Oakridge College Student Handbook

Overview

Students are expected to act with respect, honesty, safety, and responsibility in all Oakridge College spaces and activities.

Student conduct applies in classrooms, residence halls, student organizations, athletic activities, events, public college spaces, online or written college communication, and any situation where a student’s behavior affects Oakridge College or its community.

The Details

Oakridge College is both an academic institution and a community. Students are expected to help maintain an environment where learning, student life, and college activity can continue safely and fairly.

Student conduct rules apply to all students. They also apply to student leaders, student organization members, residents, athletes, guests, and students attending college events.

Students are responsible for their own choices. A student may be upset, embarrassed, angry, confused, or pressured by others, but they are still responsible for how they act.

General Conduct Expectations

Students are expected to:

• Treat others with basic respect
• Follow college policies
• Follow reasonable instructions from college officials
• Respect classrooms, residence halls, offices, event spaces, and public areas
• Avoid harassment, threats, intimidation, and discrimination
• Avoid behavior that disrupts classes, events, or college operations
• Respect the rights and safety of others
• Use college property and resources responsibly
• Report serious safety concerns
• Accept responsibility when they violate college rules

Students should remember that their conduct can affect classmates, roommates, faculty, staff, visitors, student organizations, and the wider Briarmont community.

Respect for Others

Students must treat other people with basic dignity.

Students may disagree, debate, challenge ideas, and express strong opinions. However, students may not use disagreement as an excuse for personal attacks, threats, harassment, intimidation, or repeated disruption.

Respectful conduct includes:

• Listening when others are speaking
• Avoiding personal insults
• Avoiding targeted humiliation
• Respecting boundaries
• Allowing others to participate
• Following reasonable instructions
• Handling conflict without threats or intimidation

A student does not need to like everyone. A student is still expected to behave appropriately.

Classroom Conduct

Students are expected to support a functional learning environment.

In class, students should:

• Arrive prepared when possible
• Follow the instructor’s reasonable directions
• Participate respectfully
• Allow others to speak
• Stay connected to the course topic
• Ask questions in an appropriate way
• Avoid repeated interruption
• Avoid harassment or intimidation
• Respect classroom materials, equipment, and spaces

Students may disagree with faculty or classmates. Academic disagreement is allowed.

However, students may not prevent the class from continuing.

Disruption

Disruption is behavior that prevents a class, event, meeting, activity, or college operation from continuing normally.

Disruption may include:

• Repeated interruption
• Refusal to follow reasonable instructions
• Shouting over others
• Blocking access to a space
• Harassing participants
• Refusing to leave when directed
• Interfering with an event or class
• Creating a safety concern
• Preventing others from participating

A student who is disruptive may be warned, removed from the space, referred to Student Affairs, referred to Campus Security, or sent to disciplinary review.

Removal from Class or Events

A student may be removed from a class, meeting, event, residence space, or campus area when their behavior is disruptive, unsafe, threatening, harassing, or violates college policy.

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.

A student may later report or appeal the removal if they believe it was improper. However, the student is still expected to leave at the time they are directed to do so.

Harassment and Intimidation

Harassment and intimidation are prohibited.

Harassment may include repeated unwanted conduct, hostile behavior, targeted insults, sexual misconduct, bullying, threats, stalking, or conduct that interferes with a person’s ability to participate in college life.

Intimidation may include behavior meant to frighten, pressure, silence, or control another person.

Examples may include:

• Threatening someone
• Cornering someone
• Following someone after being told to stop
• Repeated unwanted messages
• Public humiliation
• Sexual pressure
• Hostile targeting
• Abuse of a student leadership position
• Encouraging others to harass or exclude someone

Students who experience or witness harassment should report it to Student Affairs, a Residence Assistant, faculty, Campus Security, the Dean of Student Affairs, or another appropriate authority.

Discrimination

Oakridge College does not allow discrimination against students, faculty, staff, or visitors.

Students may not target, exclude, harass, threaten, or mistreat others because of identity, background, protected status, personal belief, role, department, student organization, or social position.

Academic discussion of difficult topics is allowed when it is connected to a class or approved academic purpose. However, academic discussion does not excuse targeted abuse, threats, or harassment.

Threats and Violence

Threats and violence are serious violations of college policy.

Students may not:

• Threaten to harm another person
• Encourage violence
• Physically attack another person
• Use physical intimidation
• Block someone from leaving
• Stalk or pursue someone
• Bring or display a weapon in college spaces
• Claim to have a weapon as intimidation
• Create a situation where violence appears likely

Threats, weapons, physical aggression, or immediate danger should be reported to Campus Security or emergency services immediately.

Weapons

Weapons are not allowed in college spaces unless specifically authorized by college policy or lawful authority.

Weapons may include:

• Firearms
• Knives intended as weapons
• Explosives
• Tasers or similar devices
• Clubs or striking weapons
• Any object used or threatened as a weapon

A student who displays, implies, threatens, or uses a weapon may face immediate Campus Security involvement and disciplinary action.

Alcohol and Drug Use

Students are expected to remain safe, respectful, and in control of their behavior.

Students may not attend class, participate in official activities, enter residence spaces, represent a student organization, or attend college events while impaired in a way that disrupts others, creates danger, or violates college policy.

