Student General Policies


Quick Links Page Navigation:


Student Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of every student to conduct him/herself in a manner fitting an academic environment. In most cases, the exercise of good sense and judgment prevail. The following acts as set forth by Louisiana Legislative Act and LCTCS Board of Supervisors policy are contrary to acceptable conduct. Any student who commits or attempts to commit any acts such as, but not limited to, the following, will be subject to disciplinary proceedings:

  • Intentional obstruction or disruption of teaching, research, administration, disciplinary procedure, or other authorized college event.
  • Unauthorized entry into or unauthorized occupation of any college facility.
  • Physical abuse or threat thereof against any person on campus or at any college-authorized event, or other conduct which threatens or endangers the health and safety of any such person.
  • Theft or damage to personal property or to the property of the College.
  • Intentional interference with the right of access to College facilities or with any lawful right of any person on the campus.
  • Setting a fire on campus without proper authority.
  • Unauthorized use or possession of firearms, ammunition, or other dangerous weapons, substances, or materials on the campus.
  • Academic dishonesty, such as cheating or plagiarism.
  • Knowingly furnishing false information to the College.
  • Forgery, alteration, or misuse of college documents, records or identification;
  • Use, possession or distribution of narcotic or dangerous drugs such as marijuana, hallucinogens, and other drugs which are not prescribed or expressly permitted by law.
  • Failure to comply with the directives of Campus officials and law enforcement officers acting in performance of their duties or to identify oneself to these officers when requested to do so.
  • Conduct which adversely affects the student's suitability as a member of the academic community (such as drunkenness, use of profanity, or disorderly conduct).
  • Aiding or inciting others to commit any act set forth above.
  • Smoking or Vaping in any College facility or on college property.
  • Gambling in any form on college property.
  • Use or possession of any alcoholic beverage on campus except at functions as approved by the Chancellor.
  • Misuse or Abuse of Computer Equipment, Programs, or Data - Unauthorized use of computing resources or use of computing resources for unauthorized purposes is prohibited. This may include but is not limited to such activities as accessing or copying programs, records, or data belonging to the College or another user without permission; attempting to breach the security of another user's account or deprive another user of access to the College's computing resources; knowingly or carelessly performing an act that will interfere with the normal operation of computers, terminals, peripherals, or networks; using the College's computing resources for personal or financial gain; allowing non-college personnel access to college computing resources; displaying obscene, lewd, or sexually harassing images or text in use of college computing services; transporting copies of College programs, records, or data to another person or computer site without written authorization; attempting to destroy or modify programs, records or data belonging to the College or another user.

Live-Work Policy

As part of their training, students may be involved in actual “live-work” projects in which competency skills are taught. The College maintains this policy for work done under this premise:

  1. Work is limited to property of students, College employees, civic enterprises, and charitable organizations.
  2. Requests for work must be approved by the instructor, who will assign a student to the project and note competencies/courses of instruction to be addressed.
  3. The Dean of Campus Administration must approve the request.
  4. All costs involved in the work (parts, supplies, etc.) must be borne and provided by persons requesting the work.
  5. The student performing the work, the instructor supervising the work, or the College will not be liable for losses that might occur in connection with the work.
  6. Work Order Request forms are available in the Administrative Office and/or from the program instructor.

Parking and Traffic Policy

Northshore Technical Community College will provide adequate parking space for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors. NTCC will also provide adequate handicap parking and enforce its proper use.

Regulations

  • Vehicles are to yield to pedestrians at all times.
  • All vehicles on campus must comply with all city ordinances and state laws relating to motor vehicles.
  • Specialty or oversize vehicles may only park in special designated areas by special arrangement with the NTCC campus.
  • Any vehicle receiving three or more parking citations can be towed at the owner's expense.
  • Parking hours are 7:00 am to 10:00 pm Monday through Friday.
  • A visitor to campus is defined as a person who is not affiliated with the NTCC as an employee or student. This definition excludes those persons, including spouses and family members, who operate a vehicle on campus for the benefit or convenience of any employee or a student. A visitor who receives a ticket must contact the phone number on the ticket
  • Loading zones are designated by signs. These locations are closed to parking except by authorized vehicles at all times. Except for commercial vehicles making deliveries and authorized NTCC vehicles, no one may legally operate or park a vehicle in a loading zone without special permission from the NTCC campus. Flashers must be on at all times when parked in loading zones.
  • Parking on a red curb is prohibited at all times. Any vehicle parked, stopped, or standing at any time by a red curb will be ticketed and/or towed.
  • Parking at yellow curbs, on or over yellow lines, or at blue curbs, curb cuts, and ramps reserved for the use of wheelchairs is prohibited at all times, to ensure pedestrian and vehicular safety by providing better visibility. Any vehicle parked, stopped, or standing at a blue curb, cut out, or ramp will be ticketed and/or towed.
  • Reserved parking spaces, designated by signs or curb lettering, are open only to the person for whom the space has been designated or to a specific vehicle owned by the NTCC. Unauthorized vehicles parked in reserved spaces and/or areas will be ticket and/or towed.
  • Only students or employees who have a handicapped/disabled automobile license plate or placard will be eligible for a handicapped parking space. A student may be eligible for a special medical parking if she or he has a temporary medical problem that affects walking. This temporary medical permit may be issued after obtaining appropriate certification from a physician and will be issued a temporary medical permit for a stated period of time. Students needing any additional information about medical parking should contact the NTCC campus.
  • All parking rules are in effect during special events unless authorized by a NTCC official. Some areas may be designated as temporary special event parking.

