Everett Community College is a public institution responsible for providing instruction in higher education, for advancing knowledge through scholarship and research, and for providing related services to the community. As a center of learning, the college also has the obligation to maintain conditions conducive to the freedom of inquiry and expression to the maximum degree compatible with the orderly conduct of its functions. For these purposes, the college is governed by rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and standards of conduct, including this conduct code, that safeguard its functions and protect the rights and freedoms of all members of the college community.