Student Rights and Responsibilities

Conflict Management Services

As students, staff and faculty interact, conflicts arise. Conflict Management Services (CMS) offers assistance when conflicts happen. Conflict Management Services staff remain objective and neutral in assisting members of the campus community to address student-related conflicts. The primary goal is to facilitate “win-win” agreements, where better communication and understanding among community members ultimately improve relationships, increase retention, and promote academic success.

CMS offers a variety of services and resources including counseling, consultation, mediation, crisis prevention intervention, books, and videos to help manage conflicts between individuals or within groups. The CMS staff can help with conflicts, such as student code of conduct issues, academic disagreements, interpersonal conflicts, discrimination/harassment allegations, and non-academic student grievances.

A major purpose of CMS is to promote student success by helping students learn conflict management skills so they can effectively work through conflicts without prematurely resorting to formal grievance procedures or withdrawing from difficult situations.

Goals of Conflict Management Services

The goals of Conflict Management Services are to:

1. empower campus community members by increasing knowledge of conflict management strategies and self-responsibility;
2. provide educational opportunities that enhance communication skills, assertiveness skills, and decision-making skills;
3. handle conflicts in a fair and reasonable manner;
4. facilitate awareness of and encourage respect for college policies and procedures and
5. review, develop, distribute and interpret, policies and procedures that protect the rights and responsibilities of campus community members.

Authority & Jurisdiction of Conflict Management Services

Conflict Management Services has the authority to:

1. provide resources, information, counseling and consultation regarding conflict management strategies, including formal and informal processes.
2. informally mediate conflicts.
3. recruit and administer the selection process for, and facilitate the training of members of the Judiciary Review Board.

Informal conflict management occurs when issues are resolved on the basis of actions taken and decisions made between the parties involved in the conflict. CMS/appropriate staff may facilitate informal processes.

Formal conflict management occurs when the parties in conflict or in violation of MATC policies require an authorized, neutral third party (either an individual or a group) to review the issues and make a decision about any subsequent outcomes or consequences. CMS/appropriate staff may help with understanding and preparing for formal processes.

Conflict Management Services does not have the authority to formally resolve conflicts regarding matters involving financial aid or college admissions, academic misconduct or final grade disputes.

Procedures

The following procedures pertain to the issues listed:

a. Student Conflicts, Concerns or Complaints

b. Student Code of Conduct

c. Academic Misconduct

d. Final Grade Disputes

e. Classroom Disruptions

f. Harassment/Discrimination

g. Appeals

For the most up-to-date procedures contact Conflict Management Services at (608) 246-6726.

Student Conflicts, Concerns or Complaints

A student will use the following procedures to address conflicts, such as non-academic issues and complaints, academic disagreements (except academic misconduct and final grade appeals), and interpersonal conflicts.

The conflict for a student may involve an MATC faculty/ staff member, administrator, another student, or an issue.

1. If you are a student who has a problem with another student, a faculty/staff member or college policy, you need to initially discuss the problem with one of the counselors through Conflict Management Services. Students may access Conflict Management Services (CMS) by calling (608) 246-6076 or (608) 246-6726 or by coming to Room 159 (Truax), D116 (Downtown), or by contacting the regional campus manager.

2. CMS staff member will counsel you about options available to address the conflict informally, including speaking directly to the person(s) with whom you have a concern, talking to the appropriate administrator, or participating in mediation, if appropriate to the situation. Mediation is an informal process facilitated by a neutral third party and is designed to achieve a mutually acceptable resolution between the parties involved. It is used only if the appropriate parties agree to participate. Mediation is private and expedient.
3. If mediation or other informal attempts to resolve the matter fail, CMS staff may refer you to the appropriate administrator to discuss your situation.
4. The administrator may make additional attempts to resolve the matter informally with you and the person(s) with whom you have a concern.
   
