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Policies and Procedures

Genesee Community College Privacy Statement

Genesee’s Commitment to Privacy

Genesee Community College (Genesee) is committed to protecting your privacy. This website is designed to make it easier and more efficient for individuals and businesses to interact with Genesee. We recognize that it is critical for individuals and businesses to be confident that their privacy is protected when they visit the Genesee website.

This statement describes Genesee’s privacy practices regarding information collected from users of this website. This statement describes what information is collected and how that information is used. This statement is consistent with the provisions of the Internet Security and Privacy Act, the Freedom of Information Law, the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA), and the Personal Privacy Protection Law.

Genesee does not collect any personal information about you unless you provide that information voluntarily by filing an application, sending an email, responding to a survey, enabling your computer to reveal your username on that system, or completing an online transaction.

Definitions

The following definitions apply to, and appear in italics, in this statement:

Personal Information – shall have the meaning set forth in subdivision 5 of section 202 of the State Technology Law.
User – shall have the meaning set forth in subdivision 8 of section 202 of the State Technology Law.

Information Collected Automatically When You Visit this Website

Genesee automatically collects and stores the following information about each website visit:

IP Address – The hostname or Internet Protocol address of the user requesting access to the Genesee website.
Method – The request method used.
Referrer – The referrer specifies the web page from which the user accessed the current web page.
Request – The exact request the user made.
Status – The status code the server returned to the user.
System Date – The date and time of the user‘s request.
Universal Resource Identifier (URI) – The location of a resource on the server.
URI Query String – Anything after the question mark in a URI.
User Agent – The user agent information includes the type of browser, its version, and the operating system on which that the browser is running.

The information above is collected for internal statistical analysis only and is used to help us to improve this website’s content, navigation, and user experience. Genesee will neither sell or otherwise disclose the information collected from our website for non-university commercial marketing purposes.

Cookies

To better serve you, we use ‘cookies’ to enhance or customize your visit to this website. Cookies are simple text files stored on your web browser to provide a means of distinguishing among users of this website. The use of cookies is a standard practice among Internet websites. To better serve you, we use “session cookies” to enhance or customize your visit to this website. Session cookies can be created automatically on the device you use to access freoreport.net. A session cookie is erased during operation of your browser or when your browser is closed. These session cookies do not contain personal information and do not compromise your privacy or security. We may use the cookie feature to store a randomly generated identifying tag on the device you use to access this website.

Information Collected When You Email Genesee or Complete a Transaction

During your visit to Genesee’s website you may send an email to Genesee. Your email address and the contents of your message will be collected. The information collected is not limited to text characters and may include audio, video, and graphic information formats included in the message. Your email address and the information included in your message will be used to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to improve this website, or to forward your message to another Genesee contact for appropriate action. Your email address is not collected for non-university commercial purposes and Genesee will not sell or otherwise disclose your email address for non-university commercial purposes.

During your visit to Genesee’s website you may complete a transaction such as a survey, registration, application, or other business transaction. The information collected by Genesee, including personal information volunteered by you in completing the transaction, is used by Genesee and may be disclosed by Genesee for those purposes that may be reasonably ascertained from the nature and terms of the transaction in which the information was submitted.

Genesee does not knowingly collect personal information from children or create profiles of children through this website. Users are cautioned, however, that the collection of personal information submitted in an email will be treated as though it was submitted by an adult, and may, unless exempted from access by federal or State law, be subject to public access. Genesee strongly encourages parents and teachers to be involved in children’s Internet activities and to provide guidance whenever children are asked to provide personal information online.

Information and Choice

As noted above, Genesee does not collect any personal information about you unless you provide that information voluntarily by filing an application, sending an email, responding to a survey, enabling your computer to reveal your username on that system, or completing an online transaction.

You may choose not engage in any of these activities. While your choice not to participate in these activities may limit your ability to receive specific services or products through this website, it may not normally have an impact on your ability to take advantage of other features of this website, including some browsing or downloading information.

