Policies

College policies are the result of a continual process of review, careful consideration and consultation by the Student Government Association, faculty, administrative officers and College trustees who represent you and the College as a whole. You are expected to know and abide by all College policies stated in this handbook, the College catalog, residence hall booklets, other program or building policies, policies which may be made throughout the academic year, and state and federal laws. Failure to abide by these standards of behavior may result in disciplinary action.

Campus Conduct :: Code of Student Conduct :: Collegial Rights and Responsibilities :: Campus Regulations

Residential Life Incident Report

Stephens College Student Conduct Code
2011-2012

The Code of Student Conduct is an annual publication of the Office of the Vice President for Student Services.
All undergraduate students at Stephens College are required to abide by the regularations, rules, policies, and procedures described here. The College reserves the right to revise its policies as it deems appropriate.

PREFACE.
1. The Stephens College Student Conduct Code (SCC) applies to any undergraduate student enrolled in or accepted in any academic program at Stephens College.
2. The College has established these regulations and policies to ensure and protect the execution of its educational mission and to safeguard the interests of the Stephens College community.
3. SCC policies and regulations apply to student conduct that occurs on campus or at any College-sponsored event. In addition, the College at its discretion may apply the standards in circumstances in which there has been a violation of the law or an act of misconduct that occurred in other locations when the behavior directly impacts the College community.
4. Students who violate these regulations are subject to disciplinary action as described in the SCC.
5. Students may be held accountable to both the College and to civil authorities for violations of the law as well as the SCC. Disciplinary action normally proceeds independently of criminal proceedings and will not be subject to challenge on the ground that criminal charges involving the same incident have been dismissed or reduced.
6. These regulations are articulated here in order to provide students with a general description of misconduct. This document is not intended to define prohibited conduct in exhaustive terms.
7. A business day is defined as a day when College administrative offices are open.
8. The SCC is not a contract. The College reserves the right to amend any provision at any time. The College will publish such amendments in relevant campus publications.
9. The College may, in its sole discretion, attempt to resolve instances of student misconduct informally before invoking the procedures in the SCC.
10. Behavior that may have been influenced by a student's mental state (regardless of the ultimate evaluation), or use of alcohol or drugs shall not limit the student’s responsibility for the consequences of her actions.
11. The College will not assume responsibility for, nor participate in the collection of, privately incurred debts involving students.
REGULATIONS FOR STUDENT CONDUCT AND SCHOLARSHIP.
1. PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION AND REPRESENTATION. Violations of the SCC shall include but not be limited to:
  1. Academic dishonesty, which includes but is not limited to:
    a.   Cheating - intentional use, and/or the attempted use of deception, fraud and/or misrepresentation of one's academic work;
    b.   Falsification - intentional forgery, misrepresentation and/or invention of any information or citation in any academic work;
    c.   Supporting or facilitating dishonesty - knowingly assisting another person to commit an act of academic dishonesty, including substituting for another person in an examination or representing another’s academic work as his/her own;
    d.    Plagiarism - knowingly representing the words or ideas of another person as one's own, or submitting, academic work completed by another person, including those available for commercial sale.
  2. Representing oneself as another person with or without that person's permission.
  3. Representing oneself as acting for or on behalf of the College, any student organization or any official College group without the explicit prior consent of the appropriate officials of the College, the student organization or student group.
  4. No student group may represent itself as acting on behalf of the College in the solicitation or collection of funds for any purpose without approval in advance by the appropriate College office.
  5. Tampering with or falsifying any College records, documents, computer files, storage units, terminals or programs that contain any type of College records.
  6. Unauthorized accessing of the records of any individual that are protected by the College's policies regarding privacy and confidentiality.
  7. Falsification or dishonesty, either orally or in writing, in response to charges brought before hearing boards or officials of the College.
  8. Refusal to provide identification upon the request of any properly identified official or employee of the College acting in performance of their duties.
  9. Altering, lending, or improperly possessing a College Identification Card. A College Identification Card believed to have been altered or to be in the possession of a person other than the owner may be confiscated by any student, staff or faculty member in the course of his/her charged work responsibilities.
  10. Misrepresentation, including submitting false time sheets or misuse of purchasing authority.
2. CIVILITY, SAFETY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. The following shall constitute violations of the SCC:
3. CARE OF PROPERTY. The following shall constitute violations of the SCC:
  Property is defined as belongings, equipment, or materials, including those produced, owned or in possession of students, faculty, staff, guests, vendors, contractors or other members of the College community.
  The following shall constitute violations of the SCC concerning property:
  1. Unauthorized possession, theft, use, removal of, defacing, or tampering with property.
  2. Damage to or destruction of such property.
  3. Unauthorized presence in or use of College premises, facilities or property.
  College property that is damaged or removed will be charged to the individual or group responsible at the standard rate established by the College for repair and replacement.
HEARING BOARDS.
• The Hearing Board shall be a standing committee of Stephens College community members eligible to hear matters under the SCC. The Board shall consist of twelve members appointed by the President upon recommendation of the vice presidents of Academic Affairs and Student Services.
• In 2011, six of the twelve Board members will be appointed to one-year terms; from that point forward, six of the twelve members of the Hearing Board will be eligible for reappointment on an annual basis.
• The Hearing Panel of no fewer than three members will be selected from among the members of the Hearing Board to participate in each hearing. The composition of the hearing panel shall be determined by the President or his/her designee. The members of the Hearing Panel must be impartial, i.e., not personally involved in the alleged act(s) with which the student is charged.
• All members of the Hearing Board will be required to complete a four-hour training session annually to ensure they are well informed about the College's disciplinary processes and regulations.
GENERAL PROCEDURES REGARDING DISCIPLINARY ACTION.
1. Persons wishing to report a violation of this SCC may initiate proceedings under the SCC by filing a written complaint with the Office of the Vice President for Student Services. When appropriate, the Vice President for Student Services may also initiate a complaint under the SCC.
2. Upon receipt of a written complaint, the Vice President for Student Services shall review the matter and interview all relevant parties. If, following that review, the Vice President for Student Services determines that there are not reasonable grounds to believe that a violation of the SCC has occurred, he or she shall dismiss the complaint, and inform the accused student in writing.
  If, however, the Vice President for Student Services believes that there are reasonable grounds to believe that a violation of the SCC has occurred, he or she may take steps to address the alleged violation informally by meeting with the parties in conflict, consulting with academic advisors, College administrators, or other staff. If informal resolution is not appropriate or successful, the Vice President for Student Services may impose a sanction for a minor violation, or refer the complaint to the Panel for a hearing if the alleged violation is more serious in nature.
  The Vice President for Student Services may take immediate disciplinary action, including imposing a temporary suspension, where there is evidence that the continued presence of the accused student on campus poses a substantial threat to self, students, faculty, staff or College property. The threat may be physical, emotional, or may involve a student's inappropriate behavior in a classroom or other teaching, learning situation, or campus activity. If the accused is later exonerated, the suspension will be removed from the student's permanent record.
  
