Campus Information

Hours of Operation

South Piedmont Community College offers classes, workshops, and seminars six (6) days a week at various times and locations. The College’s normal business hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Hours may be extended during registration periods. Summer hours of operation may differ at all locations.

To obtain information regarding the College and its programs and services to the community, check our website, www.spcc.edu, or call:

Children on Campus

South Piedmont Community College, as an adult educational institution, does not maintain child care facilities on campus and is not equipped or authorized to maintain such facilities. Therefore, students, faculty, and staff of the College may not bring children to class, to work, or leave children unattended on campus. The College assumes no responsibility for supervision of children. Students, visitors, and employees who fail to comply with this policy may be asked to leave the campus.

Visitors on Campus

South Piedmont Community College welcomes visitors and prospective students to its campuses during normal operating hours. Visitors are not permitted to attend classes or contact students on campus without permission from the President or their designee.

Visitors on campus should register at the information/reception desk to ensure that all individuals are accounted for in case of an emergency. Individuals who are loitering or who have not registered at the information/reception desk will be asked to leave the campus.

Service and Other Animals on Campus

No Student, employee, or other person shall bring, feed, or cause to be brought upon SPCC campus grounds, facilities, or vehicles any animal unless it is working as a service animal for an impaired individual or otherwise specified in the associated procedures.

Definition of Service Animals

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to respond to an individual’s needs and to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Animals whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

Provision for Miniature Horses

In compliance with the ADA, miniature horses (generally range in height from 24 to 34 inches measured to the shoulders and generally weigh between 70 to 100 pounds) may also be allowed on campus as service animals, provided they have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities and they meet the following criteria:

• The miniature horse must be housebroken
• The miniature horse must be under the owner’s/user’s control
• The miniature horse’s type, size, and weight must reasonably fit in the facility or classroom
• The miniature horse’s presence must not compromise legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operations of the College

General Guidelines for Service Animals and Service Animals in Training on Campus

All animals brought on campus as service animals or to be trained as service animals must be licensed and fully vaccinated in accordance with applicable state and county ordinances. Owners/users must ensure hygiene of the animal, routine maintenance for flea and tick prevention, and display of rabies tag.

A service animal or service animal in training may be prohibited from campus if the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others. Those brought on campus must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless those devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the owner’s/user’s disability prevents using such devices. In that case, the owner/user must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls. Fecal matter deposited by animals brought on campus must be removed immediately and disposed of properly (bagged and placed in an outdoor waste receptacle) by the owner/user. The burden is on the owner/user to arrange for removal of fecal matter if the owner/user is personally unable to perform the task.

College officials may ask an individual to remove a Service Animal or Service Animal in Training from the College facilities or the College campuses if:

1. The animal poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others;
2. The animal is out of control or disruptive and the animal’s owner/user does not take effective action to control it; or
3. The animal is not housebroken.

When there is a legitimate reason to ask that a service animal be moved, staff must offer the person with the disability the opportunity to obtain goods or services without the animal’s presence.

Service Animals in Training

An animal in training to become a service animal may be allowed on campus (with prior approval from the President’s Office or designee) for the purpose of training when it meets the following criteria:

• It must be accompanied by a trainer;
• It must wear a collar and be leashed;
• It must wear a harness or cape identifying it as a “service animal in training.”

A service animal in training may be prohibited if their presence disrupts or alters the program or educational activity involved.

The trainer shall be liable for any damage caused by the animal while on campus.

Trained Service Animals

Federal legislation does not require trained service animals to wear any special gear or identification. Additionally, owners/users of trained service animals are not required to carry certification papers showing that the animal has been trained as a service animal. When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, it is acceptable to ask the owner/user only two (2) questions:

1. Is the animal required because of a disability?
2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

NOTE: College officials cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the animal, or ask that the animal demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

Allergies and fear of dogs/animals are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing access to people using service animals. When an individual who is allergic to dog dander and a person who uses a service animal must spend time in the same room or class, they both should be accommodated by placing them, if possible, in separate course sections or in different locations within the same classroom.

Emotional Support, Comfort, and Therapy Animals

Emotional support animals, comfort animals, and therapy animals are not service animals under Title II and Title III of the ADA and are not automatically allowed to accompany persons with disabilities in any College area. Requests for these animals must be submitted to Accessibility Services for students, Human Resources for employees, or the President’s Office (or designee) for visitors for review. Individuals requesting these animals must disclose the disability and include supporting documentation that specifies the mental or psychological disorder. This documentation must be from a qualified professional such as, licensed physician, qualified psychiatrist or psychologist, social worker, or other qualified professional. The appropriate office will review the documentation and determine if:

• The individual qualifies as a person with a disability, and has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;
• The support animal is necessary to provide emotional support or other assistance to improve one or more symptoms or effects of the disability.
• The documentation provides clear evidence that without the support animal, the individual would be negatively impacted while on campus or at campus sponsored events.

