ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF CHABOT COLLEGE
CODE OF CONDUCT
Essential to the Associated Students of Chabot College (ASCC) is the concern of each Member
for the rights of every individual. Each Member is responsible for his or her actions at all times.
It is essential for all Senate Members to act responsibly to ensure that their own conduct and
attitude is beneficial not only to themselves and their fellow student participants, but also
facilitates the credibility and longevity of the Associated Students of Chabot College. As such,
this Code of Conduct shall apply to all students participating as Members in all levels of the
ASCC (i.e., Executive Council, Senators, Representatives, Inter-Club Council, and Spirit Force)
to allow the ASCC to function in its role to properly represent the Chabot College student body
constituents by utilizing a high level of positive conduct at all times by practicing self-control,
individual and team decision making, and responsibility.
ARTICLE I: GENERAL BEHAVIOR
Section 1: Personal Conduct
a. Members shall uphold the ASCC Constitution, ASCC Bylaws, ICC Constitution, Ralph M.
Brown Act, Policies of the Chabot-Las Positas Community College Board of Trustees
and the State Education Codes according to the interpretation of the ASCC Senate.
b. Members are expected to act in a respectful manner, in both language and action, when
interacting with other Members, students, administrators, faculty, staff, and advisors as
well as hotel staff and guests when attending off-campus functions. Members are
responsible and accountable for preserving the good reputation and high standard of the
ASCC.
c. Members shall show regard and consideration for special needs and/or lifestyles (I.E.
work schedules, class schedules, retreats, etc.) of other members.
d. Members shall politely assist students to the best of their abilities in answering
questions, furnishing information, and directing students along and to the proper
avenues.
e. Members’ conduct, at all times, should not intimidate, threaten, or provoke others.
f.
Members shall avoid the use of rude or vulgar or profane language during meetings, in
the ASCC Office, Office of Student Life and all other locations on campus as the use of
rude or vulgar or profane language is both unprofessional and degradation to the image
of the ASCC and shall not be allowed by any person.
g. ASCC shall not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment based on ethnic group
identification, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, physical
disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, political affiliation or any
others legally protected status unrelated to legitimate interests of the ASCC.
h. Destruction of Chabot College, ASCC property, and hotel property at off-campus events
shall not be tolerated.
i.
To maintain a level of respect within and for the ASCC, engaging in negative talk about a
Member by another Member shall not be tolerated.
j.
Propaganda, verbal, or written, within the ASCC is a violation of mutual respect and is
intolerable.
k. Senate Members must realize that as elected and appointed officials, individual personal
appearance and manner of dress reflects upon the organization and the Senate’s
respective constituencies. Whenever in doubt, Senate Members should dress in
business–casual attire or Chabot College gear.
l.
Members shall keep their responsibilities in mind at all times and monitor themselves
and others, and help each other learn, grow, and succeed by reminding and helping
others to abide by this Code of Conduct.
Section 2: Disbursement of Information
a. Members shall direct questions to the information source and avoid answering questions
for which they do not know the full and correct answer.
b. Misrepresenting the organization, its positions or policies, system partners, and
individual members or furnishing false information shall lead to immediate disciplinary
action.
c. When speaking to students, staff and/or administration, Members shall politely speak
only on the issues supported by ASCC and shall avoid speaking on behalf of the ASCC
Senate unless the Senate has officially taken a stand on said subject. Stepping out of
the role as an ASCC Senate member and into one of a regular student to serve in
another capacity is not acceptable.
d. Internal information; I.E. budget or personnel matters should be kept strictly confidential.
ASCC Senate Members may not disclose any information to any person(s) outside the
ASCC Senate regarding these subjects.
e. Members shall understand that functioning as a united team and not as an individual in
ASCC is crucial. All information pertinent to ASCC should be shared among all ASCC
Members.
Section 3: Conflict of Interest
a. A conflict of interest is any situation that has the potential to undermine the impartiality of
a person because of the possibility of a clash between the person’s self-interest and
professional-interest or public interest.
b. ASCC Members with voting privileges shall recluse themselves from voting on ASCC
business when they have a vested interest that may affect their impartiality and prevent
them from best representing their constituents on the issue at hand.
Article II: ASCC OFFICE BEHAVIOR
Section 1: ASCC Office Hours
a. Senate Members shall respect and adhere to posted ASCC Office hours. If
circumstances prevent a Senate Member from fulfilling his or her office hours, that
Senate Member shall inform the ASCC President or Vice President.
b. The ASCC Office is open during approved hours only. The ASCC Office is NOT open
during weekends or campus holidays unless written permission is obtained in advance
from the Director of Student Life.
c. Each ASCC Senate member shall be held responsible to electronically clock in and out
to track their required office hours spent in direct pursuit of ASCC buiness.
d. ASCC Senate Members shall not allow any non-ASCC Senate Members into the
building after hours for any reason. There is no exception to this rule.
e. The ASCC Office has an Open Door Policy that allows any registered Chabot College
student, administrator, staff, or faculty member to enter into the ASCC Office foyer to
seek timely information and arrange an appointment to speak with a ASCC Member.
f.
