General Information and Policies

Evening and Off-Campus Offerings

The College is operational both day and evening. Working students can fit coursework around their work schedules and, in some programs, can complete all work toward a diploma or degree by attending classes only in the evening. The College also has off-campus classes, which include both credit and non-credit courses.

Visitors

Visitors and prospective students are always welcome at Mayland Community College. Group tours may be scheduled through Student Services 828.766.1234 or 1.800.4.MAYLAND. Members of the Student Services staff and student ambassadors conduct tours and answer questions about programs. Visitors must register at College entrances upon arrival to campus.

Operating Hours

When classes are in session:

• Administrative Offices and all service offices are open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am—5:00 pm and Friday, 8:00 am—4:00 pm.
• The Student Services Office is open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am—5:00 pm and Friday, 8:00 am—4:00 pm.
• The Bookstore is open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am—6:00 pm and Friday, 8:00 am—4:00 pm.
• Instructor office hours are posted on their office doors at the beginning of each academic term.

Health Services and Emergency Procedures

Mayland Community College has no facilities or personnel for medical treatment other than for minor first aid and assumes no financial responsibility for injuries or sickness of students.

First Aid kits are located in the following locations:

• Gwaltney Hall— front desk of the main lobby (switchboard), LRC (Circulation Desk), Student Services window, and Biology Lab
• Samuel Phillips Building— faculty lounge (2nd floor), Office of Economic and Workforce Development suite entrance, and Cosmetology department
• Public Safety Building— BLET Department and Horticulture Department
• Allied Technology Building— first and second floors
• Welding Building
• The Center for Crafts and Construction Trades
• The Avery Learning Center
• The Yancey Learning Center

Solicitation Policy

It is the policy of MCC and its Foundation to secure private gifts—whether in cash, securities, tangible or planned/estate gifts—that relate directly to the purpose of the College and assist the College in fulfilling its purpose. Gifts that do not relate directly to this purpose will not be accepted.

All institutional fundraising will be the function of the Mayland Community College Foundation. However, the College shall, as practicable, maintain a separate office for the specific purpose of grant writing. The Foundation shall collaborate with the grant office as appropriate.

Any external fundraising activities that departments, divisions, or student groups wish to undertake must be approved by the Executive Director of the MCC Foundation or the College President to ensure that such activities relate directly to the purpose of the College, and do not conflict with other fundraising activities or plans. Upon approval for external fundraising activities, directions for proper acknowledgement will be issued by the Executive Director. Internal fundraising events, such as club activities during student functions and sales to internal faculty, staff, and students should be approved by the appropriate division head.

All special events, which relate to fundraising will be approved by the President. Generally, all events will be planned and executed by the Mayland Community Foundation.

All fundraising receipts (with exception of those generated by student clubs for their internal use), including those for tangible gifts, must be submitted to the Mayland Community College Foundation to ensure that proper acknowledgement is made to the donor and that appropriate records are maintained. Student Clubs must submit all receipts to the business office and submit a list of all external donors (non-College employees or students) to the Foundation office with donation amounts.

The solicitation of sales, or actual sale, of products and articles on any College property, whether owned or leased by the College, is prohibited except as specific authorization may be granted by the President or such person to whom the President may delegate the duty. The authorization may restrict the times, places, and manners of on-campus solicitation or any other limitation determined to be a reasonable limitation and may provide a general authorization for the sale of products as part of a general fundraising project for a charitable or civic organization (e.g., Girl Scout cookie sales, Boy Scout popcorn sales, etc.).

In no event shall the name of Mayland Community College or its Board of Trustees be used to solicit contributions, or for any other purpose or through any means without the expressed written consent of the President or such person to whom the President may delegate the duty.

It is not the intent of this policy to limit or prohibit the distribution or public dissemination of free materials or information to students, faculty and staff regarding religious or non-religious speech. The Board of Trustees authorizes the President to establish public areas within the College grounds as public forums, where these materials may be posted or made available, and to establish days on which such materials may be distributed.

Facilities Use Policy

Mayland Community College makes its facilities available for civic, cultural, educational, and/or recreational activities as authorized by the President or his or her designee. Details are available upon request from the office of the Vice President of Administrative Services.

Information Technology (IT) Acceptable Use Policy

The purpose of this policy is to establish acceptable and unacceptable use of information technology resources at Mayland Community College in conjunction with its established culture of lawful and ethical behavior, trust, openness, and integrity.

Acceptable and Unacceptable Uses

IT resources owned and/or operated or services provided or subscribed to by MCC, hardwired and wireless, are intended for the use of MCC students, faculty, staff, and other authorized individuals for purposes directly related to instruction and business operations.

