Policies and Procedures

This section addresses the College’s general policies and procedures. For a more in-depth discussion of specific policies or procedures, please consult the student handbook or contact the vice president of student affairs.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend all classes and laboratories in which they are enrolled. If a student is absent, it is his/her responsibility to find out what was missed. Federal financial aid, the Department of Veterans Administration, and other financial providers require the College to monitor and report attendance.

It is the responsibility of the student to obtain and meet attendance requirements. In cases of late enrollment, students may have to contact the instructor directly for this information.

Only students who have officially registered and enrolled may attend classes. Dependents or other guests are not allowed in the classroom with students. If a student is on a waitlist, he or she may attend the class during the first week of the term. Starting the second week of the term, the student’s name must appear as enrolled on the class roster. If the student is not officially registered for the class by this time, he or she may no longer attend.

Auditing a Class

If students wish to participate in a course but do not wish to receive credit or a grade, they may register for the course under the audit option. Tuition and fees will be charged the same as for students registering for a grade and credit. Federal financial aid will not pay for auditing a course.

An audit carries no credit and does not meet degree requirements or contribute to full-time student status. Students wishing to change from credit to audit or audit to credit must do so by the add/drop deadline. To earn credit or a grade in an audited course, students must repeat the course as a regular registered class member or follow the challenge procedure. For more information, contact the Registrar.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Students, staff, and administration have developed rules to guide student behavior. It is the student’s responsibility to understand and abide by these regulations. Student rights and responsibility guidelines are meant to enhance Klamath Community College as an educational institution. The College has certain obligations in the governance of student discipline and conduct. Policies governing student rights and responsibility are covered in detail in the student handbook. These include student rights, freedoms, and responsibilities policies which:

• Identify fundamental provisions for students’ freedom to learn.
• Identify student conduct guidelines.
• Clarify college expectations for student responsibility.

Harassment

All forms of harassment are prohibited. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that is illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for employees and under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 for students, and defined consistent with the guidelines of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Student complaints are addressed by meeting with the Director of Student Support Services, who reviews the steps taken and attempts to resolve the matter. For more specific information on KCC’s harassment policies, consult the student handbook.

Award of Completion

Although Community Education courses carry no credit, awards of completion are available upon request and by recommendation of the instructor through Workforce and Community Education.

Transcripts

Unofficial transcripts are available on the KCC website under the MyKCC account. Official transcripts may be ordered in person, online or by mail. Allow five to seven business days from receipt to process a transcript order.

To order a transcript by mail, send a completed Official Transcript Request Form available at www.klamathcc.edu/Students/Registrar and the $8.00 processing fee to:

Registrar - Transcripts
Klamath Community College
7390 South 6th Street
Klamath Falls, OR 97603

Online orders are placed through National Student Clearinghouse. Information regarding ordering details are available online at the registrar’s page.

Student Educational Records

Student records are maintained for the benefit of students. KCC must keep records in order to effectively counsel students. Records are reviewed when promoting instruction, guidance, and educational progress.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides protection of student records. Consistent with FERPA, KCC has identified information which is considered part of a student’s educational record. Specific policies are established to govern conditions for disclosure of student records and to provide security practices which control access to such records.

Students have the right to inspect their educational records while attending KCC. If a student believes the contents are inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of privacy or other rights, they have the right to a hearing to challenge the contents. The College will normally comply with the request to inspect a student’s records within 10 days but will take no longer than 45 days from the request.

In accordance with FERPA, KCC considers the following to be directory information. This information may be released upon request, unless a student files a directory information withholding request form in Student Services.

• Student’s first and last name
• Current mailing address
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Major field of study
• Dates of attendance
• Certificate(s), degree(s), and award(s) received
• Most recent previous educational institution attended
• Current grade level
• Enrollment status
• Participation in officially recognized activities

If a student files a directory information withholding request form, the student will not be listed on honor rolls and other similar college announcements. The student may be prevented from participating in online registration or other activities where the College cannot reasonably assure privacy. The request to withhold information must be renewed each term of attendance to remain in effect.

