The Code of Conduct & Prohibited Behaviors

Students are members of the College community and are expected to act responsibly and avoid interference with the rights, comfort or safety of other members of the College community. The following behaviors, and attempts thereof, are prohibited. Violations may lead to disciplinary and/or educational sanctions. Behaviors that may be addressed by this policy include, but are not limited to, acts committed in person, through third parties, and via electronic means. Incidents that may be addressed include, but are not limited to, those occurring on campus, off campus, at events sponsored by the college, and those occurring while studying abroad. Sanctions may be enhanced for violations of the Student Code of Conduct that are found to have been motivated by bias. In addition, failure to complete an assigned sanction will result in further action, including potential loss of campus privileges, up to and including residential or student status.

Prohibited Behavior

Harm to Persons: Intentionally or recklessly causing physical harm; endangering the health or safety of any person; physically restraining or detaining another person; or forcibly removing a person from a place where they have a right to remain.
Threatening & Intimidating Behavior: Written or verbal conduct that causes reasonable apprehension of harm to the health or safety of any person or damage to any property or implied threats or acts that cause a reasonable fear of harm in another.
Bullying and Cyberbullying: Bullying and cyberbullying are repeated and/or severe aggressive behaviors that intimidate or intentionally harm or control another person physically or emotionally and are not protected by freedom of expression.
Hazing: An intentional or reckless act which endangers the mental health, physical health, or safety of a student, or which destroys or removes public or private property, for the purpose of initiation, admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in, a group or organization. The express or implied consent of the victim will not be a defense. Apathy or acquiescence in the presence of hazing are not neutral acts; they are violations of College Policy.
Harassment: Behavior in any form, including via electronic media, which is beyond the bounds of protected free speech, directed at a specific individual(s), that is so severe or pervasive that it interferes with an individual’s employment, academic performance or participation in Onondaga Community College programs or activities, and creates a working, learning, program or activity environment that a reasonable person would find intimidating, hostile or offensive.
Discrimination: Any act or failure to act based upon an individual’s actual or perceived, status (age, ancestry, color, religion, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, race, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation or any other protected class) that is sufficiently severe that it limits or denies the ability to participate in or benefit from the College’s educational program or activities.
Sexual Exploitation: Taking non-consensual or abusive sexual advantage of another, for their own benefit, or for the benefit of anyone other than the person being exploited, and that conduct does not otherwise constitute sexual harassment. This includes, but not limited to, distribution of nude or sexually explicit video or photogenic images of a person without affirmative consent; sexual voyeurism; prostituting another person; or creation, possession, or dissemination of child pornography.
Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct, on the basis of sex, that a reasonable person would determine is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the educational institution’s education program or activity;
Dating Violence: Dating violence is committed by a person: (A) who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim; and (B) where the existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the following factors: (i) The length of the relationship; (ii) The type of relationship; (iii) The frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.
Domestic violence: Domestic Violence includes any felony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under New York states domestic or family violence laws or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person's acts under the domestic or family violence laws of New York.
Stalking: Stalking means engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to-- (A) fear for their safety or the safety of others; or (B) suffer substantial emotional distress.
Sexual assault: Sexual assault includes any sexual act directed against another person, without the affirmative consent of the victim including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent.
Obscene behavior: Obscene behavior includes, but is not limited to, publicly exposing one’s intimate body parts; public urination; public defecation; public sex acts; or the display of sexual or lewd behavior that reasonably would be offensive to others
Unauthorized Images: Making unauthorized video or photographic images of a person in a location in which that person has a reasonable expectation of privacy
Weapons: Possession of weapons, dangerous chemicals, explosives, or items that are replicas or have been altered to appear as a real weapon, such as a toy gun being painted black to appear as though it is an actual gun. Utilizing objects not normally viewed as a weapon in such a way that could cause harm is also prohibited.
Tobacco: Smoking or tobacco use on campus premises.
Drugs/Controlled Substances
1. Use or possession of drugs/controlled substances
2. Sale and/or distribution of drugs/controlled substances
3. Attendance at a gathering where controlled substances, illegal drugs, look-alike drugs or prescription drugs prescribed to another person have been used
