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    Mar 28, 2024  
2017-2018 Catalog: December 2017 Edition 
    
2017-2018 Catalog: December 2017 Edition [ARCHIVED]

Policies and Standards


  • Student Rights
    • Statement on Freedom of Expression, Civility and Mutual Respect, Nondiscrimination and Harassment Policy, Sexual Harassment Policy, Complaint Procedures, Accommodations for Students with Disabilities, Crime Awareness, Student Privacy Rights: Releasing Student Records, Instructional and Course Material Fees Policy, Student Right-to-Know Disclosure
  • Student Code of Conduct  
    • Student Code of Conduct, Irvine Valley College Social Media Guidelines, Disciplinary Action, Debts Owed to the College, Substance Abuse, Acceptable Use Policy: Digital Information, Parking Regulations, Animals/Pets on Campus, Smoking Policy, Liability Notice

Student Rights

Statement on Freedom of Expression, Civility and Mutual Respect

The Irvine Valley College community recognizes the important role of freedom of expression, civility and mutual respect in fostering a healthy and productive college environment. Therefore, the college encourages an atmosphere of professionalism and cooperation, in which each member’s roles responsibilities are understood and appreciated, and in which the free expression of all opinions, beliefs and ideas is encouraged and respected. Further, the college seeks to establish the highest level of communication and transparency in the various processes of campus governance and decision making.

To achieve these goals, the college invests its resources in expressing its commitment to free expression, civility, and mutual respect in college publications, including college handbooks and manuals; in proactive education for all employees; by sponsoring projects and activities that bring people together in a spirit of hospitality, service, appreciation, and camaraderie; through regular open forums intended to foster the exchange of ideas; through maintaining open, inclusive and transparent decision-making processes, with regularly published results; and through a peer-driven process-in which all of the governance groups participate and contribute-for dispute resolution, one steeped in finding mutually agreeable solutions.  

Nondiscrimination and Harassment Policy

The South Orange County Community College District is committed to providing an academic and work environment free of unlawful discrimination and harassment. Federal and state laws and District policies afford students and employees the right to work or learn in an environment free from discriminatory intimidation, ridicule and insult.

The District prohibits illegal harassment including the acts of students, employees, and non-employees. Prompt and equitable action, including appropriate disciplinary action, will be taken against any student, employee (supervisory or otherwise), or agent of the District, who engages in such conduct. The action will be prompt, effective, and commensurate with the severity of the offense.

General Harassment

Discrimination and/or harassment based on race, color, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religion, national origin, ethnic group identification, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military service, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, or any legally protected characteristic, or the perception that a person has one or more of these characteristics is illegal and violates District policy.

Gender-based harassment does not necessarily involve conduct that is sexual. Any hostile or offensive conduct based on gender can constitute prohibited harassment. Harassment comes in many forms, including but not limited to the following conduct:

  • Verbal: Inappropriate or offensive remarks, slurs, jokes or innuendoes based on a person’s race, gender, sexual orientation, or other legally protected status.
  • Visual or Written: The display or circulation of visual or written material that degrades an individual or group based on gender, race, nationality, sexual orientation, or other legally protected status.
  • Environmental: A hostile academic or work environment exists where it is permeated by sexual innuendo; insults or abusive comments directed at an individual or group based on gender, race, nationality, sexual orientation or other legally protected status; or gratuitous comments regarding gender, race, nationality, sexual orientation or other legally protected status that are not relevant to the subject matter of the class or activities on the job.
  • Physical: Inappropriate or offensive touching, assault, or physical interference with free movement. This may include, but is not limited to, kissing, patting, lingering or intimate touches, grabbing, pinching, leering, staring, unnecessarily brushing against or blocking another person, whistling or sexual gestures. It also includes any physical assault or intimidation directed at an individual due to that person’s gender, race, national origin, sexual orientation or other protected status. Physical sexual harassment includes acts of sexual violence, such as rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, and sexual coercion. Sexual violence refers to physical sexual acts perpetrated against a person’s will or where a person is incapable of giving consent due to the victim’s use of drugs or alcohol. An individual also may be unable to give consent due to an intellectual or other disability.

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Sexual Harassment Policy

Sexual harassment is offensive, unwelcome sexual attention. It may be pressure for dates or sexual favors, suggestive gestures or remarks, touching, or actual or attempted rape or assault. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; California law; and the South Orange County Community College District board policies.

