Policies

Pellissippi State advocates tolerance, acceptance, and understanding of all individuals and groups. This classroom is intended to be a safe space for all students regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity or race, national background or genetics, religion, age, or level of ability/disability. All students should feel safe, respected, and included in their academic environment. Sexist, racist, homophobic, or otherwise judgmental or belittling language or ideas will not be tolerated within class activities, discussions, or assignments.

Additionally, your instructor is an official SafeZone provider at PSCC, which means that they have been through official Safe Zone training and are dedicated to providing a safe, supportive, inclusive space in their classroom and office.  I am available to listen and support you in a safe and confidential manner. As a Safe Zone Ally, I can help you connect with resources on campus to address problems you may face that interfere with your academic and social success on campus as it relates to issues surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity.

If you violate the safe space of the classroom by engaging in belittling, disrespectful, or hateful speech or behavior, you will be subject to the following consequences:

1. Verbal and/or written reminder of the Safe Zone Policy and class expectations.

2. Removal from that day's class and requirement to meet with the instructor, dean, or security officer (as appropriate to the circumstances) before returning to class.

3. Reduced grade on the assignment (if disrespectful comments are made within the context of an assignment or graded opportunity)

4. Referral to the college's Behavioral Intervention Team (in serious or repeated cases)

This policy is in direct support of student learning outcomes 3, 5, and 6, as maintaining an academic tone in class discussions and assignments promotes a learning community and sense of belonging, shows adaptation to the college environment through the fostering of college-level communication skills, and demonstrates a college mindset.

Any student found engaging in an act of academic dishonesty will receive an automatic zero on that assignment and may be promptly dismissed from the course with a grade of F.  According to the PSCC Catalog & Handbook, prohibited activities include but are not limited to the following practices:

1. Cheating, including but not limited to unauthorized assistance from material, people, or devices when taking a test, quiz, or examination; writing papers or reports; solving problems; or completing academic assignments

2. Plagiarism, including but not limited to paraphrasing, summarizing, or directly quoting published or unpublished work of another person, including online or computerized services, without proper documentation of the original source

3. Purchasing or otherwise obtaining prewritten essays, research papers, or materials prepared by another person or agency that sells term papers or other academic materials to be presented as one’s own work

4. Taking an exam for another student

5. Providing others with information and/or answers regarding exams, quizzes, homework or other classroom assignments unless explicitly authorized by the instructor

6. Any of the above occurring within the Web or distance-learning environment.

Please see the Pellissippi State Policies and Procedures Manual, Policy 04:02:00 Academic/Classroom Conduct and Disciplinary Sanctions for the complete policy. 

We will review MLA formatting and appropriate source usage in this course. Failing to properly acknowledge your sources is plagiarism. If you use ideas, words, or information that you look up or find out anywhere, you need to acknowledge your information source. 

Submitting the same work to more than one class, including the same course in different semesters, is considered plagiarism because it attempts to earn new points for old work. Submitting work that was completed as a group for individual assignments is also cheating. 

In other words, don’t cheat. Any plagiarism or cheating will result in an automatic zero on that assignment.

I know that most people who end up cheating are not actually bad, lazy, or dishonest. Most of the cheating that I see is a result of the following factors: poor time management/procrastination, panic, and fear. If you are experiencing time management issues or feelings of panic and/or fear, please speak with me. I can work with you as you complete your own work. I guarantee you that any grade you make on your own work is better than a zero on plagiarized work. 

If you do have a lapse in judgement and plagiarize/cheat in some way, please speak honestly with me about it. If you are willing to learn from the experience, I can help you to keep progressing in the course.  

Please see the Pellissippi State Policy 04:02:00, Academic/Classroom Conduct and Disciplinary Sanctions for the complete policy.

Completing your own work is required to learn, and therefore supports all of the student learning outcomes. 

Submitting any work as your own that you have not written is plagiarism. This includes text generated by AI. You must write your own essays; submitting essays created by chatGPT or other AI programming is academic dishonesty, just like submitting work written by another person. 

The ethics around using AI are still being societally and legally debated, as the technology is rapidly developing. In the academic world, though, the standards are clear. You are expected to write your own work. Using AI prevents you from developing your skills, showing your critical thinking, and demonstrating your knowledge. 

*If the use of AI is suspected in an assignment, you may be required to provide documntation of your work or submit an alternate assignment. 

