Center for Teaching and Learning

The Office of Judicial Affairs Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

 

Office of Judicial Affairs

Frequently Asked Questions about Student Behavior
Student Conduct and Community Standards

301 Woods Hall,
314-516-5211
www.umsl.edu/studentlife/dsa

All students are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful and appropriate manner at all times. This includes complying with federal, state, and local laws. In order to support the academic environment, faculty members are expected to report all alleged violations of the Student Conduct Code to Student Conduct & Community Standards.

The Assistant Dean of Students is responsible for the administrative process designed to respond to allegations of student misconduct as set forth by the Collected Rules and Regulations. The process is designed to ensure that accused students are afforded their right to due process.

If you believe a student has violated the Student Conduct Code, please contact Student Affairs' Student Conduct & Community Standards at 314-516-5211. You may also go to the website, download, and print a referral form and fax it to 314-516-5221.

What can I do in order to avoid situations of misconduct in my class?

Treat students' in a respectful and professional manner

Respond to students inquiries in a timely manner

Set expectations regarding behavior in the syllabus and model this behavior at all times

Hold all students accountable for their behavior

How can I deal with situations immediately?

If you have students within the classroom who are:

argumentative or challenging - respectfully attempt to calm the student

threatening or disruptive - immediately contact University Police at 314-516-515

DON'T HESITATE! If you are unsure of whether or not an action is in violation of the Student Conduct Code, please contact Student Conduct & Community Standards at 314-516-5211 or via email at studentconduct@umsl.edu. We are here to help.



Procedures for Disruptive Student Behavior


Preventing Disruptive Behavior
When students' behaviors interfere with teaching, the instructor should address it right away. It's best to start with a classroom environment that makes disruptive behavior less likely. Here are strategies that others have found helpful:

Responding to Disruptive Behavior
Unfortunately, even with prevention strategies in place, inappropriate behaviors may occur. It is important to address disrespectful, disruptive, sexist, or racist comments or behavior appropriately and quickly.

If you perceive that the situation is threatening to you or your students or if the behavior is escalating to that point, contact Campus Police at 314.516.5155 and report the incident immediately.


Campus Contacts

When faced with an incident of disruptive behavior, as soon as possible contact Student Conduct & Community Standards within Student Affairs located in 301 Woods Hall at 314.516.5211. Once an incident is reported, Student Conduct initiates a thorough investigation and makes a decision on how to proceed. Academic misbehavior (plagiarism, cheating, etc.) must be reported to the Office of Academic Affairs (Tanisha Stevens at 314.516.5304). If you need support for enhancing your classroom environment, feel free to contact the Center for Teaching and Learning (ctl@umsl.edu or telephone 314.516.4508).

When to Contact

Promptly documenting and reporting disruptive behavior allows early intervention so that students get the help they need to prevent these behaviors from escalating. Contacting the Office of Student Affairs helps to establish a pattern of conduct and provides faculty with information on appropriate disciplinary actions. The Center for Teaching and Learning is always available as a faculty resource.

Revised June 2012

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