Student Right to Know

Solomon Act

Federal law requires CGCC to provide student name, address and telephone number to the military for recruiting purposes. If you would like your name withheld, call Student Services at (541) 506-6011.

Privacy Rights of Student Educational Records

The CGCC district shall follow all applicable state and federal laws, rules, and regulations that apply to student records. All information contained in the college records which is personally identifiable to any student shall be kept confidential and not released except upon prior written consent of the subject student or upon the lawful subpoena or other order of a court or competent jurisdiction.

Students 18 years of age or older and the parents of students who are under 18 years of age have certain rights with respect to student records under Public Law 93-380. These include:

  • The right to inspect the educational records of the student,
  • The right to challenge the accuracy of the records if they are believed to be misleading or to violate privacy or other rights of the student,
  • Except as may be provided by law, the right to prevent the release of any or all information from the records to any other party. The college will not send transcripts or copies of other educational records to any other school, prospective employer or other person without written request of the student.

Educational Records Policy

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Statute: 20 U.S.C. 1232g; Regulations: 34CFR Part 99) also known as the Buckley Amendment is a Federal Law which states (a) that a written institutional policy must be established and (b) that a statement of adopted procedures covering the privacy rights of students be made available. The law provides that the institution will maintain the confidentiality of student education records.

The Family Educational rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights regarding their educational records. They are:

  • The right to inspect and review the student's records. The student may request to review his/her records by submitting a written request to the Student Services Office or other school official having custody of such records;
  • The right to seek amendment of the student's records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights. Requests for amendment of records must be in writing and must describe the specific portions or specific record(s) the student wishes to have amended, instructions as to the change desired, and reasons why the change is justified;
  • The right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except for when consent is not required by FERPA. FERPA does not require a student's consent when disclosure is to other school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the college in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the college has contracted or appointed as its agent; or a student serving on an official committee or assisting another school official in performing the official's tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an educational record in order to fulfill his/her professional responsibilities.
  • The right to file a complaint with the Department of Education, Family Compliance Office, concerning alleged failures by the college to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

How We Use Your Social Security Number

Providing your social security number is voluntary. If you provide it, the college will use your social security number for keeping records, doing research, aggregate reporting, extending credit and collecting debts. Your social security number will not be given to the general public. If you choose not to provide your social security number, you will not be denied any rights as a student. Please read the information below which describes how your number will be used. Providing your social security number means that you consent to use of the number in the manner described.

OAR 589-004-0400 authorizes Columbia Gorge Community College to ask you to provide your social security number. The number will be used by the college for reporting, research, and record keeping. Your number will also be provided by the college to the Oregon Community College Unified Reporting System (OCCURS), which is a group made up of all community colleges in Oregon, the State Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development and the Oregon Community College Association. OCCURS gathers information about students and programs to meet state and federal reporting requirements. It also helps colleges plan, research, and develop programs. This information helps the colleges to support the progress of students and their success in the workplace and other education programs.

OCCURS or the college may provide your social security number to the following agencies or match it with records from the following systems:

  • State and private universities, colleges, and vocational schools, to find out how many community college students go on with their education and to find out whether community college courses are a good basis for further education;
  • The Oregon Employment Department, which gathers information, including employment and earnings, to help state and local agencies plan education and training services to help Oregon citizens get the best jobs available;
  • The Oregon Department of Education, to provide reports to local, state and federal governments. The information is used to learn about education, training, and job market trends for planning, research, and program improvement;
  • The Oregon Department of Revenue and collection agencies only for purposes of processing debts and only if credit is extended to you by the college;
  • The American College Testing Service, if you take the Asset Placement test, for educational research purposes.

State and federal law protects the privacy of your records.  Your number will be used only for the purposes listed above.

Grievance Procedure

Columbia Gorge Community College has established a set of procedures designed to provide students and others an avenue whereby concerns and decisions made within the College can be appealed within the College. A person who has a grievance follows specified steps to assure the grievance is given fair and careful consideration. The steps will vary slightly depending on whether the grievance is related to instruction, student services/student life, or business/fiscal matters. A copy of the grievance procedure document is available in the Offices of Instruction, Student Services, and Business or by using this link - Student Grievance Procedure.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

The College provides educational opportunities for a wide variety of individual and community needs. Rules and regulations regarding student conduct assure an atmosphere conducive to pursuit of education. At the same time students have certain rights guaranteed to them by the constitution.

