or research activities.
  5. The term "Technical College Official" includes any person employed by the Technical College, performing assigned administrative responsibilities.
  6. The term "Member of the Technical College Community" includes any person who is a student, faculty member, Technical College official or any other person employed by the Technical College.
  7. The term "Technical College premises" includes all land, buildings, facilities, and other property in the possession of or owned, used, or controlled by the Technical College (including adjacent streets and sidewalks).
  8. The term "Student Organization" means any number of persons who have complied with the formal requirements for Technical College recognition.
  9. The term "Judicial Body" means any person or persons authorized by the President of Southeastern Technical College to determine whether a student has violated the Student Code or other regulations and to recommend imposition of sanctions.
  10. The term "Judicial Advisor" means a Technical College Official authorized on a case-by-case basis by the President to impose sanctions upon students found to have violated the Student Code. The President may authorize a Judicial Advisor to serve simultaneously as a Judicial Advisor and the sole member or one of the members of a Judicial Body. Nothing shall prevent the President from authorizing the same Judicial Advisor to impose sanctions in all cases. Unless otherwise noted, the "Judicial Advisor" of the Technical College is the Student Disciplinary Officer. (Do we want to keep this change?)
  11. The term "Appellate Board" means any person or persons designated by the President to consider an appeal from a Judicial Body's determination that a student has violated the Student Code, other regulations, or from the sanctions imposed by the Judicial Advisor. The President may serve as the Appellate Board.
  12. The term "shall" is used in the imperative sense.
  13. The term "may" is used in the permissive sense.
  14. The term "policy" is defined as the written regulations of the Technical College as found in, but not limited to, the Student Code of Conduct, Students Handbook(s), Technical College Catalog(s), the Technical College Policy Manual, and the Policy Manual approved by the State Board for the Technical College System of Georgia.
  15. The term "System" means the Technical College System of Georgia.
  16. The term "business days" means, for disciplinary purposes, weekdays that the college administrative offices are open.
  17. The term "Continuing Relationship" means any person who has been enrolled as a student and may enroll in the future as a student at the Technical College.
  18. The term "Academic Misconduct" means any incident involving as any act which improperly affects the evaluation of a student's academic performance or achievement (i.e. cheating, plagiarism, etc).
  19. The term "Student Disciplinary Officer" refers to the person designated by the President to administer this procedure.

