Article i: Definitions

A. Advisor

Advisor is an individual who may be present to support a party throughout the conduct process. The Advisor may be a member of the Parkland College community, an attorney, or another individual selected by the party. The Advisor may accompany the party they are supporting at any hearing or meeting that the party is required to attend. Each party is responsible for coordinating and scheduling with their choice of Advisor. In all conduct matters the Advisor may communicate only with the party they are supporting and may not otherwise speak for, or on behalf of, the party. Parkland College is not obligated to provide students with an advisor in Student Conduct processes.

For all conduct matters except those addressed in the Sexual Misconduct Resolution Process the Advisor may not be a party or witness in the matter. Within the Sexual Misconduct Resolution Process, an Advisor is not prohibited from having a conflict of interest or bias in favor of or against a party, nor is the Advisor prohibited from being a Witness in the Sexual Misconduct Resolution Process.

B. Affected Party
Affected Party refers to the individual/s who were possibly adversely affected by an incident or student’s conduct.
C. Appeal Officer
Appeal Officer, the individual, or individuals with the authority by the College to decide appeals. The Appeals Officer will be free of conflict of interest and bias, and will not serve as the Investigator, Title IX Coordinator, or Advisor to any Party or a Decision Maker in the same matter.
D. Appeal Outcome Letter
Appeal Outcome Letter means the letter sent in response to a student’s appeal. The letter answers the appeal of the student and either upholds the decision, dismisses the decision, remands the case to another formal hearing, or modifies the sanctions of the decision.
E. Appellate Board
Appellate Board means any person/persons authorized by the Dean of Students, Vice President for Student Services, or Chair of the Student Conduct Committee to consider an appeal from a Student Conduct Committee’s determination that a student has violated the Student Conduct Code or from the sanctions imposed by the Student Conduct Administrator.
F. Cheating

Cheating is used to refer to any violations of Parkland's Academic Honesty standards. This includes, but is not limited to:

1. Cheating 

    • Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic activity. 
    • Submitting assignments, homework, and examinations that are not a student’s own work or for which a student received unauthorized help.
    •  Copying the work of another, or allowing another to copy one’s own work, without proper acknowledgment. 

2. Fabrication

    • Falsifying or inventing any information or citation in an academic activity. 
    • Falsifying or inventing any information to gain an academic advantage. 

3. Plagiarism 

    • Presenting someone else’s work or ideas as one’s own, by incorporating it without full acknowledgment. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed, visual, or electronic form, is covered under this definition. Plagiarism may be intentional or reckless, or unintentional. 

4. Unauthorized Collaboration 

    • Work submitted to fulfill an assignment not specifically identified as a group activity must be substantially the work of the author. Instructors should provide guidelines to students to maintain the academic integrity of these collaborative activities.
G. Complainant
Complainant means any person who submits a referral alleging that a student may have violated the Student Code of Conduct.
H. Day/s
Day/s is defined as a weekday (Monday through Friday) when the College is open and has credit classes in session, including exam days and excluding Spring Break and Winter Break. All references in the Policy to days refer to school days unless specifically noted as calendar days. 
I. Educational Sanction
Educational Sanction refers to any discipline imposed based upon a finding of responsibility for a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, including any modifications of a student or student organization status or standing, and any additional assigned requirements.
J. Faculty Member
Faculty Member shall mean any person hired by Parkland College to conduct classroom activities, including counselors and librarians who hold faculty status.
K. Good Disciplinary Standing
Good Disciplinary Standing refers to a student who is free of disciplinary probation, Dean of Students hold, suspension or expulsion.
L. Guest
Guest refers to any individual who is participating in the College’s educational activities or programs without being a student at Parkland College.
M. Interim Actions Determination Letter
Interim Actions Determination Letter is the letter sent to a student that details the findings of a preliminary investigation and whether interim actions, including suspension, will be imposed until a Student Conduct Hearing may be scheduled. This letter will also detail any/all applicable restrictions of Parkland College privileges, including date and time restrictions.
N. Lewd Acts
Lewd Acts Refers to any act that is sexual in nature, which would be considered indecent or shocking to a reasonable person. This might include the exposing of genitalia in public, fondling oneself in public, and/or urinating in public.
O. May
May is used in the permissive sense. This term allows action without requirement for that action. Example: "The student may go outside. "This allows the student to go outside but does not require the student to go outside.
P. Member of Parkland College community
Member of Parkland College community include any person who is a student, faculty member, Parkland College official, any other person employed by Parkland College or third parties working at Parkland College.
Q. Mutual Resolution
Mutual Resolution is an outcome of an administrative meeting that requires a Referred Student to accept partial or full responsibility for alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct and to accept educational sanctions for voluntary compliance with the Student Conduct Administrator.
R. Notice
Notice is the written communication that provides information to a student concerning involvement in an incident. Notice is conclusively presumed to be received by the student when such communication is sent to the student by official College email, and/or mailed to the address appearing on either the student’s current local address or permanent address on record with the College at the discretion of the Dean of Students.
S. Notice of Alleged Violations Letter
Notice of Alleged Violations Letter is a letter sent to a student informing them that Parkland College is formally alleging that violations of the Student Code of Conduct may have occurred. The letter will also include pertinent details such as the date, time, and location of the alleged violation(s). For the purposes of this Student Code of Conduct, students who are alleged to have violated the Code are referred to as respondents.
T. Notice of Investigation Letter
Notice of Investigation Letter is a letter requesting a student to make an appointment with the Dean of Students. This letter is used when it is believed the recipient/s has information pertaining to a specific incident or series of incidents that may be possible violations of the Student Code of Conduct.
U. Organization
Organization means a collective of members of the campus community who have received formal recognition by the Parkland College Student Government or by Parkland College itself.
V. Outcome Letter
Outcome Letter is the letter sent to a student that describes the outcome of any element of the student conduct process, including a Student Conduct Hearing. This letter lists the violations of the Student Code of Conduct that the student is responsible for, the accompanying educational sanctions, deadlines for successful completion of educational sanctions, and additional information, where applicable.
W. Parkland College
Parkland College means Parkland College District 505, which includes all land, building, facilities, and other property in the possession of or owned, used, or controlled by Parkland College (including adjacent streets and sidewalks).
X. Parkland College official
Parkland College official includes any person employed by Parkland College, performing assigned administrative or professional responsibilities.