Friends and visitors of ASCC Senate Members may volunteer their assistance in direct
pursuit of ASCC business (I.e., making and hanging posters, carrying items to and from
Pep Rallies and other events, etc.), however, “hanging out” in the ASCC Office is not
permitted.
g. ASCC Members shall respect each other’s duties as both ASCC Members and students.
When working in the ASCC Office, limit interruptions that would disrupt the completion of
one’s work. (I.E. speaking loudly, entering and exiting of rooms and offices while ASCC
Members are working and all other interruptions not pertaining to the direct pursuit of
ASCC business.)
h. ASCC Members shall share the burden of responsibility to keep the ASCC Office and
rooms clean and in a professional and tidy appearance.
Section 2: Personal Information
a. Members shall check incoming messages daily and place outgoing messages in the
respective ASCC Members’ mailbox or forward them to the respective Member’s
GroupWise e-mail.
b. Mailboxes, letters addressed to a particular person, one’s property (I.E. bags and/or
personal computer files) must be respected as the private property of that person.
Section 3: Equipment and Supplies:
a. Usage of the ASCC Office computers shall be prioritized according to the direct pursuit
of ASCC business and/or meeting ASCC business deadlines.
b. Playing computer games are not allowed in the office.
c. ASCC Office supplies shall be taken out of any of the “Dungeon” storage closets only by
approval of the ASCC President or the Director of Student Life.
Article III: SENATE, COMMITTEE, AND SHARED GOVERNANCE MEETING BEHAVIOR
Section 1: Etiquette
a. Members shall respect and adhere to the scheduled start and end times of all Senate,
Committee, and Shared Governance meetings.
b. Members shall always strive to give speakers their full and undivided attention.
c. Members shall maintain a professional public attitude and stature. (I.E. practicing
common courtesy and maintaining decent posture while at the table.)
d. Members shall avoid eating, chewing gum, and drinking anything other than water at the
meetings.
e. Members shall refrain from making negative personal comments, looks, or noises or
emotional outbursts or personal attacks while a meeting is in session.
f.
Members shall remain present and seated at the tables in each meeting for that
meeting’s duration.
g. Members shall request and obtain permission from the meeting Chair to be excused
from the table. Information missed due to an absence must be obtained in a quiet and
undisruptive manner.
Section 2: Disruptions
a. Members shall always wait to speak until recognized and called on by the meeting Chair.
b. Members shall avoid holding extraneous conversations with fellow Members, audience
members, and/or the Advisor as this is disruptive, and if excessive, shall lead to removal
of the Member from the meeting.
c. Members shall avoid using cell phones and any other electronic devices, texting or
communicating electronically or passing notes during meetings. This behavior is
disruptive and can also be interpreted as a potential violation of the Brown Act.
Members shall silence all electronic devices upon entering the meeting room.
Section 3: Time Constraints
a. Members shall strive to keep comments brief, concise, on topic and non-repetitive to
allow all Members and the audience an opportunity to speak.
b. In the interest of preserving a respectful and orderly meeting, points of order and points
of information may only proceed after having been recognized by the chair.
ARTICLE IV: DISCIPLINARY ACTION
Section 1: Determination of Violations
a. The ASCC Judicial Review Committee (JRC) shall adjudicate complaints of violations of
this Code of Conduct if the allegations have been determined to be conduct prejudicial to
the best interest of the ASCC.
b. Conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the ASCC shall be defined as damaging
college or hotel property, severely infringing on the rights of other Members, severely
damaging the ASCC’s good reputation, or impeding or stopping Members in the pursuit
or flow of ASCC business.
c. The JRC shall employ the following methods to enforce fairness and integrity within the
ASCC, and to uphold this Code of Conduct. The severity and consequence of all
infractions and recommendations for corrective action, including the recommendation for
removal of a Member, shall be at the discretion of the JRC.
d. All decisions and recommendations of the JRC are final, with no appeal process.
e. A plea of ignorance shall not be considered a valid defense to an infraction of the ASCC
Code of Conduct or any ruling of the JRC.
Section 2: Submission of Complaint of Alleged Violation
a. In pursuit of the best interests of the ASCC, any Member may prefer charges against
another Member for alleged violations of this Code of Conduct for conduct prejudicial to
the best interests of the ASCC by utilizing the following process:
b. Both the complaining Member and the other Member must have been Members in good
standing at the time the alleged conduct occurred and at the time when the Complaint
Form is submitted.
c. Members preferring charges against another member shall obtain, complete, sign, and
submit a written Complaint Form detailing the alleged violations with specifications, filed
in duplicate to the Director of Student Life together with a deposit of $20.00 (checks shall
be made payable to “ASCC”).
d. The $20.00 deposit is designed to discourage the frivolous submission of Complaints of
alleged violations against Members and shall be forfeited if such alleged violations are
not sustained by the JRC or returned to the Member who filed the Complaint if the
alleged violations are sustained by the JRC following a hearing.
e. The Complaint Form must be submitted in the same academic year in which the alleged
misconduct occurred.
f.
