General and Behavior Standards

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  1. The Student Honor Code and Code of Conduct are applicable to any student enrolled in an academic course or program, regardless of credits carried, including but not limited to degree programs, pre-college, non-degree seeking, non-credit bearing programs. These Codes and this Procedure also apply to the Bridge, SPECTRA, and I-Charleston Programs and their participants. Each student shall be responsible for personal conduct from the time of enrollment until the actual awarding of a degree even though that conduct may occur before classes begin or after classes end, as well as during the academic year and during periods between terms of actual enrollment. In addition, if a student is admitted and the College receives information that they have engaged in conduct that may impact the safety and/or health of any members of our campus community, including faculty, staff and/or students, then the applicable policies of the Office of Admissions shall apply. More information about the Office of Admissions policy can be found here: https://charleston.edu/policy/documents/8.1.5.pdf 
  2. The Student Honor Code and Code of Conduct also apply to College of Charleston student organizations and groups. Separate procedures and sanctions for student organizations and groups are outlined in Section IV of the Code of Conduct.
  3. Generally, the regulations contained in the Student Honor Code and Code of Conduct apply to student conduct which occurs at the College of Charleston, on the grounds of all other College campuses and properties wherever located, at all Bridge, SPECTRA and I-Charleston locations, or at any event sponsored by any of these institutions or by any campus organization or group, wherever the event is located or held. The College reserves the right to take action based on any student conduct, regardless of location, that may adversely affect the educational mission of the College or that may adversely, distinctly, or directly affect the College community and/or its international programs. As an urban campus situated in the heart of Charleston, clearly, good relations with the City of Charleston and our Charleston neighbors as well as all others that we interact with are essential to the overall mission of the College. Accordingly, Student Affairs shall have discretion to exercise jurisdiction over conduct which occurs off-campus, wherever it may occur.
  4. Residence Life and Housing Administration: The Departments of Residence Life and Housing Administration will review alleged violations of the Residence Hall Contract (which may also constitute violations of the Student Code of Conduct) that are NOT likely to lead to removal from the residential system AND any form of suspension or expulsion from the College. Such offenses will be resolved under policies as stated by Residence Life and Housing Administration. Alleged violations of the Residence Hall Contract unrelated to violations of the Student Code of Conduct shall be subject to administrative action by the Departments of Residence Life and Housing Administration. For more information on regulations and policies concerning residence halls, please consult the webpages of Residence Life and the Residence Hall Contract. Alleged violations likely to lead to removal from the residential system AND any form of suspension or expulsion from the College shall be subject to action by the Office of the Dean of Students. This includes, but is not limited, to all drug-related violations, multiple alcohol violations, forgery, weapons, arson, sexual misconduct, physical assault, and serious vandalism.
  5. The College retains conduct jurisdiction over students who choose to take a leave of absence, withdraw, or have graduated for any misconduct that occurred prior to the leave, withdrawal, or graduation. If sanctioned, a hold may be placed on the student's ability to re-enroll (and/or obtain official transcripts and/or graduate) and all sanctions must be satisfied prior to re-enrollment eligibility after a hold is lifted.
  6. The College of Charleston email is the College's primary means of communication with students. Students are responsible for all communication delivered to their College email address and are deemed to have notice of the contents of all communications sent by e-mail.
  7. Letters of no contact, cease and desist letters, facilitated discussions, mediation agreements, restorative justice actions, mandatory move notices within our residential system, and other written forms of intervention may be initiated after determination by officials in Student Affairs that such action is appropriate and warranted. The student(s) will be given the opportunity to appear personally before an official of Student Affairs to contest the determination and discuss the original circumstances that gave rise to the no contact or other intervention order. Intervention letters do not constitute a formal conduct charge or sanction. However, formal conduct proceedings could be initiated if any conditions outlined within the correspondence are violated.
  8. When considering consequences for student misconduct, the College focuses primarily on educating students about their behavior, but may impose sanctions up to and including suspension and expulsion in order to preserve a safe and healthy environment for the College community.
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B. Violations of Municipal, State, or Federal Law

Students may be accountable to both outside authorities and to the College for acts which constitute violations of federal, state, or local law(s) and of the Honor System and other campus regulations. Conduct action at the College will normally proceed during the pendency of criminal or civil proceedings and will not be subject to challenge on the ground that criminal or civil charges involving the same incident have been dismissed, diverted into an intervention program, reduced, or resolved in favor or against the student. Determinations made or sanctions imposed under a conduct process shall not be subject to change because criminal or civil charges or violations arising out of the same facts giving rise to violation of College rules were dismissed, diverted, reduced, or resolved in favor of or against the student.