Violations

Traffic and parking violations on campus will result in the issuance of a traffic citation, towing of the vehicle, and/or banning the individual from operating a vehicle on campus.

Citations are written for violations of the NTCC traffic and parking regulations that are not violations of state law include the following:

  • Parking, stopping, or standing in a space reserved for the handicapped/disabled or at a curb cut or ramp marked blue or signed for wheelchairs.
  • Parking out of an individual’s designated zone.
  • Parking, stopping or standing in a fire lane marked with a red curb or storage of a motor vehicle that would cause NTCC to be in violation of the Fire Marshal regulations, parking in such way as to create a hazard or restrict normal vehicular traffic or parking, e.g., parking in the travel portion of a street or the travel lane of a parking lot or an entrance to a parking lot, parking in a service drive not marked for parking, parking in a loading zone, at any place marked “tow away,” at a yellow curb or area, in a reserved space, marked “no parking.”
  • Driving or parking on the lawn, sidewalk, grass areas, or any other area not marked or authorized for motor vehicle parking.
  • Failure to park evenly between lines or parking more than one foot from the header or curb.
  • Occupying more than one parking space.
  • Careless driving, e.g., speeding, backing into a traffic sign, light pole, etc.
  • Stopping or parking in a traffic circle.
  • Any hazardous parking or operation of a vehicle not specifically listed as a NTCC citation.

Fines

Citations for violating NTCC regulations are subject to the following:

  • All violations result in a $5.00 fine per violation.
  • All violations are subject to vehicle tow.
  • All violations are subject to student grades being withheld.
  • All violations are subject to a ban from driving on NTCC property.

Vehicle Ban

Flagrant violations of the NTCC regulations may result in vehicle ban, which is the loss of the privilege to operate a vehicle on a NTCC campus. A vehicle ban can be issued based on the following:

  • Any combination of the NTCC citations totaling three or more, with the duration of the ban to be determined by the facts of each individual case. Once an individual is banned, the total number of unpaid fines must be paid to have the ban lifted.
  • Failure to give the correct information to a NTCC campus.

Appeals

Any appeal must be made in a timely manner to the Dean of Campus Administration during normal business hours.  Appeals of tows made after the vehicle has been released must be made on the next business day. NTCC citations may be appealed through the NTCC hearing process, provided that such appeals are filed in writing with the NTCC office within seven calendar days. Failure to file an appeal within the time frame will result in the loss of the right to appeal.

Bicycles

Regulations have been established to provide for the orderly movement and parking of bicycles on campus. In using bicycles on campus, the rights and safety of others should be considered at all time.

  • Bicycle riders are subject to the same rules as motor vehicle operators and should ride on the left side of the street, obey all traffic signs, and give hand signals.
  • Bicycles will not be ridden on sidewalks and lawns.
  • Bicycles will be parked in bicycle racks or in other designated parking areas.
  • Bicycles may not be operated or parked inside buildings, on sidewalks, in passageways to buildings, in any location impeding pedestrian and vehicular movement, or in such a way to create a hazard.
  • Bicycles will be chained only to bicycle racks.
  • Persons violating bicycle regulations will be ticketed and fined. Severe violations may result in the bicycle being impounded.

NTCC is not responsible for the theft or vandalism in NTCC parking lots; students, faculty, staff, and visitors are urged to lock their vehicles at all times while parked on campus.

Student Records and Data

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended (FERPA), ensures students access to their educational records maintained by the College, Region or technical college campuses and prohibits the release of personally identifiable information from these records without the student’s permission, except as specified by law. Only parties with the right to receive educational records pursuant to this policy and identified as such shall be entitled to receive the information.

A student is any individual for whom the College maintains an educational record; the term does not extend to a person who applies for admission until he/she has actually attended within the College.

An individual claiming a student as his/her dependent shall provide to Student Affairs an affidavit satisfactorily stating that the student whose records are requested is a dependent of the affiant, as defined by Section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. At the College’s discretion, a copy of the IRS Form 1040 may be appropriate. Parents of dependent students have the same rights to access as do students, as noted above.

Educational Records

Records are those records directly related to a student and are maintained by the College or a party acting for the College. The term does not include:

  • Records of faculty members, deans, directors, or other College personnel which are in the sole possession of the maker and are not accessible to or revealed to any other individual except a temporary substitute for the maker of the record;
  • Records of physicians, psychologists, and other professional persons who provide professional services to the student which are part of the program of instruction of the program area and which are not disclosed to anyone without the student’s consent;
  • Records containing only information relating to a person, after that person was no longer a student of the College or the campus.

