Student Conduct Policies
Student Code of Conduct
The College is dedicated to the creative, intellectual and personal enhancement of its students, and, as such, expects all members of the academic community to behave in a manner conducive to that end. The College recognizes students as adults pursuing an education. Just as a student does not lose citizenship rights upon enrolling at the College, they do not become immune to society’s obligations and laws or to the responsibilities of daily living in a broader society.
In general, the behavioral norms expected of a Moore student are those of common decency and decorum, recognition of and non-infringement upon the rights and property of others and of the College, honesty in academic work and all other activities, and observance of local, state and federal laws. Upon entering the College, a Moore student takes upon themself certain responsibilities and obligations, including satisfactory academic performance and social behavior consistent with the lawful purposes of the College. Student conduct, therefore, is not considered in isolation within the College community but as an integral part of the educational process. In keeping with this general policy, misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- The possession of firearms, fireworks, explosives, or weapons of any kind, including replicas or facsimiles thereof.
- The use or threatened use of physical violence, coercion or intimidation. This includes assault, sexual assault, and sexual harassment.
- Verbal or written abuse beyond a reasonable expression of opinion which is likely to cause another person humiliation, stress, psychological harm or which is harassing in nature. This includes harassment that is racial, sexual, or ideological.
- Behaviors that violate federal, state or local ordinances.
- Violating the College’s Academic Integrity policies.
- Destroying, vandalizing, unauthorized use, abuse, theft of property, or the intent to destroy property belonging to faculty, staff or other students, or to the College, or any guests or neighbors. This includes mischievous, inappropriate use of property.
- Trespassing upon or forcefully entering premises without authorization, such as entering faculty and staff offices or balconies and roofs with restricted access.
- The theft of computers, computer programs or other information from College computers.
- Removal or defacement of Library or other College materials.
- Creating a fire, safety or health hazard in or out of a classroom. This includes failure to comply with safe studio practices when this creates a fire, safety or health hazard in an individual studio, lab, or studio classroom.
- Activating a fire alarm without the existence of a fire or a similar emergency situation or abusing a fire alarm, extinguisher or other safety device or service.
- Disturbing the peace/significantly interfering, or disrupting the lawful, orderly activities of others. This includes, but is not limited to, spaces such as classrooms/classroom instruction, studios, residence halls, and the neighborhood surrounding Moore.
- Violating the College’s Drug and Alcohol Policy.
- Public intoxication and/or offensive, disruptive, destructive, hazardous and/or vulgar conduct during or following the consumption of alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs.
- Failure to comply with the directives of College staff or faculty acting in the performance of their duties.
- Knowingly providing false or inadequate information to a College official or student, and/or providing false documentation to College official, or student, faculty or administrative members of any hearing board acting in performance of their duties.
- Failing to provide College personnel with adequate identification upon request.
- Violation of residence hall policies. These are found in the Residence Life & Housing section of the Student Handbook.
- Engaging in any action or course of conduct that threatens the health or well-being of any member of the College community.
The College concerns itself primarily with misconduct that occurs on College grounds or at college-sponsored events. However, the College may become aware of misconduct occurring off-campus that is detrimental to the College's interests or to other students or dangerous to the student herself or illegal, including misconduct on-line, such as inappropriate use of campus network systems, or misconduct occurring in cyber communications. In such cases, the Dean of Students or the Director of Residence Life and Housing will determine whether the College should pursue disciplinary action against the students allegedly involved in such behavior.
Students should also be aware that they are responsible for their guests, which includes responsibility for any misconduct on the part of a guest.
Drug and Alcohol Policy
The illegal and/or abusive use of drugs and alcohol by members of the College community adversely affects the quality of campus life and the mission of the College and is, therefore, prohibited, whether it occurs on or off campus. Specifically, College policy prohibits the possession, use or sale of drug paraphernalia, cocaine and its derivatives, marijuana, barbiturates, amphetamines, hallucinogens or other addictive or illegal substances and the illicit use of prescription drugs (hereinafter referred to as “drugs” in any form. College policy also prohibits students from possessing or consuming alcoholic beverages on College premises (this includes empty alcohol containers. While the College sponsors social occasions from time to time at which alcoholic beverages are served, students under 21 may not be served alcoholic beverages at these occasions. Non-alcoholic beverages are also readily available at such occasions. A faculty or staff member or personnel from the dining service serving beverages at these social occasions may examine a student’s ID card if there is reason to believe that a student under the age of 21 is consuming alcoholic beverages. Moore College of Art & Design is a “dry campus,” which means alcohol is not permitted in college-supervised housing. In keeping with this policy, staff and faculty may not offer alcohol to students under 21 either on or off campus.
