Philosophy
McDaniel College has high expectations for their students conduct in and out of the classroom. The Code of Student Conduct articulates the behavioral standards essential to an academic community that allows for all students to achieve their educational goals.
If discussing community standards with a student becomes necessary, the conversation focuses on changing behavior, growing personally, and understanding the impact of one’s choices on the campus community.
Learning invaluable life lessons, developing character and integrity, and understanding one’s responsibility to the larger community embody the values of the College Discipline Process.
Sections on this page:
How do I file a complaint about another student’s behavior?
- A member of the College community alleging misconduct on the part of a student should file a written statement with the Office of Student Affairs or the Department of Campus Safety detailing the complaint and alleged misconduct.
- The Associate Dean of Student Affairs then reviews the written complaint and determines if there is enough information to assign the case to a discipline officer.
- If sufficient information exists, the discipline officer then discusses the complaint with the accused student to determine if a rule violation has occurred. During the conversation, the original written statement is shared with the accused student, including the name of the individual making the complaint.
- If a student is found responsible for violating a College policy, appropriate consequences are assigned by the discipline officer.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Administrative Conference Process
What does it mean if I receive an email indicating that I need to come to an administrative conference to discuss a complaint about my behavior?
- If a student receives an email from a discipline officer indicating that information has been received that alleges a College rule has been violated, the student should attend the scheduled conference.
- An administrative conference is a conversation between the student and the discipline officer about the information received and it is an opportunity for a student to explain in his/her own words what was happening during a specific incident.
- If the discipline officer does determine that a student has violated a College rule, he/she will determine the appropriate sanctions for the behavior.
- Students can refer to page 64 in the Student Handbook for a complete description of the administrative conference process and page 68 for sanction information.
Can my parents or family member come to the administrative conference with me?
- Parents or family members may not attend administrative conferences with accused students.
- Students may choose to bring an advisor from within the campus community to a conference with them for support. Some examples of advisors are faculty members, coaches, and other college staff.
- The role of the advisor is not to speak on behalf of the student but to be with the student through the process and help him/her to prepare for the conference prior to its occurrence.
Can an attorney come to the administrative conference with me?
- The College Discipline Process is an internal procedure centered on maintaining the health and safety of individuals and the larger campus community. Its goals are to address student behaviors and decision making and to encourage personal growth and the acceptance of responsibility for one’s actions.
- It is not a legal proceeding therefore legal representation is not permitted in an administrative conference.
Can I bring witnesses to the conference?
- Yes, students can bring witnesses to the administrative conference as long as the witnesses have first hand information about the situation.
- It is best for the accused student to speak with the discipline officer first during the administrative conference and inform him/her that there are witnesses to the incident.
Can I see the reports and/or statements that the discipline officer has about the incident in which I have alleged been involved?
- Students can read all the information that the discipline officer has about an incident. The student will either be given the opportunity to read the reports at some point during the administrative conference, or the discipline officer may read the information to the student aloud.
What if I miss my administrative conference?
- If a student fails to attend his/her administrative conference, he/she should contact the discipline officer to acknowledge that he/she failed to attend. In some cases, the discipline officer may agree to discuss the complaint with the student.
- It is the decision of the discipline officer to meet with the student who has not kept the originally schedule appointment.
- It is within the discipline officer’s purview to make a decision about a potential rule violation and appropriate sanctions without the student’s input if a student has failed to attend an administrative conference.
What does it mean to be found responsible for violating a college policy?
- When a student is found responsible for violating a college policy, it means a discipline officer has determined that it is more likely than not true that one’s behavior does not adhere to the Code of Student Conduct. A decision like this is made by considering the reported information and the student’s perspective about what was happening during a specific incident.
What types of sanctions are assigned as a result of being found responsible?
- Sanctions are assigned by discipline officers by considering a number of factors.
- First the discipline officer refers to the Student Handbook to determine if there are any minimum sanctions set forth for the rule violation. For example, being found responsible for violating the College Alcohol Policy one time carries with it the minimum sanctions of an alcohol education class, disciplinary warning, parental notification, and a fine. (See page 68 in the Student Handbook).
- The discipline officer will also consider if the student has received any sanctions for college policy violation prior to the most recent incident.
- Sanctions are cumulative and build on the ones previously assigned. It is important for students to be aware of this as they make choices about how to conduct themselves on the campus.
- Finally, the seriousness of the student’s actions will be considered and how those actions impacted the larger campus community.
What if I don’t complete a sanction on time?
- If a student has failed to complete a sanction by the deadline, he/she should contact the original discipline officer to discuss the situation.
