Student Code of Conduct

(Adopted July 2015/Revised August 2022/Revised August 2024)

Purpose

The Student Code of Conduct serves as a foundation for fostering a positive and productive educational community, emphasizing the values of respect, responsibility, and accountability among students.

Illinois Central College wants students to learn and grow, both academically and personally. The College has the authority and responsibility to make sure the campus is a safe and supportive place for everyone's education. When students choose to go to Illinois Central College, they need to adhere to college expectations, including how they behave.

Illinois Central College students and student organizations are expected to act in accordance with the policies, rules, regulations, laws, and requirements of Illinois Central College, municipalities and counties, the State of Illinois, and the United States. The policies and processes in this document are designed to be educational, fundamentally fair, and to provide students with the protections that are appropriate for student conduct processes. Students should be aware that they are responsible not only for the intent of their behavior, but also for the impact of their actions. The student conduct policies and processes are designed to provide educational and developmental opportunities that balance the interests of individual students with the interests of the Illinois Central College community.

Authority

The Student Code of Conduct outlines the behavioral expectations for students and the processes for determining and addressing violations. The Dean of Students (or designee) has the ultimate authority for the interpretation of this Student Code of Conduct, including the determination of a person’s status with the institution in a particular situation. The Dean of Students serves as the primary investigator and hearing officer for reports of student misconduct. The Dean of Students may also serve and designate additional college officials to perform one or more roles in the student conduct process, including investigator, hearing officer, appeals officer, and/or advisor. No college official designated by the Dean of Students will serve as both an investigator and a hearing officer in the same case. If the Dean of Students is not available, their designee assumes the authority described for the duration of unavailability.

The Dean of Students has the authority to implement rules and processes consistent with the Student Code of Conduct.

The Dean of Students has the authority to issue sanctions for Student Code of Conduct violations, up to suspension, without a Student Conduct Committee. In these cases, a student would have the option to appeal an outcome to the Vice President of Student Success.

In certain circumstances, the Dean of Students may impose an interim suspension prior to a hearing. Circumstances could include, but are not limited to, theft or other abuse of college property, or students posing a danger to themselves or others.

The Dean of Students will determine the composition of the Student Conduct Committee and Appeals Board and will determine which Student Conduct Committee and/or Appeals Board will be authorized to hear each case.

An outcome determined by the Student Conduct Committee will be final unless the student initiates the appeal process.

A Student Conduct Committee may be designated as arbiter/mediator of disputes within the student community in cases that do not involve a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. All parties must agree to arbitration/mediation and to be bound by the outcome with no right to appeal.