Students are expected to conduct themselves responsibly and in ways which reflect consideration and respect for the rights of others. The Student Rights and Responsibilities publication describes fully the student rights and rules and disciplinary procedures and is available from Student Services.

Equal Opportunity, Non-Discrimination, Affirmative Action

The Board of Education is committed to non-discrimination relating to and in association with the protected classes of race, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, parental and marital status. This policy prevails in matters concerning staff, students, the public, educational programs and services and individuals with whom the Board does business.

In keeping with requirements of federal and state law, the College strives to remove any vestige of discrimination in employment, assignment and promotion of personnel; in educational opportunities and services offered students; in student assignment of classes; in student discipline; in location and use of facilities; in educational offerings and materials; and in accommodating the public at public meetings.

The Board encourages staff to improve human relations within the College and to encourage citizens to write a letter to the College President, Dean of Instruction, Director of Student Development, or Business Manager communicating any concerns regarding the College.

Freedom From Sexual Discrimination/Harassment

It is the policy of Columbia Gorge Community College to not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational programs, activities, and employment as required by Title IX of the 1972 Educational Amendments. Students at Columbia Gorge Community College are protected from sex discrimination in all areas including: admission to programs; access to enrollment in courses; access to and use of school facilities; counseling and guidance materials, tests, and practices; vocational education; physical education; competitive athletics; graduation requirements; student rules, regulations, and benefits; treatment as a married and/or pregnant student; financial assistance; school-sponsored extracurricular activities; aid, benefits, and services.

In addition, students are protected against all forms of sexual harassment as defined here:

  1. Unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when:
  2. Submission to such conduct is made, either explicitly or implicitly, a term or condition of employment, admission, or academic evaluation; or
  3. Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance, or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or learning environment.

State Authorization and Out-of-State Complaint Resolution

Student Records

Columbia Gorge Community College maintains student records in conformation with state and federal law.

Except as provided in this policy, all information contained in the student records of Columbia Gorge Community College that is personally identifiable to any student shall be kept confidential and not released to any person without prior written consent of the student, or the parent or guardian of a minor student, or upon lawful subpoena or other order of a court of competent jurisdiction, provided the student (or parent of a minor) is notified in advance of compliance with the subpoena or court order.

An exception to this confidentiality policy is directory information which may be released to the media and for use in other local publications only at the direction of the Chief Student Services Officer. Students who do not wish to have any of the information listed below released by the College must make that request in writing each term at the time of registration. Directory information will not be released to vendors or others desiring to solicit students for contributions or purchases.

Directory information includes: The student's name; address; phone number; major field of study; participation in official college activities; periods of enrollment; degrees, awards, and honors received; and illness or accident information, as required in health and safety emergencies.

Drug-Free School and Workplace

Controlled substance abuse is illegal and interferes with effective teaching and working and the development of a safe and healthy environment for learning. The College recognizes that it has a fundamental, legal, and ethical obligation to prevent controlled substance abuse and to maintain an alcohol/drug-free work and educational environment.

The College strictly enforces its drug and alcohol policy. It is a violation of that policy for students to possess, consume, be perceptibly under the influence of, or furnish alcoholic beverages, as identified by federal or state law, on college-owned or controlled property or at college or student organization/supervised functions. Violation of the policy may result in expulsion, suspension or disciplinary probation. The complete policy is available in any College office.

Drug Awareness Program

The Drug Free School and Communities Act and Amendment of 1989 require that colleges provide all students with certain information on illegal and illicit drugs. This law is tied to eligibility for federal financial assistance. Annual notice is given to students of the following:

  1. The dangers of alcohol/drug abuse in the workplace/school.
  2. The district's policy of maintaining an alcohol/drug-free workplace/school.
  3. Information on appropriate, available alcohol/drug counseling or assistance programs .
  4. Notice of the penalties that may be imposed upon employees/students for alcohol/drug abuse violations in the workplace/school.

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted on the campus except in designated areas. The restrictions on smoking cover not only all internal locations but also include parking lots, driveways, sidewalks, fields and open areas of the campus. Designated smoking areas are out-of-doors and are posted.