  Hearing Proceedings
  If a the Vice President for Student Services refers a complaint for hearing, written notification will be sent to the last known address of the accused student no fewer than five (5) calendar days prior to the hearing. This notification will include the nature of the alleged violation(s), the date, time and location of the hearing, the name of the presiding officer (the hearing officer or the presiding chair of the hearing panel), and information on hearing procedures.
  • The accused student may request a postponement for reasonable cause. Such requests must be submitted to the Office of the Vice President for Student Services at least three (3) calendar days before the hearing is to take place. Such requests may be granted or denied at the discretion of the presiding officer.
  • The accused student is entitled to be assisted by and accompanied to the hearing by one member of the Stephens College community as a support person. If a student does not have a relationship with someone who could fulfill that role, the College will appoint such an individual upon the student's request. The support person will not be permitted to testify, serve as a witness, or provide a statement on behalf of the accused student. The support person may not be an attorney.
  • Failure on the part of the accused student, complainant, support person, or witnesses to attend the hearing will result in the Panel making a decision on the alleged misconduct on the basis of the available information, without the benefit of the accused student's involvement, the accompanying individual's support, or witnesses' testimony.
  • A recording of the hearing will be made for the use of the Hearing Board, the official making the final determination, and the charged student who may appeal the decision. The recording will be destroyed once the appeal date has expired or the appeal has been heard.
  • The Panel Chairperson shall determine the appropriateness of all evidence and testimony, as well as the relevance of all questions. This determination shall be based on relevance, and rules of evidence applicable to criminal or civil court proceedings shall not apply.
  • The accused student, and the complainant if any, shall have the right to be present at all times during the hearing, except during deliberations.
  • Where the student denies the charge(s), the College shall bear the burden of proving the charge(s) by a preponderance of the evidence. In cases where a charged student fails to appear after proper notice, a hearing may be conducted despite his/her absence.
  • The Hearing Board may rely upon oral statements of witnesses and upon written reports and other documents.
  • Board members may take notice of matters that would be within the general experience of College students or officials.
  • A Hearing Board shall include in the record a written summary of testimony, findings of fact(s), and rationale. The entire record shall be forwarded, within two business days, to the Vice President of Student Services or his/her designee.
  • The Vice President of Student Services or his/her designee shall, within five business days of receiving the Hearing Board's report, issue a written decision in the disciplinary matter, consisting of findings of fact, sanction(s), and reasons therefore, which shall be included in the record. The official shall send a copy of the decision to the charged student(s).
SANCTIONS.
In determining a sanction, the designated College official may consider the student's past disciplinary record, the nature of the offense, the severity of any damage, injury, or harm resulting from it, and other factors. The College has a special concern for incidents in which persons are subject to harassment because of membership in a particular racial, religious, gender or sexual orientation group, disability or veteran status. Such incidents damage not only individuals, but also the free and open academic environment of the College. More severe sanctions are appropriate for such conduct.
If the charge against the student(s) is sustained, the responsible College official may impose one or more of the following sanctions:
1. EXPULSION --Expulsion is a permanent separation of the student from the College. The sanction will be recorded on the student's transcript. The student will also be barred from College property. Only the President of the College may recommend re-admission of a student who has been expelled.
2. SUSPENSION --Suspension is a separation of the student from the College for a specified period of time. Suspensions that take effect during a semester may result in the loss of academic credit for that semester. The suspended student also loses financial assistance from the College on the date of the suspension and for the duration of the suspension. The student should not participate in any College-sponsored activity and will be barred from College premises.