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C. Status of a Student/Group Pending Final Resolution of a Conduct Case

Until a final resolution is determined, the status of a student/organization/group will not change unless interim restrictions have been imposed to protect the health and/or safety of the complainant/respondent/student organization/group and/or the College community, including faculty and/or staff, and/or students.

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D. Notice to Parents, Families, or Third Parties

  1. Students are adults, capable of making their own decisions, as well as accepting the consequences for those decisions. Except in limited circumstances, it is the student who notifies the parent(s) or self selected third parties about a pending case. If a student decides to include a concerned third party and completes the necessary forms, then the Office of the Dean of Students will be responsive to the inquiry, but the student must ultimately reply to the meeting and/or informal hearing request and forthrightly participate in the process. Conversations are between the College and its students, but students can have an advisor, who can be of their own choosing, including a parent or attorney, should they so desire.
  2. If a student is found responsible for an alcohol or drug violation, the parents and/or legal guardians of the student under 21 will be notified. The College may waive parental notification in exceptional circumstances, if a student makes a bona fide showing that such notification will create significant hardship, including but not limited to, potential violence or financial abandonment.
  3. The College reserves the right to notify parents, emergency contacts, and/or legal guardians without a student's prior consent in health or safety emergencies, unless the College is notified in advance, in writing, of a legitimate safety risk to the student from such notification.
  4. Visitors to and guests of the College may seek resolution of violations of the Student Code of Conduct committed against them by members of the College community.
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E. Withdrawals/Completion of Semester with Pending Conduct Action

Should a referred student be academically dismissed or withdraw from the College of Charleston or the University of Charleston, South Carolina before pending conduct charges have been resolved, the Office of the Dean of Students may proceed with the informal or formal hearing according to the procedures below. A conduct hold on the student's records, including future registration and a hold on the granting of a degree, may be imposed until the case is resolved.

A student who has a conduct charge brought against them at the end of an academic semester term may have a conduct hold placed on their records, including the posting of grades and the granting of a degree, until the conduct charge has been resolved and/or sanctions completed.

Furthermore, a student who has a conduct charge brought against them after the end of an academic semester or term, but prior to graduation, may have a conduct hold placed on their records, including the posting of grades and the granting of a degree, until the conduct charge has been resolved and/or sanctions completed.

A student's withdrawal or dismissal from the College will not affect the student's right to participate in the conduct action and will be heard in the same manner as if the student remained enrolled at the College.

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II. Behavioral Standards

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A. Academic Excellence and Integrity

B. Respect for the Individual Student and Diversity

C. Community and Public Mission

D. Other Violations of Other Campus Policies, Rules, or Regulations

These College behavioral standards are set forth in writing to give students general notice and examples of prohibited conduct. The descriptions should be read and interpreted very broadly and are not designed to define expectations or categories of misconduct in limiting or restrictive terms. The provisions of the Code are not to be regarded as a contract between the student and the College. The College also reserves the right to amend any provision herein at any time. The College will publish such amendments on the College Policy website and within the Student Handbook. Such amendments will become effective with the first date of publication.
When the outcome of a conduct action is suspension from the College, a restriction will be placed prohibiting the student from performing any registration transactions during the period of suspension. The restriction will not be removed, and the student will not be allowed to perform registration transactions, until the stated period of suspension has expired and all disciplinary obligations are met. The student may be banned from campus property during a suspension.
Any behavior which may have been influenced by a student’s mental state or voluntary use of drugs or alcohol beverages shall not in any way limit the responsibility of the student for the consequences of their actions.

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A. Academic Excellence and Integrity

Students are expected to be honest in all their interactions with the administration, faculty, staff, students, visitors, neighbors, and friends of the College. The values above insist on adherence to the highest ethical standards in all our professional obligations and personal responsibilities. Academic excellence and integrity are intricately linked and both underlie our commitment to a liberal arts education, dynamic intellectual community, high academic standards, and strong academic programs.

