At Rhodes College, each student is responsible for their behavior at all times and under all circumstances. Intoxication or the influence of drugs will not be considered a mitigating circumstance in determining whether a student has engaged in misconduct. Each student is responsible for the actions of their guest and may be held socially and financially responsible for any social offenses committed by that guest. Ignorance is not an excuse for violating College policy.
Since shared community standards are necessary to maintain an atmosphere of respect among individuals in the community, it is the responsibility of every member of the community to report any violation of the Honor Code or Standards of Conduct.
Examples of student misconduct at Rhodes include, but are not limited to:
- Lying in Official Matters. The term “lying” in official matters is defined as making an untrue or deceptive statement; making a material omission, or conveying a false impression, with the intent to mislead a Rhodes College official in an official matter; or falsifying, altering, or misusing official material with the intent to mislead a Rhodes College official in an official matter. Official matters and material include, without limitation, matters having to do with course work, college administration, faculty, residence hall administration, Campus Safety, Honor Council, or Community Standards Council. If an accused student has lied in an Honor Council hearing, the Council may use the lie as evidence relating to the Accused’s commitment to the Honor System when determining a sanction.
- Cheating. The term “cheating” is defined as the attempt or act of giving or receiving unauthorized aid from any source on academic course work.
Cheating includes plagiarism. Plagiarism is an act of academic dishonesty. A student must not adopt or reproduce ideas, words, or statements of another person without appropriate acknowledgment. A student must give credit to the originality of others and acknowledge an indebtedness whenever the student does any of the following:
- Quotes another person's actual words, either oral or written.
- Paraphrases another person's actual words, either oral or written.
- Uses another person's idea, opinion, or theory.
- Borrows facts, statistics, or other illustrative material unless the information is common knowledge.
- It is the student’s responsibility to consult the professor, an Honor Council member, or writing handbooks for procedure for properly acknowledging sources.
- Stealing. The term “stealing” is defined as the act of intentionally taking, appropriating, or transferring, without right or permission, the academic property of any individual, organization, or institution, either permanently or temporarily associated with the Rhodes community. The following are examples of what could be considered under the definition of stealing:
- Appropriating or obtaining access to files or any other electronically stored information without authorization of the owner of such files or information
- Taking papers, files, gradebooks, notes, past tests or exams or other academically-related information without the owner’s authorization
- Removal of or otherwise making unavailable any material from the Rhodes College library without permission
Outside the academic context, stealing is the attempted or actual theft of services or property of the College, of a member of the College community, or other personal or public property.
D. Violation by Guest. Any Honor Code/Standards of Conduct violation committed by a guest of a Rhodes College student, excluding prospective students registered through the Admissions Office, shall be the responsibility of their host.
E. Interfering with College or College sponsored activities, including but not limited to, studying, teaching, research, college administration, campus safety, or fire, police, or emergency services.
F. Bullying and Other Abusive Behavior. This offense includes, but is not limited to:
- Threatening the physical health or safety of another person
- Using physical force or violence against another person
- Blackmailing, extorting or demanding money not legitimately owed from another person
- Pervasive taunting, mocking, put-downs or demeaning humor that has the effect of interfering with a person’s ability to participate meaningfully in the Rhodes community
- Spreading gossip or rumors or socially excluding someone with the intention of interfering with that person’s ability to meaningfully participate in the Rhodes community
- Barring access to College property or facilities without the authority to do so
- Posting misleading, altered or fake images or video footage of a person online
- Creating fake social media profiles or websites and posing as another individual
- Sending email, texts, social media messages or voicemail messages that are intended to overwhelm or bombard another individual’s email, phone or social media accounts
G. Hate-Motivated Acts. Engaging in verbal, written or physical conduct that is (i) based on a person’s or group’s race, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, gender identity, age (40 or over), or disability; and (ii) is intended to intimidate or injure the person physically, mentally or emotionally.
H. Interfering with the freedom of expression of others.
I. Attempted or actual damage to property of the College or property of a member of the College community or other personal or public property, on or off campus.
J. Hazing, which is an action taken or situation created to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule, 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. The express or implied consent of the victim will not be a defense. No organization member shall condone hazing.
Examples of hazing include, but are not limited to:
- Acts of personal servitude, including, but not limited to, doing someone’s laundry, buying someone’s food, driving someone around/“chauffeuring” someone, completing someone’s classwork for them
- Any activity that would be viewed by a reasonable person as subjecting someone to embarrassment, degradation, or humiliation
- Pressuring or coercing a student into violating College policy or breaking state or federal law
- Physical brutality, such as whipping, beating, paddling, branding, “shocking”, exposing someone to the elements, depriving someone of food, or forcing/coercing someone into consuming food, liquor, or any substance
- Any other forced physical activity that could adversely affect the health or safety of the student
- Any activity that could subject a student to extreme mental stress, such as line-ups or berating, sleep deprivation, forced or coerced exclusion from social interaction, forced or coerced wearing of clothing/apparel, forced conduct that could result in extreme embarrassment, or any other forced activity that could negatively affect the student’s mental health or dignity
- Any activity that causes unreasonable interference with a student’s academic participation or performance
- Kidnapping or abandonment
K. Failure to comply with directions of College officials, including campus safety officers, in performance of their duties.
L. Unauthorized possession, duplication or use of keys to any College premises or unauthorized entry to or use of College premises.
M. Possession of weapons of any type by students or guests while on College property, including firearms, B-B guns, pellet guns, bows and arrows, hunting knives, explosives or other weapons, except as specifically permitted by the Weapons Policy in the Student Handbook.
N. Failure of a student host to reasonably supervise guest behavior, including behavior occurring in their residence hall rooms, behavior at student organization events, and behavior by off-campus guests.
O. Violation of the College’s Alcohol and Drug Policies.
P. Violation of any College regulation or policy.
Q. Violating the terms of any disciplinary sanction imposed in accordance with the Honor Code or Standards of Conduct.
R. Violation of any federal, state or local law.
S. The agreement to (can be inferred by silent presence or failure to act) or support for an act that is against federal, state, or local laws, Honor Code, Standards of Conduct, or College policy.