Official College Policy

Assignments in PSCC courses help students develop and strengthen analytical skills, critical thinking, and communication proficiency, in addition to helping students understand concepts and content. Pellissippi State faculty trust that students are seeking to build and practice those skills.  

Given the purpose of college assignments, the use of generative AI programs like ChatGPT and others for any component of course assignments is not permitted unless the course instructor explicitly states that use of such programs is permitted. Authorized use of AI for one or more parts of an assignment does not imply authorization for any other part of the assignment.  

Students in doubt regarding generative AI authorization and/or citation guidelines and methods should check with the instructor of the class.  

Assignment submissions that are determined to contain unauthorized AI-generated material will be subject to the sanctions outlined in PSCC Policy 04:02:01, Student Conduct and Disciplinary Sanctions.  

• If at all possible, use your school email account.

• Use the subject line. Don't say it is urgent unless it really is an emergency.

• Include a salutation (greeting) including the name of who you are contacting.

• Include your class and section # in the body of the email.

• Be as clear as possible in your email. If you are asking about an assignment, for example, specify which assignment you are discussing.

• End with some type of closing term (thank you, regards, etc.) and your name (whatever you go by and your last name).

• Use an academically appropriate tone. Be polite.

• After sending an email, make sure to check your messages for a response. 

• I aim to answer emails and Slack messages within 24 hours during the work week. Emails received late in the day on Friday or over the weekend will receive a response on the following Monday. Do not send me multiple emails or ask if I have received your email unless it has been longer than this period and you still have not received a response from me. 

• If you want to go over a draft of an essay or receive more in depth support, you need to meet with me during my student hours or meet with a tutor.

I will do my best to never cancel class. If I, as the instructor, need to miss class, I will do my best to arrange a substitute, extra Zoom time on another day, or other alternative. If class ever is cancelled, I will notify you as soon as possible through Brightspace, and you will still have work to do through the class website.

Feeling confident in the class and communicating regularly with the instructor supports the achievement of all of this course's student learning outcomes. 

If the college is closed for an extended period of time due to pandemic, weather, or other unavoidable circumstance, class will continue via communication by Brightspace/D2L, with materials and assignments posted on our course home page.  If there is an extended closure (more than two consecutive days of closure), I will adjust due dates as neccessary. If Pellissippi needs to contact you, they will send an e-mail and/or call you at the phone number you provided at the beginning of the semester. You should check your Webmail for updates from advising, financial aid, etc. If I need to contact you, I will normally send you a message through Brightspace.

I highly recommend that you sign up for Pellissippi's alert system so that you know if Pellissippi is closed.

Knowing when Pellissippi is open and how to access information is crucial to achieving all student learning outcomes. 

As American citizens and/or residents, you have the right to freedom of speech. You are always welcome to contact me directly with any questions that you have, and there will be many opportunities for discussion. 

You will not be held legally responsible for disrupting class with heated or hateful speech; however, this does not mean disruptive/hateful classroom rhetoric is consequence free. As an instructor, part of my job is to ensure every student has access to an environment suitable for learning. Many studies have shown that stressful or threatening environments impede a student’s ability to concentrate and retain information. All students are expected to maintain an academically appropriate tone, avoid hateful, harmful rhetoric, and focus on academic argumentation and discourse skills throughout class discussions. In order to meet the learning oucomes for this class, you must demonstrate the ability to behave as a college student, which includes an academic tone. 

Furthermore, while the first amendment protects your right to free speech, it does not apply to grades. You will not face legal action if your work does not adhere to the assignment instructions, but your grade will reflect the lack of adherence to the assignment requirements. It is your right to disregard assignment instructions, for example, but if you complete work that does not adhere to the assigned topics and instructions, it will receive a failing grade. This class has learning objectives established by the state of Tennessee and the college's accrediting body, and our instruction, activities, and assignments are to ensure that you meet the learning outcomes.  

This policy supports learning outcomes related to learning to successfully complete college courses. This includes the use of civil discourse and development of an academic vocabulary.

If you have religious or cultural observances that are meaningful to you and coincide with this class, please notify your instructor by email (klwithington@pstcc.edu) at least a week in advance. Reasonable accommodations will be made for individuals observing any personally significant religious or cultural event, such as specific holidays. 

Showing awareness and respect of other people's cultures, religions, and experiences is in support of student learning outcomes 5, and 7. Feeling safe to observe rituals, holidays, or events of significance to you helps you to achieve all learning outcomes. 

Pellissippi State Community College is a state institution, and so it is not religiously affiliated. This class will not promote or criticize any specific religious beliefs, nor will it promote or criticize religion. 