It is not acceptable to use MCC IT resources:

• For any purposes prohibited by federal or state law,
• For commercial gain or profit,
• To create or propagate computerized viruses, malware, or spyware,
• To access, display, make accessible, play, publish, or transmit any annoying (i.e. spamming), discriminatory, Indecent, lewd, obscene, pornographic, offensive, racist, sexist, threatening or harassing language, and/or materials,
• To transfer copyrighted materials to or from any information resource, except as permitted by law or by written agreement with the owner of the copyright,
• To attempt to obtain unauthorized computer access or privileges or to attempt to trespass in the files, folders, or work of another individual,
• To conduct any activity that could cause a security breach or disrupt service,
• For snooping (i.e., obtaining access to the files or electronic mail of others for the purpose of satisfying idle curiosity with no substantial College business purpose),
• For spoofing (i.e., constructing an electronic communication so it appears to be from someone else),
• For phishing (i.e., attempting to gain confidential information by using fraudulent emails or other electronic communications).

Due to the possibility of configuration errors, virus infections, etc., personally owned devices, such as laptop computers may not be attached to any wired port on the MCC network. Only those devices owned and managed by MCC will be allowed to connect to the MCC wired local area network. Further, it is not permissible to deliberately attempt to damage and/or sabotage IT resources or to perform port scans.

Reservation of Rights and Limits of Liability

MCC reserves all rights in the use and operation of its IT resources, including the right to monitor and inspect electronic files, resources, and/or computer support services, or to terminate service at any time or for any reason without notice.

Electronic Mail and Voice Messaging

Only MCC faculty, staff, students, and other persons who have received permission from the appropriate College authority are authorized users of the College's electronic mail and voice messaging systems and resources.

The use of College resources for electronic mail and voice messaging must be related to College business, including academic pursuits. Incidental and occasional personal use of electronic mail and voice messaging may occur when such use does not generate a direct cost for the College. All uses of electronic mail and voice messaging utilizing MCC IT resources are subject to the provisions of this policy.

MCC will make reasonable efforts to maintain the integrity and effective operation of its electronic mail and voice messaging systems, but users are advised that those systems should in no way be regarded as a secure medium for the communication of sensitive or confidential information.

The College will not monitor electronic mail or voice messages as a routine matter, but it may do so to the extent permitted by law as the College deems necessary for purposes of maintaining the integrity and effective operation of the College’s electronic mail and voice messaging systems. Any user of the College’s electronic mail resources who makes use of an encryption device to restrict or inhibit access to his or her electronic mail must provide access to such encrypted communications when requested to do so under appropriate College authority.

To the extent permitted by law, the College reserves the right to access and disclose the contents of faculty’s, staff’s, students’, and other users’ electronic mail and voice messages without the consent of the user. The College will do so when it believes it has a legitimate business need including, but not limited to, those listed below and only after explicit authorization is obtained from the appropriate College authority.

• In the course of an investigation triggered by indications of misconduct or misuse.
• As needed to protect health and safety.
• As needed to prevent interference with the academic mission.
• As needed to locate substantive information required for College business that is not more readily available by some other means.

The College will inspect and disclose the contents of electronic mail and voice messages when such action is necessary to respond to legal processes and to fulfill the College’s obligations to third parties.

Public Inspection and Archiving

Electronic mail and voice messaging of students may constitute “education records” subject to the provisions of the federal statute known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. The College may access, inspect, and disclose such records under conditions that are set forth in the statute.

North Carolina law provides that communications of College personnel that are sent by electronic mail and voice messaging may constitute correspondence and, therefore, may be considered public records subject to public inspection under NC General Statutes 121 and 132.

Electronic files, including electronic mail and voice messaging, that are considered to be public records are to be retained, archived, and/or disposed of in accordance with current guidelines established by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.

Privacy of Student Records Procedure

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records (An eligible student under FERPA is a student who is eighteen (18) years of age or older or who attends a postsecondary institution at any age.)