  - If, in on-campus housing, marijuana (odor, materials, and/or residue) is positively identified by trained law enforcement personnel and (a) no one opens the door for Onondaga Community College Campus Safety Officers or housing staff or (b) no residents of that suite take responsibility for the behavior if found in a common/shared space, all residents of that living space will be held responsible for violating Code 17.3.
Alcohol
1. Use or possession of alcohol
2. Sale and/or distribution of alcohol
3. Disorderly, destructive, or violent behavior to self or others while under the influence of alcohol
4. Attendance at a gathering where alcohol has been consumed
  - If, in on-campus housing, alcohol is found in a suite and no residents of that suite take responsibility for the alcohol found in a common/shared space, all residents of that living space will be held responsible for violating Code 18.4.
Disorderly conduct: Prohibited and/or disruptive behavior on Onondaga Community College premises or at off campus sponsored activities which interfere with the activities of others, including the ordinary functions of Onondaga Community College as an institution (teaching, research, administration, or other College sponsored activities). This includes, but is not limited to, obscene, indecent, or grossly inconsiderate behavior, exposure of others to highly offensive conditions, and disregard for the privacy of self or others.
1. Students are permitted to engage in peaceful activities consistent with Policy D10 Free Speech and Public Assembly.
Vandalism: Deliberate or reckless damage to or destruction of the property or services of any party.
Stolen Property: Intentional and unauthorized taking of College property or the personal property of another, including goods, services, and other valuables or knowingly purchasing, selling, or possessing stolen property or services.
Residential Living Violations.
1. Specific Residential Life Policies can be found in the Residence Hall Living Handbook
Fire Safety: Violations of local, state, federal, or campus fire policies including, but not limited to:
1. Creating or contributing to a fire
2. Failing to comply with fire drill, fire alarm and/or emergency evacuations or procedures
3. Tampering with, damaging, improper use, or covering fire safety equipment, such as: fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, fire alarms, and sprinkler systems.
Unauthorized Access: Entering or remaining in a space belonging to the College or another person without permission; unauthorized possession, duplication, or use of means of access to any College building; or failing to timely report a lost College identification card or key.
Falsification: Knowingly manufacturing, using, selling, or possessing false, falsified or forged materials, documents, accounts, records, identification, or financial instruments; furnishing false information to any College Official including, but not limited to, misrepresentation of identity; or making a knowingly false report of any crime, policy violation, or other incident.
Election Tampering: Tampering with the election process of any College-recognized student organization.
Trademark: Unauthorized use (including misuse) of College or organizational names and images
Failure to comply: Failure to comply with a lawful directive of any authorized College or affiliated organization official or employee, including student employees, acting in the performance of his or her duties, including failure to present College identification when requested and incomplete sanctions
Unauthorized gambling: Gambling for money or other things of value on campus or at College-sponsored activities is prohibited unless otherwise authorized.
Retaliation: An adverse action against another person for reporting a violation or for participating in any way in the investigation or conduct process. Retaliation includes harassment and intimidation, including but not limited to violence, threats of violence, property destruction, adverse educational or employment consequences, and bullying. Any individual who participates in any of the sexual harassment or sexual violence reporting procedures has the right to do so without fear of or actual retaliation. Retaliatory behavior by someone, or anyone acting on their behalf, against anyone whom they may believe have cooperated in the investigation and/or conduct process is strictly prohibited and may result in disciplinary action.
Abuse of the Conduct System
1. Failure to obey the summons of a Student Conduct Administrator or College official
2. Falsification, distortion, or misrepresentation of information before a Student Conduct Administrator and/or student conduct hearing board
3. Disruption or interference with the proceeding of a student conduct hearing
4. Attempting to discourage an individual’s proper participation in, or use of, the student conduct system
5. Attempting to influence the impartiality of a panel member prior to and/or during the course of the student conduct proceeding
6. Harassment and/or intimidation of a panel member, witness, or complainant prior to, during, and/or after a student conduct proceeding
7. Influencing or attempting to influence another person to commit an abuse of the student conduct system
Violations of Law: Violation of any federal, state, or local law or regulation, not otherwise reflected in the Prohibited Behaviors section of this Code of Conduct, whether or not formal charges have been filed.
Violation of Other Policy. Violation of any policy, procedure, rule, regulation or directive of the College or any of its affiliated organizations.
Collusion: Knowingly acting or planning to act in concert to violate Onondaga Community College policy and/or knowingly allowing another person to violate Onondaga Community College policy without reporting to a college official.

These general prohibited behaviors do not limit or restrict specific department, program, or course guidelines or expectations. It is the expectation that every student abides by all Onondaga Community College policies, including but not limited to behavioral expectations stated in individual course syllabi.