Student Life Regulations
 
I. Student Conduct Code
A student enrolling at the Southern Polytechnic State University assumes an obligation to conduct himself or herself in a manner compatible with the university's function as an educational institution.

Actions considered unacceptable to the institution and subject to discipline fall into the categories of academic dishonesty and non-academic misconduct.

A. Academic Dishonesty:
Academic dishonesty is an act or acts on the part of or in behalf of any student, which does or could improperly distort students' grades or other student academic records.   1. No student shall receive or attempt to receive unauthorized assistance in the preparation of any laboratory reports, examinations, essays, themes, term papers, or similar requirements to be submitted for credit as part of a course or to be submitted in fulfillment of a university requirement.   2. No student shall knowingly give, or attempt to give, unauthorized assistance to another in such preparation.   3. No student shall sell, give, lend, or otherwise furnish to any unauthorized person any material which can be shown to contain questions or answers to any examination scheduled to be given at any future date or time in any course of study offered by the university, excluding questions and answers from tests previously administered.   4. No student shall take or attempt to take, steal, or otherwise procure in an unauthorized manner any material pertaining to the conduct of a class, including tests, examinations, grade change forms, grade rolls, roll books, laboratory equipment, etc.   5. No student shall submit any material which is wholly or substantially identical to that created or published by another person without giving appropriate credit (plagiarism). When direct quotations are used, they should be indicated, and when the ideas of another are incorporated into a paper, they must be appropriately acknowledged.   6. No student shall submit false claims of credit for work which has not been submitted by the claimant.   7. No student shall willfully falsify a written or verbal statement of fact to a member of the faculty so as to obtain unearned academic credit.   8. No student shall forge, alter, or misuse any university document relating to the academic status of the student.   9. No student shall willfully disrupt the normal classroom activity.   B. Non-academic Misconduct:
Non-academic misconduct includes the following specifically prohibited acts whenever, unless otherwise stated, such acts occur on university-owned or controlled property:   1. Alcoholic Beverages: (a) Consumption or possession of alcoholic beverages unless authorized by the Vice President for Student Affairs.   (b) Intoxication made manifest by disorderly conduct, including fighting, boisterousness, rowdiness, obscene or indecent conduct or appearance, or vulgar, profane, lewd or unbecoming language.
  2. Drugs: Use, possession (without valid medical or dental prescriptions), manufacture, furnishing, sales, or any distribution of any narcotic or dangerous drug controlled by law. (This provision is not intended to regulate alcoholic beverages, which are covered by Section I-B-1.)   3. Disorderly Conduct: (a) Breach of the peace or obstruction or disruption of teaching, administration, disciplinary procedures, or other university activities, including its public-service functions or other authorized activities.   (b) Physical assault, or the threat of physical assault including sexual assault, on or in university property, or at functions sponsored by the university or any recognized university organization.   (c) Intentionally harassing another person. Harassing behavior includes, but is not limited to, threatening, intimidating, verbally abusing, impeding, telephoning, following, or persistently bothering or annoying or any other behavior which has the purpose or effect of interfering with an individual's work or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or academic environment. Harassment may represent, but is not limited to, acts based on sex, race, religion, national origin, disability or sexual orientation.   (d) Refusal to vacate a building, street, sidewalk, driveway, or other facility when directed to do so by any properly identified faculty, administrator, or staff personnel while they are in the performance of their duties.   (e) Failure to comply with instructions, directions or requests of any properly identified faculty, administrator, or staff personnel acting in the performance of their duties.   (f) Lewd, indecent or obscene conduct or expression.   (g) The abuse or unauthorized use of sound amplification equipment indoors or outdoors. (Use of sound amplification equipment must be approved in advance by the Vice President for Student Affairs or his authorized representative.)   (h) Attempting to enter any event sponsored or supervised by the university or any recognized university organization without proper credentials for admission, i.e., ticket, identification card, invitation, or other reasonable qualifications for admission.   (i) Rollerblading activity within twenty feet of any roofed structure and skateboard activity occurring outside restricted areas (see the Student Handbook for the designated areas set aside for skateboard activity).