A student has the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Officer
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20202-5901

Use of Student Social Security Number

OAR 589-004-0400 authorizes KCC to ask students to provide their Social Security number. The number will be used by the College for reporting, research, and recordkeeping. A student’s number will also be provided by the College to the Oregon Community College Unified Reporting System (OCCURS). OCCURS is made up of 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 to plan, research, and develop programs that support students’ progress and their success in the workplace and other educational programs.

OCCURS or the College offices may provide a student’s 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 transfer or continue their education elsewhere and whether or not 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 for the best job placement 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 a student by the College.
• The American College Testing Service for educational research purposes.
• The U.S. Department of Revenue for tax purposes. State and federal law protects the privacy of student records. Social Security numbers will be used only for the purposes listed above.

Challenging a Course

KCC offers credit for prior learning in which credit is granted for formalized learning experiences or job skills training. Types of credit for prior learning include credit by exam (CLEP, DANTES, etc.), industry certification, challenge exam, military credit (ACE Credit Recommendation Service), portfolios, and professional licensure. A student may seek substitutions or waivers in associate degrees or certificate programs on the basis of prior academic experience or challenge exams. Standards to receive prior learning credit include:

• 12 credits at KCC must be earned before non-traditional credit can be awarded.
• Only 35% of a degree’s credits can come from non-traditional credit.
• Non-traditional credit may not be used to establish KCC’s residency requirement.
• Only those subject areas taught by KCC will be considered.
• Courses taken as community education courses or as part of an industry-recognized certification process may require a prior learning fee.

Some career technical education programs and lower-division college academic departments may offer a course challenge for specific courses. Contact the program or discipline lead for more information. 

Credit by certification will be determined by department and articulations housed in the Registrar’s Office.

Students initiate the approval process by meeting with their academic advisor or student success representative. The approval form must be signed by the program or discipline lead, dean, and vice president of academic affairs and returned to the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar’s Office will transcribe credit for prior learning as CPL credit. CPL credit may not duplicate other credit awarded to the student in fulfillment of degree requirements. Once the CPL form is processed, two copies will be made; one will be delivered to the Business Office for charges, if applicable, and the other will be placed in the student’s file located in Student Services.

Repeating a Course

Courses may be repeated once for a better grade. Before repeating, students should consult with their advisor and, if applicable, Financial Aid and Veteran Services to avoid problems. Note: Some grades do not affect GPA and are therefore not recognized as repeats (e.g., NP, P, I or AU). 

If a course is repeated more than once, only the first repeat will replace the prior grade and be included in the GPA. However, any subsequent repeats will be recorded on the official transcript and all grades earned after the first repeat will affect GPA.

Withdrawing from a Course

When students register for classes they are expected to attend all class sessions. If students stop attending, they will receive a failing grade or a grade which represents the course accomplishments. To avoid the negative impact lack of attendance may have on the student’s academic record, there are two options:

• Drop: Students may drop a course using their MyKCC account or by contacting their student success representative prior to the term add/drop deadline. For standard full-term courses this is normally the first week of classes. Dynamically dated courses not following the standard term calendar will have different deadlines. To receive a refund students must initiate this procedure during the add/drop window for that course.
• Withdraw: To withdraw from a course, students must complete an official withdrawal form and file it with a student success representative by the withdrawal date published in the term calendar. Generally, withdrawals are processed in person. Withdrawals are reflected on official transcripts. Therefore, adherence to correct procedures will help protect academic records. To ensure an official withdrawal from a class, contact Student Services for verification.

Instructor-Initiated Student Drop

If a student has not attended class and has not contacted the instructor during the first week of the term, the instructor may drop the student from the class. This will occur on or before Friday of the first week of class. Appeals to the drop policy must be directed to Student Services. For more information on the appeals process, see the student handbook or contact Student Services.

Casual Credit to Degree Seeking Policy

Non-degree seeking students are not eligible for financial aid. Students need to be aware there may be financial aid implications for taking courses that may or may not count toward a degree.