Things You Should Know

State Support of Higher Education Students

Amounts in the table below represent an average for a full-time equivalent, lower division resident student attending community and technical colleges for the academic year 2019-20.

*Operating Fee amount is based on the full-time equivalent operating fee for lower division classes.
** The Net Support per Student FTE is the amount paid by the state from taxes and other funds.

Educational Cost Statement

The average cost to educate a resident full-time community or technical college student for the 2019-20 academic year is $9,565. Students pay an average of $3,269 in tuition toward this cost. The remaining $6,296 is an “opportunity pathway” provided by the State and is funded by state taxes and other sources. The amounts shown are averages for a full-time, resident student. The actual tuition a student pays will vary due to credit load, residency status and other factors.

Title IX - Sexual Harassment and Nondiscrimination Policy

Operational Policy Number 406

The college provides equal opportunity in education and employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, creed, religion, or status as a veteran of war as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, RCW 49.60.030 and their implementing regulations. Prohibited gender based discrimination includes sexual harassment.

Harassment is defined, for the purpose of this policy, as unwelcome and unauthorized patterns of conduct, based on a person’s or persons’ race, color, religious belief, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status or age, and which

1. the harasser either knows, or should know, will have the effect of making the college environment hostile, intimidating, or demeaning to the victim,

and

2.     in fact is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive enough to substantially deny or limit a person’s ability to benefit from or fully participate in educational programs or activities or employment opportunities.

Sexual Harassment is defined, for the purposes of this policy as follows: unwelcome sexual advances, requests, and other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature where:

1. submission to such conduct is made, either expressly or implicitly, a term or condition of an individual’s employment or education;

or

2. submission or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment or educational decisions affecting any individual;

or

3. such unwelcome conduct is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive to have the effect of:

1. substantially interfering with any individual’s academic or professional performance or 

2. creating an intimidating, hostile or demeaning employment or educational environment.

Any employee, student or visitor who believes that he or she has been the subject of discrimination or harassment should report the incident or incidents to the college’s Title IX/EO Officer identified below. If the complaint is against that official, the complainant should report the matter to the president’s office for referral to an alternate designee. The College encourages the timely reporting of any incidents of discrimination or sexual harassment.

GHC’s Title IX Coordinator is located in the Student Services Office, Building 100, office 116. Call (360) 538-4066 for details or visit the website.

The College’s entire sexual harassment policy may be found in the College’s Operational Policies and Administrative Procedures Manual and is available on the GHC website (Board Policy 406 and 406.01).

Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Program (DAAPP)

Grays Harbor College is very concerned about the health and welfare of its students. It is the policy of GHC to provide alcohol and substance abuse prevention information and referral for students. Students are encouraged to seek information and assistance from the Student Support Center. Counselors are available to work with students in order to help them identify personal problems associated with alcohol and substance abuse. Appropriate referrals will be made.

The full DAAPP and biennial review of the DAAPP can be found on the Student Rights Information webpage at www.ghc.edu/student-rights-information.

Confidentiality of Student Records

Student Rights to Their Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended (also sometimes referred to as the Buckley Amendment), is a federal law regarding the privacy of student education records and the obligations of the institution, primarily in the areas of release of the education records and the access provided to these education records. Grays Harbor College students have: (1) the right to inspect and view their educational records that are maintained by Grays Harbor College; (2) The right to request the amendment of an education record they believe is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student’s rights of privacy (including the right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment); (3) The right to have some control over the disclosure of information from their education records; 4)The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the college to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

Information about specific procedures is available upon request from Enrollment Services.

Confidentiality of Student Records

Grays Harbor College complies with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Buckley Amendment) concerning the information which becomes a part of a student’s permanent educational record and governing the conditions of its disclosure. Procedural guidelines governing compliance with this statute have been developed and are available through the Office of Admissions and Records. The following directory data is considered public information and may routinely be given in response to requests: student’s preferred name, mailing address, e-mail address, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities or sports, height and weight of athletic team members, dates of attendance (includes verifying current quarterly enrollment), part time or full time enrollment status, tuition and fees owed, degrees and certificates received or not received, other institutions attended, veteran status, honors and awards received, photographs, and placement scores. Any student wishing to have such information withheld when inquiries are received must notify Enrollment Services in writing.

Pursuant to the Solomon Amendment, Grays Harbor College is required to provide some or all of the following information, upon request, to representatives of the Department of Defense for military recruiting purposes: student’s name, address, telephone listing, date of birth (17 years or older), level of education, and academic major (for currently enrolled students only).

Social Security Number (SSN)

To comply with federal laws, Grays Harbor College is required to ask for the student Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). GHC will use the student SSN/ITIN to report Hope Scholarship/Life Time tax credit, to administer state/federal financial aid, to verify enrollment, degree and academic transcript records, and to conduct institutional research. If a student does not submit their SSN/ITIN, they will not be denied access to the college; however, they may be subject to civil penalties (refer to Internal Revenue Service Treasury Regulation 1.6050S1(e)(4) for more information). Pursuant to state law (RCW 28B.10.042) and federal law (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), the college will protect the student SSN from unauthorized use and/or disclosure.

Student Policies

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Campus codes and policies affecting students and student rights and responsibilities are available on the Grays Harbor College website (GHC Board Policy 407) and in the Student Handbook. Copies are also available in the office of the Vice President for Student Services.