Students found in violation of the drug and alcohol policy will be subject to disciplinary hearings. Depending on the nature of the infraction of the College’s drug and alcohol policy, students will be referred either to the Student Conduct Committee or to the Administrative Conduct Committee. The choice of committee will be at the College’s sole discretion and will be made by the Dean of Students or the Director of Residence Life and Housing. Sanctions for students found responsible for violating the drug and alcohol policy will vary: the severity of the sanction will increase as the seriousness of the violation increases. Sanctions may include a verbal or written warning, a verbal or written reprimand, completion of an appropriate rehabilitation program, probation, suspension from the College and/or from housing for resident students, or expulsion from the College.
If it should be found that a student has engaged in the sale, production and/or distribution of drugs or alcohol in any form or is involved in any manner in selling, producing and/or distributing drugs or alcohol—on campus or off, she should expect to be suspended or dismissed from the College; this includes the possession of illicit drugs or alcohol in such quantities as to create a presumption of possession with the intent to resell on or off campus. Students may be suspended from classes and/or from College housing before regular disciplinary proceedings, if it is determined that such action is necessary to protect the health, safety or welfare of the College or any member of the College community.
While the College is deeply committed to the welfare of the individual student, the administration cannot ignore its responsibilities under the law in respect to violations of drug or alcohol control laws. Therefore, a student who is found in violation of the College’s drug or alcohol policy may be referred to law enforcement authorities if their behavior constitutes a violation of state or federal law. Should they be convicted of any offense under federal or state law involving the possession or sale of a controlled substance, they will lose their eligibility to receive any federal grant, loan, or work-study funds for a period of time whose duration depends on the severity of the offense; the time period ranges from one year for possession of a controlled substance as a first offense up to indefinite ineligibility for a second conviction for sale of a controlled substance. An outline of other drug and alcohol laws follows.
According to the The Pennsylvania Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act no person shall operate within this Commonwealth as a manufacturer, distributor or retailer of controlled substances, other drugs and devices nor sell, offer for sale nor solicit the purchase of controlled substances, other drugs and devices nor hold them for sale or resale until such person has registered under this act with the Secretary of Health of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Please consult this PDF for more information about Pennsylvania’s laws and penalties regarding controlled substances.
Pennsylvania laws covering the use of alcoholic beverages, found at this webpage:
Title 18 - Pennsylvania Crimes Code specifically forbids:
- Purchase, consumption, possession, or transportation of liquor or malt or brewed beverages by a minor.
- Misrepresentation of age to purchase liquor or malt or brewed beverages.
- Representing to liquor dealers that a minor is of age.
- Inducement of minors to buy liquor or malt or brewed beverages.
- Manufacturing and/or sale of a false identification card.
Examples of sanctions for breaking the above stated laws range from a $300 to $2,500 fine, to suspension of driving privileges for up to 90 days. The College expects every student to be aware of these laws and of their responsibility for compliance with them. They should be aware that these are criminal statutes and ordinances. Violation can result in various criminal penalties, many of which are mandatory in nature. In addition, violation of any of these laws could result in civil liability for any resulting harm.
Further, students should be aware that the use of drugs presents serious health risks. Drugs alter the structure and function of the nervous system. Drug use can result in long and short-term memory loss, reduction of motivation and impairment of even normal learning functions. Drugs have an adverse physical effect on lungs and the cardiovascular system. The chemicals in some drugs have a negative impact on the normal functioning of male and female hormones. Drugs are responsible for negative mood alterations. The use of drugs could lead to chemical dependence.
The use of alcohol also presents serious personal and health risks. The chemical action of alcohol on the nervous system is similar to that of ether, a drug used to render surgical patients unconscious. The chemical substance in alcohol which produces intoxication is a drug in the same chemical class as tranquilizers and barbiturates. Virtually every organ system in the body is affected by alcohol. It suppresses inhibitions and judgments. It impairs performance, specifically academic performance, by decreasing concentration, attention and memory retention, contributing to a loss of achievement and goal orientation. As a result of alcohol’s effect on the immune system, an increased susceptibility to infections disease and several types of cancer occurs. Excessive use of alcohol can lead to chemical dependence. The abuse of alcohol and drugs is also associated with health problems related to intoxication and overdose, such as blackouts, convulsions, coma or death and to unusual or inappropriate risk taking, which may result in physical or emotional injury or death. Students are expected to attend drug and alcohol awareness programs that the College sponsors from time to time in order to be as well informed as possible about both the health hazards associated with drug and alcohol use and constructive means for avoiding these addictions.
