Student Code of Conduct

Yakima Valley College (YVC) is committed to providing students with a safe and supportive environment in support of the college mission.

Student Behavior

All students are expected to comply with the college’s code of conduct, available in a publication titled Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities and on the Washington state legislature’s website, Washington State Code of Conduct Information.

Washington State Code of Conduct Information

The printed publication is available in the Dean of Student Services office in Yakima and at the Student Services Office in Grandview.

Read Chapter 132P-33 WAC: Student Rights and Responsibilities

Academic Dishonesty

Plagiarism: Buying, copying, borrowing, or otherwise plagiarizing another’s images, ideas, evidence, examples, opinions, or other original products or documents from published, unpublished, or electronic sources for the purpose of deceiving an instructor as to the product’s origin.

Plagiarism is “the wrongful act of taking the product of another person’s mind and presenting it as one’s own” (MLS Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 4th Edition, p. 26). Plagiarism occurs when an author fails to give credit for someone else’s words, someone else’s examples, someone else’s ideas or opinions, statistics or other facts compiled by someone else, evidence or testimony taken from someone else’s argument, or an image from another artist.

YVC recognizes two types of plagiarism: intentional and unintentional. Intentional plagiarism is the dishonest act of appropriating another’s ideas, words, facts, opinions, or images intending to deceive others about the document’s origin. Any student found to have committed intentional plagiarism shall be subject to disciplinary actions provided for in the code for Students Rights and Responsibilities, WAC 132P-33

Students may also commit plagiarism without the intent to deceive. A student’s intent to deceive shall be considered when instructors evaluate an act of plagiarism. All forms of plagiarism which an instructor determines to be unintentional should be treated as instructional problems to be handled within the student-instructor relationship with the instructor following, but not limited by, the following penalty guidelines:

• Student must resubmit the assignment after instruction, but before an agreed-upon due date.
• Student can receive a lowered grade on the assignment, including F.
• Student can be advised to seek aid from the Writing Center or Tutoring Center as a condition for receiving a grade or resubmitting an assignment.

The instructor needs not take formal disciplinary action for unintentional plagiarism.

The Dean of Student Services is available to help students determine where best to file a complaint when a concern arises. The Dean of Student Services or designee can determine the appropriate supervisor(s) and/or applicable collective bargaining agreement.  Submit complaints in writing within 30 calendar days of the alleged act or events.  Complaints made by a recognized student group need to include a copy of the written minutes from the meeting in which the student group voted to file a formal complaint and signed by the president of the student group.

The Higher Education Act (HEA) prohibits an institution of higher education from engaging in a “substantial misrepresentation of the nature of its educational program, its financial charges, or the employability of its graduates.”  20 U.S.C. §1094(c)(3)(A). Further, each State must have “a process to review and appropriately act on complaints concerning the institution including enforcing applicable State laws.”  34 C.F.R. § 600.9.  The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) maintains a process to investigate complaints of this nature brought by community and technical college students in the State of Washington. For more information, contact the SBCTC Student Services Office at 360.704.4315 .  The Higher Education Act (HEA) prohibits an institution of higher education from engaging in a “substantial misrepresentation of the nature of its educational program, its financial charges, or the employability of its graduates.”  20 U.S.C. §1094(c)(3)(A). Further, each State must have “a process to review and appropriately act on complaints concerning the institution including enforcing applicable State laws.”  34 C.F.R. § 600.9.  The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) maintains a process to investigate complaints of this nature brought by community and technical college students in the State of Washington. For more information, contact the SBCTC Student Services Office at 360.704.4315 or visit State Board for Community & Technical Colleges​

Occasionally, students and others find their complaint must be handled by another agency.  Following is a list of some potential resources for complaint resolution.

Federal Office of Inspector General, Fraud Prevention
Office for Civil Rights
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, Regional Accreditor
State Higher Education Agency by State​​​

As members of the college community, students will be free, individually and collectively, to express their views on college policy and on matters of general interest to the student body. The ASYVC Constitution and the college’s administrative procedures provide clear channels for student participation in the formulation and application of institutional policies regarding academic and student affairs. Individuals affected by a policy shall have a representative voice in the formulation of that policy.