FAQ for Students

Green River College expects everyone to follow basic guidelines for responsible behavior. While we recognize people often have unique circumstances, it is important to have a shared set of expectations for what is appropriate behavior. Green River College's student code of conduct explains students' rights and responsibilities. The full text is available online here.

Student Rights

The following rights are guaranteed to each student. There are limits of these rights, those included violations related to statutory law and college policy which may be deemed necessary to maintain the educational goals of the college.

  1. Academic freedom.
    1. Students are guaranteed the rights of free inquiry, expression, and assembly upon and within college facilities that are generally open and available to the public.
    2. Students are free to pursue appropriate educational objectives from among the college's curricula, programs, and services, subject to the limitations of RCW 28B.50.090 (3)(b).
    3. Students shall be protected from academic evaluation which is arbitrary, prejudiced, or capricious, but are responsible for meeting the standards of academic performance established by each of their instructors.
    4. Students have the right to a learning environment which is free from unlawful discrimination, inappropriate and disrespectful conduct, and any and all harassment, including sexual harassment.
  2. Due process.
    1. The rights of students to be secure in their persons, quarters, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures is guaranteed.
    2. No disciplinary sanction may be imposed on any student without notice to the accused of the nature of the charges.
    3. A student accused of violating this code of student conduct is entitled, upon request, to procedural due process as set forth in this chapter.

Here are some examples of how students may come to interact with our office:

  • You have been documented in an academic assignment where alleged academic dishonesty violations may have occurred
  • You would like to work with the student committee on improving college policies
  • You are involved in an investigation related to college policy
  • You would like to report potential code violations that you have witnessed

As members of our community, you are encouraged to use critical thinking and to be engaged in your learning. You have the freedom to learn while at Green River College and will be provided appropriate opportunities and conditions in the classroom, on the campus, and in the larger community to do so. Students should exercise their freedom with responsibility, all members of the college community share the responsibility to respect the freedom to learn.

Formal Hearings:

There are a number of formal pathways that the Conduct Officer may use in order to resolve conduct cases. One way is with formal hearing when needed. The Judicial Affairs office will schedule a time for the hearing to occur. In this hearing, the student will be invited to share their perspective on the incident, what issues and policies were involved, what harm may have been caused, and how the student could remedy this situation.

The final determination may be made by the conduct review officer or through the student conduct committee, a panel comprised of two students, two faculty members, one faculty or administrator serving as the chair. A student conduct committee hearing type is mostly commonly used for instances when a student appeals a suspension decision of greater than 10 days, or for egregious conduct situations. 

 

If you just received notice of a Student Conduct case, it is natural to be a little nervous. We hope the following pages will answer your questions about what to expect from the Student Conduct process.

Frequently Asked Questions

It most likely means that an incident report ("complaint") containing your name has been filed with the Judicial Affairs office. That report may contain information suggesting you might have violated the Student Conduct Code. You should follow the instructions in the message and attend the hearing with the hearing officer assigned to your case as soon as possible. The communication should contain a specific date and time for a meeting and you are required to appear for that meeting or call our office to reschedule if you have a conflict. We might have contacted you because you are a complainant (the term we use to describe a potential victim or a reporting party) or a witness in a case we are investigating. Please follow the directions to set your appointment. Even if you do not want to pursue a complaint or participate as a witness, we encourage you to nonetheless schedule a meeting so that we can explain the student conduct process and answer any questions you might have. This allows you to make an informed decision on whether to participate. 

FERPA is The Family Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law that provides for the confidentiality of student education records. The Judicial Affairs office will not disclose information about any report or case to parties outside the college, nor permit inspection of their records without their permission. Students who want us to share information with another person or institution should complete the Authorization for Release of Information form and return it to their hearing officer.

FERPA provides certain exceptions that permit our office to disclose information without a student's permission. Your hearing officer can offer examples and explain this further.