Please see the Honor Code for the behavioral standards related to academic integrity located in Section 5 of the Student Handbook. The following are examples of behaviors that violate this section of the Student Code of Conduct. (Violations of either the Honor Code or the Student Code of Conduct will subject a student to action under Student Conduct Procedures):

  1. Acts of dishonesty, including but not limited to:
    • Intentional misrepresentation by word or action of any situation of fact, or intentional omission of material fact(s), so as to mislead any College official, faculty member, staff member, or volunteer.
    • Knowingly furnishing or possessing false, falsified, or forged materials, documents, accounts, records, identification, or financial instruments.
  2. Representing the College or any student organization or group without the explicit prior consent of the appropriate officials of that organization or group.
  3. Tampering with, forging, or otherwise falsifying any College records, documents, computer files, storage units, terminals, or programs which contain electronic records or student conduct records. This includes tampering with the election of any College-recognized student organization. (Knowingly omitting material facts or knowingly submitting false information for inclusion into these records is interpreted as tampering with the official record system.)
  4. Unauthorized accessing of the records of any individual, whether such access is obtained through paper records, computer files or systems where such information is protected by the College regulations concerning privacy and confidentiality.
  5. Refusal to identify one’s self to any properly identified (by name and position) member of the College staff, acting in performance of their duties, when appropriately requested to do so. The preferred form of identification shall be a current, valid College of Charleston Identification Card.
  6. Altering, improperly possessing, or lending an College Identification Card to another person for any reason not expressly authorized by the College. A College Identification Card falling into any of these categories may be confiscated by any student, staff, or faculty member in the course of their charged work responsibilities.
  7. Failure of any student to accurately report an off-campus arrest by any law enforcement agency for any felony crime to the Office of the Dean of Students within seventy-two (72) hours of release.
  8. No student shall sell, attempt to sell/benefit financially, or disseminate any class materials provided by any instructor or guest lecturer in any course of study offered at the College of Charleston, without the permission of the instructor of record.
  9. Impersonation of another person, including a member of the college community.
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B. Respect for the Individual Student and Diversity

Choosing the College community obligates each member to observe a code of civilized behavior. Students are expected to uphold a high standard of civility, strive to learn from differences in people, ideas, and opinions, and to be responsible along with all members of the College community for ensuring a safe and healthy campus. Students are expected to demonstrate their respect for all members of our richly diverse community and refrain from and discourage behaviors which threaten the freedom and respect every individual disserves. The College has special concern for incidents in which individuals or groups are subject to physical assault, harassment, threats, or intimidation because of membership or perceived membership in a particular racial, ethnic, religious, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, color, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Such incidents damage not only individuals, but also the free and open academic environment of the College.

Students are encouraged to read our companion campus-wide Prohibition on Discrimination and Harassment, Including Sexual Harassment and Abuse Policy (Appendix C of the Student Handbook) and the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy (Section 6 of the Student Handbook). The following are examples of behaviors that violate this section of the Student Code of Conduct:

  1. Discrimination and harassment based on status - Conduct directed at an individual or group because of their status. A student shall not engage in conduct directed at an individual or group, on the basis of race, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, color, religion, disability, age, ethnicity, genetic background, service in a uniformed service, or national origin, and 14 has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's or group's work or academic performance or other education benefit or creating an intimidating or hostile working, learning, or living environment.
  2. Campus and Individual Safety
    • Physical Assault/Abuse: Physical Assault includes physical attack upon or physical interference with a person, including contact causing physical restraint.
    • Sexual Misconduct: See applicable policies and procedures found within the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy (Section 6 of the Student Handbook) and the Prohibition on Discrimination, Including Sexual Harassment Policy (Appendix C of the Student Handbook).
    • Intimidation: Intimidation includes expressed or implied threat(s) or act(s) that cause reasonable apprehension that prevents the person from conducting their customary or usual affairs, or substantially interferes with their educational experience.
    • Harassment: Repeated use of written, verbal, or electronic expression or physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at a person that places that person in reasonable fear for their physical safety, or prevents the person from conducting their customary or usual affairs, or substantially interferes with their educational experience.
    • Threats: Threats include any statement, communication, conduct, or gesture, including those in written form, directed toward any member of the College community that causes a reasonable apprehension of physical harm to a person or property. A student can be held responsible for threatening behavior even if the person(s) who is (are) the object of the threat does not observe or receive it, so long as a reasonable person would interpret the maker's statement, communication, conduct, or gesture as a serious expression of intent to physically harm.
    • Coercion of any type, including the use of explicit or implied force, threats, pressure, or intimidation to make someone engage in actions against their will.
    • Disruption or obstruction of teaching, studying, research, administration, conduct proceedings, living/learning environment or other college activities, including its public service functions on or off campus, or other authorized non-college activities.
    • Failure to Comply: A failure to act in accordance with the directions of College officials acting in performance of their duties.
    • Bullying: Severe aggressive behavior likely to intimidate or intentionally hurt or diminish another person mentally or physically (that is not speech or conduct otherwise protected by the First Amendment).
    • Stalking: The repetitive and menacing pursuit, following, harassing, and/or interfering with the peace and/or safety of another.
    • Rioting or participating in a violent demonstration or action which disrupts the normal operations of the College and/or infringes upon the rights of others. This includes leading or inciting others to riot or disrupt the scheduled and/or normal activities anywhere on campus.
    • Obstructing or blocking the free flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic on College premises or at College sponsored or supervised events.
    • Engaging in disorderly, lewd, or indecent conduct, in breach of the peace on College premises, surrounding areas, or at College sponsored events; or aiding, abetting, inciting, and/or procuring another person to breach the peace on College property, surrounding areas, or at College sponsored events.
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C. Community and Public Mission