Disclosure of Information Collected Through This Website

The collection of information through this website and the disclosure of that information are subject to the provisions of the Internet Security and Privacy Act. Genesee will only collect personal information through this website or disclose personal information collected through this website if the user has consented to the collection or disclosure of such personal information. The voluntary disclosure of personal information to Genesee by the user, whether solicited or unsolicited, constitutes consent to the collection and disclosure of the information by Genesee for the purposes for which the user disclosed the information to the Genesee, as was reasonably ascertainable from the nature and terms of the disclosure.

Genesee may however collect or disclose personal information without consent if the collection or disclosure is: (1) necessary to perform the statutory duties of Genesee, or necessary for Genesee to operate a program authorized by law, or authorized by state or federal statute or regulation; (2) made pursuant to a court order or by law; (3) for the purpose of validating the identity of the user; or (4) of information to be used solely for statistical purposes that is in a form that cannot be used to identify any particular person.

The disclosure of information, including personal information, collected via this website is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Law, the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA), and the Personal Privacy Protection Law.

Genesee may also disclose personal information to federal, state or local law enforcement authorities to enforce its rights against unauthorized access or attempted unauthorized access to Genesee’s information technology assets.

Retention of Information Collected Through this website

The information collected through freoreport.net is retained by Genesee in accordance with the records retention and disposition requirements of the New York State Arts & Cultural Affairs Law. In general, the Internet services logs of Genesee, comprising electronic files or automated logs created to monitor access and use of Agency services provided through freoreport.net, are archived for future reference. Information, including personal information, that you submit in an e-mail or when you complete a survey, application, financial transaction, registration form, or order form is retained in accordance with the records retention and disposition schedule established for the records of the program unit to which you submitted the information. Information concerning these records retention and disposition schedules may be obtained through the Internet privacy statement contact listed in this statement.

Access to and Correction of Personal Information Collected Through this Website

Any user may submit a request to Genesee’s privacy compliance office to determine whether personal information pertaining to that user has been collected through this website. Any such request shall be made in writing and must be accompanied by reasonable proof of identity of the user. Reasonable proof of identity may include verification of a signature, inclusion of an identifier generally known only to the user, or similar appropriate identification. The address of the privacy compliance office is:

Internet Privacy Compliance Office
c/o Computer Services T-212
Genesee Community College
One College Rd.
Batavia, NY 14020

The privacy compliance office shall, within five (5) business days of the receipt of a proper request, provide access to the personal information; deny access in writing, explaining the reasons therefore; or acknowledge the receipt of the request in writing, stating the approximate date when the request will be granted or denied, which date shall not be more than thirty (30) days from the date of the acknowledgment.

In the event that Genesee has collected personal information pertaining to a user through freoreport.net and that information is to be provided to the user pursuant to the user’s request, the privacy compliance office shall inform the user of his or her right to request that the personal information be amended or corrected under the procedures set forth in section 95 of the Public Officers Law.

Confidentiality and Integrity of Personal Information Collected Through this Website

Genesee is strongly committed to protecting personal information collected through this website against unauthorized access, use or disclosure. Consequently, Genesee limits employee access to personal information collected through this website to only those employees who need access to the information in the performance of their official duties. Employees who have access to this information follow appropriate procedures in connection with any disclosures of personal information.

In addition, Genesee has implemented procedures to safeguard the integrity of its information technology assets, including, but not limited to, authentication, authorization, monitoring, auditing, and encryption. These security procedures have been integrated into the design, implementation, and day-to-day operations of this website as part of our continuing commitment to the security of electronic content as well as the electronic transmission of information.

For website security purposes and to maintain the availability of the website for all users, Genesee employs software to monitor traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise damage this website.

Links to External Websites

In order to provide users with certain information, this website provides links to the websites of other organizations. Such links provided on this website do not constitute an endorsement of the content, viewpoint, accuracy, opinions, policies, products, services, or accessibility of that website.

