Know your rights and responsibilities

As a first generation or low income college student, it is very important to understand your rights and responsibilities as a student at your college. Generally speaking, every school is going to have some rules or regulations students are expected to stick by.

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These rules can be called a code of conduct, honor code, list of expectations, or another name specific to your campus. Either way, these standards are in place to make your college a safe place and learning space for all students, staff, faculty, and community members.

Along with the rules, come your rights and responsibilities as a student. Chances are you know your Miranda Rights better than your rights as a student. To learn the rules and your rights and responsibilities, review your school's general catalog, go to the judicial affairs or conduct office, or speak to an advisor.

As a college student, you should be honest, behave yourself inside and outside of the classroom, and have integrity concerning your academic work. Basically, don't lie, cheat, steal, make stuff up, or otherwise break the rules. In fact, don't even think about breaking the rules.

It is ALWAYS better to know your rights and responsibilities beforehand rather then trying to figure them out once things are going wrong. Ignorance is never a defense for behaving badly.

Knowing your rights and responsibilities is your best bet to protect yourself, so empower yourself with knowledge!

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.