Student Governance

Student Conduct

In order to create a climate that supports student success on the Brazosport College campus, students are expected to act in accordance with all college rules, policies and administrative regulations and with federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Behavior or actions that impede, obstruct or threaten the legal rights of others on campus will be subject to student discipline action and penalties. College policies relating to students’ conduct, rights, and responsibilities may be found in the Student Guide and Calendar.

The “Student Code of Conduct,” outlined in the Student Guide and Calendar, assumes that college-level students are familiar with the rules governing proper and appropriate conduct and that the rules will be observed. Violations of the “Student Code of Conduct” include but are not limited to gambling, dishonesty, scholastic dishonesty, use of firearms or other hazardous weapons, disorderly conduct, or disrupting behavior that interferes with the educational process. Other violations include hazing, endangering the health or safety of others, destruction of or damaging college property, disruption of the learning environment, stealing, unauthorized use of college computers, or the violation of any federal, state, or local law or regulation while on this campus or as part of college sponsored activities, on or off campus. Any such violation of the conduct code may result in disciplinary action and inclusion in the student’s permanent record.

In accordance with the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989 and in compliance with all federal, state, and local laws or regulations, the College prohibits the manufacturing, sale, distribution, dispensation, possession, use of controlled substances (see Texas Controlled Substances Act for a list of controlled substances), or possession or use of drug paraphernalia on campus or as part of college sponsored activities.

For more information about policies relating to student conduct, refer to the “Standards of Student Conduct” found in the Student Guide and Calendar or contact the Office of the Dean of Student Services.

Student Rights

All students at Brazosport College have the following 8 rights.  College policy related to each right is included.
 

1. Right to be free from discrimination on the basis of race, gender, color, religion, national origin, age, or disability.

Brazosport College shall not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, pregnancy, religion, gender, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, veteran status or any other protected class in accordance with applicable federal and state laws. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:

Marshall Campbell
Vice President of Human Resources
500 College Drive Lake Jackson, TX 77566
979-230-3459
marshall.campbell@brazosport.edu

Please refer to Brazosport College Policy FA (LEGAL).

2. Right to be able to apply for admission.

Brazosport College Policy FB (LOCAL) - Admissions and FB (LEGAL) - Admissions addresses the rights of students as it pertains to admissions. All students shall be able to apply for admission to Brazosport College including home-schooled or privately educated students and international students. Additional information regarding admission is on the Admissions webpage.

3. Right to review all educational records and to file complaints regarding them (including all rights under FERPA guidelines).

Brazosport College policy FJ (LEGAL) - Student Records and FJ (LOCAL) - Student Records addresses the rights of students as it pertains to records. These rights include the right to privacy, access to educational records, the right to review and to request corrections to their records and the right to require the school to obtain written consent prior to the disclosure of any information. Information regarding these rights is available in the Brazosport College Catalog, Brazosport College Student Guide & Calendar, and on the Registrar’s webpage.

4. Right to be free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

It is the policy of Brazosport College that all employees and students or users of college resources be able to enjoy a campus environment free of all forms of discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Brazosport College policy FFD (LEGAL) - Freedom from Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation addresses the rights of students as it pertains to discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Students who feel their rights have been violated are provided the process for addressing the alleged violation. The statement instructs anyone who has a grievance to submit their written grievance to the College administrators identified as the Title IX coordinator and the Section 504 Coordinator. Board policy FFD (LOCAL) - Student Welfare - Freedom from Sexual Violence, Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation outlines the steps to address Title IX complaints and is also on the Notice of Non-Discrimination webpage.

Kelli Forde, Director, Student Life and Intramurals and Title IX Coordinator
Office J.117D; 979-230-3355; kelli.forde@brazosport.edu

Mareille Rolon, Human Resources Coordinator and Deputy Title IX Coordinator
Office C114; 979-230-3303; mareille.rolon@brazosport.edu

5. Right to appeal decisions in academic matters, including grades.

Brazosport College students are encouraged to resolve grade issues informally with their instructor, where possible and appropriate. In the event that a grade concern cannot be resolved informally, students may follow through the academic appeals process which is introduced in this catalog and detailed in EGA-R (LOCAL) - Academic Achievement-Grading and Credit on pages 9-14.