Campus Security Policy

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (The Clery Act), a crime statistics report is available to the public. The reports, which have been produced separately for all campus locations, includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning specific reported crimes that occurred on Grays Harbor College campus; off-campus education centers or property owned or controlled by the college; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The reports also includes institutional policies concerning campus security and safety, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, receiving emergency notification and college closures, information about sexual harassment and stalking and other safety and health concerns.

You can obtain a printed copy of these reports from the Security Office (100 Building - Room 117) on the Student Rights Information website

Parking Regulations

1. Campus speed limit is 20 m.p.h.
2. Yellow or red painted curbs are “No Parking Areas”
3. Drivers must obey all posted traffic and parking signs
4. Visitor/Event parking spaces are reserved for visitors only - no students or staff parking
5. Do not park in reserved parking spaces (named and/or numbered stalls)

Vehicle Registration: All vehicles (including motorcycles) utilizing the college parking lots (paved or gravel) must display a valid GHC parking permit which may be obtained at the Cashier’s Office in the 100 Building or appropriate Education Center Office. The cost for the parking permits is part of the student’s comprehensive fee. If a second vehicle permit is needed, the annual fee is $5.00 for that vehicle.

Required Vehicle Information:

• License plate number
• Year and make of vehicle
• Name of student
• Student ID Number (SID)

Driving Safely: All students and employees are expected to obey all traffic rules and regulations when driving on campus.

Parking Fines: Violators of the college’s parking regulations will be cited and/or the vehicle may be impounded at the owner’s expense. Fines vary from $20.00 to $50.00, depending on the violation. All fines are paid through the Cashier’s Office (100 Building). Failure to pay for outstanding parking citations will result in denial of subsequent registration and withholding of transcripts.

Special Parking Permits:

The AccessAbility Services Office (formerly Disability Support Services) in the Student Support Center located in the 100 Building, issues a limited number of special reserved parking permits (aka Med Reserve) for students with temporary medical disabilities. Students with temporary medical disabilities should pick up a form at the Student Support Center to document their disability and request special parking in the medical reserved area. These permits are issued at no charge for designated periods of time. Failure to renew the special permit will result in the vehicle being cited.

Student Parking on the Main Campus is permitted in any designated student parking lot on a first-come, first-served basis with the EXCEPTION of part-time faculty spaces, faculty/staff reserved parking spaces (named or numbered parking stalls), state disabled parking spaces, medical reserved spaces, yellow curbing, fire lanes, driveways and/or roadway or unlined open areas.

Vehicles MUST be parked between the white lines of the parking stall; in the gravel parking lot, vehicles must be parked in front of a concrete curb stop. Vehicles in violation of the parking regulations will be cited.

NOTE: Students parking after 3:00 p.m. may park in areas marked “reserved”, “visitor”, “medical” or those spaces designated by an employee name or number. Part-time faculty spaces are reserved until 10:00 p.m.

Appeals: Appeal forms are available at the cashier window or online at https://www.ghc.edu/parking

NOTE: Registrations and official college transcripts will be withheld for failure to meet financial obligations to the college, including parking fines.

Smoking Policy

It shall be the policy of Grays Harbor College to maintain a smoke/tobacco free indoor campus environment, including college and state owned vehicles. This includes all tobacco, electronic cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco products, such as traditional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), chew, pipes, cigars, water pipe smoking, snus, snuff, etc.

In addition, smoking, including electronic cigarettes is only authorized in the following locations:

1. Designated smoking areas and/or shelters as determined by the Smoking Task Force. Current designated smoking areas are on the college’s web site under designated smoking areas.
2. Inside any personal vehicle.
3. Any parking lot - with the exception of the Childcare Center Parking Lot.

Transfer Rights and Responsibilities

1. Students have the right to clear, accurate, and current information about their transfer admission requirements, transfer admission deadlines, degree requirements, and transfer policies that include course equivalencies.
2. Transfer and freshman-entry students have the right to expect comparable standards for regular admission to programs and comparable program requirements.
3. Students have the right to seek clarification regarding their transfer evaluation and may request the reconsideration of any aspect of that evaluation. In response, the college will follow established practices and processes for reviewing its transfer credit decisions.
4. Students who encounter other transfer difficulties have the right to seek resolution. Each institution will have a defined process for resolution that is published and readily available to students.
5. Students have the responsibility to complete all materials required for admission and to submit the application on or before the published deadlines.
6. Students have the responsibility to plan their courses of study by referring to the specific published degree requirements of the college or academic program in which they intend to earn a bachelor’s degree.
7. When a student changes a major or degree program, the student assumes full responsibility for meeting the new requirements.
8. Students who complete the general education requirements at any public four-year institution of higher education in Washington, when admitted to another public four-year institution, will have met the lower division general education requirements of the institution to which they transfer.

College and University Rights and Responsibilities

1. Colleges and universities have the right and authority to determine program requirements and course offerings in accordance with their institutional missions.
2. Colleges and universities have the responsibility to communicate and publish their requirements and course offerings to students and the public, including information about student transfer rights and responsibilities.
3. Colleges and universities have the responsibility to communicate their admission and transfer related decisions to students in writing (electronic or paper).