Expectations of Behavior

A. Core Values and Behavioral Expectations - As a public institution of higher education, which is committed to student access and success, the College maintains the following Core Values and Behavioral Expectations of its students.

Integrity. Students are expected to exemplify honesty, honor, and a respect for the truth in all of their dealings.
Community. Students are expected to positively contribute to the educational community.
Safety. Students are expected to choose behavior that is conscious of the rights and safety of others and the community and promotes a productive and diverse academic environment.
Responsibility. Students are expected to accept responsibility to themselves, to others, and to the community.
Communication. Students are expected to engage in honest, and productive communications with members of the college community to foster an environment of mutual respect.

B. Code of Conduct Violations - The College considers the following behaviors as inappropriate for the College community and in opposition to its core values and behavioral expectations. These expectations apply to all students and student organizations. The College encourages community members to report all incidents of such behavior. Any student or student organization found to have committed or to have attempted to commit any of the following misconduct is subject to the sanctions outlined under this policy.

Abuse of Conduct Process. Abuse, interference, and/or failure to comply with the College’s conduct process, including but not limited to:
1. Falsification, distortion, or misrepresentation of information during the conduct process;
2. Failure to provide, destroying, or concealing information during an investigation of an alleged policy violation;
3. Interference with the orderly conduct of the conduct process;
4. Attempting to discourage an individual's participation in, or use of, the conduct process;
5. Attempting to influence the decision of a member of a Conduct Board prior to, and/or during the course of, the Student Conduct proceeding;
6. Harassment (verbal or physical) and/or intimidation of a member of a Conduct Board, College official, party to a complaint or witness participating in the conduct process;
7. Failure to comply with the sanction(s) imposed under the Code of Conduct;
8. Influencing or attempting to influence another person to commit an abuse of the conduct process; or
9. Knowingly filing a false complaint under the Code of Conduct.
Academic Dishonesty. Acts of academic dishonesty, including but not limited to the following:
1. Cheating. Intentional use, and/or attempted use of any unauthorized assistance in any academic exercise including, but not limited to, unauthorized use of generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) or dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor.
2. Fabrication. Intentional and unauthorized falsification and/or invention of any information or citation in any academic exercise.
3. Unauthorized Collaboration. Deliberately submitting work prepared collaboratively with someone else without explicit permission from the instructor.
4. Unauthorized Distribution of Course Materials. The sharing or distribution of course materials, course content, quizzes, exams, essays, and other assignments, including but not limited to posting to an online medium or study aid website or online academic warehouse (e.g., Course Hero, Chegg, Study Bible, etc.), without the express permission of the faculty member.
5. Facilitating Dishonesty. Knowingly helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic dishonesty, including students who substitute for other persons in examinations or represent, as their own, papers, reports, projects, or the academic works of others.
6. Plagiarism. Knowingly representing the words, ideas, or artistic expression of another as one’s own work in any academic exercise, including but not limited to unauthorized resubmission of previously-submitted assignments for which the student has earned credit, copying other’s work, and patchworking source material and representing the work as one’s own.
7. Submitting, in whole or in part, prewritten term papers of another or the research of another, including but not limited to commercial vendors who sell or distribute such material.
8. Theft of materials. The acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic material belonging to a member of the faculty or staff, or another student.
9. Testing Procedures: Failure to follow testing procedures as outlined by college personnel including faculty, other staff, and third-party proctors.
10. Academic Fraud. Misrepresenting one’s own academic work including but not limited to: purchasing other’s work, arranging for others to do work under a false name, and hiring a proxy or other third party to complete coursework on one’s behalf.
Alcohol. Use, possession, manufacture, or distribution of alcoholic beverages, on campus or as part of any college-sponsored program, including public intoxication or the operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, in violation of the College’s Alcohol Policy and/or state or federal law.
Cannabis. Use, possession, manufacture, or distribution of THC-containing cannabis and THC-containing cannabis products or accessories on campus or as part of any college-sponsored program, including the operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of cannabis. This Code of Conduct violation also includes the use, possession, manufacture and distribution of marijuana products or accessories, in violation of the College’s Cannabis Policy, Marijuana Policy, and/or Alcohol & Drug Policy.
Controlled Substances. Use, possession, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances as defined by state and/or federal law.
Damage and Destruction. Damage, destruction, or defacement of College property or the personal property of others.
Election Tampering. Tampering with the election of any College-recognized student organization.
Extortion. Threat or the implicit threat of harm to a person’s safety, reputation, or property in order to obtain property, including information, from someone else without their consent.
Failure to Comply. Failure to comply with the reasonable directives of College officials and/or law enforcement during the performance of their duties and/or failure to identify oneself to these persons when requested to do so.
False Pretenses. Engaging in conduct, including making an untruthful statement or misrepresentation, intended to deceive or defraud.
