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Student Conduct
Scope: Who is Covered by this Policy?
Undergraduate Students, Gradaute Students and Student OrganizationsPolicy
Introduction
The Code of Student Conduct at Miami University is intended to foster and protect the central purpose of the University: the free and open exchange of ideas. The Code of Student Conduct outlines the rights and responsibilities of students, behaviors prohibited on and off campus, possible sanctions, and the procedural rights of students and student organizations.
The Code embraces several important values: the rights of free speech and peaceable assembly; the freedom of inquiry and the right to make constructive criticism; the central importance of honesty to the community; and the desire that all students engage in a community that respects differences of age, color, ability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin (ancestry), pregnancy, race, religion, sex/gender, status as a parent or foster parent, sexual orientation or protected veteran status.
The University is deeply committed to maintaining a student conduct process that fully protects the rights of the institution and the students involved. The University reserves the right to supplement or alter the procedures in this Code at any time the University deems appropriate to protect the constitutional rights of the parties or to comply with state and/or federal law.
We expect all members of our community to conduct themselves with integrity and high ethical standards. These expectations are best captured by the Miami Values Statement, adopted by the Miami University Board of Trustees in 2002:
“Miami University is a scholarly community whose members believe that a liberal education is grounded in qualities of character as well as of intellect. We respect the dignity of other persons, the rights and property of others, and the right of others to hold and express disparate beliefs. We believe in honesty, integrity, and the importance of moral conduct. We defend the freedom of inquiry that is the heart of learning and combine that freedom with the exercise of judgment and the acceptance of personal responsibility.”
These values are at the very heart of this Student Code of Conduct. When students deviate from these ideals, our primary goal is to assist students in better understanding, internalizing, and acting on these values. In short, this Code assumes that members of our community are of high character and are committed to a life of integrity. In this spirit, we are committed as a community to help those who made choices that result in a Code of Conduct violation to continue to work towards their educational and personal goals at Miami.
Students who have questions about the Code of Student Conduct should contact the Office of Community Standards at (513) 529-1417 or at communitystandards@miamioh.edu. All references to University offices are deemed to be in reference to the most closely analogous offices at Miami University Hamilton (Student Services), and Miami University Middletown (Student Life), and the Voice of America Learning Center (Director’s Office).
The Code of Student Conduct
This Code applies to Miami’s undergraduate students, graduate students, and student organizations. The Code of Student Conduct prohibits misconduct on University premises (buildings or grounds owned, leased, operated, controlled, or supervised by the University), including the Oxford campus, Miami University Dolibois European Center, the Miami University Hamilton campus, the Miami University Middletown campus, and the Voice of America Learning Center. It also applies to misconduct in University programs and activities, regardless of location, and off-campus conduct that negatively impacts the campus community. Students and student organizations are subject to this Code of Student Conduct beginning at summer orientation, during academic terms for which they are enrolled, during breaks between terms, during University holidays and vacations, and during periods of suspension. Additionally, while Miami University does not routinely monitor social media sites and other electronic media, students should be aware that behavior on such sites when reported to the University may be investigated and adjudicated.
If a student or student organization breaks a law that also violates this Code of Student Conduct, they may be held accountable by both civil authorities and the University. The University may at its sole discretion elect to pursue disciplinary action in the absence of criminal charges, at the same time as criminal charges are pending, or if the criminal charges involving the same incident are not complete, have been reduced or are dismissed.
Organizational Responsibility
Student organizations (defined in the “Recognition of Student Organization” section of the policy “Student Organizations and Governance Bodies”), including fraternities and sororities (defined in the policy “Sororities and Fraternities”), are subject to the same conduct standards as individual students.
An organization may be held responsible for a violation of University policy or rule when:
- One or more of its officers, members, or authorized representatives acting as a member of the organization commit the violation; or
- The misconduct occurs at an event that is sponsored, financed, or endorsed by an organization where it is reasonable to believe that the organization’s members knew or should have known that one or more of the participants engaged in conduct that is in violation of this Code; or
- The misconduct occurs on the premises owned, leased, or operated by the organization where it is reasonable to believe that the organization’s members knew or should have known that one or more of the participants engaged in conduct that is in violation of this Code.
Standards of Conduct
In order to promote a safe and civil campus environment, Miami University expects each student and student organization to follow this Code of Student Conduct. The severity of the offense, prior disciplinary history, whether an offense was committed against a person intentionally selected by reason of their sex/gender, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, military status, or veteran status, and other relevant circumstances will be considered in determining the appropriate disciplinary action.
“1219” Procedures
Ohio Revised Code Sections 3345.22 and 3345.23 procedures are commonly referred to as “1219” proceedings. The initiation of a “1219” proceeding against a student does not prohibit the University from taking University disciplinary action against that same student under the Code for the same conduct that gave rise to the “1219” proceeding. A student arrested for any of the defined offenses will automatically be subjected to the “1219” proceedings, which are summarized below.
After a hearing that will be held no more than five days after arrest (continuances may be granted, that may not exceed a total of 10 days), students arrested for one of the offenses defined in Ohio Revised Code 3345.23(D) are subject to immediate suspension from the University. Students convicted of any of the offenses enumerated in Ohio Revised Code 3345.23(D) are subject to automatic dismissal from Miami University.
Students suspended or dismissed under these “1219” procedures are not permitted on University property without the express permission of the President or the Board of Trustees. Students dismissed upon conviction may be re-admitted or admitted to any other Ohio tax-supported college or university, at the discretion of the college or university’s board of trustees, but only after the lapse of one calendar year following dismissal and only upon terms of strict Disciplinary Probation (see Ohio Revised Code 3345.22 and 3345.23 for full text of the statutes and see Appendix A of the Code of Student Conduct for list of defined offenses of violence).
Related Form(s)
Not Applicable.
Additional Resources and Procedures
FAQ
Not Applicable.
Policy Administration
Next Review Date
7/1/2023
Responsible Officer
Director, Office of Community Standards
Legal Authority
Ohio Revised Code
Compliance Policy
Yes
Revision History
Edited July 2018; Amended 2019; August 2020; Edited July 2020
Reference ID
- Student Handbook 2.0
- Graduate Student Handbook 1.6