Mar 28, 2024  
Yakima Valley College Catalog 2020-2021 
    
Yakima Valley College Catalog 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Student Rights and Responsibilities


Admission to the college carries with it the expectation that students will conduct themselves as responsible members of the college community; that they will comply with the rules and regulations of the college; maintain high standards of integrity and honesty; respect the rights, privileges, and property of other members of the college community; and will not interfere with legitimate college affairs.

The Code

The document, code of Students Rights and Responsibilities (WAC132P-33), is available in the Enrollment Services Office on the Yakima Campus and in the Student Services Office at the Grandview Campus. It describes student rights and responsibilities and the policies and procedures which govern students at YVC, including any disputes involving the college, its faculty or staff, and the student. The code also describes violations, procedures, and sanctions. The most current document is available at yvcc.edu/codeofconduct

Academic Dishonesty

Plagiarism: Buying, copying, borrowing, or otherwise plagiarizing another’s images, ideas, evidence, examples, opinions, or other original products or documents from published, unpublished, or electronic sources for the purpose of deceiving an instructor as to the product’s origin.

Plagiarism is “the wrongful act of taking the product of another person’s mind and presenting it as one’s own” (MLS Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 4th Edition, p. 26). Plagiarism occurs when an author fails to give credit for someone else’s words, someone else’s examples, someone else’s ideas or opinions, statistics or other facts compiled by someone else, evidence or testimony taken from someone else’s argument, or an image from another artist.

YVC recognizes two types of plagiarism: intentional and unintentional. Intentional plagiarism is the dishonest act of appropriating another’s ideas, words, facts, opinions, or images intending to deceive others about the document’s origin. Any student found to have committed intentional plagiarism shall be subject to disciplinary actions provided for in the code for Students Rights and Responsibilities, WAC 132P-33

Students may also commit plagiarism without the intent to deceive. A student’s intent to deceive shall be considered when instructors evaluate an act of plagiarism. All forms of plagiarism which an instructor determines to be unintentional should be treated as instructional problems to be handled within the student-instructor relationship with the instructor following, but not limited by, the following penalty guidelines:

  • Student must resubmit the assignment after instruction, but before an agreed-upon due date.
  • Student can receive a lowered grade on the assignment, including F.
  • Student can be advised to seek aid from the Writing Center or Tutoring Center as a condition for receiving a grade or resubmitting an assignment.

The instructor needs not take formal disciplinary action for unintentional plagiarism.

Complaints

The Dean of Student Services is available to help students determine where best to file a complaint when a concern arises. The Dean of Student Services or designee can determine the appropriate supervisor(s) and/or applicable collective bargaining agreement. Submit complaints in writing within 30 calendar days of the alleged act or events. Complaints made by a recognized student group must include a copy of the written minutes from the meeting in which the student group voted to file a formal complaint and signed by the president of the student group. More information is available at yvcc.edu/codeofconduct

Student Participation in Governance

As members of the college community, students will be free, individually and collectively, to express their views on college policy and on matters of general interest to the student body. The ASYVC Constitution and the college’s administrative procedures provide clear channels for student participation in the formulation and application of institutional policies regarding academic and student affairs. Individuals affected by a policy shall have a representative voice in the formulation of that policy.