Pierce has guidelines to enforce the code of conduct. Students can express themselves, however, they must be wary of crossing the line, according to campus officials.
Dean of Student Services William Marmolejo said that procedures exist. If an instructor thinks that a student creating an unsafe environment, they are consequences.
“They guidelines are there for a reason so that we can create a safe environment where students could learn and express themselves,” Marmolejo said.
Marmolejo said if students feel threatened, then the threat needs to be removed. He said students should respect each other.
“Each instructor has their own domain, and they should issue warnings to students in the classroom and have a conversation before they kick the student out,” Marmolejo said. “It’s OK to express different opinions, but as long as everyone is civil, cordial and respectful to each other.”
Vice President of Student Services Earic Dixon-Peters said they have regulations that aid student success.
“In a community, we operate laws, policies, regulations and processes to make sure we are moving in the right direction for success,” Dixon-Peters said. “When there is a breach of that agreement, there are consequences and a process. There is an action and responsibility that impacts people, and those people who are impacted, need to have justice.”
Dixon-Peters said it is important to have a conversation with misbehaving students to understand the reasons for that behavior.
For example, if a student plagiarizes in an academic setting, there is a conversation about why the student did that to evaluate if the student is proven guilty, Dixon-Peters said.
“Hopefully, the learning that happens in the conversation will help address some of the issues about why the person felt the need to plagiarized,” Dixon-Peters said.
Dixon-Peters said their obligations are to provide a safe place, and they are responsible for protecting students’ right to learn.
“It should be a safe place to debate where discussion is appropriate and conducive to learning and growing,” Dixon-Peters said. “When you have breaches of violations that is not congruent to the purpose and intent in the environment, then we have a responsibility to hold people accountable for holding students who have the right to learn.”
Chairman of the History, Humanities, Philosophy and Sociology James McKeever said there are rules for students to learn and keep things fair.
“For a society to function, there are certain rules that students and faculty must follow. Not to be harsh, but discipline is necessary for students to learn. If two students are competing to go to UCLA, and the student cheated gets in, that isn’t fair,” McKeever said.