  4. Hazing: Any act which tends to occasion or allow physical or mental suffering in connection with rites or ceremonies of induction, initiation, or orientation into university life or into the life of any university group or organization.   5. Damage to Property: Malicious or unwarranted damage or destruction of items of university property, items rented, leased or placed on the campus at the request of the institution, or items belonging to students, faculty, staff, guests of the university or of student groups.   6. Entry or Use of University Facilities: (a) Unauthorized entry into any university building, office or other facility.   (b) Unauthorized use of any university telephone facility or of any other university facilities.   (c) Possessing, using, making or causing to be made any key or keys for any university facility without proper authorization.   (d) Unauthorized use of the password or account number of another student or faculty member to gain access to the computer or computer output. (This includes but is not limited to, any knowing and willing use of fraudulent means to process computer programs and obtain access to computer files.)   Under the terms of the Georgia Computer Systems Protection Act, anyone accessing, attempting to access or abetting the access of a computer, computer system, or computer network for any scheme to defraud or for the purposes of obtaining money, property, or services by false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises is guilty of a crime. Upon conviction, these persons may face a fine of not more than two and one-half times the amount of the fraud or theft, a prison term of not more than 15 years, or both.   The act also outlaws certain accesses, alteration, damage, or destruction of any computer, computer system, computer network, computer software program or data. Convicted offenders will be fined not more than $50,000, face a prison term of not more than 15 years, or both.   Under the terms of this law, it is the responsibility of the Office of Information Technology to report any violations involving computer systems for which they are responsible.
  7. False Information and Record Falsification: (a) Furnishing false information to any university official, or on any university document (including the Application for Admission), or offering a false statement in any university disciplinary hearing.   (b) Forgery, alteration, or misuse of any university document, record, or identification.
  8. Student Delinquencies - Financial Records, Property: Failure to remit, return, or submit financial obligations, property, or records of the university, within the time prescribed by the university.   9. Theft: (a) Taking, attempting to take, or keeping in his/her possession, items of university property, items rented, leased, or placed on the campus at the request of the institution, or items belonging to students, faculty, staff, guests of the university, or student groups.   (b) Selling a textbook not his/her own without the permission of the owner. The sale, or attempted sale, of a textbook not one's own will be regarded as prima facie evidence of theft. Textbooks found should be turned in to lost and found at the Public Safety/Police Department.
  10. Gambling: Playing of cards or any other games of skill or chance for money.   11. Safety: (a) Intentionally false reporting of a fire or that a bomb or other explosive has been placed in any university building or elsewhere on the university property.   (b) Tampering with fire-fighting equipment, safety devices or other emergency or safety equipment.   (c) Setting an unauthorized fire.   (d) Possession of unauthorized fireworks, firearms or other projective propelling devices, ammunition, or dangerous weapons or materials. (Fireworks are defined as any substance prepared for the purpose of producing visible or audible effect by combustion, explosion, or detonation.)   (e) Unauthorized sale, possession, furnishing, or use of any incendiary device or bomb.
  12. Any form of unauthorized solicitation in the residence halls, student center, parking lot, or elsewhere on campus.   13. Residence: Violation of rules governing residence in university-owned or controlled property.   14. Violations of the Student Motor Vehicle Regulations (Violations fall within the jurisdiction of the Southern Polytechnic State University Public Safety Department.)   15. Complicity (Shared Responsibility for Infractions): (a) Knowingly acting in concert with any other person to perform an unlawful act or violate a university regulation or policy.   (b) Students are responsible for the conduct of their guests on or in university property and at functions sponsored by the university or any recognized university organization.
  16. Repeated violations of the published rules or regulations of the university, which cumulatively indicate an unwillingness or inability to conform to the standards of the university for student life.   17. Off-campus violations of the Student Conduct Code where there is a clear and present danger of interference with the normal operations of the university or where there is evidence of substantial embarrassment to the university or where there is substantial evidence of either violent behavior toward another person or persons or the illicit sale or distribution of any dangerous drug controlled by law.