As an agency of the state of Washington, the college's SCO, SCB, SAB, or president may be advised or represented by an assistant attorney general in any student code of conduct proceeding.

(1) Initiation of the student conduct process. A request to initiate the student conduct process for alleged violation(s) of the student code of conduct must be made to the SCO as soon as possible following the violation. Conduct proceedings may be initiated when the SCO receives any direct or indirect report of conduct that may violate this code, which includes, but is not limited to, a police report, an incident report, a witness statement, other documentation, or a verbal or written report from a complainant, witness, or other third party. The college may initiate the student conduct process regardless of whether or not the incident in question is the subject of criminal or civil proceedings. Any member of the college's administration, faculty, staff, or any student or nonstudent may make a request for disciplinary action through the student conduct process and it must be a good faith claim. Formal rules of evidence, such as are applied in criminal or civil court, are not used in conduct proceedings. Relevant evidence, including hearsay, is admissible if it is the type of evidence that reasonable persons would rely upon in the conduct of their affairs. Unduly repetitious or irrelevant evidence may be excluded. If the complaint indicates that the matter involves sexual misconduct, the SCO will forward the complaint to the Title IX office for review in accordance with the college's Title IX grievance policy and procedure or nondiscrimination and harassment policy and grievance procedure, as applicable. Any determinations of relevant evidence or facts made under the Title IX grievance policy and procedure or the nondiscrimination and harassment policy and grievance procedure shall be relied upon in the student conduct process. The SCO or designee will conduct an initial investigation of a complaint to determine whether it alleges conduct that may be prohibited by the student code of conduct. If it is determined through the initial investigation that the report has merit, the SCO will conduct an investigation to determine responsibility. Except in cases of sexual assault or sexual violence, the parties may elect to mediate the dispute, which shall be facilitated by the SCO. If the SCO's investigation indicates that the alleged violation is so severe that a finding of responsibility is likely to merit expulsion, suspension of more than ten days, revocation of a degree, or loss of recognition of a student organization, the SCO will forward the findings of the investigation to the SCB for review, decision and disciplinary action using the full adjudicative process. If the SCO has a conflict of interest or is the subject of a complaint by the student, the vice president for student services shall, upon request and at their discretion, designate another person to fulfill any such disciplinary responsibilities relative to the request for the student conduct process.

(2) Notification requirements.

(a) If it is determined through the initial investigation that an alleged violation of the student code of conduct might have occurred and which is not eligible for referral to the Title IX officer or the SCB, the SCO will provide the following written notification:

(i) That a report has been submitted alleging conduct which violates the student code of conduct and that a conduct investigation has been initiated to determine responsibility;

(ii) The specific sections of the student code of conduct which are alleged to have been violated;

(iii) That the student may either accept responsibility for the alleged violations or request a conduct meeting with the SCO to present evidence to refute the report;

(iv) That the student may provide evidence such as names and contact information of witnesses to aid the conduct investigation;

(v) The possible sanction outcomes and that the actual sanctions will depend on the determination of responsibility pending the results of the investigation; and

(vi) That if the student fails to participate in any stage of the conduct proceedings or to request a conduct meeting within fifteen days from the date of the notice, the college may move forward with the conduct proceeding without their participation.

(b) If the student requests a conduct meeting within fifteen days of the notice, the student will be provided a written notice to appear for a conduct meeting. The notice to appear will be personally delivered, sent electronically to the student's CBC email address, or sent by mail to the most recent address in the student's record on file with the college, not later than fifteen instructional days after the request for a conduct meeting. The notice will not be ineffective if presented later due to the student's absence. Such notice will:

(i) Set forth the specific provisions of the student code of conduct and the specific acts which are alleged to be violations, as well as the date(s) of the violations, and a description of evidence, if any, of the violation.

(ii) Notify the student of the SCO's investigation and possible sanctions, if any.

(iii) Specify the time, date, and location where the student is required to meet with the SCO. The meeting will be scheduled no earlier than three instructional days, but within thirty instructional days of the date on the notice to appear sent to the student. The SCO may modify the time, date, and location of the meeting, either at the student's or college's request, for reasonable cause.

(iv) Inform the student that failure to attend the conduct meeting will not stop the disciplinary process and may result in a transcript/registration hold being placed onto the student's account, and disciplinary actions.

(v) Inform the student that they may be accompanied at the meeting by an advisor at their expense. The advisor cannot be a college employee or witness. If the student or their advisor is found to have tampered with witnesses or evidence, or destroyed evidence, the student will be held accountable in the conduct process for their acts and those of their advisor.

(vi) Inform the student that they may present evidence to support their assertions during the meeting.

(3) Student conduct meeting – Brief adjudicative process.

(a) During the student conduct meeting, the student will be informed of the following:

(i) The specific acts and the provision(s) of college policy that the student is alleged to have violated;

(ii) The disciplinary process;

(iii) The range of sanctions which might result from the disciplinary process and that the actual sanctions will depend on the findings of responsibility;

(iv) The student's right to appeal.

(b) The student will have the opportunity to review and respond to the allegation(s) and evidence and provide the SCO with relevant information, evidence and/or witnesses to the alleged violation(s), and/or explain the circumstances surrounding the alleged violation(s).

(c) The advisor may assist the student during the conduct meeting, however the student is responsible for presenting their own information and evidence. The advisor may only communicate with the student they are advising. Any disruptions or failure to follow the conduct process and/or directions of the SCO may result in the advisor being excused from the meeting.

(4) Decision by the SCO.

(a) After interviewing the student or students involved and/or other individuals as appropriate, and considering the evidence, the SCO may take any of the following actions:

(i) Determine that the student is not responsible for a violation of the student code of conduct and thereby terminate the student conduct process;

(ii) Determine that the student is responsible for a violation of the student code of conduct and impose disciplinary sanctions as provided herein;

(iii) Determine that further inquiry is necessary and schedule another meeting for reasonable cause; or

(iv) Refer the case to the SCB for the full adjudicative hearing process if the alleged violation is discovered to be of a severe nature and may result in sanctions that include expulsion, suspension for more than ten days, revocation of a degree, or loss of recognition of a student organization.

(b) Notification of the decision by the SCO will be issued pursuant to WAC 132S-100-130 within thirty instructional days of the final student conduct meeting. Due to federal privacy law, the college may not disclose to the complainant any sanctions imposed on the responding student unless the complainant was the alleged victim of a violent crime as defined under the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)(20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g; 34 C.F.R. Part 99), or the responding student consents to such disclosure. A copy of the decision notification will be filed with the office of the SCO.

(c) Disciplinary action taken by the SCO is final unless the student exercises the right of appeal as provided herein.