Y. Preponderance of the Evidence
Preponderance of the Evidence means that information, considered as a whole, shows that the fact sought to be proved is more likely than not. This is the standard used in deciding all alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct.
Z. Policy
Policy is defined as the written regulations of Parkland College as found in, but not limited to, the Parkland College Policy and Procedure Manual, Parkland College Student Handbook, Student Conduct Code, Parkland College Catalog, and departmental policies.
AA. Probation
Probation is defined for a designated period of time in which a student’s conduct will be monitored more closely to ensure adherence to the Student Code of Conduct and includes the possibility of more severe disciplinary sanctions if the student is found to be violating any conduct code provisions during the probationary period.
BB. Referral
Referral means the written documentation provided to Parkland College alleging that a violation of the Student Code of Conduct may have occurred. If referrals are received verbally, the Dean of Students will request the individual(s) to complete the incident reporting form.
CC. Respondent
Respondent means any student referred to the Dean of Students Office for an alleged violation of the Student Conduct Code or any student who has been formally charged with a violation of the Code.
DD. Shall
Shall is used in the mandatory sense. This term requires action. Example: "The student shall go outside." This requires the student to go outside.
EE. Student
Student includes all persons taking courses at Parkland College, both full-time and part-time, credit or non-credit. Parkland "student" status begins upon registration for courses in their first semester of enrollment. * Each "student" shall be responsible for their conduct through the actual awarding of a degree, which may include conduct occurring before classes begin or after classes end, as well as during the academic year and during periods between terms of actual enrollment and even conduct not discovered until after a degree is awarded. Persons who are not officially enrolled for a particular term but who have a continuing relationship with Parkland College are considered “students.”


*Note: for the purposes for Parkland College's Sexual Misconduct Policy student status begins at the time of admission. 

FF. Student Conduct Administrator

Student Conduct Administrator means a Parkland College official authorized to act under the authority of the Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Services to administer the policies and processes associated with Student Conduct Code. The Student Conduct Administrator is authorized on a case-by-case basis to:

  1. Serve as a Student Conduct Administrator for certain violations not resulting in a Student Conduct Hearing.
  2. Serve as chair of a Student Conduct Committee Hearing; and
  3. Impose educational sanctions in all cases where a finding of responsibility for one or more violations has been found.
GG. Student Conduct Committee
Student Conduct Committee means any person or persons authorized by the Vice President for Student Services or Chair of the Student Affairs Committee to determine whether a student has violated the Student Conduct Code and to recommend the imposition of sanctions. The Vice President for Student Services and the Chair of the Student Affairs Committee are not permitted to serve on the Student Conduct Committee.
HH. Student Conduct Hearing
Student Conduct Hearing means the forum attended by a student where evidence is presented, where witnesses are heard. Deliberation on the finding of responsibility or non-responsibility are determined after the hearing in closed session. Students are informed in writing of the committee’s decision in an outcome letter.
II. Student Conduct Process
Student Conduct Process refers to the entire process outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, including the investigations, preliminary meetings, including Interim Action/s, the Student Conduct Hearing, and the Appeal process.