Choosing the College community obligates each member to build and enhance their community and care for its property and the property of others. Our value of community means a commitment to compassion, mutual trust, respect, civility, collegial shared governance, teamwork, and the general welfare of the institution and the individual. The following are examples, but not an exhaustive list, of behavior that violates this section of the Student Code of Conduct:

  1. Attempted or actual theft, unauthorized possession, use, removal of, defacing, or tampering with property, or damage to or destruction of such property.
  2. Unauthorized presence in or use of College premises, facilities, or property.
  3. Possession or Use of Dangerous Items: Unauthorized or illegal possession of or the unlawful use of fireworks, dangerous chemicals (excluding the lawful carrying of and defensive use of lachrymatory agents/pepper spray), firearms, electroshock weapons, or other hazardous or dangerous weapons, including, but not limited to, facsimiles of weapons that might be construed by a reasonable person to be capable of or are capable of discharging projectiles of any kind.
    Unauthorized possession or use of ballistic knives, butterfly knives, throwing knives, sliding blade knives, switchblade knives, stiletto knives, sheath knives, or any knife with more than one cutting edge per blade. All offensive uses of bladed weapons including, but not limited to, brandishing, assault, and battery, are strictly prohibited.
  4. Wheeled Devices: The use of skateboards, roller blades, roller skates, bicycles, hover boards, and similar wheeled devices in unauthorized areas or in a manner that threatens physical safety. The use of such devices is not permitted inside College buildings, including residence halls. Hover boards are not permitted inside any College buildings. Additionally, skateboards and other wheeled items may not be ridden on railings, curbs, benches, or any such fixtures that may be damaged by these activities, and individuals may be liable for damage to College property caused by these activities.
  5. Reckless Behavior: Endangering the safety of persons (self or others) or property, or any action that might lead to loss of life or serious physical harm to others. Reckless behavior includes, but not is limited to, throwing or dropping objects from buildings, unauthorized access to rooftops and/or other restricted areas of building or garages, fights which involve other than willing participants, tampering with or damaging elevator equipment or other machinery, covering, tampering, damaging, or removing a fire extinguisher or any part of a smoke or fire alarm, or violating Fire and Emergency Safety procedures such as:
    • Attempting to set, the setting of, or the adding to unauthorized fires on property owned, occupied, or leased by the College.
    • Failure to Evacuate: Failure to leave any College building after a fire alarm has sounded or other notice has been given.
  6. Alleged or actual violation of federal, state, or local laws on College premises, at College-sponsored 16 or College-supervised activities, or elsewhere, including off-campus locations, if such conduct adversely affects the College community and its mission.
  7. Drugs and Alcohol
    • Distribution or Sale of Alcohol: The manufacture, distribution, dispensing or sale of, or the attempted manufacture, distribution, dispensing of alcohol which is unlawful or otherwise prohibited by or not in compliance with any College policy or campus regulations or being unable to exercise care for one's own safety because one is under the influence of alcohol. See Alcohol standards for further information in Section 9 of the Student Handbook.
    • Unlawful Possession or Use of Alcohol: The possession or use of alcohol which is unlawful or otherwise prohibited by or not in compliance with any College policy or campus regulations. See Alcohol standards for further informationin Section 9 of the Student Handbook.
    • Distribution or Sale of Controlled Substances: Unlawful manufacturing, distribution, dispensing, regulation, or sale of or the attempted manufacturing, distribution, dispensing or sale of controlled substances identified in Federal or State law. See Drug standards for further information in Section 13 of the Student Handbook.
    • Unlawful Possession or Use of Controlled Substances: The possession or use of controlled substances which is unlawful or otherwise prohibited by or being unable to exercise care for one's own safety because one is under the influence of controlled substances. See Drug standards for further information in Section 13 of the Student Handbook.
    • Possession of Drug Paraphernalia as identified in Federal, State or Local law or regulation: this includes objects used or primarily intended for use or designed for use in ingesting, inhaling, injecting, or otherwise introducing marijuana, cocaine, hashish, hashish oil, or other controlled substances into the human body, including but not limited to pipes, water pipes, bongs, vaporizers, drug spoons, grinders, rolling papers, vials, and/or other drug paraphernalia. Determination of whether an item is drug paraphernalia will be made by considering all relevant facts, including but not limited to, the proximity of the item to controlled substances.
    • Drunkenness
    • Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
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D. Other Violations of Other Campus Policies, Rules, or Regulations