Disclaimer of Liability

It should be noted that the information provided in this privacy statement should not be construed as giving business, legal, or other advice, or warranting as fail proof, the security of information provided through Genesee. Although every effort is made to provide accurate and complete information, we cannot guarantee that there will be no errors. With respect to documents and information on this website neither Genesee, nor their employees and contractors make any warranty, expressed or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to documents available from this website. Additionally, Genesee assumes no legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information or process disclosed herein and do not represent that use of such information or process would not infringe on privately owned rights.

Classroom Learning Expectations

Cell Phones

Cell phone use on campus is allowed but should never be disruptive to others. Please silence your cell phone whenever possible. Refer to your course syllabus with regard to your instructor’s rules on cell phone use in class.

Class Attendance & Participation

Regular attendance, as specified by the instructor, is expected of all students. Attendance in online courses is demonstrated through contributing to course discussions and/or assignments. Extended absence/non-participation (due to illness or injury) should be reported to your instructor (and/or to the Vice President for Student Services) immediately. Students who register for a class but fail to commence attendance will be administratively withdrawn following the census for that particular term. The student remains liable for tuition and charges incurred upon registration.

Classroom Behavior & Civility

Being a Genesee student requires appropriate adult behavior and respect for others. Instructors can set classroom rules of conduct, require adherence to standards of civility appropriate to learning, and have the right to remove anyone for disruption or obstruction of those standards, or for violation of any law or College policy. Please refer to the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.

Course Withdrawal

Faculty do not withdraw students for non-attendance. It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw, in writing, from a course prior to the withdrawal deadlines.

Plagiarism & Cheating

Cheating is obtaining or intentionally giving unauthorized information to create an unfair advantage in an examination, assignment, or classroom situation. Plagiarism is the act of presenting and claiming words, ideas, data, programming code or creations of others as one’s own. Plagiarism may be intentional – as in a false claim of authorship (including AI generated work) – or unintentional – as in a failure to document information sources using MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), Chicago or other style sheets or manuals adopted by faculty at the College. Presenting ideas in the exact or near exact wording as found in source material constitutes plagiarism, as does patching together paraphrased statements without in-text citation. The purchasing or sharing of papers or projects between students or the re-use of papers or projects submitted for more than one assignment or class also constitutes plagiarism. Disciplinary action may include a failing grade on an assignment or test, a failing grade for the course, suspension or expulsion from the college, as described in the Code of Conduct.

Smoking

All Genesee Community College buildings are designated smoke-free.

Time Expectations

For every hour in class, successful college-level work requires about two hours for out-of-class work: reading, writing, research, labs, discussion, field work, etc. In time demands, a 15-credit load would be about equivalent to working a full-time job—for Summer and Winter semesters, this is doubled due to the shortened academic term.

Academic Computing Policies

Genesee Community College has a number of policies relating to computer use. Please take the time to become familiar with them. If you have questions about these policies, feel free to stop into the Student Resource Center (T212) on campus or to contact Patricia Chaya, Dean of Students.

The college has policies on the following topics:

Dealing with Students who Misuse College Computing Resources

I. INTRODUCTION

The use of computing and information processing resources is a privilege granted by the College to students who have demonstrated an appropriate need in their program of study or work assignment at Genesee Community College. All users of GCC computer resources must comply with the applicable statutes of New York State and Federal law, in particular, Chapter 514 of the New York State Penal Law. The purpose of this procedure is to outline the steps which will be followed if student misuse of computing resources is suspected.

II. DEFINITIONS

A. Student – A student is an individual who is registered for and is participating in any college program of instruction.

B. Computing Resources – Computing resources consists of, but are not limited to, computing equipment, software, program code, manuals, computer data, program output, printers, computer paper, computing services, CPU time, etc.