- An extension may be granted to the student to complete the sanction and/or additional sanctions may also be assigned because of the failure to adhere to the deadline.
Are my parents or family members informed of the outcome of the administrative conference?
- In situations involving a student being found responsible for underage alcohol consumption or possession, the discipline officer will send a parental notification letter notifying parents or guardians of the violation and encouraging them to talk to their student about the incident and his/her choices and the specifics of the incident that has occurred.
What does it mean to be given a disciplinary warning?
- If a student receives a disciplinary warning as a sanction, it means that further rule violations may result in more severe disciplinary sanctions, including the likelihood of Disciplinary Probation.
What does it mean to be placed on disciplinary probation?
- Disciplinary probation means that the College is concerned about a pattern of behavior on the part of a student that includes multiple and repeated rule violations.
- Specifically, disciplinary probation is a trial period of time in which a student has the opportunity to prove that he/she can be a responsible and effective member of the College community.
- If a student is found responsible for further rule violations while on disciplinary probation, he/she will most likely receive the sanction of residence hall suspension or suspension from the College for the subsequent behavior.
How do I appeal the decision made at the administrative conference?
- The appeal process for administrative conferences is outlined on page 64 of the Student Handbook.
- A student may appeal a discipline officer’s decision for any of four reasons: faulty administrative conference procedures, insufficient information to find a student responsible for a rule violation, sanctions assigned are too severe and new information.
- Students will most likely never speak to anyone face to face about their letter of appeal because the appeal process itself is a review of the original conference process including the findings and sanctions. For this reason, a student’s letter of appeal should include all the information that he/she would like the appeals officer to know about his/her situation.
- Letters of appeal should be addressed to Vice President and Dean of Students Beth Gerl and submitted to the Office of Student Affairs within three days of the date of the original administrative conference.
If I receive a citation from the Westminster City Police, will the College find out?
- Yes, the Westminster City Police report all citations issued involving McDaniel College students to the Department of Campus Safety.
- The student will then meet with a discipline officer about the off campus incident as if it occurred on the campus.
Why does the College address behavior that happened off-campus?
- As members of the Westminster community, the College will address rule violations that occur off campus because they inevitably affect those private citizens living in Westminster just as on-campus behavior affects those members of the College community.
- Please see page 53 in the Student Handbook regarding misconduct taking place off campus.
Will the College wait to hold an administrative conference until after my court date for a Westminster City Citation that I received off campus?
- According to the Student Handbook on page 64: McDaniel College emphasizes the concept that the discipline process in college has basic characteristics peculiar to itself and should be distinguished sharply from law enforcement or legal judicial proceedings.
- For this reason, the College proceeds with the discipline process independent of any legal proceedings.
- • It is also important for students to understand that the College Discipline Process and legal process may render different outcomes. This is because of the different standards of proof used to determine responsibility or guilt and the different guidelines under which each system operates.
- For more information about the principles of fundamental fairness used in the College Discipline Process, see page 64 of the Student Handbook under the heading: Administrative Conference Process.
Frequently asked questions about the McDaniel College Honor Code
What is the Honor Code?
- The McDaniel College Honor Code is a contract between students and faculty based on the assumption that academic integrity is important to the community.
- Simply stated, students pledge honesty – to do their own work and not to cheat. In addition, students pledge to report others who violate the Honor Code.
- Faculty agree to set clear guidelines at the beginning of each course about what is expected of each student, to take appropriate steps to discourage cheating, and to refer alleged violations to the McDaniel College Honor and Conduct Board.
What is the Honor Pledge?
- “I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this piece of work, nor have I knowingly tolerated any violation of the Honor Code.” The pledge is written out and signed on all exams and papers.
Why do we have an Honor Code?
- About forty years ago, McDaniel College students petitioned the faculty for a system that would trust students to behave honorably. The faculty responded, and the Honor Code was born. The Honor Code is an important aspect of the McDaniel College experience. Over the years students and faculty alike have reaffirmed their commitment to the Code.
What is the meaning of the Honor Code?
- The Honor Code affirms that honest people are the most important elements of a good community. It assumes that all students accepted for enrollment at McDaniel College believe in and practice academic integrity, which is central to the pursuit of knowledge. As a community, we are committed to the ideals of personal integrity and community honor. The rights of the honest majority must be protected against the actions of individuals acting dishonestly.
What is the history of the Honor Code at McDaniel College?
- In the 1960’s the student body developed a procedure for accepting responsibility for academic honesty. Initially, the system created an all-student Honor Board of 30 members.
- In 1975 the faculty and student body voted to change the Code in two ways – to include faculty as well as students on the Honor Board and to broaden the scope of the Code to include library borrowing privileges.