• Written request to the division chair within sixty calendar days of the due date of grades posted at semester’s end.
• If the division chair is unable to satisfactorily address the issue, the student may provide a written appeal to the Dean of Instruction, Jeff.Detrick@brazosport.edu for review by the Academic Appeals committee.
• If the student is dissatisfied with the outcome of the Academic Appeals committee, the student may apply for a review by the Provost & Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs.

6. Right to appeal financial aid suspension

Students not meeting established financial aid criteria may seek to appeal if mitigating circumstances affect academic performance. Mitigating circumstances are defined as a change in program study, illness, death of a family member, or other traumatic life-altering events of the student. The appeal may not be based upon the need for assistance or the lack of knowledge that the assistance was in jeopardy. Information including the written appeal document may be found at the Financial Aid website.

7. Right to due process.

Board Policy FM (LEGAL) - Discipline and Penalties provides that students at Brazosport College that are “subject to discipline by the college district must be afforded the level of due process, including notice and an opportunity to respond, under the U.S. Constitution Fourteenth Amendment that corresponds with the level of the discipline”. From the Student Guide and Calendar, these include the right to:

1. have their case processed without unreasonable delay,
2. receive prompt written notice of alleged violations per Brazosport College communication policies,
3. have reasonable access to any written testimony to be used against them with written request filed in a timely manner, with the conduct officer,
4. be able to, in a formal hearing, question witnesses against them,
5. produce witnesses and/or evidence per prescribed procedure on their own behalf,
6. decide not to be a witness against him/herself, or to have their silence be construed as an admission of responsibility,
7. and, have a decision based on a preponderance of the evidence.
    

8. Right to appeal the outcome of a student conduct violation or sanctions by the Dean of Students Services, her delegate or the Community Appeals and Adjudication Board.

As outlined in the Brazosport College Student Guide & Calendar, a decision reached by the Dean of Student Services, her delegate or the Community Appeals and Adjudication Board may be appealed by accused students or complainants to an Appeals Board within five (5) working days of being notified of the decision. If the student is notified of the decision by letter, the student has five (5) working days from the date on the letter to make an appeal. Such appeals shall be in writing and shall be delivered to the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. The Vice President will determine if the student has grounds for appeal based on a substantial procedural irregularity, bias by the hearing officer or board or evidence not available at the hearing which might have rendered a difference outcome, if it had been available. The Vice President may choose to modify findings of responsibility, sanctions, both, remand the case for a new hearing or uphold the original decision.

The Dean of Student Services is responsible for investigating all allegations in compliance with Board policy FMA (LOCAL) - Discipline and Penalties - Discipline Procedures which describes in detail the procedures provided for students who believe that their rights have been violated. Additionally, students may file complaints in person (Room J.108), in writing or online. 

9. Right to Free Expression

It is the policy of Brazosport College to protect the expressive rights of persons guaranteed by the constitutions of the United States and the State of Texas by:(1) recognizing freedom of speech and assembly as central to Brazosport College’s mission; and (2) ensuring that all persons may assemble peaceably on Brazosport College’s campus for expressive activities, including to listen to the speech of others. 

These policies ensure that the common outdoor areas of Brazosport College’s campus are deemed traditional public forums and permit any person to engage in expressive activities in those areas of the institution’s campus freely, as long as the person’s conduct is not unlawful and does not materially and substantially disrupt the functioning of the institution.  Moreover, Brazosport College’s policies (1) impose reasonable, narrowly-tailored restrictions on the time, place, and manner of the expressive activities in the common outdoor areas of the campus; (2) employ clear, published, content-neutral,  and viewpoint-neutral criteria; (3) provide for ample alternative means of expression; and (4) allow members of the College community to spontaneously and contemporaneously assemble or distribute written material without a permit or other permission from the institution.

FLA (LEGAL) and FLA (LOCAL) - Student Expression and the Use of College Facilities provide additional information regarding the Right to Free Expression.