If you feel you are being sexually harassed and would like clarification, an informational brochure on the options is available to you. If you would like to discuss your concerns with an administrator, please contact Dr. Linda Fontanilla, the Title IX coordinator and vice president for Student Services, at 949-451-5214 or Dr. Elizabeth Cipres, dean for counseling services and discipline officer, at 949-451-5410.

Complaint Procedures

Informal Procedures

The District strongly encourages students and staff who believe they are being harassed to file a complaint in a timely manner. Since failure to report harassment impedes the District’s ability to stop the behavior, the District strongly encourages that such complaints be made within 30 days of the alleged incident. Any complaint not involving employment may be made orally or in writing within one year of the date of the alleged discrimination or harassment.

The District has established “designated officers” who are charged with receiving complaints and coordinating their investigation. The designated officer will explain the rights and options available to the individual bringing charges of unlawful discrimination or harassment. If there is a simple misunderstanding or the individual does not wish to file a formal complaint, the individual may elect to pursue an informal resolution process. The informal process is not a prerequisite for filing a formal complaint.

An individual who feels she/he has been subjected to sexual assault may file a complaint with the police department in addition to any other complaint.

Individuals who believe they have been subjected to unlawful discrimination, including harassment, may report complaints to the designated officer for Irvine Valley College:

Vice President for Student Services
Irvine Valley College
5500 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, California 92618
949-451-5214

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Formal Procedures

If an informal process does not resolve the matter and/or the complainant wishes to pursue formal charges, he or she may elect to follow formal complaint procedures. The informal process may not be appropriate for complaints of sexual assault. Formal complaints of unlawful discrimination or harassment must be filed in writing on a form prescribed by the State Chancellor. Approved complaint forms are available from any one of the following sources:

The Office of the Vice President for Student Services

Irvine Valley College
5500 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, California 92618
949-451-5214

The Office of the Director of Human Resources

South Orange County Community College District
28000 Marguerite Parkway
Mission Viejo, California 92692
949-582-4348 or 949-582-4850

Irvine Valley College website:

www.ivc.edu/policies/pages/harassment.aspx

SOCCCD website:

www.socccd.edu/hr/HRforms.asp

State Chancellor of the California Community Colleges website:

http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/ComplaintsForm.aspx

Upon receiving a formal written complaint, the District will determine whether the complaint has met the necessary requirements, which include but are not limited to whether it was filed in a timely manner, on an appropriate form, and whether it alleges unlawful discrimination as stipulated in Title 5, section 59300.

The District will investigate properly filed complaints according to procedures prescribed in Board policy. The District will complete its investigation within 90 days of receiving the complaint and report its administrative determination. The District must provide written notice to both the complainant and the State Chancellor of whether there is probable cause to sustain the charges raised in the complaint; a description of the action taken, if any, to prevent similar problems from occurring in the future; the proposed resolution of the complaint; and the complainant’s right to appeal to the District and the State Chancellor.

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Further Information

For more comprehensive information about discrimination and harassment, students are encouraged to read the Harassment Policy and Complaint Procedure brochure, available in the Office of Student Services, Room A 110, at Irvine Valley College. The brochure is also available for downloading from the SOCCCD website: www.socccd.edu/hr/HRforms.asp.

Students may also refer to Administrative Regulation 4000.5 for more information regarding filing a complaint and investigation procedures.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Irvine Valley College will make reasonable accommodations and/or academic adjustments for qualified students with disabilities in order to create an educational environment where they have equal access to instruction without fundamentally altering any course, educational program, or degree.

Students with verified disabilities who believe they have not been provided with reasonable academic accommodations are encouraged to contact the Disabled Students Programs and Services Office at 949-451-5630, SSC 171.

Students with verified disabilities who have specific questions or problems concerning disability discrimination should contact the Office of the Vice President for Student Services, ADA/504 Officer, Room A 110, 949-451-5214. Formal complaints may be submitted to this office.

Crime Awareness

Irvine Valley College seeks to offer the safest possible campus environment for its students and employees. Campus Police officers are on duty 24 hours per day, seven days a week to patrol the campus and enforce the laws of the State of California and the rules and regulations adopted by the South Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees.