C. Misuse of Computing Resources – the following shall constitute the definition of a person who misuses the college computing resources:

A person is guilty of unauthorized use of a computer when he or she knowingly uses or causes to be used a computer or computer service without authorization and the computer utilized is equipped or programmed with any device or coding system, a function of which is to prevent the unauthorized use of said computer or computer system.
A person is guilty of computer trespassing when he or she knowingly uses or causes to be used a computer or computer service without authorization and he thereby knowingly gains access to computer material.
A person is guilty of unlawful duplication of computer related material when having no right to do so, he or she copies, reproduces, or duplicates software in any manner.
A person is guilty of misuse when he or she intentionally seeks information on, obtain copies of, or modifies files or passwords belonging to others.
A person is guilty of misuse when he or she intentionally develops or uses programs that harass other users, infiltrates a computing system, or damages or alters the software or data components of a computing system.
A person is guilty of misuse when he or she authorizes individuals who are not associated with the college to use an account, or uses the academic computers for non-academic related work.
A person is guilty of misuse when he or she fails to cooperate with or follow established computing resource procedures.

III. INITIAL RESPONSE

Any member of the college faculty or staff (including employees of SCT or employed students) may identify a student as a potential misuser of computer resources. After identification, the Director of Computer Services or his/her representative may deny the student access to computing resources for a period of up to 24 hours. The Dean of Students and appropriate Associate Dean shall be notified immediately.

After consultation with the appropriate Associate Dean, Director of Computer Services and involved faculty, the Dean of Students may extend the period during which access is denied for up to ten additional instructional days. During this period, the following College disciplinary procedures shall be implemented.

The initiation of internal disciplinary procedures shall not preclude referral of the situation to off-campus authorities.

IV. DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES

The determination of student misuse of computing resources shall be made by a College Hearing Board established for that purpose. The Board shall consist of the following members:

a. The Dean of Students who shall serve as Chairperson.
b. A faculty member appointed by the Chairperson of the Academic Assembly or by the Vice-President for Academic Affairs if the Chairperson is not available.
c. An administrator appointed by the College President.
d. A student appointed by the President of the Student Government Association or by the Director of Student Activities if the SGA President is not available.

In each situation, the student will be officially charged with violation of this procedure by the Director of Computer Services who shall be responsible for coordinating the presentation of evidence with the Chairperson of the Hearing Board.

The following agenda shall be followed in conducting a meeting of the Hearing Board:

Introduction
Presentation of charges
Pleas by student charged
Presentation of evidence
Rebuttal of evidence
Determination of guilt or innocence
Presentation of information relative to penalty (if appropriate)
Rebuttal of information relative to penalty (if appropriate)
Determination of recommended penalty (if appropriate)
Adjournment

The Hearing Board shall consider all evidence presented to it, determine guilt or innocence and, if appropriate, make a recommendation to the College President relative to an appropriate penalty.

Penalties may include, but are not limited to:

a. Denial of access to computer resources for a definite or indefinite period of time.
b. Suspension for a definite or indefinite period of time.
c. Dismissal from the College.
d. In the case of a student who has withdrawn from college, denial of readmission.

If because of a tie vote, the Hearing board is unable to make a single recommendation, the Board shall summarize its findings and present alternative recommendations to the President.

Overall management of the disciplinary process shall be the responsibility of the Dean of Students. The Dean shall ensure that each student who is charged with violation of this procedure shall have the following procedural rights:

a. Be provided a written statement regarding the nature of the problem and evidence related hereto.
b. Be advised of the date and place of the hearing at least three instructional days in advance.
c. Be advised that he/she is entitled to be represented and advised by a person of his or her choice.
d. Be advised of the procedure to be followed during the hearing, including the right of the student to review any material presented to the Board, and to either participate or to remain silent.
e. The right to appeal the recommendation of the Hearing Board directly to the College President.