- In 1998 and 1999, students and faculty extensively reviewed concerns about the effectiveness of the honor system and engaged in wide-ranging discussions about the role and importance of the Honor Code at McDaniel College. In May 1999, both parties reaffirmed their commitment to the honor system and agreed to strengthen the Code by adding a statement to the pledge that requires students’ full participation.
What are examples of Honor Code violations?
- Cheating on tests, quizzes or homework, or giving unauthorized help to others
- Plagiarism – the use of another person’s work, facts or ideas, including computer programs or information from the Internet, without proper acknowledgement
- Submitting a copy of a paper or substantially the same paper in different courses without permission of the instructors
- Misuse of computing or library resources and borrowing privileges
Do I really have to turn in a fellow student if I observe cheating?
- Yes. As members of a community based on trust, students must be willing to face difficult situations, including uncomfortable confrontations with friends and classmates. If students do not, the Honor Code becomes meaningless. Others can help in dealing with these confrontations – student members of the Honor and Conduct Board, faculty advisers, and friends. All of us want a trusting and caring community. We want personal freedom, but we recognize the need for community standards, the most important of which is integrity. In the end, the effectiveness of the Honor Code depends on each community member.
What happens if a student violates the Honor Code?
- The faculty member teaching the course sends information about an alleged infraction to the Provost who refers the matter to the Honor and Conduct Board if he believes the evidence warrants a hearing. The Honor and Conduct Board, composed of two students, two faculty and the Dean of Student Affairs, notifies the accused student of the allegation and schedules a hearing.
- The Honor and Conduct Board holds the hearing according to the procedures outlined in the Honor Code booklet and the Student Handbook. Following the hearing, the Honor and Conduct Board decides whether the student was responsible for the Honor Code violation, and, if the student was, assigns a penalty. The student has the right to an appeal. The appeal process is outlined in the following section entitled Frequently Asked Questions about the Honor and Conduct Board and are listed in the Student Handbook on page.
What are the penalties for Honor Code violations?
- Ordinarily, an “F” in the course is the minimum penalty. In the past several years, the Board has assigned an “F” in the course in almost all instances of plagiarism.
- On rare occasions when the Board finds significant mitigating circumstances or the violation is of minor significance in the course, a lesser penalty may be assigned. In some flagrant cases and in all cases of a second violation, the minimum penalty is suspension from the College.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Honor and Conduct Board
What is the Honor and Conduct Board?
- The Honor and Conduct Board is a campus hearing board made up of students and faculty who consider complaints involving allegations of academic and non-academic misconduct as specified in the Code of Student Conduct.
- When such a violation is alleged, the board will follow specific procedures to determine if the allegation is true or not, and then determine the appropriate sanctions, if necessary.
Who are the members of the Honor and Conduct Board?
- A group of 10 faculty members and 10 students serve on the Honor and Conduct Board. Student members are selected by the Office of Student Affairs and serve until graduation.
- Vacancies are filled each year from the freshman, sophomore and junior classes. A group of four (2 faculty members and 2 students) are randomly selected for each scheduled hearing.
Why do I have a hearing with the Honor and Conduct Board instead of an administrative conference?
- All reported honor code violations result in an Honor and Conduct Board hearing as well as conduct complaints of a serious nature and those complaints that could result in a student being suspended or expelled from the College.
Can I bring a family member or lawyer to Honor and Conduct Board hearing?
- The College Discipline Process is an internal procedure centered on maintaining the health and safety of individuals and the larger campus community.
- Its goals are to address student behaviors and decision making and to encourage personal growth and the acceptance of responsibility for one’s actions.
- It is not a legal proceeding therefore legal representation is not permitted in a honor and conduct board hearing.
- Parents and/or other family members may not attend a hearing with an accused student.
- Students may choose to bring an advisor from within the campus community to a conference with them for support. Some examples of advisors are faculty members, coaches, and other college staff.
- The role of the advisor is not to speak on behalf of the student but to be with the student through the process and help him/her to prepare for the conference prior to its occurrence.
Can I bring a witness to an Honor and Conduct Board Hearing?
- Yes, students can request to bring witnesses to an honor and conduct board hearing on their behalf.
- Potential witnesses must meet no later than 24 hours in advance of the hearing with the Associate Dean of Student Affairs and submit a written statement regarding the incident.
- The Associate Dean will determine if the information is relevant and will call witnesses.
- Witnesses with information solely about character are not permitted.
- It is the accused student’s responsibility to contact potential witnesses to an incident if he/she would like the witness to share their first hand information about the situation with the Board.
What happens in an Honor and Conduct Board hearing?
The typical sequence of events during an honor and conduct board hearing is as follows.
