College Code of Conduct and Student Integrity

The College is dedicated to creating and maintaining an environment of civility. The following statement reflects our beliefs.

We, the students, faculty, staff and administrators of Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College are committed to core values that include:

1. Creating an environment where we value and respect each other
2. Promoting a community that encourages the tolerance of divergent opinions and constructive resolution of conflict
3. Exchanging ideas and enriching our lives through exploration of our multi-faceted culture
4. Embracing responsibility, honesty, and courtesy
5. Respecting the dignity, rights and freedoms of every community member
6. Respecting the intellectual and physical property of others
7. Respecting College property, including both public and private spaces

We, as a community of learners, are affirming these core values to guide our actions and behaviors.

The College is committed to providing an environment in which its students, faculty and staff are treated with courtesy, respect and dignity. As a learning community, the College encourages open, honest and free discussion, inquiry and expression. All members of the College share in the responsibility to uphold the integrity of the academic community. Students are expected to maintain the highest level of personal integrity in a manner compatible with the College Mission and Code of Conduct and to obey the laws enacted by federal, state and/or local governments. Students are expected to uphold these standards as members of the health team both in and out of the classroom and practicum settings.

The College may suspend, dismiss or otherwise discipline any student whose conduct is detrimental to the College or to a member of the College community. Conduct not in accordance with the College’s Student Integrity standards includes but is not limited to the following:

The College reserves the right to address other inappropriate behavior that does not clearly fall within the identified standards of conduct above.

The College may suspend, dismiss or otherwise discipline any student whose conduct violates the College’s policies and standards.

• Cheating or knowingly assisting another student in an act of academic dishonesty. The term “cheating” includes but is not limited to:
  • Acquisition or possession of tests or other academic material that belong to a member of the College faculty or staff without permission
  • Knowingly providing or using any unauthorized assistance on quizzes, tests or examinations
  • Dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments
  • Altering, forging, changing markings or misusing any College documents (e.g., exams, scantrons, graderecords, transcripts, certifications, stationery)
• Committing an act of plagiarism, which includes, but is not limited to, submitting examinations, reports, notes, or other materials as one’s own work when such work has been, wholly or in part, authored by another person. The term “plagiarism” (See the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed., 2009) for a full description) includes, but is not limited to:
  • Use of paraphrase or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work of another person without fully and properly crediting the author with footnotes, citations or bibliographical reference
  • Unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials
  • Unacknowledged use of original work/materials that has been produced through collaboration with others without release in writing from collaborators
  • Misuse of electronic media; piracy of electronic information
• Classroom and/or clinical performance deficiencies, which may include:
  • Failure to perform aspects of nursing care in a thoughtful and professional manner
  • Failure to treat patients with respect and dignity both in their presence and in discussion with peers
  • Failure to display concern for the total patient
  • Failure to deal with class peers, professional and staff personnel, faculty and all other members of the health care team in a considerate, respectful manner and with a spirit of cooperation
  • Failure to maintain confidentiality of information regarding patients, classmates and faculty
  • Failure to follow HIPAA policies related to patient confidentiality and privacy protections as described below;
  • Failure to perform duties to the best of one’s ability and persevering until duties are complete or notifying responsible persons of problems
  • Failure to assume responsibility for patient care with appropriate supervision
  • Failure to identify emergencies and respond appropriately
  • Failure to be honest in written and verbal documentation on health/patient records, course work and other
    documents
• Misrepresenting oneself or the facts to administration, admission advisors, College committees, faculty, staff or healthcare team
• Attempting to enter or entering the College without authorization
• Harassing, exploiting or intimidating any member of the College community
• Violating the College’s social media policies
• Threatening to use or using force to inflict harm upon any person on College premises or during College related activities
• Acting in a manner which is rude and/or disruptive during educational or extracurricular activity
• Making a known false report of an emergency situation in the College or on any premises of the College or premises related to College activities
• Stealing, assisting or attempting to steal College property or property of any member of the college community
• Damaging, destroying, or defacing College property or property of any member of the College community
• Illegal Gambling
• Possessing, storing, or using firearms, weapons or explosives in any area of the College premises or any practicum site or other premises used by the College
• Violating the College’s smoking, alcohol or drug policies
• Violating the College’s anti-harassment or social media policies
• Violating any College policy or soliciting any other person to violate any College policy
• Students are required to complete HIPAA training prior to beginning clinical rotations. In addition to BJC Privacy and Security Policies, the federal HIPAA law requires protected health information to be kept confidential. In order to protect this right to confidentiality and to comply with federal and state laws, students must hold all information gained through their clinical assignments at any facility in the strictest confidence. Sharing patient information via any means, including electronic media, is considered a breach of confidentiality. Violations of HIPAA policies while in clinicals may result in disciplinary action by the College, including immediate dismissal, disciplinary action by the host facility, and/or federal or state civil or criminal penalties.