Statement of Non-Discrimination

Genesee computer systems shall not be used for transmission of information that promotes:

discrimination on the basis of age, marital status, veteran status, national origin, race, creed, color, gender, religion, disability or sexual orientation;
sexual harassment;
copyright infringement;
personal political beliefs;
personal business interests; or
any unlawful activity.

Statement of Privacy and Confidentiality

Network and system managers will treat the contents of electronic files as private and confidential. Any deliberate inspection of electronic files, and action based on such inspection, will be governed by all applicable U.S. and New York laws and by College policies.
Electronic mail at Genesee is as private as possible. Attempts to read another person’s electronic mail or other protected files will be treated with the utmost seriousness. The system managers will not read mail or non-world-readable files unless absolutely necessary in the course of their duties, and will treat the contents of those files as private information at all times.
All users should be on notice that the system managers do periodic security checks of Genesee systems including, but not limited to, password and file checks.
The system may have utilities or operating procedures which disclose student information; users can control this information in a manner consistent with other sources of directory information. The College will provide students with the information necessary to exercise their FERPA rights and suppress directory information.
As a part of system maintenance, Computer Services may run programs that examine user files and transmission of data. This will not be construed as a deliberate inspection of user files or data.

User Responsibilities

Users of Genesee computing resources have the following responsibilities:

Users are expected to comply with all hardware and software licensing agreements. Software is licensed by the College for users and may be subject to limitations.
Users are expected to make no unauthorized attempts to gain access to any account not belonging to the user on any Genesee system. Any suspected unauthorized use of a user account should be reported immediately to the Director of Academic Computing or the Director of Computer Services.
Users are expected not to use any Genesee system as a staging ground to crack (or break into) other computer systems.
Users are expected not to use any Genesee system through unauthorized dial-up access.
Users are expected not to use any Genesee system for illegal or criminal purposes.
All users are responsible for their own telecommunications access charges, if any.
Any user who finds a possible security hole on any Genesee system is obliged to report it to the Director of Academic Computing or the Director of Computer Services.
Users are responsible for all use of their accounts, including choosing safe passwords and ensuring file protections are set correctly.
Access is granted to individuals, not groups of individuals; passwords are not to be shared under any circumstances.
Keep in mind that many people use the Genesee system for day to day work. Obstructing this work by consuming large amounts of system resources (disk space, CPU time) or be deliberately crashing the machine(s) will not be tolerated. Users are asked to clean up disk space and/or stop processes except in emergencies.
Genesee computer technology facilities and resources are not to be used for commercial purposes or non-College related activities.
Users are responsible for the integrity of their own data. Where appropriate, users need to make back-up copies of their data files.
Genesee computing resources are not to be used to transmit any communication where the meaning of the message, or its transmission or distribution, would violate any applicable law or regulation or be obscene, abusive or highly offensive or objectionable to the recipient or recipients thereof.
Users are expected to avoid offensive of inflammatory speech. Users must respect the rights of others in the local user community and the Internet at large. Personal attacks are an unacceptable use of the network. If you are a victim of a “flame,” take the time to respond rationally; seek assistance from Computer Services staff, if necessary.
Users are expected to avoid the knowing or inadvertent spread of computer viruses. Do not import files from unknown sources. If you do obtain software from remote sources, follow proper procedure to check for viruses before use. Virus scanning software is available from the Computer Services department.
Impersonation is not permitted. Real names must be used; pseudonyms are not allowed. Anonymity is not allowed; individuals must take responsibility for their action and words.
Users are not allowed to run “sniffers;” these are computer programs that search computer networks for information such as users ids and passwords.
Users are not to share their passwords with anyone under any circumstances. Users who are asked for their passwords are to report the request immediately to the Director of Academic Computing or the Director of Computer Services.

Repeating Courses

Students may repeat a course for which credit has been received with a grade of A- or lower. If a higher grade is earned upon repeating a course, only the higher of the two grades will be computed to determine a cumulative grade point average (GPA), although both grades will be recorded on transcripts. A student may not repeat a course for which he or she has already received an “A” grade.