  Upon completion of the term of the suspension, the student must apply for readmission to the College.
3. COLLEGE PROBATION –College Probation is a specified period of time during which any further violations of the SCC may result in suspension or expulsion.
4. Supplementary sanctions :
  In addition to the sanctions outlined above, supplementary disciplinary sanctions may be recommended by the Hearing Panel or imposed by the Vice President of Student Services or her designee. Such sanctions may be utilized by themselves or in combination with any other sanctions. The following are examples and are not intended to be an all-inclusive list:
  • Removal from the residence hall or residence hall system.
  • Privileges may be revoked. Examples include ineligibility to live off campus and restrictions on residence hall visitation.
  • Students may be temporarily removed from their living space and placed in a quiet environment.
  • Restitution may be required to be paid to the injured party or parties.
  • The students may be referred for specialized help to persons such as the student's academic adviser, psychiatric counselor, clergy member, physician, parents or Counseling Services.
  • An education project assignment may be arranged so that the students will have an opportunity to observe specific human behavior related to her/his own misconduct. For example, students may be asked to make reports on night court, juvenile court, Alcoholics Anonymous, service agencies or participate in some campus activity with rehabilitative value.
  • Work projects may be assigned. Examples include mopping halls, washing walls or cleaning bathrooms.
  • A reprimand may be given to indicate official disapproval of the student's behavior and to warn that further misconduct may result in additional disciplinary action. In such cases, a note is included in the student's personal folder outlining the misconduct and the fact that a reprimand was given.
APPEALS.
Any student found to have committed a violation of the SCC and sanctioned by the Vice President for Student Affairs or the Panel has the right to appeal. A written notice of appeal must be delivered to the Office of the Vice President for Student Services within seven (7) calendar days from the mailing date of the written decision sent to the accused student. A written memorandum stating the grounds of the appeal shall be filed by the accused within seven (7) days of filing the Notice of Appeal.
The following guidelines apply to appeals:
• The President's designee shall serve as the appeals officer.
• The scope of the appeal officer's review shall be limited to (1) determining whether a fair hearing was provided and (2) determining whether the sanction imposed, given the facts and circumstances, was excessive.
• If no basis for appeal is present, the appeal is dismissed and the decision of the Vice President for Student Services and/or Panel is final.
• If the appeal is not dismissed, the appeals officer may order a new hearing, or may reduce or modify, but not increase, the sanctions previously assessed.
• Barring discovery of material new facts, an appeal is limited to a review of the record of the Vice President of Student Services and/or the record of the Panel.
• The decision on appeal is final.
• During the appeal process, the accused's status as a student will not change except for reasons relating to the emotional or physical welfare of the accused, or for reasons involving the safety of persons or property.
RECORDS AND CONFIDENTIALITY.
The formal written decision will be provided to the accused at no expense.

Health
AIDS
The College has a complete policy covering the manner in which students, faculty and staff with AIDS or AIDS-related conditions will be treated. Cases will be handled on a case-by-case basis and strict confidentiality will be maintained. See Student Services.

Smoking
Smoking has been proven hazardous to the health of smokers and non-smokers alike. The College has adopted a policy which restricts smoking in College buildings. Smoking elsewhere on campus is prohibited within 25 feet of any building. Anyone caught violating the smoking policy or littering the campus with cigarette butts, will be sent to the campus judicial board.

Student Pregnancy
For the health and safety of the mother and her child, the College should be made aware of anyone who is pregnant and enrolled in the academic program. Possible limitations of equestrian, physical education and performance activities will be governed by College policy, which will be explained by the instructors in those programs.

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