These rights include:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within forty-five (45) days after the day the College receives a request for access. A student should submit to the Office of Admissions, Records, and Registration a written request that identifies the records the student wishes to inspect. The College official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the school official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. A student who wishes to ask the school to amend a record should write the school official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.
3. The College may disclose education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official typically includes a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A College official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an educational record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. When a student turns eighteen (18) years old or enters a postsecondary institution at any age, all rights afforded to parents under FERPA transfer to the student. If a student wishes to share his or her information with a parent, guardian, other person or agency, he or she must sign a Permission to Release Information form with the Office of Admissions, Records, and Registration, identifying what information and with whom he or she wishes to share it. Students may also request a block of release of information through the Office of Admissions, Records, and Registration. At its discretion, the College may disclose directory information in accordance with the provisions of FERPA to include: student name; address and phone number; major field of study; dates of attendance; dates and place of birth; degrees, honors, and awards received; college email address; photograph; participation in officially recognized activities; enrollment status; and previous schools attended. Upon request, the school may also disclose education records without consent to officials of another school in, which a student seeks or intends to enroll and to certain other entities as stipulated under FERPA guidelines. Details on release of information exceptions may be found in section 99.31 of the guidelines.
4. The College will notify students each year regarding students’ rights under FERPA and the College’s policy on release of information.
5. Students have the right to file a complaint with the US Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA by writing to:

   Family Policy Compliance Office
   U.S. Department of Education
   400 Maryland Avenue
   S.W. Washington, DC 20202-4605

Communicable Disease Policy

It is the policy of Mayland Community College that individuals who have or are perceived to have a communicable disease or communicable condition shall receive fair and impartial treatment in all aspects of employment, administration of benefits, class attendance, and College functions. In the case of an individual having a communicable disease or a communicable condition, employment or enrollment shall only be denied, terminated, or restricted where it can be reasonably expected, given the condition of the individual and the known or reasonably suspected methods and manner of exposure that there exists a real likelihood of transmission or infection to third parties by reason of continued or unrestricted employment or enrollment.

Persons who know or who have reason to believe they are infected with a communicable disease or communicable condition have an ethical and legal obligation to conduct themselves in accordance with such knowledge in order to protect themselves and others. An individual who knows or who has a reasonable basis for believing that he or she may be infected with a communicable disease or communicable condition is encouraged to obtain a medical diagnosis of their condition and share the results of the diagnosis with the Director of Human Resources and/or the President.

No medical information relative to an individual’s condition shall be disclosed without that individual’s permission, except as required by state and/or federal law or in an adversarial proceeding between the College and an individual whose employment or enrollment has been affected by reason of conditions stated in above. In addition to safeguarding confidential medical information against disclosure within the College, medical information shall be restricted to those with a legitimate interest, and the administration shall ensure that access and dissemination is properly restricted to faculty and staff in the line of supervision, health care, and legal advisors restricted by confidentiality, and the Board of Trustees in closed session.

The College reserves the right to require an individual to undergo a medical examination by a physician or health professional chosen by the College whenever there is a question of the individual’s fitness to attend classes and/or work or where there is a reasonable basis for concern that an individual’s condition could pose health or safety hazards for other persons. If an individual is diagnosed as having a communicable disease or communicable condition, which poses health or safety hazards to others, the College will make every effort to provide reasonable accommodations to allow the individual to continue work or study.

Inclement Weather Policy

MCC will close when prevailing weather conditions are such that travel is deemed to be hazardous. The following procedure has been developed to facilitate the communication of information regarding College operations during such periods.

The decision to postpone or cancel any activity at MCC will be made by the President. The decision will be made and communicated as quickly as possible. However, the unpredictable nature of mountain weather may require that changes in the schedule be made quickly and on short notice.

In all periods of inclement weather, students, faculty, and staff are reminded to use good judgment when making travel decisions. Life and safety are to be the primary considerations.

While individuals are expected to give due consideration to their responsibilities for attendance, the College recognizes and expects that adults must ultimately make their own decisions about attendance and accept the responsibility for them.

Depending on weather conditions prevailing in the majority of the College service area, the following options will be employed relative to college operations:

• Option A: Operate on a regular schedule with no delay.
• Option B: Operate on a delayed schedule with all personnel reporting and classes beginning at 10:00 am.
• Option C: Classes on a normal schedule with all personnel reporting and classes beginning at 12:00 pm.
• Option D: The College is closed for students, faculty, and staff at all locations.

Weather-related schedule adjustments will be communicated by the Director of Marketing through the following:

Closing or delaying day classes does not automatically close evening classes. Evening classes will normally either be held on a regular schedule or canceled during inclement weather. Announcements will be communicated to local and regional radio and television stations no later than 4:00 pm concerning evening classes. Information will also be available on the College’s automated telephone answering system 828.766.1213, the College website www.mayland.edu, and LEO ReGroup text messages.

MCC recognizes its obligation to deliver the instructional services for which its students have paid tuition and fees. Therefore, the College will make a good faith effort to make up all classes that are missed due to inclement weather in accordance with North Carolina Community College System numbered memo CC-11-001. Adjustments in the College calendar for days missed may be made at the end of the academic term in accordance with the provisions of NCCCS memorandum CC-11-001.