Code of Conduct

You are expected to act as a responsible adult and will be held accountable for your behavior. Mesa State College is a community consisting of students, faculty, support staff, and administrators. The College does not attempt to define all “student conduct.” It relies on you, the student, to assume the responsibility and obligation of conducting yourself in a manner compatible with the purpose of the College as an educational institution and the community as a place of residence. In addition to College rules and regulations, you are subject to the same local, state, and federal laws as non-students and are beneficiaries of the same safeguards of rights as non-students.

The academic community has a long and cherished tradition of expecting its members to conduct themselves in accordance with the highest standards of personal behavior. The following are among those acts of misconduct which are not consistent with the educational goals of Mesa State College or with the traditions of the academic community. These acts are intended to provide guidelines, not prescriptions of behavior, and each individual case will be decided upon its own merits.

The Office of the Assistant Vice-President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management is also available to provide consultations and advocacy on behalf of the students of the College. Student Services personnel can advise and assist students with unusual circumstances or with problems not addressed elsewhere in the Student Handbook.

Normally, conduct of the following nature is subject to disciplinary sanctions:

1) Dishonesty, such as cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the College;

2) Forgery, alteration, or use of College documents, records or instruments of identification with intent to defraud;

3) Intentional obstruction, demonstrations, or disruption of teaching, research, administration, disciplinary proceedings, or other College activities, including public service functions and other authorized activities on College premises;

4) Physical abuse or harassment of any person on College premises or at College sponsored or College supervised functions, or any conduct which threatens or endangers the health or safety of any such person;

5) Attempted or actual theft of, or damage to, property of the College or of a member of the College community;

6) Unauthorized entry into or use of College facilities or materials;

7) Violation of rules governing residence in College owned or controlled property;

8) Failure to comply with the directions of College officials acting in the performance of their duties;

9) Violation of civil law or College regulations concerning the possession and use of alcoholic beverages;

10) Violation of civil law or College regulations concerning the use, sale or distribution of drugs;

11) Disorderly conduct or loud, indecent or obscene conduct on College-owned or College-controlled property or at College sponsored functions;

12) Violation of College policies or campus regulations, including the use of College facilities;

13)Weapons of any kind are not appropriate to the College experience and are not allowed on campus (see weapons policy);

14) Unauthorized access and/or abuse of computer functions or equipment or any violations as outlined in the Mesa State College Computer Use Policy;

15)Hazing, defined as an act which endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student, or which destroys or removes public or private property, for the purpose of initiation, admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in, a group or organization;

16)Conduct which could be viewed as a violation of federal, state and municipal law, or any other conduct not included above which adversely affects the function of the College and the pursuit of its educational purposes and objectives; and

17)Abuse of the Judicial System. The college views violations of the Student Code of Conduct separate from the Rule of Law which govern civil and criminal behavior. The College role in code of conduct violations is to discipline students, not prosecute students. Violations may parallel the laws of society in what they prohibit, however, neither the campus proceedings, the standards of proof required, nor the discipline imposed is even remotely similar in either the nature or substance to criminal procedures, standards of proof, or punishment. In fact, proceedings under the Student Code of Conduct may be carried out prior to, simultaneously with or following civil or criminal off-campus proceedings.

2002-2003 Student Handboobk