False Reports of Danger. False reporting of fire, bombs, other dangerous devices, or emergency situations.
Falsification. Knowingly providing or possessing false, falsified, or forged materials, documents, accounts, records, identification, or financial instruments.
Fire Safety. Violation of local, state, or federal laws, or campus fire policies including, but not limited, to:
1. Causing a fire on College property;
2. Failure to evacuate a College-controlled building during a fire alarm;
3. Improper use of College fire safety equipment; or
4. Tampering with or improperly engaging a fire alarm or fire detection/control equipment while on College property.
Gambling. Gambling as prohibited by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Gambling may include lotteries, sports pools, and online betting activities.
Harassment. Severe or pervasive actions, including, but not limited to written, electronic, voice, physical, or through a third party, directed toward a specific individual, group or entity with the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with another’s work or education. Discriminatory Harassment and Sexual Harassment are addressed pursuant to the PAA and not the Student Code of Conduct.
Harm to Others. Causing physical harm or endangering the health or safety of any person.
Hate Crimes. A hate crime as defined by state or federal laws, including but not limited to, any criminal act to which a bias motive is evident as a contributing factor.
Hazing. Hazing as defined by state or federal laws, including but not limited to any conduct or method of initiation into any student organization, whether on public or private property, which willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or other person. For additional information, consult the Hazing Policy.
Interference with the College Environment. Material and substantial disruption or interference includes conduct: (1) that affects the day-to-day operations of the College; or (2) where the rights of another are disrupted or interfered with, such that they cannot engage in or participate in a college related program, activity or event.
IT and Acceptable Use. Conduct resulting in a violation of the College’s Computer/Technology Acceptable Use policies, Email and/or Social Media policies, Expectations of Behavior policy, and/or related Information Technology Resource policies.
Prescription Medication. Abuse, misuse, sale, or distribution of prescription or over-the-counter medications.
Public Exposure. Includes but not limited to: deliberately and publicly exposing one’s intimate body parts, public urination, defecation, masturbation, and/or other public sex acts.
Retaliation. Any adverse action taken against a member of the College community in response to an actual or perceived wrong, or for engaging in a protected action, including but not limited to submitting a complaint, participating in the review of a complaint, or participating in disciplinary proceedings in any capacity. Retaliation may include interference through intimidation, coercion, instilling fear of harm, or taking action which may have an adverse impact on a student’s academic success, an employee’s work performance, or the college environment.
Rioting. Engaging in, or inciting others to engage in, harmful or destructive behavior that breaches the peace.
Smoking & Tobacco. Smoking or using any tobacco product or use of e-cigarettes, vaporizers or inhalers on College property.
Solicitation and Sales. Unauthorized solicitation and sales, requesting contributions, peddling or otherwise selling, purchasing or offering goods and services for sale or purchase, distributing advertising materials, circulars or product samples, or engaging in any other conduct relating to any outside business interest or for-profit or personal or professional economic benefit on college property or using college resources without prior authorization.
Taking of Property. Intentional and unauthorized taking or possession of College property or the personal property of another, whether actual or attempted, including goods, services, and other valuables.
Threatening Behaviors.
1. Threat. Written or verbal conduct that causes a reasonable expectation of injury to the health or safety of any person or damage to any property.
2. Intimidation. Intimidation is defined as implied threats or acts that cause a reasonable fear of harm in another.
Trademark. Unauthorized use, including misuse, of College or organizational names and/or images.
Unauthorized Access and/or Entry. Unauthorized access and/or entry to any College building (e.g., misuse of keys or access privileges), unauthorized possession, duplication or use of means of access to any college building, or unauthorized entry including trespassing.
Unauthorized Recording and Dissemination. Use of electronic or other devices to create and/or disseminate an unauthorized audio or video recording of any person(s) without the person’s prior knowledge or without the person’s effective consent due to intoxication, drug use, mental impairment or other conditions that may impair a person’s ability to convey effective consent. This includes, but is not limited to, surreptitiously taking pictures of another person in a locker room or restroom, recording administrative activities without the person’s consent, or recording classroom lectures without a college-approved accommodation under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).
Violations of Law. Including arrest, pending criminal charges, or adjudication of any violation of state or federal laws not otherwise enumerated herein.
Weapons. Except for those used by authorized law enforcement, or used with written authorization by the Board of Trustees or College Chief of Police, or required for and being used as part of an Academic Exercise, all weapons are prohibited on campus. This includes, but is not limited to:
1. Possession of firearms, knives, explosives, or dangerous chemicals;
2. Possession of a reasonable facsimile, simulated or prop firearm, knife, or explosive; or
3. Possession of any other weapon or item used with the intent to cause harm, as determined in the sole discretion of the CCA.
4. For additional information, consult the College’s Weapons and Firearms Policy.
Other Policies. Violation of any College policies, rules, or regulations published in written copy or posted electronically on the College’s website or available in any program specific handbook.

Updated September 2025