IU Columbus strives to ensure the rights of students and all members of the campus community are protected and respected. As part of this effort, we follow official Indiana University policies, like the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct.
This code exists to promote the intellectual and ethical growth of students at IU Columbus and other IU campuses to foster the best possible environment for teaching and learning—one that is based on mutual respect and clear expectations for teaching, learning, and campus environment.
How the Code Works
- Part I of the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct includes the rights and freedoms to which all students—undergraduate and graduate—are entitled at Indiana University.
- The responsibilities of all students are described in Part II. If a student’s rights have been violated by a member of the faculty or administration, procedures are available to assist the student in resolving the problem.
- If a student is suspected of committing the behaviors listed in Part III that constitute a violation of the section on responsibilities, IU Columbus will follow procedural guidelines found in Part III of the Code.
Procedures in the campus judicial system used in conjunction with the code are viewed as educational processes and are not the same as legal procedures in a court of law. Students, faculty, and staff serve as judicial hearing officers in the campus judicial system, and the outcomes are designed to both hold students accountable and to educate them, so that the behaviors are unlikely to be repeated.
Violations of the code that may be addressed in the campus judicial system may or may not also be violations of law. For example, cheating on an exam is a violation of the code but not of the law. Underage consumption of alcohol is a violation of both the code and the law, and students who engage in this behavior are at risk of being held accountable in both the campus judicial system and the court system.
Students’ rights and their responsibilities apply to all activities on campus—both in and outside the classroom. Rights and responsibilities may be addressed by campus authorities in connection with off-campus activities when they are associated with university events, or if they involve student behaviors that potentially “undermine the security of the university community or the integrity of the educational process or pose a serious threat to self or others.”
For instance, a student studying abroad in Spain who is arrested for illegal drug usage could also face disciplinary action in Columbus through the campus judicial system.
For the provisions found in the code to be effective in contributing to a successful academic experience for students, it is important for students to read the document and to become familiar with its contents. Questions about how the code works can be directed to the Dean of Students at IU Columbus.
