Policy: Code of Conduct for Students in Professional Programs

This Policy Statement is an addition to the Trinity Student Handbook and the Student Code of Responsible Conduct, and is incorporated by reference into those documents.

All students at Trinity must comply with the expectations of the Honor System which includes the Student Code of Responsible Conduct and other campus rules and policies, including this policy statement.   The Honor System and the various policy statements contain implied and explicit expectations about the conduct of all students at all times.   This policy statement amplifies these expectations with a particular emphasis on Trinity’s expectation that students in professional programs will act with professionalism and high regard for ethical conduct in all matters.

1.  Trinity’s Honor System expects students to be truthful, to act with integrity, to respect community standards, and to manifest a commitment to ethical responsibility in all matters, including in all academic matters (see the Academic Honesty Policy), financial matters (see Student Financial Responsibility Policy) and other interactions on campus.   The Honor System expects all students to act professionally in all matters, including with regard to the resolution of disputes.   Various policy statements have specific examples of ways in which conduct might violate the Honor System.   At times, conduct might fall outside of specific policy statements but still be in violation of the Honor System.  This occurs when conduct is dishonest, unprofessional, insubordinate or grossly disrespectful of the mission and values of the Trinity community.   Examples of such misconduct include, but are not limited to:

a) forging signatures or otherwise unethically altering or manipulating any document for any reason;

b) misrepresenting facts, written or oral or in any electronic communication, including in appeals from administrative decisions or in disciplinary proceedings (lying in an appeals statement may be a separate offense from the first offense);

c) making false accusations against any other person, whether written or oral or in electronic communication;

d) fraudulent use of checks, credit card or bank account numbers, or other attempts to engage in illegal and deceptive financial transactions, whether with Trinity or its vendors, faculty or staff; or engaging in schemes on Trinity’s premises, or using Trinity’s technological systems, that would result in fraud for third parties not associated with Trinity;

e) any impermissible use of Trinity’s technological systems (see the Technology and Telecommunications Policy);

f) threats, efforts to intimidate, creation of a hostile climate for other students, faculty and staff (see Harassment Policy, Code of Student Conduct);

g) misrepresenting the student’s actual academic status at Trinity, or prior academic record, including failure to produce transcripts from other institutions in a timely way when the student’s admission or academic progress depends upon the results of coursework taken elsewhere.

2.  Academic Authority:   Students must accept and follow the directions of their instructors in courses, their academic advisors, the deans of their academic units, and other legitimate campus authorities.   By enrolling at Trinity, the student inherently accepts the rules of the institution and the directions of the faculty and administrative staff.  This includes accepting academic policies and procedures with regard to course schedules, registration, financial aid, payment arrangements, enrollment in specific courses, following course sequences, prerequisites and all related academic matters.   The deans of the academic units and the provost have broad final authority to resolve student academic issues.  Insubordination, which is the refusal to follow a legitimate direction, may be grounds for disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

3.  Trinity strictly prohibits any action which attempts to subvert the student financial aid system in order to obtain loans, grants or scholarships from federal or private sources based on impermissible factors, including enrolling in courses that are not necessary for student program completion; this includes a specific prohibition on retaking courses for which students have already received a passing grade.   Students who engage in such actions will incur disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.  As with other illegal conduct, Trinity reserves the right to refer cases of financial aid fraud to law enforcement authorities.

4.  Students enrolled in professional programs — e.g., Nursing, Teacher Education, School Administration, Counseling, Business — have special professional conduct expectations.  This also applies to students doing professional work in internships.  Students in professional programs and on internships must comport themselves according to all of Trinity’s policies as well as according to the norms and standards of their professional associations and industries.   Students who violate professional standards or workplace rules will incur disciplinary action up to and including dismissal, for violations of professional conduct norms.

5.  Professional students who do clinical work in hospitals and healthcare agencies, schools and other locations where they work with patients, children and clients may have additional obligations under laws that apply to Trinity and all students, particularly under the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, the Drug-Free Workplace Act, and the Policy on Child Protection.

Disciplinary Procedures

Disciplinary procedures for this policy are consistent with the Due Process and Disciplinary Procedures for Non-Academic Matters statement on the website.