The Jean Clery Annual Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act requires colleges to disclose information about crime on and near their respective campuses. It provides crime statistics for the prior three years, policy statements regarding various safety and security measures, campus crime prevention program descriptions, and procedures to be followed in the investigation and prosecution of alleged sex offenses. The report can be accessed online at campuspolice.ivc.edu/Pages/annualreport.aspx. In addition, a crime statistics disclosure pamphlet is available at the college bookstore, the Campus Police Office (CP 100), President’s Office, and Student Services Center lobby. For further information, students may contact the Campus Police Office at 949-451‑5200.

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Student Privacy Rights: Releasing Student Records

Under the provisions of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, all students are guaranteed the right to the privacy of their records. Irvine Valley College, in compliance with this law, provides students access to specified official records of their work at the college. Students have the right to challenge the content of their records-including the grade they received in a class-on the grounds that it is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate. Those wishing to challenge the information in their files should contact the Vice President for Student Services, 949-451-5214, Room A 110, who will initiate a hearing.

Irvine Valley College will not release student records unless the college has received the student’s prior written consent except in the following circumstances: 

  1. Release may be made as required under the provisions of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. The college will make public specific directory information, which includes a student’s name, dates of attendance, enrollment status, degrees and awards received by the student, and participation in officially recognized activities and sports programs. Additionally, athletes may have weight, height, and high school they graduated from released as needed.
  2. Release will be made as required by the Solomon Act to the military services.
  3. Release will be made to federal, state and local government authorities as required in the performance of official duties.
  4. Release may be made to district-approved third parties determined as FERPA compliant for educational purposes.

A standard fee of $15 has been established to cover the cost of furnishing copies of some college records to the student. Students wishing to have a copy of other records will be charged the actual reproduction cost. Copies of transcripts of course work completed at other institutions must be obtained from those institutions.

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act applies to educational records only and does not include administrative records.

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Instructional and Course Material Fees

In accordance with Title 5, California Code of Regulations, Sections 59400-59408, the policy for requiring students to provide instructional and other materials and establishing the provisions for assessing the students a fee for a credit or non-credit course shall conform to the following guidelines:

  1. The materials shall be tangible personal property which are owned or primarily controlled by the individual student.
  2. The material is of a continuing value to the student outside of the classroom setting, which can be taken from the classroom setting, and which is not wholly consumed, used up or rendered valueless as it is applied in achieving the required objectives of a course which are to be accomplished under the supervision of an instructor during class hours.
  3. The material shall not be solely or exclusively available from the district except if it is provided to the student at the district’s actual cost; and:
    1. The material is otherwise generally available, but is provided by the district for health and safety reasons; or
    2. The material is provided in lieu of other generally available but more expensive material which would otherwise be required.

Any materials not meeting these guidelines will be provided by the district to students at no cost to the student.

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Student Right-to-Know Disclosure

Completion Rate  
Statewide 29.45%
Irvine Valley College 44.01%
   
Transfer Rate  
Statewide 10.90%
Irvine Valley College 8.58%

In compliance with the Student-Right-to-Know (SRTK) and Campus Security Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-542), it is the policy of the South Orange County Community College District and Irvine Valley College to make available its completion and transfer rates to all current and prospective students. Beginning in Fall 2012, a cohort of all certificate-, degree-, and transfer-seeking first-time, full-time students were tracked over a three-year period. Their completion and transfer rates are listed above.  

Based upon the cohort defined above, a “completer” is a student who attained a certificate or degree or became ‘transfer prepared’ during a three-year period, from Fall 2012 to Spring 2015. Students who have completed 60 transferable units with a GPA of 2.0 or better are considered “transfer-prepared.” Students who transferred to another post-secondary institution, prior to attaining a degree, certificate, or becoming “transfer-prepared” during a five-semester period, from Spring 2013 to Spring 2015, are “transfer students.”

Information about Student Right-to-Know rates for Irvine Valley College and how they should be interpreted can be found at the California Community Colleges Student-Right-to-Know Information Clearinghouse website: http://srtk.cccco.edu/index.asp.

NOTE: SRTK rates do not represent the success rates of the entire student population at Irvine Valley College, nor do they account for student outcomes occurring after this three-year tracking period. The rates do not describe other important features about the college and its students. Additionally, as a part of the Transfer Velocity Project, the California Community College Chancellor’s Office tracks first-time college students who demonstrate “behavioral intent to transfer” by completing a minimum of 12 units and attempting either a transfer level math or English course within a six-year time frame. Of the latest cohort of “transfer-oriented” students at IVC, 59% transferred to a four-year institution within the six-year time frame. This is the number one transfer rate for such students in Orange County and the second highest in the California Community College system.

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