Oakridge College Student Handbook
The Oakridge College Student Handbook: what students may expect of the college and what the college expects of them. It covers student rights and responsibilities, academic life, conduct and academic integrity, advising and support, clubs, organizations and athletics, residential life, campus safety, and how discipline, hearings and appeals are handled.
I. College Mission and Student Life
Overview
Oakridge College is a place of learning, community, and responsibility. Students are expected to take their education seriously, treat others with respect, and understand that their choices affect the campus and the wider Briarmont community.
The Details
Oakridge College began as an institution shaped by study, repair, and stewardship. Its earliest purpose was connected to the land around Briarmont and the need to understand the damage left by earlier industry.
Today, Oakridge is a broader college with programs in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, professional studies, health sciences, education, legal studies, and other fields. Even so, the college still carries its original purpose forward.
Oakridge students are not only here to attend classes. They are part of a community built around learning, responsibility, and shared life.
The Mission of Oakridge College
Oakridge College prepares students for thoughtful work, responsible citizenship, and useful service within Briarmont and the wider world.
Students are expected to:
- Think clearly
- Ask serious questions
- Learn from evidence
- Communicate respectfully
- Take responsibility for their choices
- Contribute to the college community
- Respect the rights and safety of others
- Use college spaces responsibly
- Understand that education has consequences beyond the classroom
The mission of Oakridge is not only carried out by faculty and staff. Students help carry it out through their conduct, participation, and care for the community around them.
Student Life at Oakridge
Student life includes more than classes.
Students may take part in:
- Courses
- Clubs and organizations
- Residence life
- Student government
- Athletics
- Academic events
- Public lectures
- Campus ceremonies
- Student activities
- Community events
- Department programs
- Informal campus life
These activities help make Oakridge feel like a living college rather than only a place where classes happen.
Students are encouraged to participate in campus life in ways that fit their interests, schedules, and character. Participation should be respectful, safe, and connected to the purpose of the activity.
Academic Responsibility
Students are expected to take their academic work seriously.
This means students should:
- Attend classes when expected
- Participate when appropriate
- Complete assigned work honestly
- Ask for help when needed
- Respect faculty and classmates
- Follow course expectations
- Avoid academic dishonesty
- Use college resources responsibly
- Keep track of their own academic progress
Students are not expected to know everything when they arrive. Learning requires questions, mistakes, practice, and correction.
However, students are expected to make a good-faith effort.
Community Responsibility
Oakridge is part of Briarmont.
Student conduct can affect the college, the town, and the relationship between them. Students should remember that they represent Oakridge when they take part in campus events, public activities, student organizations, and community life.
Students are expected to treat Briarmont residents, visitors, faculty, staff, and other students with basic respect.
Community responsibility includes:
A student does not stop being part of Oakridge simply because they have left the classroom.
Respectful Participation
Students may disagree with faculty, staff, and other students.
Disagreement is part of academic life. Students may ask questions, challenge ideas, express different views, and take part in difficult conversations.
However, disagreement must remain respectful and safe.
Students should not use disagreement as an excuse for:
- Harassment
- Threats
- Personal attacks
- Disruption
- Intimidation
- Targeted humiliation
- Refusal to follow reasonable instructions
- Conduct that prevents others from participating
Students have the right to be heard, but they also have the responsibility to let others be heard.
Stewardship
Stewardship is an important part of Oakridge’s identity.
At Oakridge, stewardship means caring for what has been entrusted to the community.
This includes:
- The campus
- Classrooms
- Residence halls
- Student organizations
- Academic records
- College traditions
- Shared equipment
- Natural spaces
- The history of Briarmont
- The safety and dignity of others
Students practice stewardship when they leave a space better than they found it, take responsibility for mistakes, respect college property, and help maintain a campus where others can learn and belong.
Asking for Help
Students are not expected to handle every problem alone.
A student should ask for help when they are confused, overwhelmed, unsafe, unsure of a policy, or unable to resolve a concern.
Students may seek help from:
- Faculty advisors
- Instructors
- Department Chairs
- Student Affairs
- Residence Assistants
- Campus Security
- The Dean of Student Affairs
- Academic School offices
- Other appropriate college authorities
Asking for help early can prevent small problems from becoming larger ones.
General Rule
Oakridge students are expected to learn seriously, participate respectfully, and act with responsibility.
Student life should support the mission of the college. It should help students grow, build community, and contribute to Oakridge and Briarmont in ways that are thoughtful, fair, and safe.
Credits
Written By: Charles Fairweather