Photo ID Cards

Students should have their Brazosport College Photo ID Card (myBC Card) with them at all times when on campus. The Brazosport College Photo ID Card (myBC Card) is required for services in the Library and Learning Services, Swamp (the student game room), Fitness Loft and Computer Center, and may be requested for services in the Registrar’s Office, Business Office, Financial Aid Office, Bookstore, or for admission to campus activities.

Students will be required to present a paid tuition receipt at the main desk in the Library to acquire a new card or update an existing card. Cards will be updated with a sticker each semester the student is enrolled at Brazosport College.

Students will choose between two types of student ID cards offered by Brazosport College:

myBC Debit MasterCard - Financial aid funds or refunds due to the student will be placed on the debit card. This card is good for 3 years, and has a $20 replacement fee if a new card is issued for any reason before the expiration date. Students must present a driver’s license, state ID, or student Visa and be 18 or bring a parent to be eligible for the MasterCard.

myBC ID Card - This card is good for 1 year, and has a $10 replacement fee if a new card is issued for any reason before the expiration date.

Campus Internet Policy

Brazosport College encourages students to make full use of the technology provided by the college. Such technology is an important part of the educational experience. Brazosport College has a responsibility to the communities it serves at large and to its students to ensure that campus computers are maintained effectively and used for the support and enhancement of instruction.

To meet that responsibility, the college has developed the following guidelines specific to Internet use in the Library, Learning Services, campus labs, wireless network areas, and other college computing facilities. Failure to conform to these guidelines may result in administrative discipline as outlined in the Student Guide and Calendar and/or the loss of computer privileges on campus. Additionally, some behaviors are punishable under criminal statutes.

1. The college reserves the right to limit or prohibit Internet use during hours of peak demand so that students seeking to work on college assignments will have access to computers they need. Students using computers for casual, personal, or leisure activities may be asked to vacate a computer when it is needed by a student wishing to work on an assignment.
2. In supervised facilities, such as the Library and Learning Services, access to the Internet will be limited to 30 minutes per user. Users must vacate the computer at the end of their time and may not seek immediate access to the Internet on another computer in that facility.
3. Users are not to alter the setup of the computer in any way, nor are they to attempt to download upgrades to the Internet browsers (Firefox, Netscape or Internet Explorer). Users may not download any computer files to the hard drive of the computer they are using, nor may they install browser “plug-ins” or other such files. They may, however, download files to their own diskettes or other removable media or to network file servers using their student account. Users are expressly prohibited from downloading copyrighted material without permission. Such material includes, but is not limited to video, music, and other media files. Downloading such material using college computers without permission is subject to student conduct sanctions and criminal prosecution.
4. In facilities where there is no direct charge for printing, users may print Internet files that are directly related to class work. Users who wish to print other files should save them to removable media and print on their own printer off site.
5. The college recognizes that student and employees have the right to work in an environment in which they feel safe and protected from harassment; therefore, Internet users may not display on the monitor or print graphic images that others may find sexually offensive or threatening. All public computer areas are monitored for inappropriate access of such materials. Violators will be subject to student conduct sanctions as well as criminal prosecution.
6. All computer and network use (including wireless network use) is subject to monitoring by Brazosport College Information Technology staff members without prior notice.

Parking

Cars may be parked only in designated student parking areas located in the Blue, Orange, and Green parking lots.

Class Attendance

Students at Brazosport College are expected to attend class regularly. No unexcused absences or “cuts” are allowed.

College regulations limit class attendance to students who have registered for the class and are listed on the official class rolls.

Students are responsible for all class work missed during any absence.

Missed Class Days

Any class day missed as a result of bad weather or emergency conditions will be rescheduled as appropriate.

Student Absences on Religious Holy Days

A religious holy day is a holy day observed by a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property taxation under the Texas Tax Code, Sec. 11.20.

Students who plan to miss class to observe a religious holy day must notify their teacher in writing prior to the day of the absence. Reasonable time will be provided to take an examination that is scheduled or to complete an assignment that is due during the absence.