Academic Misconduct vs. Non-Academic Misconduct
The Office of Student Conduct address potential violations of Non-Academic Misconduct policies. The Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs and Research address potential violations of the Academic Misconduct policy.
For more information on how to report Academic Misconduct, please click here.
Guidelines for Student Conduct in Instructional Settings
Faculty set the standards for acceptable behavior in their classrooms. If a student is not fulfilling the expectations set forth in the syllabus or Standards of Student Conduct, please report the alleged violation using one of the below processes.
Inappropriate behavior in the classroom includes, but is not limited to:
- Disruption of class
- Being argumentative for the sake of being argumentative rather than educational
- Repeatedly using inappropriate language
- Physical altercations with others
- Failing to comply with appropriate directives from faculty
- Threatening behavior towards the faculty, other students or self
Suggestions for Avoiding Inappropriate Behavior
Educate your students on your expectations to avoid any confusion.
- Include your behavior expectations in your syllabus
- Verbally explain your expectations at the start of each semester
- Be consistent in your enforcement of these expectations
- Role model the behavior you expect
How to Respond to Inappropriate Behavior
If a student is an immediate threat, please contact UPD at 870-972-2093.
If a student is not an immediate threat:
- Stay calm when addressing the behavior.
- Ask the student to stop the behavior, privately if at all possible.
- If the student does not stop the behavior, ask them to leave the classroom.
- If the student does not leave, contact UPD.
- If the student does not leave, the faculty member may choose to adjourn the class and allow all students to leave the situation.
- Document the situation and refer the student to the Office of Student Conduct.
How to Document a Situation
Please complete an incident report using the following form: Incident Reporting Form (maxient.com). If you have questions about the reporting process, please contact the Office of Student Conduct at 870-972-2034 or studentconduct@astate.edu
What to Include when Documenting a Situation
- As much information about the student of concern as possible
Full name, Student I.D. Number, Class enrolled in, email address, etc. - Specific behavior that caused the concern
Use as much detail as possible, quote if necessary, describe physical attributes or behaviors that are relevant. - Any witness information or information about others involved in the incident
Full names, Student I.D. Numbers (if relevant), their involvement in the incident, why they are important to speak to. - Your contact information
The Faculty Role in the Conduct Process
Once an incident is reported, the Office of Student Conduct will initiate the conduct process. Faculty may be contacted by the office for further clarification or to serve as a witness in a formal hearing. In some cases, faculty members are notified of the outcome. However, due to FERPA, most cases do not allow for this notification. The Office of Student Conduct will endeavor to update faculty members as much as possible within this restriction.
