Some actions cannot be tolerated because they seriously interfere with the basic purpose and processes of an academic community. By formulating a general code of ethics, rights and responsibilities, the College reaffirms the principle of student freedom coupled with personal responsibility and accountability for individual action and the consequences of such action.
Students are not only members of the academic community, but members of the larger society. Thus they retain the rights, protection, guarantees and responsibilities which are held by all citizens.
A student is not immune to prosecution by local, state or federal enforcement agencies, whether or not the College takes action on the violation.
The Code of Conduct, the “Code” applies principally to conduct that occurs on College premises, or at College-related activities or facilities. College premises means all land, buildings, facilities and other property owned by Maine College of Health Professions / Central Maine Healthcare Corporation.
Off-campus conduct may also subject a student to disciplinary or other appropriate administrative action when it is perceived to pose an imminent threat of harm or safety of the student or others or reflects on a student’s fitness to continue at the College.
Rights, Responsibilities and Code of Conduct
Definitions in the Code of Conduct
- The term “student” refers to:
- Any person who has been accepted and submitted their deposit or
- Any person registered for a course, whether in a non-degree or degree seeking program, from the point of registration to the completion of course of study. Examples include, but are not limited to, students who are enrolled, but not taking classes due to an academic break or students taking a medical or other personal leave.
- The term “behavior” means conduct and expression.
- The term “member of the College community”, means Maine College of Health Professions system trustees, academic, nonacademic and administrative staff, students and other persons while such other persons are on College property or at a College function.
Students who are believed to have assisted in violating any provision of the Code of Conduct may be charged with a violation to the same extent as those persons committing a violation.
Attempts to violate this Code, including unsuccessful attempts, are prohibited and are subject to the same response under this Code as are actual violations.
The College considers the following behavior, or attempts at the behavior, by any student or student organization, whether acting alone or with others, to violate the code of student conduct.
Prohibited Acts Against A Person
- Threatening or causing physical harm to another person. Physical abuse includes, but is not limited to, hazing, personal injury, alcohol or other drug abuse, physical restraint, holding or transporting an individual against her or his will.
- Threatening or causing nonphysical abuse of or abusive behavior towards another person, including, but not limited to verbal or written statements which constitute a form of expression unprotected by law, such as obscenity, fighting words and defamation. Nonphysical abuse means psychological abuse or abusive behavior through verbal or written statements that intend to or could reasonably be foreseen to cause embarrassment, humiliation, shame, fright, grief, or intimidation.
- Any actual or threatened nonconsensual sexual act.
- Stalking, which is willfully, maliciously and repeatedly following, contacting or harassing another person in a manner which would cause a reasonable person to feel frightened, intimidated, threatened, or harassed.
- Conduct that threatens the mental or physical health and safety of others. This includes but is not limited to hazing, alcohol or other drug abuse, and other forms of destructive behavior.
Property Offenses
- Destroying or vandalizing property, or intent to destroy or vandalize property, including, but not limited to, College owned property, fire alarms, extinguishers, and other safety devices.
- Trespassing upon, forcibly entering or otherwise proceeding into unauthorized areas of College owned buildings or facilities, their roofs or the residential space of another person that are locked, closed, or otherwise restricted to use.
- Unauthorized and/or inappropriate use of property.
- Unauthorized or inappropriate use, duplication or possession of keys, computer access codes, or other security mechanisms.
- Stealing or unauthorized possession of property.
- Embezzling, defrauding, or using false pretenses to procure money, property, or services.
- Knowingly purchasing or possessing stolen or embezzled property, money, or services.
- Intentional disruption or obstruction of the lawful activities of the College or its members, including their exercise of the right to assembly and peaceful protest.
College Offenses
- Illegal purchase, use, possession or distribution of alcohol, other drugs, or controlled substances.
- Academic dishonesty, including, but not limited to plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic misconduct, misuse of academic resources or facilities, the misuse of computer software and hardware, data, equipment, or networks.
- Possessing or using weapons, explosives, flammable substances or other dangerous devices.
- A weapon is any object or substance designed and/or used to inflict a wound, to cause injury, or to incapacitate, and includes, but is not limited to all firearms, pellet guns, air pistols, air rifles, all knives, black jacks, metal knuckles, fireworks, explosives, biological agents, and chemicals such as Mace and/or tear gas. Replicas and facsimiles of weapons are also prohibited.
- Creating a fire, safety, or health hazard.
- Falsely reporting a fire or other emergency situation, including, but not limited to, activating a fire alarm when there is no reasonably perceived emergency.
- Intentional disruption or obstruction of the lawful activities of the College or its members, including their exercise of the right to assembly and peaceful protest.
- Having an animal on campus, except as permitted by College policy.
- Causing any object to be ejected from windows, roofs, or balconies of College owned buildings.
- Conveying information which the student knows or should know to be false, including, but not limited to forging, altering or causing any false information to be entered into College record or to be presented at a College proceeding, or to a member of the College community.
- Impersonating a member of the College community.
- Elimination of bodily fluids or waste, including but not without limitation, urine, feces, vomit or blood in receptacles not designed for receipt of such substances.
- Indecent exposure, such as but not limited to, flashing and all exposure prohibited by State statute.
- Violations of College policies, rules or regulations that are published in the Student Handbook or any other official College publication or agreement.
- Responsibility is not diminished for acts in violation of this code that are committed in ignorance of the code or under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, or while improperly using controlled substances.
- Disorderly conduct, including but not limited to public intoxication, lewd, indecent, or obscene behavior, libel, slander, and illegal gambling.
- Violation of any state, federal, or local law, especially when the violation has a negative impact on the well-being of the College or its individual members.
Consequences
Failure to observe these policies may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination from the College and may result in a report to law enforcement.
Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information in the Student Handbook, students and others who use the Student Handbook should note that laws, rules and policies change from time to time and that these changes may alter the information contained in this policy.
Changes may come in the form of statutes enacted by rules and policies adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Maine College of Health Professions, Legislature, by the President of the College, or by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees or designee of the College.
Students shall have the opportunity to participate in the formulation of policy directly affecting students through membership on appropriate committees as determined by the President.
Approved:______________________________________________________________________
Monika Bissell, DBA
President