I respect all possible religious faiths and traditions, including the lack of religious affiliation or spiritual practice, and I recognize the influence of religious thought on students as individuals and on society in general. However, as our class is at a secular institution, neither the instructor nor the class participants may incorporate religion into the classroom. This means that explicitly religious language should be avoided in class discussions, written communication, and assignments. Examples include, but are not limited to, telling others to have "a blessed day," giving thanks or praise to any deity, or asking for/offering prayers in a class setting. Religious texts may not be used to support academic discussions, and they are generally not permissible for paper topics. 

When appropriate to the course goals, religion may be discussed as a cultural, historical, or literary influence. Some religiously affiliated texts may be studied at Pellissippi for their literary and historic value. 

This policy supports the achievement of student learning outcomes 4-6, 9-10.

This course does not require you to physically be on campus this semester. 

• There are open computer labs and other study spaces available on campus. Log on to the wifi with the same student credentials you use to log on to Brightspace or MyPellissippi. There is free wifi both indoors and outdoors on Pellissippi campuses. 

• There are free mask dispensers on campus. Masking helps control the spread of airborn viruses, including Covid-19 and the flu.

• If you are working on campus, please remember that food and drink are not allowed in classrooms or computer labs.

• I encourage you to double-check campus open hours and available resources before you go. 

• No weapons are allowed on Pellissippi property. Students are not permitted to carry weapons on them within the buildings or on Pellissippi grounds; weapons are not permitted in vehicles on Pellissippi property. Even if you have a legal weapon and gun permit, you are not allowed to bring your weapon to campus. These policies are in place to maintain a safe and welcoming educational environment. Pellissippi State follows TN state law and the guidelines of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR). 

• Pellissippi has an open door policy requiring most faculty and staff to keep the door open during one-on-one meetings with students. (There are some exceptions to this rule to protect student privacy, such as meetings with counselors.)

• Pellissippi does not generally permit minors--other than our teenage students under the age of 18-- on campus. If a child accompanies an adult to campus, the parent/guardian must have the child stay with them; not ask another student or co-worker to watch the child; not leave the child unattended in a classroom, common area, car, or office; and remove the child if the child causes a disruption. 

These policies are in place to protect your health and safety, which is necessary to progress towards all of the student learning outcomes.

No weapons are allowed on Pellissippi property.* Students are not permitted to carry weapons on them within the buildings or on Pellissippi grounds; weapons are not permitted in vehicles on Pellissippi property. Even if you have a legal weapon and gun permit, you are not allowed to bring your weapon to campus. These policies are in place to maintain a safe and welcoming educational environment. You can read Pellissippi's full weapons policy by clicking here. 

Within an online environment, you may not make either explicit or implicit threats to your peers or instructor. Threatening behavior will be reported to Pellissippi's Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT).

*Students are permitted to carry pepper spray for personal protection as long as it is not used to threaten or intimidate others. 

• We will use Slack to communicate as a class. You can use Slack to share messages with the entire class or to directly message me. 

• If you have a question specific to your work or want to share personal information with me, make sure to send me a direct message, not post on a thread for the entire class.

• You are welcome to share resources, memes, questions, etc., with the class, but remember that it is still an educational space. 

• Sign up for our Slack group using your Pellissippi email: 

• Once you have joined the class Slack group, you can access it from either a web browser or the Slack app. 

• The class slack is called College 1000 Web (https://join.slack.com/t/college1000web/shared_invite/zt-2p48e0fy9-cyW3cdsQJD6NTxgAR5OKng) 

I am committed to being available to you. My virtual door is open to you. You are welcome to drop in to any of my student hours without an appointment. I will also respond to messages during the work week within 24 hours. Emails from the weekend will receive a response on Monday. I will also respond quickly to messages in Slack. 

If we meet in person, I will meet with you in public Pellissippi spaces, such as the tutoring center. 

This policy is in direct support of all student learning outcomes by ensuring that you have support from the instructor.

It is important to acknowledge that we are on Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee) land that was stolen by European settlers and the United States of America through forced removal and attempted genocide. This unceded land is our home, and we have a responsibility to partner with native communities by joining with them in stewardship of their homelands. It is our shared responsibility to protect the environment of our region in our daily lives.

We can honor this land and its original inhabitants by learning about the history and contemporary culture of indigenous peoples and contributing to their future. 

You can learn more about the Tsagali (Cherokee) language here. I also encourage you to read literature and research by members of the Cherokee nation.