Guiding Principles

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 be limited to conduct that occurs on the College premises or during College-sponsored activities. However, the conduct of a student that is deemed to impact the health and/or safety of members of this community and/or negatively impact the educational mission or reputation of the College may be subject to disciplinary proceedings regardless of where the behavior occurred. 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 Discipline 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 Discipline 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.