Waukesha County Technical College

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Student Life

Article Eight: Definitions

  1. The term 'WCTC' means Waukesha County Technical College.
  2. The term "student" includes all persons taking courses at WCTC. Persons who withdraw after allegedly violating the Student Code of Conduct, who are not officially enrolled for a particular term but who have a continuing relationship with WCTC or who have been notified of their acceptance for admission are considered "students". The Student Code of Conduct applies at all locations of WCTC.
  3. The term "faculty member" means any person hired by WCTC to conduct classroom or teaching activities or who is otherwise considered by WCTC to be a member of its faculty.
  4. The term "WCTC official" includes any person employed by WCTC, performing assigned administrative, academic or professional responsibilities.
  5. The term "member of WCTC community" includes any person who is a student, faculty member, WCTC official or any other person employed by WCTC. A person’s status in a particular situation will be determined by the Director of Student Development.
  6. The term "WCTC premises" includes all land, buildings, facilities, and other property in the possession of or owned, used, or controlled (usually by lease) by WCTC (including adjacent streets and sidewalks).
  7. The term "WCTC property" includes vehicles, keys, identification badges, and other items owned, used or controlled by WCTC.
  8. The term "student organization" means any number of persons who have complied with the formal requirements for WCTC registration through the Office of Student Life.
  9. The term "Director of Student Development" is that person designated by the Vice President for Learning & Student Services to be responsible for the administration of the Student Code of Conduct and the student conduct system.
  10. The term "hearing board" means any person or group authorized by the Director of Student Development to determine whether a student has violated the Student Code of Conduct and to recommend sanctions that may be imposed when a rules violation has been committed.
  11. The term "conduct officer" means a WCTC official (including the Director of Student Development) authorized on a case-by-case basis by the Director of Student Development to impose sanctions upon any student(s) found to have violated the Student Code of Conduct.
  12. The term "Board of Review" means any persons or group authorized by the Director of Student Development to consider an appeal from a conduct officer’s determination as to whether a student has violated the Student Code of Conduct.
  13. The term "will" is used in the imperative sense.
  14. The term "may" is used in the permissive sense.
  15. The term "policy" means the written regulations of WCTC found in, but not limited to, the Student Handbook, computer use policy, and catalog.
  16. The term "complainant" means any person who submits an allegation of violation, or presents a complaint on behalf of WCTC, alleging that a student violated the Student Code of Conduct.
  17. The term "accused student" means any student accused of violating this Student Code of Conduct.
  18. The term "more likely than not" means information that would lead a reasonable person to conclude that it is more likely than not that a student’s behavior violated the Student Code of Conduct.
  19. The term "adviser" refers to the individual who assists a student or student organization with hearing preparation. An adviser is any individual the student or student organization chooses and must be a affiliated with WCTC, unless a special waiver is granted in the sole discretion of the Director of Student Development.
  20. The term "interim suspension" means the temporary exclusion from classes, seminars, programs, social events, and other WCTC sponsored activities pending the outcome of hearing scheduled by the Director of Student Development. Interim suspensions can be implemented for cause, to protect the community or an individual, to permit the progress of an investigation, or otherwise in the discretion of the Director of Student Development.
  21. The term "interim action" means temporary exclusion from WCTC premises and/or WCTC events and/or other sponsored activities imposed by a Conduct Officer.
  22. The term "prior conduct history" means all information related to any Student Code of Conduct violation(s) that occurred and were resolved prior to the incident in question.
  23. The term "effective consent" as applicable to the sexual misconduct policy on page 161, means words or actions that show a voluntary agreement to engage in mutually agreed-upon sexual activity.
  24. Sexual activity includes:
    • Intentional contact with the breasts, buttock, groin, or genitals, or touching another with any of these body parts, or making another touch you or themselves with or on any of these body parts; any intentional bodily contact in a sexual manner, though not involving contact with/of/by breasts, buttocks, groin, genitals, mouth or other orifice.
    • Intercourse, however slight, meaning vaginal penetration by a penis, object, tongue or finger, anal penetration by a penis, object, tongue, or finger, and oral copulation (mouth to genital contact or genital to mouth contact).
  25. The term "discriminatory harassment" refers to speech, actions or conduct which have the intent or effect of depriving a member of the community of educational or employment access, benefits or opportunities. Merely offensive or annoying behavior may feel like harassment, but to rise to the level of a code violation, harassment must have the potential to cause a deprivation of the civil rights of a member of a "protected class."
  26. "Protected classes" at WCTC include age, race, color, creed, religion, handicap, disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, arrest record, conviction record, and membership in the military forces, National Guard, or any other reserve component of the military forces of the United States or Wisconsin.

This code of conduct has been reviewed by Brett Sokolow from the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management. Some of the model policy language may be proprietary and copyrighted. It is licensed to WCTC for its use and publication, but all other uses and copying of NCHERM models are prohibited without express permission from NCHERM. 4/09