Requests for emotional support, comfort, or therapy animals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and may or may not be approved.

Other Animals Such as Wild or Feral Animals

Wild or feral animals that do not pose risk or hazard, do not cause property damage, do not create public nuisance, and do not require human intervention may be allowed to inhabit campus grounds. However, humans should not intervene with these animals, which includes feeding and building of shelters.

Conversely, wild or feral animals that do pose risk or hazard, cause property damage, or create a nuisance will be regulated, controlled, and humanely relocated in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

Violations of the Policy

All members of the campus community, including students and employees, must observe this policy and procedure. To report the presence of an animal in violation of the policy and/or procedure, call the Director of Campus Safety at 704-272-5347.

Smoking / Tobacco-Free Campus Policy

South Piedmont Community College recognizes that the use of tobacco products is a health, safety, and environmental hazard for all students, employees, visitors, and college facilities. No student, employee, or college visitor is permitted to use any tobacco product or any comparable smoking or personal vapor generating device, such as e-cigarettes, at any time, including during non-college hours.

• In any building, facility, or vehicle owned or leased by South Piedmont Community College
• On any campus grounds or property - including athletic fields and parking lots, owned or leased by South Piedmont Community College
• At any College-sponsored or College-related event, on or off campus

The College believes that the use of tobacco products on college grounds, in college buildings and facilities, on college property, and at college-sponsored events is detrimental to the health and safety of students, employees, and visitors. The College takes seriously its obligation to provide a healthy learning and working environment, free from unwanted smoke and tobacco use, for students, employees, and visitors on the South Piedmont campuses.

No student, employee, or college visitor is permitted to use any tobacco product at any time, including during non-college hours,

• in any building, facility, or vehicle owned or leased by South Piedmont Community College;
• on any college grounds or property - including athletic fields and parking lots - owned or leased by South Piedmont Community College; or
• at any college-sponsored or college-related event, on campus or off campus.

In addition, college employees, volunteers, contractors, or other persons performing services on behalf of the College are prohibited from using tobacco products at any time while on duty and in the presence of students, either on or off college grounds.

Further, no students are permitted to possess a tobacco product while in any college building, on college grounds or property, at a college-sponsored or college-related event, or at any other time during which students are under the authority of college personnel.

Tobacco products may be included in instructional or research activities in college buildings if the activity is conducted or supervised by the faculty member overseeing the instruction or research and if the activity does not include smoking, chewing, or otherwise ingesting the tobacco product.

Definitions

For the purposes of this policy, “tobacco products” are defined as cigarettes, cigars, blunts, pipes, chewing tobacco, snuff, and any other items containing or reasonably resembling tobacco or tobacco products. “Tobacco use” includes smoking, chewing, dipping, or any other use of tobacco products.

Firearms and Other Dangerous Weapons

South Piedmont Community College provides a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Therefore, any unauthorized possession of a firearm or any other dangerous weapon, as defined in North Carolina General Statutes § 14-269.2, may result in disciplinary action.

Unauthorized possession of a firearm or any other dangerous weapon, as defined in North Carolina General Statutes §14-269.2, may result in the following actions:

• The College may file charges under North Carolina General Statutes §14-269.2.
• Any student who violates this provision may be expelled from the college for a period of not less than one year.
• Violation of this provision by any employee may be considered a breach of the terms and conditions of employment.
• Action may follow in accordance with the college’s personnel or student due process procedures.

Parking

Students should familiarize themselves with parking regulations, student parking locations and restrictions. A lack of space is not considered a valid excuse for violation of any parking regulation. While on campus, students must park in designated student parking areas only. Failure to park in designated parking areas will result in a parking fine. The college will assume no responsibility for loss or damage to any vehicle, or its contents, while operated or parked on the property of South Piedmont Community College. Unpaid citations will result in an administrative hold on all college records. Students with a hold will not be authorized to receive transcripts or register for classes until delinquent fines are paid. Parking passes are available within the Student Affairs area on the L.L. Polk campus, Old Charlotte Highway campus or Tyson Family Center for Technology. You must be registered for current courses prior to receiving your Parking Pass.

Campus Housing

SPCC does not have dormitory facilities. The Student Affairs Office may assist in obtaining information about area rentals when available.

Lost and Found

A lost-and-found area is maintained at the security desks’ on all campuses. All found articles should be turned in at these locations.