Personally Identifiable Data

This information is that which, when associated with an educational record, allows the record to be identified with a specific person. This information includes:

  • The name of the student, the student’s parent or other family member, the address of the student or student’s family.
  • A personal identifier, such as a Social Security number or student number.
  • A list of personal characteristics which would make the student’s identity easily traceable or other information which would make the student’s identity easily traceable.

Directory Data

This information is available to the public or specified sectors, which may or may not be published in the Student Directory or other publications. Directory information is defined as follows:

  • Student’s name, local address, and telephone number
  • Student’s home address
  • Student’s email address
  • Date/place of student’s birth
  • Student’s major field of study/classification
  • Dates of student’s attendance
  • Degrees, awards, and honors received by student
  • Most recent or previous educational institution attended by the student

Student Request to Withhold Release of Information

Students who wish to withhold any information in these categories should complete a form available in Student Affairs by the seventh class day in any semester and indicate which items should not be considered directory information. The hold will remain in effect until the student requests that it be lifted. Only currently enrolled students may place a hold on the release of directory information. To gain access to their educational records, students must submit a written request which identifies, as precisely as possible, the record(s) the students wish to inspect, or students must provide adequate personal identification to Student Affairs.

Search And Seizure

Lockers and desks are the property of NTCC and are loaned to students for the purpose of assisting them in obtaining an education. As the property of the College, they are subject to search for any contraband at any time upon the reasonable belief of the Dean of Campus Administration that said lockers and desks may contain material which is not allowed on the campus. Bringing a tool box and operating a motor vehicle are privileges granted to students. The granting of these privileges is conditioned upon the consent of the students to a search by the College administration of said tool boxes or motor vehicles that may be on campus in order to determine if said tool boxes or motor vehicles contain material which is not allowed on the campus.

This search and seizure policy applies to materials such as weapons, illegal substances or drugs, alcoholic beverages, and other similar material. Local law enforcement authorities may be included in this process if the Dean of Campus Administration determines a need for such involvement.

Sexual Harassment Definition And Policy

By definition, sexual harassment is any unsolicited, non-reciprocal behavior that emphasizes an individual's sexuality over her/his function as a worker. On this campus, the potential of sexual harassment exists among students, faculty, and staff. It is the objective of to establish and enforce policies that build a work site where all employees and students are treated fairly and can perform job assignments in a non-threatening environment.

All training programs are open to members of either sex without regard to the traditional sexual identification associated with the occupation. Students are encouraged to consider enrollment in non-traditional training programs.

Any individual who feels that he/she has reason to file a charge of sexual harassment against another member of the college community should meet with the Dean of Campus Administration within seven days of the occurrence of the incident and receive the Human Resources Policy regarding harassment. Posters regarding harassment are posted throughout the campus. Sexual harassment complaints will be processed in accordance with the procedures outlined for grievances. Please visit our NTCC Campus Sexual Violence Prevention page for more information regarding sexual harassment and sexual violence.

Substance Abuse And Drug-Free Policy

Northshore Technical Community College strictly adheres to the "Student Drug-Free School Policy for Technical College System" established by the LCTCS Board of Supervisors.

NTCC assumes that students have developed mature behavior patterns, positive attitudes, and acceptable conduct conducive to this environment. Therefore, we are committed to maintaining a safe and healthy college free from the influence of substance abuse. As a result, each facility has been designated a Drug/Alcohol-Free Zone. In addition, NTCC complies with the requirements of the Federal Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Drug-Free Institute and Communities Act Amendment of 1989.

Each new student is given the following information during new student orientation:

  • NTCC’s policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace and campus.
  • Statement that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession, or use of a controlled substance is prohibited on campus property or as part of any of its activities.
  • Description of health risks associated with the use of illicit drugs and the abuse of alcohol.
  • Listing of area rehabilitation, treatment, and counseling services.
  • A clear statement that the College will impose disciplinary sanctions on students and employees (consistent with local, state and federal law) and a description of those sanctions, up to and including expulsion or termination of employment/student status, and referral for prosecution, for violations of the standards of conduct (a disciplinary sanction may include the completion of an appropriate rehabilitation program).

Weapons on Campus

With the exception of duly authorized law enforcement officers, carrying a firearm or dangerous weapon by anyone on campus property, at campus-sponsored functions, or in a firearm-free zone is unlawful, and violators shall be subject to criminal charges and campus discipline.  Zero tolerance policy applies on each campus within NTCC.

Visitors

Visitors are welcome and are invited to visit the college. Each visitor must sign in with the administrative office before touring the college or visiting classes. A visitor’s pass will be issued and returned at the end of the visit. Visitors must adhere to safety policies. Since classes are in progress, visitors should make child care arrangements for small children.