Preamble

Crafton Hills College exists for the transmission of knowledge, the pursuit of knowledge and creative expression, the development of students, and the general well being of our community and society. Free inquiry and free expression are indispensable to the attainment of these goals. As members of this learning community, students are encouraged to develop the capacity for critical judgement and to engage in an independent and sustained search for knowledge and creativy.

Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The freedom to learn depends on appropriate opportunities and conditions in the classroom, on the campus, and in the larger community. Students shall exercise their rights with responsibility, while not threatening or endangering the rights of other members of the Crafton Hills College community.

1. Course Entry Expectations. Prior to enrolling in courses, students shall have information available regarding the academic and/or performance standards recommended or required for the successful completion of the course. Such information is explained in the Course Outlines for each course, available to the students from the respective departments and on the Crafton Hills College web page.
2. Course Expectations. At the beginning of each course, students shall receive, in writing, information outlining the method of evaluating student progress, including the method by which the final grade is to be determined. Students are responsible for maintaining the academic and/or vocational standards, established and stated in advance, for each class in which they are enrolled.
3. Independent, Critical Thought and Expression. Instructors shall permit free discussion, inquiry, and expression of thought by students within the parameters detailed in SBCCD Board Policy 5500. Standards of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures.
4. Learning. Students are free to examine, discuss, and pursue all questions and avenues of interest to them, and express their opinions, privately and publicly within the class setting, as appropriate to the course.
5. Associations. Students shall be free to organize and join associations to promote their common interests in accord with the processes established in the Associated Students of Crafton Hills College By-laws.
6. Invited Speakers. Pursuant to SBCCD Board Policy 4320, Off-Campus Speakers, student organizations shall have the right to recommend, invite,and hear any person(s) of their choosing, as long as such speakers and/or performers comply with federal, state and local laws, and assume responsibility for the safety of the members of the college community and the protection of public property. It is the students’ responsibility, through disclaimers on all published materials, to make clear to the college community and the larger community that the public expressions of students, student organizations, and guest speakers and/or performers speak only for themselves.
7. Publications. Student publications serve to inform, instruct, influence, and entertain the campus community and are governed by SBCCD board policy. The Associated students and the Director of Student Life have the responsibility to divine the role of student publications, and set the standards. In doing so, they shall seek to strike a reasonable balance between academic and editorial freedom and the highest ethics of responsible journalism, avoiding libel, undocumented allegations, attacks on personal integrity,harassment and innuendo. All publications must state that the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the college or the student body.
8. Confidentiality. Students have the right to have their academic records treated in a confidential and responsible manner with due regard given to the personal nature of the information contained therein. Students’ records will be released only with their written authorization or as provided by the Family Educational Rights to Privacy Act and other applicable laws.
9. Governance. As constituents of the college community, students shall be free, individually and collectively, to express their views on issues of college policy and on matters of general interest to the student body. Pursuant to SBCCD Board Policy 5400, Associated Students Organization, the Associated Students of Crafton Hills College shall be recog- nized as an official voice of the students in the formulation and application of college and district policy affecting academic, career and technical education, student services.