The  applies to both on-campus conduct and off-campus conduct in certain circumstances. Please review WAC 132J-126-020 to better understand jurisdiction.

When a student who has allegedly violated the Student Code of Conduct fails to appear for a scheduled appointment, the Judicial Affairs office may place a hold on the student's records and registration, and an additional violation of failure to comply could result. If you fail to appear for a scheduled hearing or meeting after formal charges have been issued, a decision may be made in your absence without your involvement. If you fail to comply with the terms of an assigned sanction, you may be charged with Failure to Comply and/or a hold may be placed on your records and registration. The results of such a charge will most likely be more severe than the original sanction. When a witness or complainant fails to set or keep an appointment, we will reach out again to the student to meet with us. We encourage all participants to meet with us to at least learn about the student conduct process before making on a decision not to pursue a complaint or participate as a witness.

Sanctions (WAC 132-126-130) are determined using a variety of factors including the nature and severity of the violation, related circumstances, impact on the campus/community, past history, precedent, and educational value of the sanction.

The student can file a report of an alleged Student Conduct Code violation with the Campus Safety office for intake and investigation. Campus Safety Phone: (253) 833-9111 x3350
The only sanctions that will appear on transcripts would be dismissals. Suspension is noted as a “W” as the student is immediately withdrawn from all courses. Disciplinary probation, educational sanctions and other outcomes do not appear on academic transcripts. 

We encourage you to discuss the situation with your parents, guardian, or any other person who you trust. However, we will not discuss your case unless you either provide us with a written release or the situation falls under one of the exceptions to FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).

Graduate and professional programs often ask applicants to disclose any prior disciplinary history as part of their admissions process. In many cases, you may have already granted the institution permission to obtain this information when you submitted your application materials. Programs frequently include a records‑release authorization as part of their standard application forms.

If a school requests your disciplinary information directly from Green River College, the College will disclose records only when a valid release is on file. This authorization may be:

  • A release you completed as part of the application process and provided by the requesting institution, or
  • A separately signed Authorization for Release of Information you submit directly to Green River College.

Green River College typically only reports the most serious disciplinary sanctions, specifically:

  • Suspension
  • Expulsion

Other outcomes, such as disciplinary probation, educational sanctions, or other lower‑level findings, are not typically reported by the College.

It is also important to understand that, while FERPA generally requires student consent before educational records are released, the law includes specific exceptions that may permit disclosure without consent. These include circumstances such as responding to lawfully issued subpoenas, certain audits or evaluations, or health and safety emergencies.

If you are concerned about how your disciplinary history may be interpreted, you are encouraged to discuss this directly with the admissions staff at the programs you are applying to as they can explain how such information is considered within their review process.

A student found to have violated the Student Conduct Code has the right to appeal the decision, except for discplinary warnings. For more detailed information, see Appeals from disciplinary action (WAC 132J-126-150).

No. The student disciplinary process will continue, even if you withdraw from school. In addition, there may be a hold on your records and registration. Resolving allegations of misconduct through the student disciplinary process is an obligation you have as a student.

A student may be arrested and charged for a crime AND required to go through our process for the same alleged conduct. More often, though, a student proceeds solely through the conduct process. There are significant differences between the criminal justice system and the work we do with students. To find a violation, we use the "preponderance of evidence" standard, which is not as high as the standard used in criminal justice proceedings. When deciding what evidence to use to reach a decision, we do not follow rules of evidence that one would find in a civil or criminal court. Rather we ask only that the evidence be relevant to the allegations at issue. While students can have an attorney as an advisor, the student always represents themselves.  Overall, students should find our process to be less formal, more engaging and more individually tailored than the criminal justice system. In some cases, students risk separation from the college as a result of a student conduct investigation and hearing. Even though our process is not as formal as a criminal justice proceeding, students should nonetheless take it seriously and conduct themselves in a respectful and professional manner.

Resources

U.S. Department of Education: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)