5. If informal attempts to resolve the matter fail at the administrative level, then you may prepare a formal, written complaint.
   1. The administrator will give a copy of your complaint to the person(s) in question in a timely fashion so that they may respond to the complaint.
   2. The appropriate administrator will investigate the complaint, as necessary, before determining the outcome between the conflicting parties.
   3. The decision of the administrator will be communicated to the parties in a timely fashion.

Faculty/staff may also use the procedures above to address student-related conflicts. They may also opt to use the Student Code of Conduct, Classroom Disruptions, or Harassment/Discrimination procedures, if more appropriate to the situation.

Student Code of Conduct

Student Code of Conduct violations refer to a student’s failure to meet his/her responsibilities described under Student Responsibilities.

The procedures are as follows:

1. An incident occurs.
   
2. The incident is reported in a timely fashion to Conflict Management Services or the regional campus administrator’s office. Any member of the college community may submit a Conflict Management Services Report/ Referral Form detailing alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct by an MATC student. Specific information about submitting such reports may be obtained from the Conflict Management Services Office.
   
3. Appropriate staff will work with the reporting person(s) to understand the nature of the incident and to determine the merits of informal vs. formal conflict management processes.
   
4. If it is determined that the matter is best resolved in an informal manner, appropriate staff will assist the involved persons in whatever ways are helpful, including mediation (defined under #3 of Student Conflicts, Concerns or Complaints).
   
5. At any point in time, and depending on the severity of the alleged misconduct, it may be determined that a student be temporarily suspended pending Judiciary Review Board hearing to adjudicate.
   
6. The Judiciary Review Board hearing will be scheduled within 10 working days of the time the reported violation is referred to the Dean of Learner Development or designee. Students will be given a minimum of 10 calendar days to prepare for the hearing; however, they may waive that right in writing to the Dean of Learner Development or designee if they prefer that the hearing be held at an earlier time. Students also may request that the hearing be rescheduled due to extenuating circumstances by contacting the Dean of Learner Development or designee. Prior to the Judiciary Review Board hearing, CMS staff may meet with any party to ensure an understanding of the hearing process.
   
7. The decision of the Judiciary Review Board regarding responsibility and any consequent sanctions will be communicated to the parties involved and the Conflict Management Services Office by the board chair within five working days following the hearing. This time may be extended for justifiable reasons.
   
8. Students may request, in writing, within 30 calendar days following being notified of the Judiciary Review Board’s findings, a second review of the case for the following reasons: new information, procedural error or irregularity, or the sanction imposed is not commensurate with the findings. The request is submitted to the Dean of Learner Development who will determine if the request has merit. If so, the JRB will reconvene to review the request. A determination will be made within 15 working days of its reconsideration. Decisions made by the Judiciary Review Board are final.

Issuance of Outcomes or Consequences

The Judiciary Review Board has the authority to issue an outcome or consequence, including but not limited to:

• Written reprimand
• Loss of privileges/access
• College community service
• Removal of student from course (W on Transcript)
• Restitution
• Educational Activity
• No contact directive
• “Hold” placed on academic transcript
• “Hold” placed on registration for classes
• Disciplinary Probation
• Disciplinary Suspension
• Expulsion

Disciplinary Probation, Dismissal, Suspension

MATC has several policies under which a student may be placed on disciplinary probation or suspension or expelled from the college:

1. Disciplinary Probation, Suspension or Expulsion: Students failing to comply with the Student Responsibilities—Student Code of Conduct may be placed on disciplinary probation or suspension or be expelled. Probation, suspension or expulsion are reserved for cases of severe and/or chronic misconduct.

2. Interim suspension is the immediate and temporary removal of a student from part or all of any campus, college program or activity following behaviors or threats which constitute a potential or an immediate danger to the health, safety or well-being of the student and/or any other campus community members, destruction of property, or the substantial disruption of classroom or campus activities. At the time of an interim suspension directive, the student receives verbal and/or written notice of pending charges against him/her.

Last Modified: March 12, 2008