Student Rights and Responsibilities

Know your rights, act responsibly

Conestoga College's student rights and responsibilities outline expectations for how our community interacts.

Students can expect to learn and work in an environment that is safe and respectful of their well-being and dignity — these are rights.

Students are expected to conduct themselves in a way that treats the college community with respect and dignity — these are responsibilities.

Rights and responsibilities are a partnership; you cannot have one without the other.

How to seek support regarding rights and responsibilities

The Student Rights and Responsibilities Office (SRRO) supports students and employees in upholding the expectations outlined in Conestoga College's Student Rights and Responsibilities policy and procedure. We address reports of rights and responsibilities violations and help students and employees to resolve concerns and disputes.

The SRRO primarily advises on the following:

  • Conflicts involving students
  • Disruptive student behaviour
  • Non-academic accessibility and inclusion enhancements
  • Bullying, harassment and discrimination
  • Fairness in the application of college policies and procedures

Before engaging with our office, we encourage you to seek informal resolution regarding your concern or dispute. If informal resolution is inappropriate for the circumstances or the issue remains unresolved or worsens, you may need to seek formal resolution through our office. Visit Finding Resolution for tips on reaching informal resolution and information on moving forward with a formal resolution.

Confidentiality

Expectations for confidentiality depend on why you are engaging with our office. In all situations, we will safeguard your privacy by requesting only relevant information that may be necessary to provide appropriate support, referral options or disciplinary responses. We store all information collected in a secure electronic file.

Concerns

If you reach out to us with a concern, the conversation is confidential unless we have reason to believe you are at risk of harming yourself or someone else or if you disclose that another person is at similar risk.

Violations

If we are in contact with you because your conduct was reported to our office, we may disclose status reports, outcomes and other relevant information to involved parties (such as the person reporting a violation or impacted college departments/schools).

For more detailed information about privacy and confidentiality, see our FAQ page.

Student Expectations for Online Engagement

The college has implemented additional guidelines for students to follow to ensure a safe and respectful online learning and working environment for everyone. To view the full guidelines, see Student Expectations for Online Engagement (pdf).