Module 5 – Student Rights & Responsibilities

The university subscribes to principles of due process and fair hearings as specified in the “Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students.’ This document can be found at https://www.uaf.edu/deanofstudents/. You are encouraged to read it carefully.

Most students adjust easily to the privileges and responsibilities of university citizenship. The university attempts to provide counsel for those who find the adjustment more difficult. UAF may terminate enrollment or take other necessary and appropriate action in cases where a student is unable or unwilling to assume the social responsibilities of citizenship in the university community.

Student Code of Conduct

As with all members of the university community, the university requires students to conduct themselves honestly and responsibly and to respect the rights of others. Students may not engage in behavior that disrupts the learning environment, violates the rights of others or otherwise violates the Student Code of Conduct, university rules, regulations or procedures. Students and student organizations will be responsible for ensuring that they and their guests comply with the code while on property owned or controlled by the university or at activities authorized or sponsored by the university.

The university may initiate disciplinary action and impose sanctions on any student or student organization found responsible for committing, attempting to commit or intentionally assisting in the commission of any of the following prohibited forms of conduct:

• cheating, plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty;
• forgery, falsification, alteration or misuse of documents, funds, property or electronic records;
• damage or destruction of property;
• theft of property or services;
• harassment;
• discrimination;
• hazing;
• endangerment, assault or infliction of physical harm;
• gender-based or sexual misconduct;
• disruptive or obstructive actions;
• mistreatment of animals;
• misuse of firearms, explosives, weapons, dangerous devices or dangerous chemicals;
• failure to comply with university directives;
• misuse of alcohol;
• misuse of drugs or other intoxicants;
• violation of regents’ policy, university regulation, rules or procedures; or
• any other actions that result in unreasonable interference with the learning environment or the rights of others.

Examples of actions that constitute these prohibitions will be described in the university regulation and the major academic units’ rules and procedures.
This policy and university regulation and MAU rules and procedures are not intended to define prohibited conduct in exhaustive terms, but rather to set forth examples to serve as guidelines for acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

The university has established procedures for enforcing the UA code of conduct. Each student at the university shall be afforded due process in all disciplinary matters. For a complete guide to these procedures, please refer to Board of Regents Policy and University Regulation 09.02 (University of Alaska Student Code of Conduct).

For additional information and details about the Student Code of Conduct, please visit https://www.uaf.edu/deanofstudents/.

Student Behavioral Standards

Education at the university is conceived as training for citizenship as well as for personal self-improvement and development. Generally, UAF behavioral regulations are designed to help you work efficiently in courses and live responsibly in the campus environment. They are not designed to ignore your individuality but rather to encourage you to exercise self-discipline and accept your social responsibility. These regulations, in most instances, were developed jointly by staff and students. Contact the dean of students for more information.

UAF provides one level of administrative oversight for decisions made by university employees. Individuals are encouraged to first attempt informal resolution with the employee making the decision or the employee’s supervisor. An individual seeking further review has the option of filling a written request with the employee’s supervisor for decisions made by university employees that are not covered in other university policies, regulations and procedures. The request must be signed and include all relevant information to be considered during the review. The supervisor will consider the information available at the time of the review and provide written notification of the outcome to the individual who filed the request. The supervisor’s written response will be the final decision within the university.

Alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct will be reviewed in accordance with procedures specified in regents’ policy, university regulations, and UAF rules and procedures. For additional information and details about the Student Code of Conduct and the student conduct process, please visit  www.uaf.edu/deanofstudents/.

The Student Care Team – Making Caring a Commitment!

The UAF Student Care Team is a campus initiative that seeks to encourage all of us to make our campus safe, supported and cared for. The goal is to help provide resources to our community and refer potentially worrisome behavior or situations before they result in harm. If you are concerned about someone or someone who is displaying concerning or disruptive behavior, you can refer to the online reporting form. The team will review the information and evaluate how we can best support our community.

A person that receives help sooner rather than later may be less likely to experience more severe symptoms or cause harm to self or others. Thus, the Care Team is a supportive process, not a disciplinary or punitive one.

If you are concerned about someone or someone is displaying concerning or disruptive behavior, you can refer the concern to the Care Team here. Once the referral is received, a staff member will review the incident and address the issue reported.

Alcohol and drug use and abuse is an issue that affects college students across the country. According to a national survey, almost 60 percent of college students aged 18-22 drank alcohol in the past month and almost two-thirds of them engaged in binge drinking during that time.

Here in Alaska, we struggle with some of the highest rates of alcohol abuse and binge drinking in the nation. Alaskans also use illicit drugs at rates greater than the national average.

Studies show that the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs can have a negative impact on your academic goals. Plus, alcohol and drug abuse carry significant legal and health consequences. At UAF, we want students to be successful, safe and healthy. While the university will enforce the Student Code of Conduct and hold students responsible for their choices in regard to drug and alcohol use, UAF  employs an amnesty policy to encourage students to make reports of sexual harassment or assault when underage drinking or prohibited drug use would otherwise warrant minor sanctions under the Student Code of Conduct.

If you or someone you know has a problem with alcohol or drugs, the following resources are here to help:

Student Health and Counseling Center

Behavioral Intervention Team

Recover Alaska

SAMHSA – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Academic honesty and integrity are fundamental to the mission of higher education. UAF has developed standards and procedures to address academic integrity and misconduct. Students who violate these standards may be subject to academic and/or disciplinary sanctions.

Academic misconduct is defined as attempting to help another student obtain grades, grants or class credit through fraudulent means. Broad categories of misconduct include cheating, plagiarizing, forgery and falsification, facilitating or aiding academic dishonesty, submitting duplicate assignments without the express permission of both instructors, stealing instructional materials or tests, altering grades or files, and misusing research data in reporting results. An instructor may  create special rules for a class and list them in the syllabus or directions for assignments; violation of these class-specific rules also constitutes academic dishonesty.

Click the tabs below to learn more about different categories of academic dishonesty.

It is your responsibility to do everything you can to avoid academic misconduct. Connect with your instructor or advisor for tips on how to  avoid academic misconduct.

The Writing Center and the Rasmuson Library can help you ensure information used in your assignments is properly sourced and cited.