The 2016-17 Student Handbook & Planner is now available! Students may pick up a free copy from the department of Student Life at their campus. A PDF version will also be posted to the “Current Students” section of the GHC webpage.
Notable changes in this year’s Student Handbook include an updated Title IX section, and several new edits to the Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity policy and adjudication procedure. Many of these changes were mandated by the Board of Regents and all institutions in the USG were charged with updating the Code of Conduct policies to include similar language, phrasing, and procedure across the System.
Some of the points of interest:
1. Changes in the Academic Integrity policy now prohibit students from dropping a class before completing the adjudication process if charged with a violation. Notification of the suspected violation must be given to Student Life by faculty in order to place the Hold on a student, and students that drop before a Hold is placed will be added back until the case is settled by either the informal or formal resolution process.
2. Inclusion of “stun-gun” exception into the Weapons on Campus policy as mandated by Georgia law.
3. Changes in the Code of Conduct adjudication process for cases that may lead to suspension or expulsion (including Title IX violations) now includes a more robust description of the investigation process.
4. Inclusion of the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy (Title IX) as a stand-alone section in the Handbook, as well as an expanded list of prohibited actions within the Code of Conduct itself.
5. Reinforcement of a student’s right to an advisor (which includes a lawyer) through any and all parts of the adjudication process.
I encourage you to review the new Handbook to familiarize yourself with the changes. We will going “live” with our new student conduct management system, Maxient, in the next few weeks, so the reporting process for suspected violations of the Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity Policy will become easier and 100% electronic. I am very excited about the implementation of Maxient at GHC! Updates and training on this new tool will be announced in the near future!
If you, or any student, have a question about the new Handbook, please do not hesitate to call or email me or any of the Student Life team!