Choosing the College community obligates each member to adhere to all our campus policies, codes, rules, and regulations. The following are examples of behaviors that violate this section of the Student Code of Conduct:

  1. Violation of College policies, codes, rules, and/or regulations of any type, whether published in hard copy or available electronically on the College of Charleston website.
  2. Abuse of any of the College's campus conduct procedures, including but not limited to:
    • Failure to obey the notice of a conduct body or college official to appear for a meeting or hearing as part of a conduct process.
    • Falsification, distortion, omission, or misrepresentation of information before a conduct body or official.
    • Disruption or interference with the orderly conduct of a conduct proceeding.
    • Institution of a conduct proceeding knowingly without cause.
    • Attempting to discourage an individual's proper participation in, or use of, conduct procedures.
    • Attempting to influence the impartiality of a member of a hearing body or official prior to, and/or during the course of, the conduct proceeding.
    • Harassment (verbal or physical, and/or on social media) and/or intimidation of a conduct official, member of a hearing body, or other parties prior to, during, and/or after a conduct proceeding.
    • Failure to comply with the sanction(s) imposed under the Honor System.
    • Influencing or attempting to influence another person to commit an abuse of conduct procedures.
  3. Retaliating against any student or other person for filing a complaint or participating in an investigation in good faith. Acts of retaliation include, but are not limited to, intimidation, threats, harassment, and other adverse action against any such complainant, witness, third party, or investigator.
  4. Gambling as prohibited by the laws of the State of South Carolina.
  5. Unauthorized use (including misuse) of College organizational names and images.
  6. Theft or other abuse of the campus network, computers, or computer time, including but not limited to:
    • Unauthorized entry into a file to use, read, or change the contents or for any other purpose.
    • Unauthorized transfer of a file.
    • Unauthorized use of another individual's identification and/or password.
    • Use of computing facilities and resources to send obscene, threatening, intimidating, or harassing pictures, videos, files, or messages of any type.
    • Use of computers or computing facilities and resources to interfere with the work of another student, faculty member, or college official.
    • Use of computing facilities and resources in violation of copyright laws. (Also see College Policy on Peer-to-Peer File Sharing found in Appendix B of the Student Handbook.)
    • Any violation of the College's information technology policies.
  7. Use of any technology to create, display, or distribute an audio, video, digital file, picture, image, or film of another individual without that person's knowledge and consent, while the person is in a place where they would have reasonable expectation of privacy.
  8. Hazing, including any violation of our campus Hazing policy, which includes, but is not limited to, any act(s) which endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student, which subjects a student to harassment, ridicule, intimidation, physical exhaustion, sleep deprivation, financial requirements other than normal dues or fees for the organization, abuse of any type, or mental distress; or which 18 destroys, takes, or removes private or public property, associated in any way to the initiation, admission into, affiliation with, or membership in a group or organization. The express or implied consent of the victim will not be defense. Apathy, acquiescence, or silence in the presence of or regarding knowledge of hazing is not a neutral act and will be considered a violation of this rule. Find the companion Hazing Policy in Section 22 of the Student Handbook.
  9. Unauthorized possession, duplication, or use of keys, access codes, or entry cards to any College premises, building, or restricted area; trespassing, or unauthorized entry to or use of any College premises, building, or restricted area.
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