No course may be repeated solely in order to increase the number of credits earned in courses where the credit hours have been changed. The course will only be counted once toward graduation requirements and computation of total hours earned.

Full-time students who elect to repeat a course for which credit has already been received should register for 12 credit hours relevant to their degree program in addition to the repeated course in order to remain eligible for TAP awards. Full-time students who register for remedial courses should also register for at least six credits of non-remedial credit courses. However, during the first term of funding, a full-time student need only register for at least three credits of non-remedial credit courses. Students at community colleges are eligible for a total of six semesters of TAP funding.

Student Academic Appeals

Students having a complaint concerning an academic matter (for example, a course grade, graduation requirements, transfer credit) may grieve the complaint as follows. (Academic probation status appeals use a separate appeals process.)

Before the appeal process begins the student must discuss the complaint with the faculty or staff member whose action prompted the complaint. If the complaint is not resolved at this point, the student must then discuss the complaint with the appropriate academic director or supervising dean. When a complaint is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, (s)he may appeal to the Academic Standards Committee of the Academic Senate for a decision on the complaint (The appeals chair will verify that these discussions have taken place or facilitate them.)

The student must initiate contact with the Academic Standards Committee by submitting a Request to Appeal form either electronically via the Genesee Community College website or by U.S. mail addressed to: Office of the Associate Vice President for Student Success, ATTN.: Academic Standards Committee. The form can be found at http://faculty.freoreport.net/senate/appeal.htm, or a copy may be obtained from the Office of the Associate Vice President for Student Success. A copy of the appeal form will be forwarded to the Academic Standards Committee Appeals Chair, the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the course instructor. There is a fifteen day statute of limitations to initiate contact with the Academic Standards Committee on all student academic appeal issues. This statute of limitations period begins on the first day of the next full semester (Fall or Spring) following the post date of the disputed grade. Exceptions to this statute of limitations may be made on a case by case basis. This decision will be made by the appeals chair.
The student will be contacted by the Academic Standards Appeals Chair and the appeal process will begin. Copies of the appeal procedure details are available in the Office of the Vice President of Student and Enrollment Services.
Decisions of the Academic Standards Committee may be appealed by the student to the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. The decision by the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs will be final.

How to File a Complaint with the New York State Dept. of Education

Section 494 C (j) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, provides that a student, faculty member, or any other person who believes he or she has been aggrieved by an institution of higher education has the right to file a written complaint.

In New York State, a complaint may be filed by any person with reason to believe that an institution has acted contrary to its published standards or that conditions at the institution appear to jeopardize the quality of the institution’s instructional programs or the general welfare of its students. Any person who believes he or she has been aggrieved by an institution on or after May 4, 1994, may file a written complaint with the New York State Department of Education within three years of the alleged incident, after first trying to resolve the complaint directly with the institution by following the internal procedures provided by the institution. Genesee Community College has developed complaint procedures that are on file in the Office of the Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services. To receive information on these procedures, or to receive advice on filing a formal complaint, please contact the Office of the Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services.

Online Learning Complaint

Genesee Community College desires to resolve student grievances, complaints and concerns in an expeditious, fair and amicable manner. Students residing outside of the State of New York while attending GCC who desire to resolve a grievance should follow the College’s student grievance procedure in the Student Handbook.

However, if an issue cannot be resolved internally, you can contact the New York State Department of Education. The Office of College and University Evaluation handles only those complaints that concern educational programs or practices of degree-granting institutions that are subject to the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, with the exceptions noted below.

The Office does not handle anonymous complaints.
The Office does not intervene in matters concerning an individual’s grades or examination results, as these are the prerogative of the college’s faculty.
The Office does not handle complaints concerning actions that occurred more than five years ago.
The Office does not intervene in matters that are or have been in litigation.

This statement is in compliance with U. S. Department of Education’s Program Integrity Regulations related to State Authorization.