- Charge presented in presence of the accused student.
- The accused student asked to respond to the charge.
- Documentation in support of the charge, presented in the presence of the accused.
- Witnesses in support of the charge, appearing in the presence of the accused.
- Hearing of the accused student.
- Documentation in support of the accused student.
- Witnesses in support of the accused student.
- Clarification of information through testimony by witnesses required by the Board.
- Re-examination of witnesses required by the Board.
- Deliberation (board members only)
- Determination of the finding.
- Review of the student’s record.
- Determination of the sanction to be imposed.
- Notification of the accused student of the decision of the board and advisement of the avenue of appeal. This shall be confirmed in writing. Victims of assault, including sexual assault, are notified of the finding and sanction imposed, if any, at the end of the hearing and after the appeals process.
How do I appeal a decision made by the Honor and Conduct Board regarding an Honor Code violation?
- The appeal process for academic violations is outlined on page 65 of the Student Handbook.
- A student may appeal an Honor and Conduct Board’s decision for any of four reasons: faulty administrative conference procedures, insufficient information to find a student responsible for the Honor Code violation, sanctions assigned are too severe and new information.
- Students will most likely never speak to anyone face to face about their letter of appeal because the appeal process itself is a review of the original hearing including the findings and sanctions. For this reason, a student’s letter of appeal should include all the information that he/she would like the Appeals Board to know about his/her situation.
- Letters of appeal should be addressed to Provost Thomas Falkner and submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs within three days of the date of the original hearing.
- The Appeals Board consists of Provost Falkner and a faculty member and student selected by the Provost.
How do I appeal a decision made by the Honor and Conduct Board regarding a conduct violation?
- The appeal process for conduct violations is outlined on page 67 of the Student Handbook.
- A student may appeal an Honor and Conduct Board’s decision for any of four reasons: faulty administrative conference procedures, insufficient information to find a student responsible for the Honor Code violation, sanctions assigned are too severe and new information.
- Students will most likely never speak to anyone face to face about their letter of appeal because the appeal process itself is a review of the original hearing including the findings and sanctions. For this reason, a student’s letter of appeal should include all the information that he/she would like the Appeals Board to know about his/her situation.
- Letters of appeal should be addressed to the Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs Beth Gerl and submitted to the Office of Student Affairs within three days of the date of the hearing.
- The Appeals Board consists of Vice President and Dean Gerl, Provost Falkner, and a student selected by the Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and the College Discipline Process
Can the College release information to my parents when I have been involved in an administrative conference or Honor and Conduct Board hearing?
- As a general rule, the College prefers to talk first with students about conduct issues and then involve parents or guardians afterwards if necessary. The College feels strongly that students act and be treated like adults. In most cases, the individual best able to share certain information with parents or guardians is the student, not the College.
- There are some circumstances under which the College will inform parents or guardians of conduct related matters after talking with the student and informing him/her that family will be notified.
- Due to a 1998 amendment to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) institutions of higher education, such as McDaniel College, are now authorized to inform a parent or legal guardian of any student who has been found in violation of any law or college policy governing the use or possession of alcohol or controlled substances. In situations involving underage alcohol consumption or possession, the discipline officer will send a parental notification letter notifying parents or guardians of the violation and encouraging them to talk to their student about the incident and his/her choices and the specifics of the incident that has occurred.
- If a student is found responsible for violating a College policy other than the College Alcohol or Drug Policies, the discipline officer will discuss whether with the student whether or not parental notification needs to occur, depending on the severity of the situation.
Under what circumstances would the College contact my parents without informing me first?
- In situations involving imminent threats to the health or safety of a student, the College will determine whether parental notification is warranted. In all life threatening health situations involving an individual student, a College official will attempt to make contact with family using the phone numbers found in a student’s contact information on file with the College. For these reasons, it is imperative that a student be sure that their personal contact information on file with the College in the Registrar’s Office be up to date.
Frequently Asked Questions about violations of the College’s Drug Policy
What happens if I am found in possession of illegal drugs on the campus?
- When a College official becomes aware of the possible presence of illegal drugs on the campus, they are required to notify the Westminster City Police. Law enforcement authorities follow legal police procedures in investigating such matters, including searches. If warranted, the Westminster City Police will arrest students for violations related to illegal drug possession or use, including the possession of drug paraphernalia.
What are the sanctions for being responsible for violating the College’s Drug Policy?
- Page 68 of the Student Handbook outlines the minimum sanctions for violations of the College Drug Policy. A first violation of the policy minimally results in a $150 fine, parental notification (by letter or phone), and three service hours completed with a campus department. Students are often placed on disciplinary probation as well.
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