IV. ATTACHMENTS:

A. Student Code of Conduct Complaint Form
B. Disciplinary Sanction Appeal Form

V. PROCEDURE:

  1. Filing a Complaint
    1. Any member of the Technical College Community may file a complaint with the Student Disciplinary Officer against any student for a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. The individual(s) initiating the action must complete a Student Code of Conduct Complaint Form, and forward it directly to the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee.
    2. Academic Misconduct may be handled using this procedure or a separate Academic Misconduct Procedure at the discretion of the President.
    3. Investigation and Decision
      1. Within five business days after the complaint is filed, the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee shall complete a preliminary investigation of the incident, and schedule a meeting with the student against whom the complaint was filed in order to discuss the incident and the charges. In the event that additional time is necessary, the student will be notified. After discussing the complaint with the student, the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee shall determine whether the student is guilty of the alleged conduct, and whether the alleged conduct constitutes a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. If the student fails to appear at the meeting, he or she will be considered guilty and the appropriate actions will be taken.
      2. In the event that a complaint alleges violations of the Student Code of Conduct by more than one student, each student's disciplinary proceeding, as well as any appeals relating to that proceeding, shall be conducted individually.
      3. If the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee determines that the student is guilty of a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, he/she shall impose one or more disciplinary sanctions consistent with those described below. If the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee determines that the alleged conduct did not occur, or that the conduct was not a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, he/she shall not impose any disciplinary sanctions on the student and the investigation shall be closed.
  2. Disciplinary Sanctions
    1. After a determination that a student has violated the Student Code of conduct, the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee may impose one or more of the following sanctions:
      1. Restitution – A student who has committed an offense against property may be required to reimburse the Technical College or other owner for damage to or misappropriation of such property. Any such payment in restitution shall be limited to the actual cost of repair or replacement.
      2. Reprimand – A written reprimand may be given any student. Such a reprimand does not restrict the student in any way, but it signifies to the student that he/she is in effect being given another chance to conduct himself/herself as a proper member of the Technical College community, and that any further violation may result in more serious sanctions.
      3. Restriction – A restriction upon a student's privileges for a period of time may be imposed. This restriction may include but is not limited to denial of the right to represent the Technical College in any way, denial of use of facilities, alteration or revocation of parking privileges, or restrictions from participating in extracurricular activities.
      4. Disciplinary Probation – Continued enrollment of a student on probation may be conditioned upon adherence to specified terms. Any student placed on probation will be notified of the terms and length of probation in writing. Any conduct determined after due process to be in violation of these terms while on probation may result in the imposition of more serious disciplinary sanctions, as specified by the terms of probation.
      5. Failing or lowered grade – In cases of academic misconduct, the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee will make a recommendation to the Vice President of Academic Affairs or his/her designee who may authorize the instructor to award a failing or lowered grade in the course, a loss of credit on the assignment or examination, and may impose other additional sanctions including suspension or dismissal from the Technical College. Reference policy V.H. Academic standards, evaluations and appeals.
      6. Disciplinary Suspension – If a student is suspended, he/she is separated from the Technical College for a stated period of time. Conditions of reinstatement, if any, must be stated in the notice of suspension.
      7. Disciplinary Expulsion –Removal and exclusion from the Technical College, Technical College controlled facilities, programs, events, and activities. A record of the reason for the student's dismissal is maintained by the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee. Students who have been dismissed from the Technical College for any reason may apply in writing for reinstatement twelve (12) months following the expulsion. If approval for reinstatement is granted, students will be placed on disciplinary probation for a specified term. The probationary status may be removed at the end of the specified term at the discretion of the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee.
      8. Interim Disciplinary Suspension – As a general rule, the status of a student accused of violations of the Student Code of Conduct should not be altered until a final determination is made regarding the charges against him/her. However, interim suspension may be imposed upon a finding by the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee that the continued presence of the accused student on campus constitutes a potential or immediate threat to the safety and well-being of the accused student or any other member of the Technical College community or its guests, or that the continued presence of the student on campus creates a risk of substantial disruption of classroom or other Technical College-related activities.
    2. Violation of Federal, State, or Local Law
      1. If a student is convicted or pleads Nolo Contendere to an off-campus violation of federal, state, or local law, but not with any other violation of the Student Code of Conduct, disciplinary action may be taken and sanctions imposed for misconduct that is detrimental to the Technical College's vital interests and stated mission and purpose.
      2. Disciplinary proceedings may be instituted against a student charged with violation of a law that is also a violation of the Student Code of Conduct if both violations result from the same factual situation, without regard to criminal arrest and/or prosecution. Proceedings under this Student Code of Conduct may be carried out prior to, simultaneously with, or following criminal proceedings.
      3. When a student is charged by federal, state, or local authorities with a violation of law, the Technical College will not request or agree to special consideration for that individual because of his/her status as a student. The Technical College will cooperate fully with law enforcement and other agencies in the enforcement of criminal law on campus and in the conditions imposed by criminal courts for the rehabilitation of student violators. Individual students, acting in their personal capacities, remain free to interact with governmental representatives as they deem appropriate.
    3. Conditions of Disciplinary Suspension and Expulsion
      1. A student who has been suspended or expelled from the Technical College shall be denied all privileges afforded a student and shall be required to vacate Technical College premises at a time determined by the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee.
      2. In addition, after vacating the Technical College Premises, a suspended or expelled student may not enter upon the Technical College premises at any time, for any purpose, in the absence of written permission from the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee. A suspended or expelled student must contact the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee for permission to enter the Technical College premises for a limited, specified purpose.
      3. If the student seeks to submit a signed Disciplinary Sanction Appeal Form, the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee must accept the Form by mail or fax if he/she refuses the student's request to enter the Technical College premises for that specified purpose.
      4. A scheduled appeal hearing before the Judicial Body shall be understood as expressed permission from the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee for a student to enter the Technical College premises for the duration of that hearing.
  3. Mediation
    1. At the discretion of the President the college may adopt a mediation procedure to be utilized prior to the Appeals set forth herein.
  4. Appeals Procedure
    1. A student who wishes to appeal a disciplinary decision by the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee must file a written notice of appeal through the President's Office for review by the Judicial Body within five business days of notification of the decision.
    2. The student will then have the right to appear in a hearing before a Judicial Body assigned by the President or his/her designee within 10 business days to present evidence and/or testimony. The student has the right to be assisted by any advisor he/she chooses, at his/her own expense. The student is responsible for presenting his/her own case and, therefore, advisors are not permitted to speak or to participate directly in any hearing before a Judicial Body. The Committee will consist of two faculty members, one staff member and two students. There shall be a single verbatim record, such as a tape recording, of all hearings before the Judicial Body. The record shall be the property of the Technical College. The Chairperson of the Judicial Body shall notify the President and the Student Disciplinary Officer in writing of the Judicial Body's decision. The Technical College President or his/her designee will notify the student in writing of the Committee's decision and the opportunity to appeal directly to the President.
    3. In the event that the student chooses to contest the decision of the Student Judicial Committee, he/she has the right to appeal the decision to the President of the College within five business days of notification of the Committee's decision. The appeal to the President shall be in writing. The President shall only consider evidence currently in the record, new facts not brought up in earlier stages of the appeal shall not be considered. The President shall deliver his/her decision to the student within 10 business days. The decision of the President shall be final and binding.
  5. Document Retention

    The Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee shall retain a copy of all documents concerning complaints, investigations, administrative actions, and communications in relation to any incident that resulted in a disciplinary investigation of any kind against a student. The Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee will also retain records of any disciplinary appeals filed by the affected student, as well as the resulting record of appeal and decision submitted by the Student Judicial Committee. A record of the final decision must also be retained, in the event that the decision is appealed to the President. All records specified in this section shall be retained for a period of five years.

COUNCIL ON OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION

Southeastern Technical College is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education. A student dissatisfied with the policy applications of any grievance or appeals procedure may contact the Council at:

Council on Occupational Education
41 Perimeter Center East, NE
Suite 640
Atlanta, GA 30346
1-800-917-2081
www.council.org