Students at the College are provided a copy of the Code of Student Conduct each semester
in the form of a link on the College website and in an email sent to their Otis College
email. Hard copies are available upon request from the Office of Student Affairs.
Students are responsible for having read and abiding by the provisions of the Code
of Student Conduct.
The Code of Student Conduct and the student conduct process apply to the conduct of
individual students, both undergraduate and graduate (remote or in-person), students
enrolled in the ACCESS Extension Certificate Program, and all College-affiliated student
organizations. For the purposes of student conduct, the College considers an individual
to be a student when an offer of admission has been extended and thereafter as long
as the student has a continuing educational interest in the College.
Students participating in summer programs, who have also been offered admission to
Otis College BFA/MFA programs, will be held to the policies, protocols, and procedures
outlined in their respective summer program, first and foremost. Additionally, the
College reserves the right to make a decision to also adjudicate any student who has
been offered admission to Otis College and/or including rescinding admission without
following the formal student conduct process if the summer program student has not
yet registered for their Otis College academic year courses (pre-matriculation).
The College retains conduct jurisdiction over students who choose to take a leave
of absence, withdraw, or have graduated for any misconduct that occurred prior to
the leave, withdrawal or graduation. If sanctioned, a hold may be placed on the student’s
ability to re-enroll and/or obtain official transcripts and all sanctions must be
satisfied prior to re-enrollment eligibility. In the event of serious misconduct committed
by a graduate while still enrolled but reported after graduation, the College may
invoke these procedures and should the former student be found responsible, the College
may revoke that student’s degree.
The Code of Student Conduct applies to behaviors that take place on the campus, in the residence hall, at College-sponsored events and may also apply off-campus when the Dean of Student Affairs or designee determines that the off-campus conduct affects a substantial College interest. A substantial College interest is defined to include:
- Any situation where it appears that the student may present a danger or threat to the health or safety of themselves or others;
- Any situation that significantly infringes upon the rights, property, or achievements of self or others or significantly breaches the peace and/or causes social disorder; and/or
- Any situation that is detrimental to the educational mission and/or interests of the College
The Code of Student Conduct may be applied to behavior conducted online, such as harassment or bullying via email or social media. Students must also be aware that blogs, web page entries on sites such as Google+, Facebook, and Instagram, Twitter, and other similar online postings, are in the public sphere and are not private. These postings can subject a student to allegations of conduct violations if evidence of policy violations is posted online. The College does not regularly search for this information but may take action if and when such information is brought to the attention of College officials. However, most online speech by students not involving College networks or technology will be protected as free expression and not subject to this Code, with two notable exceptions:
- A true threat, defined as “a threat a reasonable person would interpret as a serious expression of intent to inflict bodily harm upon specific individuals”; and
- Speech posted online about the College or its community members that causes a significant on- campus disruption.
The Code of Student Conduct applies to guests of community members whose hosts may
be held accountable for the misconduct of their guests. Visitors to and guests of
College may seek resolution of violations of the Code of Student Conduct committed
against them by members of the College community.
There is no time limit on reporting violations of the Code of Student Conduct; however, the longer someone waits to report an offense, the harder it becomes for College officials to obtain information and witness statements and to make determinations regarding alleged violations. Though anonymous complaints are permitted, doing so may limit the College’s ability to investigate and respond to a complaint. Those who are aware of misconduct are encouraged to report it as quickly as possible to the Office of Student Affairs and/or Campus Safety and Security. College e-mail is the College’s primary means of communication with students. Students are responsible for all communication delivered to their College email address.