College is a partnership. By agreeing to abide by the Honor Code, a Hillsdale College student is responsible for partnering with the College and with fellow students in pursuit of the stated mission of the College, which is to “furnish to all persons who wish…a literary, scientific, [and] theological education...and to combine with this, such moral, social, and artistic instruction and culture as will best develop the minds and improve the hearts of its pupils.”
A partnership requires trust. The College (i.e., faculty, administration, and staff) trusts its students to be honorable and to inspire one another toward excellence. The College also trusts them to seek its help when they observe or suspect significant violations of the partnership, and to trust the College to help guide and instruct its students appropriately. When students have serious concerns, they are to approach the College in friendship and partner with the administration to jointly reason through the concerns.
The following regulations express the basic requirements of our partnership. A violation of these regulations is a break in the Honor Code and one’s partnership with the College. The College will follow the Procedure for Student Discipline for any of the following offenses, and other offenses not specifically described in these regulations that violate the spirit of the partnership, as well as the Honor Code. Violations may result in disciplinary actions up to and including suspension or expulsion.
- Dishonesty. This includes all offenses covered in the Policy on Academic Honor as well as the furnishing of false information to the College, forgery, alteration or misuse of official documents, records or identification.
- Obstruction or disruption of teaching, research, administration, disciplinary procedures or other College activities, including its public service functions, or of other authorized activities on College premises. This includes interference with or failure to comply with the directions of faculty, staff, administrators, or their designees, e.g. house directors, resident advisors, parking enforcement and security personnel, preventing them from carrying out their duties.
- Physical or verbal abuse of any person on College-owned or -controlled property, at College-sponsored or -supervised functions, or at off-campus locations; sexual or nonsexual assault, violence, harassment, or hazing; or any other conduct that threatens or endangers the health, safety or overall well-being of any such person, barring no one.
- Theft of, damage to, or misuse of property of the College or of a member of the College community or campus visitor; or possession of stolen property. Property includes intellectual property, including trademarks and copyrights (e.g., course work) as covered in the Policy on Academic Honor, and other creative content, including print and digital formats.
- Violation of College policies or of campus regulations concerning the registration of student organizations, the use of College facilities, or the time, place, and manner of public expression. College facilities are authorized for use only by student organizations acknowledged by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and listed by the Student Federation as official Hillsdale College student organizations.
- Behavior that—on the part of individuals or student organizations—violates the bounds of common decency and civility or the high moral standards entailed in the College Mission; interferes with the open dialogue fostered by the partnership between the College and its students; disrupts the climate of academic reflection and discourse proper to serious study; or that attempts to undermine or disrupt the academic, religious, or moral commitments entailed in the Mission of the College or the policies pursuant to those commitments.
- Unauthorized entry to College facilities or use of College facilities or properties for personal, commercial, or illegal purposes or activities contrary to Hillsdale’s mission. This includes but is not limited to: on-campus solicitation; distributing or posting unapproved materials around campus; and illegally attending a College-sponsored or College-supervised function.
- Disorderly, lewd, indecent, or obscene conduct or expression, including the inordinate display of affection. This extends to movies and other entertainment shown on campus or sponsored by student organizations. There is significant latitude in understanding this requisite decency, especially in light of thematic or aesthetic criteria. Nevertheless, the College has the responsibility to avoid sponsoring or otherwise promoting pornographic or otherwise dehumanizing films or media.
- Improper, offensive, abusive, disparaging, threatening, lewd, indecent, pornographic, or obscene conduct, communication or material on an online social network or third-party website, cell phone, email, Twitter, Facebook, blog, or other social media.
- Use of bullhorns, loud speakers, radio, audio equipment or print media to encourage assembly for purposes of demonstrations, riots, destruction of property or any other unauthorized use of College property. The flying of drones or other such devices (with or without recording capabilities) are prohibited on campus-owned properties, without explicit permission from the College.
- Use, possession, distribution or being in the presence of any amount of an unauthorized substance (including legal and illegal drugs that cause impairment or drug paraphernalia, such as pipes and water bongs), except as expressly permitted by both state and federal law, as well as the College.
- Violation of the Michigan State Law requiring persons to be 21 years of age before consuming alcohol; illegal or unauthorized possession and/or consumption of alcohol; and being in the presence of, or having containers formerly or presently holding alcoholic beverages found within campus residences. This applies to Greek houses, as defined by their national regulations and alumni governing groups, and in honorary housing as well. Students should be familiar with the Hillsdale College Social Guidelines and the state laws of Michigan.
- Illegal or unauthorized possession or use of firearms, knives, explosives, fireworks, dangerous chemicals and/or other weapons including pellet guns, BB guns, paint guns, airsoft guns, bows and arrows.
- Violation of rules governing College-owned or College-controlled residences (See Residence Hall Guidelines and guidelines for specific Greek residences).
- Violation of social policies, residence hall policies, off-campus housing policies, vehicle and parking policies, Information Technology Acceptable Use Policy, and Academic Honor Policy.
- Conduct that adversely affects any student’s ability to participate as a member of the academic community.
- Failure or refusal to cooperate in any College investigation; this includes any obstruction or attempted obstruction of an investigation, as well as interfering with the College’s right to search property it owns or property under its auspices.
Hillsdale College reserves the right to take any disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion, against any student who has matriculated to Hillsdale College who has been cited, arrested and/or convicted of violating local, state or federal law.
Failure to uphold the Hillsdale College Honor Code and the policies, procedures, regulations, and guidelines set forth by the College may result in disciplinary action ranging from a minimum of a warning to a maximum of expulsion. Many times, the severity of the consequence will be at a level between the minimum and maximum, and the Dean of Men and Women reserve the right to impose appropriate discipline, including fines, community service, counseling, social probation, as they deem appropriate. In all cases, an incident report will be filed in the deans’ offices.
In order for students, including summer school students, to be approved for graduation and to receive a Hillsdale College degree, they must resolve any outstanding charges of misconduct and must have complied with the terms of any penalties imposed as a result of misconduct. Hillsdale College does not guarantee the award of a degree. The awarding of a degree is conditioned upon compliance with College regulations as well as meeting the expectations of the faculty. Therefore, grades, transcripts and diplomas may be withheld until all outstanding concerns are resolved.
DAMAGE COSTS
The administration reserves the right to prorate damage costs incurred as a result of vandalism or damage to College property. Students living in residence halls will sign room condition papers before occupying a room and will sign after occupancy has ended. Any damage not present upon occupancy but evident after occupancy will result in damage costs. Students are required to return furniture to original positions upon the ending of occupancy as well. Failure to return furniture to original position and/or to leave the room reasonably clean will result in a $10 fine.