Keene State College regards students as adults and expects them to accept responsibility for their behavior, whether acting individually or in a group. Students are expected to be considerate of the rights of others and conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with the values embraced by the College and reflected in its various policies, contracts, rules, and regulations.
All students and student organizations are expected to maintain a high standard of conduct both on and off campus. Generally, College jurisdiction shall include conduct that occurs on the College premises, during College-sponsored activities, and/or conduct that impacts the health and/or safety of members of this community and/or negatively impact the educational mission or reputation of the College. Additionally, students are expected to remove themselves immediately from situations in which others are engaging in, or are attempting to engage in, violations of College policies. Remaining in such situations or failing to take an action to stop such behaviors makes a student complicit in the violation, and such students will be addressed through the College Conduct System. Keene State College will take a strong position on actions that are motivated by or committed against an individual(s) based on race, religion, disability, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or veteran’s status, and sanctions will be reflective of the nature of the incident and any bias demonstrated.
The Student Code of Conduct assumes that reasonable people, given adequate information and freedom to decide, can and will make judgments in the best interests of the community. Therefore, the College Conduct System is based in the principle of self-governance. This system is not a court of law; the rules of evidence do not apply. Hearings are designed to be educational and corrective in nature, rather than punitive. The goal of the College Conduct System is to teach the student why the behavior displayed is unacceptable. However, punitive sanctions may be imposed, particularly when the behaviors displayed jeopardize the safety and security of the individual or others or compromise the reputation of the College.