Substance use becomes a conduct issue when it affects:

• Student safety
• Class participation
• Residence life
• Student organization activity
• Athletic activity
• Events
• Public behavior
• The safety or comfort of others
• The reputation or operation of Oakridge College

Approved events with alcohol, if any, must follow college rules. Being at an approved event does not excuse unsafe or inappropriate conduct.

Property and Facilities

Students are expected to respect college property and shared spaces.

Students may not:

• Damage college property
• Steal property
• Misuse equipment
• Enter restricted areas without permission
• Use classrooms, offices, laboratories, studios, or event spaces without approval
• Leave spaces dirty, damaged, or unusable
• Tamper with safety equipment
• Block exits, stairs, hallways, or access points
• Use a space for a purpose it was not approved for

Students may be held responsible for damage they cause.

Residence Life Conduct

Students living in or visiting residence spaces must follow residence rules.

Students are expected to respect:

• Roommates
• Guests
• Residence Assistants
• Quiet hours
• Common spaces
• Privacy
• Safety instructions
• Room access rules
• Residence hall procedures

Residence halls are shared living spaces. Students should act in ways that allow others to sleep, study, rest, and feel safe.

Residence life rules are explained in more detail in the Residence Life section of this handbook.

Student Organizations and Leadership Conduct

Students in clubs, organizations, athletics, Student Council, Greek Row, or other student leadership roles are expected to act responsibly.

Student leaders may not use their role to:

• Harass others
• Exclude people unfairly
• Retaliate against someone
• Pressure students into unwanted activity
• Misuse funds or resources
• Ignore safety concerns
• Bypass college rules
• Control members for personal reasons
• Punish someone outside proper procedure

Student organizations are part of Oakridge College. They remain subject to college policy, Student Affairs, and other appropriate college authority.

Hazing

Hazing is prohibited.

Hazing includes any activity that humiliates, endangers, pressures, abuses, or coerces a student as a condition of joining, remaining in, or gaining status within a group.

Hazing may occur even if the student says they agreed to it.

Students and organizations may face discipline for hazing.

Technology, Messages, and Recordings

Students are expected to use college communication tools, messages, screenshots, recordings, and digital material responsibly.

Students should not:

• Harass others through messages
• Share private information without proper reason
• Record private meetings, hearings, or student matters without approval
• Distribute screenshots to shame or intimidate someone
• Falsify messages or records
• Use digital material to threaten, blackmail, or retaliate
• Misrepresent college communication

Digital conduct may still be student conduct when it affects Oakridge College, students, faculty, staff, or college activities.

False Information and Misrepresentation

Students may not knowingly provide false information to college officials.

This includes false information in:

• Reports
• Disciplinary hearings
• Academic records
• Student organization records
• Residence life matters
• Event requests
• Safety reports
• Applications or forms
• Statements to faculty, staff, Student Affairs, Campus Security, or administration

A student who makes an honest mistake should correct it as soon as possible.

Retaliation

Retaliation is prohibited.

Students may not punish, threaten, harass, exclude, pressure, or intimidate someone because that person:

• Made a good-faith report
• Asked for help
• Served as a witness
• Participated in a hearing
• Reported harassment
• Reported discrimination
• Reported misconduct
• Refused an improper request
• Used a college procedure

Retaliation may be treated as a separate conduct violation.

Guests and Visitors

Students are responsible for the conduct of guests they bring into college spaces when they have control over the invitation or activity.

Guests are expected to follow college rules.

A student may be held responsible if their guest:

• Disrupts a class or event
• Harasses others
• Damages property
• Violates residence rules
• Creates a safety concern
• Refuses to leave when directed

Students should not invite guests into spaces where guests are not allowed.

Conduct in Briarmont

Oakridge students are part of the wider Briarmont community.

Student conduct outside campus may become a college matter when it affects:

• Student safety
• College events
• Local businesses or public spaces
• The reputation of Oakridge College
• Other students, faculty, or staff
• Student organizations
• Residence life
• Campus order

Students are expected to behave responsibly in Briarmont, especially when attending college-sponsored events or representing Oakridge.

Reporting Conduct Concerns

Students may report conduct concerns to the proper authority.

Depending on the situation, reports may be made to:

• Instructor
• Faculty advisor
• Department Chair
• Dean
• Student Affairs
• Residence Assistant
• Dean of Student Affairs
• Campus Security
• Vice President
• President

Safety concerns should be reported immediately to Campus Security or emergency services.

Reports should be factual. Students should explain what happened, when it happened, where it happened, who was involved, and whether anyone may be unsafe.

Disciplinary Review

Student conduct violations may lead to disciplinary review.

Possible outcomes may include:

• Warning
• Required correction of behavior
• Loss of privileges
• Removal from a class or event
• Removal from a student organization role
• Residence life restrictions
• Suspension from activities
• Referral to Student Affairs
• Referral to Campus Security
• Formal disciplinary hearing
• Other sanctions approved by the college

The disciplinary process is explained in the Discipline, Hearings, and Appeals section of this handbook.

General Rule

Students are expected to act in a way that allows learning, student life, and college activity to continue safely and fairly.

Students may disagree, make mistakes, and ask for help. However, students may not use their choices to harm others, disrupt the college, ignore safety, or avoid responsibility.

Oakridge College works best when students treat each other with respect, use shared spaces responsibly, and understand that membership in the college community carries both rights and duties.