No anonymously submitted or unsigned Complaint Forms or those submitted without the
required $20.00 deposit will be considered or forwarded for review.
g. Upon receiving a Complaint Form, the Director of Student Life shall determine if the
allegations are related to the ASCC or to the allegations of violations of the Chabot-Las
Positas Community College District (CLPCCD) Student Conduct and Due Process
Policy and route the allegations in one of the following two ways:
1. If the allegations appear to have violated any of the CLPCCD Student Conduct
and Due Process Policy, the allegations shall be forwarded to the appropriate
college administrator for student disciplinary action and the JRC shall not have
jurisdiction to entertain this allegation.
2. If the allegations are related only to the ASCC, the Director of Student Life shall
promptly send a copy of the alleged violations to each member of the JRC via
electronic mail and hard copy format to be reviewed by the JRC.
h. Within 14 academic calendar days of receiving a copy of the alleged violations, the JRC
will meet to first consider whether the actions in the alleged violations, if proven, might
constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interests of ASCC.
i.
If JRC considers the alleged violations do not contain conduct which would be prejudicial
to the best interests of the ASCC, it may refuse to entertain jurisdiction and the process
is considered completed and final for that alleged violation against that Member.
j.
The JRC shall record minutes for all meetings in which deliberation regarding alleged
violations of any Member occurs.
Section 3: JRC Hearing
a. If the JRC entertains jurisdiction of alleged violations, it shall fix a date of a hearing by
the JRC not less than 21 academic calendar days following the JRC meeting in which
the decision to hold a hearing was made, but no more than 42 academic calendar days
thereafter.
b. If the JRC decides to entertain jurisdiction for a hearing, the Director of Student Life shall
promptly send one copy of the alleged violations and Notice of Hearing to both the
accused member and the Member who brought forth the allegations by registered mail
and electronic mail.
c.
The Notice of Hearing shall include the following statements:
1. The time, date and location of the Hearing.
2. That both Members have the right to personally appear at the Hearing, bring and
question witnesses, hear and present testimony and statements.
3. That the accused Member may be represented by a person of his/her choice.
4. That the Member who is charged is presumed innocent until proven otherwise by
the preponderance of the evidence.
d.
At the Hearing, the JRC shall hear testimony, examine witnesses and consider available
evidence pertaining to the allegation.
e.
The hearing shall be held in closed session as per the guidelines of the Ralph M. Brown
Act regarding Personnel Issues unless the accused Member requests from the Director
of Student Life at least four (4) academic calendar days in advance that the hearing be
public. The Director of Student Life may refuse such a request if confidentiality must be
maintained in order to insure the rights of either Member.
f.
The JRC shall record minutes of the hearing in which deliberation regarding alleged
violations or recommendation for Corrective Action of any Member occurs. A copy of
these minutes shall be provided to the Director of Student Life.
g. The JRC shall submit its findings of facts and its recommended Corrective Action in
writing in the form of a Committee Report to the Vice President of the ASCC, a copy to
the Director of Student Life, to the accused Member, and to the Member who filed the
Complaint Form.
h. The minutes of the JRC meeting(s) and the Committee Report of the proceedings, if held
in closed session, shall be kept in a confidential file by the Director of Student Life. All
applicable guidelines as specified by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of
1974 shall be followed regarding student record privacy.
Section 4: Corrective Action
a. Any Member who has been determined by a JRC Hearing to have violated any part of
the Code of Conduct shall be informed of the infraction in electronic mail and hard copy
format by the JRC Chair and instructed to correct the violation(s). The infraction must be
corrected within twelve (12) hours of confirmed written notification. (Members are
responsible to identify and correct violations regardless of being notified.)
b. Minor Infractions
If the infraction is corrected within twelve (12) hours and is not determined to have
damaged college or hotel property, severely infringed on the rights of other Members,
damaged the ASCC’s good reputation, or impeded the ASCC in any way, no further
action shall be taken.
c. Major Infractions
If the infraction is not corrected within twelve (12) hours, or is determined to have
damaged college or hotel property, severely infringed on the rights of other Members,
damaged the ASCC’s good reputation, or impeded the ASCC in any way, further action
shall be taken and limited to one of the following methods:
1. Requiring completion of community service as an additional condition for the
Member to retain his or her appointed or elected position.
2. Recommending removal of the Member from his or her elected or appointed position.
a. Any decision to remove any Senate Member shall require a two-thirds (2/3) vote
of the Senate at a Senate meeting, and the decision of the Senate shall be final,
with no appeal process.
d. Once a Complaint has been received and reviewed, it may not be re-submitted by the
same or any other Member.
Adopted by ASCC
Fall 2011