3.7 Enrollment Irregularities

Scope of Coverage

This regulation covers all MCCCD colleges, centers, and offices. Enrollment irregularities are enrollment practices that might reflect falsified enrollment or might reflect nepotism. Examples might include residential or adjunct faculty members enrolling in courses they instruct; employees enrolling in multiple courses taught at the same time that are not open-entry/open-exit courses; enrollment in multiple courses taught that overlap in time and that are not open-entry/open-exit courses; employees enrolling in a course taught by a relative; employees enrolling in a course for the sole purpose of making it “go” (i.e., not be canceled).

General Standards

1. As a steward of public funds, the District must protect against falsified enrollments or questionable enrollments by its employees.
2. Notwithstanding exceptions granted as permitted in this regulation, enrollments that are not permitted by employees include the following: enrollment in a course taught by oneself; enrollment in multiple courses taught at the same time that are not open-entry/open-exit courses; enrollment in multiple courses taught that overlap in time and that are not open-entry/open-exit courses; enrollment in a course taught by a relative; enrollment and subsequent withdrawal for the sole purpose of making a class “go” (i.e., not be canceled); faculty who knowingly teach a relative, whether that person is a District employee or not.
3. When employees are enrolling in a credit or Skill Center course taught at the Maricopa Community Colleges and paying with a Maricopa Community Colleges tuition waiver, employees must submit declarations to the Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs. The employee declarations shall be submitted in advance of the start of the course. Approval to take the course shall be subject to approval of the Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, after consultation with the respective President of the college.
4. The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs shall be responsible for establishing processes as appropriate to allow for appeals. The appeal process shall be carried out within a week of the reported enrollment irregularity. In addition, information on any denials to take a course shall be forwarded to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for the establishment of any other processes as appropriate to review denial decisions.
5. All instructors of credit or Skill Center courses shall submit declarations each semester identifying any potential enrollment irregularities. The instructor declarations must be submitted no later than five days after the start of the class (or the first class, if a late start). Review of potential irregularities shall be conducted by the Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, after consultation with the respective President of the college.
6. Information on the college’s review of potential enrollment irregularities shall be forwarded to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs who shall be responsible for reviewing the college decisions to ensure consistent application of this regulation.
7. Standardized written procedures to check that questionable enrollments are not occurring will be developed and adhered to. These procedures shall be submitted to the Chancellor. Procedures shall include reviews by each college each semester of employee and dependent tuition waivers in order to determine that employees and their dependents have not enrolled in courses taught by departmental members.
8. Each college President shall annually submit to the Chancellor a report that documents its written procedures and compliance with the terms of this regulation. The Chancellor shall annually share these reports with the Governing Board. Each college president shall be required to correct weaknesses in their practices within a timeframe set by the Chancellor.
9. Violation of this regulation could lead to disciplinary action, including termination.
10. Notwithstanding section 2 of this regulation, the Chancellor or his/her designee may allow a student to enroll in a class taught by a relative of the student only upon a showing by the student that the enrollment is necessary to avoid an extreme hardship, and upon a showing by the college President or designee that the academic integrity of the student's enrollment in the class will nevertheless be maintained.
11. Definitions
    1. “Relative” includes a parent, step-parent, parent-in-law, brother, stepbrother, sister, stepsister, spouse, son, stepson, daughter, stepdaughter, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent, great-grandparent, grandchild, great-grandchild, aunt, uncle, cousin, niece and nephew of the employee or the employee’s spouse. A “relative” also includes a domestic partner of an employee, and a relative (as that term is defined herein) of such domestic partner.
    2. “Employee” means a person employed by the Maricopa County Community College District, and includes, but is not limited to, any Governing Board-Approved employee, Skill Center employee, specially funded employee, one-year-only employee, one-semester-only, student employee, and person employed under a Special Services Employment.