Manhattanville Code of Conduct
Preamble
The educational purposes of Manhattanville College include the preparation of men and women for discerning and responsible citizenship in a diverse and global world. Members of the College must be able to come together in trust, the pursuit of academic excellence and respect for one another’s integrity in a just community. Each member of the community must respect the rights of others and observe the rules of decent living. All community members must keep the ideal of a just community in the forefront of their minds while making decisions.
The Code of Conduct that follows is constructed on the above tenets. The College encourages all students to govern their own social and intellectual community through the procedures outlined below. By encouraging individuals to govern their community, the College does not absolve the individual from accepting responsibility for his/her own behavior.
The College adheres to its mission statement to educate ethically and socially responsible leaders for the global world. The College reaffirms its tenet that its community must be respectful of all differences including perceived age, race, creed, color, religion, national origin, immigration or citizenship status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, military status, sex, gender, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, criminal conviction, marital status, familial status, domestic violence victim status, gender identity, or transgender identity.
The College does affirm the idea of student freedom with the acceptance of full responsibility for individual action and the consequence of such action. The College cannot and will not permit destructive or antisocial behavior. Therefore, it reserves the right to intercede and require the immediate suspension or withdrawal of a student where that behavior is perceived to constitute a threat to or violate the rights of members of the community or the individual student. Disciplinary authority is vested in the Dean of Students for undergraduate students and the Associate Dean for SOE Graduate or the Dean of SPS. In addition, the President and the Vice President for Student Affairs or their designee can, in the exercise of discretion, immediately dismiss, suspend or discipline a student for serious misconduct.
Responsibilities Within the Larger Community
It should be remembered that Manhattanville has an obligation to uphold the laws of the larger community. While the activities covered by the laws of the larger community and those covered by Manhattanville’s rules may overlap, it is important to note that the community’s laws and Manhattanville’s rules operate independently and do not substitute for each other. Manhattanville may pursue enforcement of its own rules whether or not legal proceedings are underway or in process and may use information from third-party sources, such as law enforcement agencies and the courts, to determine whether College rules have been broken. Conversely, the College makes no attempt to shield members of the Manhattanville community from the law, nor does it intervene in legal proceedings against a member of the community. The College may, in its discretion, invite law enforcement authorities to the campus to conduct police business and investigation anywhere on the campus. Membership in the Manhattanville community does not exempt anyone from local, state, or federal laws, but rather imposes the additional obligation to abide by all of Manhattanville’s regulations.
Romantic and sexual relations between a student and a faculty or staff member, including voluntary and consensual relations, are prohibited.
Reports of any violent felony offenses committed on campus will be immediately referred to the Harrison Police Department by the Vice President for Student Affairs
Violation of the Law and College Discipline
If a student is charged with or commits a criminal act or violation of the law whether on or off campus, the College may institute its own disciplinary proceedings or in its discretion, otherwise discipline, suspend or expel the student. The College may impose sanctions immediately for serious misconduct, because such conduct calls into question the student’s membership in the College community and may adversely affect the abilities of others to pursue their educational goals or the safety of any member of the College. In the case of an off-campus violation of the law, the College may, in its discretion, immediately discipline a student without first conducting its own fact-finding. If the violation of the law occurs on campus, the College may obviously institute its own proceedings against the offender. However, if the misconduct is sufficiently serious and could compromise the health or wellbeing of any student, the Vice President for Student Affairs or President may immediately discipline a student in their exercise of discretion.
Responsibilities and Ethical Standards of the Conduct Process
The disciplinary record of a student or group, the nature or status of any disciplinary situation shall not be discussed or disclosed. An objective attitude must be maintained throughout the proceedings. Members of any proceedings have an obligation to disqualify themselves from an investigation when they feel that they cannot be impartial in reaching a decision.
Basic Freedoms and Confidentiality
The College wishes to protect the constitutional rights of all its members, including balancing the safety and welfare of all in relation to the rights of the individual.