The College reserves the right to address other inappropriate behavior that does not clearly fall within the identified standards of conduct above.

The College may suspend, dismiss or otherwise discipline any student whose conduct violates the College’s policies and standards.

The College may suspend dismiss or otherwise discipline any student whose conduct violates the Student Integrity standards stated above. If a complaint or allegation not involving harassment or discrimination has been made against a student, this disciplinary process will be invoked.

Allegations of Student Integrity Violations and Formal Hearing with the Student Affairs Committee:

• Faculty members who identify a violation of the student integrity standards may provide written notice of the violation to the student and proceed in one of two ways:
  • Impose an appropriate sanction (i.e. awarding a “0” on the assignment, redo of the assignment, failure in the course). The student has the right to accept the charge and sanction, or may elect, within three (3) business days of the student’s receipt of the sanction, to contact the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for a formal hearing as set forth in sub-sections (b)-(l).
  • Faculty members who identify a violation of the student integrity standards may refer the matter to the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs so the student can be scheduled for a formal hearing to determine whether the allegation has merit and the sanctions to be
    imposed.
• Notice of the alleged violation and date of the hearing will be given to the student in writing by the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
• Interim measures, such as an interim suspension, may be imposed pending the outcome of the hearing if the College official(s) determine such a measure is appropriate and in the best interests of the College community.
• The hearing will be held before the Student Affairs Committee.
• The student may submit a written statement explaining his/her position and indicating why the student believes a finding of a violation is inaccurate.
• The student, instructor and Student Affairs Committee have the right to present witnesses and to ask questions of witnesses at the hearing.
• Pertinent records, exhibits, and written statements may be accepted for consideration by the Committee at the discretion of the chairperson.
• The student may bring someone of his/her choosing as a support person during the hearing. Student’s counsel may attend but may not participate in the hearing.
• After the hearing, the Student Affairs Committee shall determine by majority vote whether it believes the student has violated the Student Integrity standards. The Committee’s determination shall be made on the basis of whether it is more likely than not that the accused student committed the violation.
• If the Student Affairs Committee determines a violation has occurred, the Committee may impose a sanction including, but not limited to the following:
  • A score of “0” on the assignment
  • Repeat the course
  • Probation
  • Suspension
  • Dismissal from the College.
• The Student Affairs Committee submits its written finding and the sanction imposed to the student, with a copy to the President and Dean of the College.

• Students disciplined by the College may appeal the discipline decision and/or the sanctions imposed. Appeals must be in writing (handwritten or e-mail) and must contain a brief description of the history of the charge including the decision, the sanctions issued and the ground for the appeal.
• Appeals will be considered on any one or more of the following grounds:
  • The information presented at the hearing was insufficient to support the decision
  • New and important information that was not available prior to the hearing can be presented
  • Sanctions issued were capricious and not consistent with the policy violated
• Written appeals must be received by the President and Dean of the College within three (3) business days of the student’s receipt of the original decision by the Student Affairs Committee. The decision of the College President and Dean is final, and the student will be notified of such in writing.
• Once a dismissed student has exhausted appeal rights, that student is not eligible for readmission to the College.

As noted in the Student Handbook (Revised 2/1/2019)