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The purposes and qualities of life sought in this campus
community are determined by the Board of Trustees in
cooperation with faculty, staff and students. Bluffton affirms
that rules controlling smoking, drinking and drugs serve
purposes which are appropriate on grounds of health,
cleanliness, safety and regard for others. Bluffton realizes
that its rules can scarcely be expected to regulate behavior
when students are not under its jurisdiction. However, that is
not to say that off-campus behavior is a matter of
indifference to the university community. Off-campus
conduct may detrimentally affect a student’s own academic
effectiveness and the lives and activities of others.
Bluffton retains the right to exclude any students whose
conduct does injury to themselves or to the university
community. Persons are admitted to Bluffton University
with the understanding that they will be responsible members
of the academic community.
There are some specific expectations which members of the
community have developed as important to the quality of life
desired for Bluffton. As members of the campus community,
students are encouraged to worship regularly on campus and in
the church of their choice. As part of this emphasis on
building community, self-selective fraternities and sororities
are not permitted. In addition, students are expected to:
- Practice openness and honesty in all relations with
members of the community: faculty, staff and students;
- Conduct themselves with respect for persons and
property;
- Practice the honor
system in taking examinations and writing research
papers;
- Follow the rules and regulations necessary for orderly
community life which are established in areas such as the
library, residence halls and Marbeck Center; and
- Refrain from patterns of behavior which do injury to
self and others: e.g., smoking, drinking, drug use,
gambling, sexual exploitation, promiscuity and profanity:
- The use of tobacco on campus and on all
official university trips (e.g., athletics, field
trips, student teaching) and at university-sponsored
activities is prohibited. The sole exception to this rule is
provision of two designated outdoor areas on campus where
smoking is permitted;
- Alcohol: Bluffton University forms, as part of its
foundations, a community of respect. Respect includes
understanding how individual actions impact a community. In
an academic community, learning for life happens outside the
classroom as well as in the classroom. It is the desire of
Bluffton for students to learn and to be encouraged in
behavior that will positively contribute to their whole
person as individuals created by God.
Consumption of
alcohol may promote unhealthy lifestyle choices: create
dependencies, waste money, abuse health and take lives. The
consumption of alcohol may generate behavior offensive to
other people and to the public, including the Bluffton
University community. Students are not full participants in
the community of learning and respect at Bluffton if they
are under the influence of alcohol.
Bluffton expects
students to understand the consequences of consuming or
possessing alcohol on campus, as well as the ramifications
of consuming alcohol off campus, particularly as it relates
to the potential impact for on-campus behavior. The
possession and consumption of alcohol on campus at all
campus-related activities is prohibited. Students are also
reminded that alcohol possession and consumption of alcohol
on or off campus is illegal for those under the age of
21.
The following behavior would be considered a
violation of the campus alcohol policy:
a)
Drinking alcohol on campus;
b)
Being present in a room or other area on campus
where an alcohol violation is occuring;
c)
Possession of alcohol-related container(s) in the
residence hall, common area, vehicles on campus property;
window exhibits that display items relating to alcohol are
prohibited, as are displays on room doors, hallways and
other public areas on campus.
d) The
possession and/or consumption of alcohol at any
university-sponsored event;
e)
Disruptive actions associated with the possession
and/or consumption of alcohol, including disruptive behavior
on campus when a student is under the influence of alcohol;
- The illegal use or possession of hallucinogenic or
narcotic drugs or marijuana is prohibited.
In this campus community both students and faculty share in
the responsibility of maintaining campus standards. The
student life staff and the Campus Judicial Board, composed of
elected faculty and student representatives, handle campus
disciplinary cases. Infractions of the rules and any serious
misconduct become the particular concern of student life staff
and the Campus Judicial Board.
For students’ welfare and in the best interests of
the campus community, the university reserves the
right to suspend or dismiss any student at any time when
the university authorities deem such action
imperative.
Harassment
policy
Bluffton affirms the principle that
students, faculty and staff have the right to be free from any
racial, sexual or any other type of harassment by any other
member of the campus community. This is simply a restatement
of the expectation that members of our campus community will
respect others who are a part of the community and the
positive gifts they bring to the community. Bluffton's policy
is that any type of harassment is unacceptable and will be
viewed as a violation of campus standards.
Examples of the types of harassment that are unacceptable
include threats or verbal abuse directed toward another member
of the community, including verbal assaults, derogatory
racial, sexist or homophobic remarks, defamation of character
or any other type of behavior that knowingly puts another
member of the community in a state of fear or anxiety. This
applies to any type of communication (e.g. telephone, e-mail,
face-to-face, group interaction), and it may involve a single
or repeated incident.
The honor
system
Bluffton University observes the honor
system in taking examinations and writing research papers. No
monitor is in the classroom during test or examination
periods. Students are asked to write and sign the following
pledge on every examination paper: “I am unaware of any aid
having been given or received during this examination.” If a
student cannot conscientiously sign this pledge, the course
instructor is to be notified. Plagiarism is considered a
serious violation of the honor system. (The Student Handbook
contains a complete statement on plagiarism.) Reported
offenses are normally resolved through the campus judicial
system. Although the honor system applies specifically to the
academic area, it is understood that the spirit of the honor
system should pervade all aspects of campus life.
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