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Judicial Programs - Rights and Responsibilities

Information regarding the rights and responsibilities of Bridgewater State
College community members.

Statement of Rights

All members of the BSC community have certain rights that include:

The rights guaranteed under the Constitution
The right to organize one's personal life and behavior and to pursue individual activities except when these interfere with the rights of others or violate established college, local, state and federal laws and policies
The right to freedom from personal force, violence, threats of personal abuse and harassment either as individuals or groups within the BSC community
The right to be protected from arbitrary or unauthorized search or seizure
The right to privacy of personal information in accordance with state and federal laws
The right to dissent, to carry on individual or organized activity that expresses grievances held against, or changes desired in, society or the college or both. This activity must be within the limits of the democratic process of freedom of speech, assembly and petition. (See "Free Speech and Demonstrations")
The right to due process. No student shall face disciplinary procedures or be found responsible of charges made under this code without due process. Due process rights of an accused student include: the right to know the charges made against him/her; the right to know the origin of the charges; the right to a hearing; the right to state his/her version of the events; the right to appeal.
The right of access to the college judicial system
The right to an education including the reasonable and legal use of those services and facilities intended for students' education and development.
The right to review his/her judicial record. Students may request a copy of their judicial records in writing from the Office of Residence Life & Housing. The Office of Residence Life & Housing will need 48 hours to prepare any necessary copies.

Statement of Responsibilities

Students at BSC, as individuals and as groups, have certain responsibilities that include:

The responsibility to respect the rights of others and to adhere to all duly established college, local, state and federal laws.
The responsibility to report violations of the code of conduct.
The responsibility to refrain from actions that deny other members of the community their rights as described.
The responsibility to adhere to the instructions of college employees acting within the scope of their employment.
The responsibility to preserve the privacy of other individuals and groups, and to respect the property of individuals, groups, the neighboring community and the college itself.
The responsibility to follow all published policies including, but not limited to:

Academic Misconduct
Alcohol Policy
Connect@BSC Card Program
Drug Free Policy
Free Speech & Demonstration Policy
Gambling & Bookmaking Policy
Harassment Policy
Hazing Policy
Identification Policy
Key Policy
Nondiscrimination Policy
Racial Harassment Policy
Residence Hall Occupancy Agreement
Responsible Use of Information Technology
Sexual Assault Policy
Smoking Policy
Solicitation Policy
Weapons & Firearms Policy

The responsibility to exhibit behavior that does not interfere with teaching, research, administrative, judicial and other college activities.
The responsibility to adhere to all judicial procedures including provision of accurate information and the completion of sanctions.
The responsibility to exhibit appropriate behavior on and off campus.

BSC students should exhibit appropriate behavior on- and off-campus and refrain from the following:

All members of the Bridgewater State College community should respect the rights of others and adhere to college policies and applicable laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States. Membership in the BSC community does not mean a privileged or immune status from the laws and regulations of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. However, criminal charges are not necessarily sufficient cause for a college judicial hearing. Violations of college policy, or state or federal laws, on or off campus, may subject an individual to college judicial procedures and/or state and federal judicial procedures.

The following is a complete list of violations under the judicial system:

Alcohol Policy
Connect@BSC Card Program Agreement
Disruptive Behavior which includes; acts of disruption or obstruction of teaching, research, administration, disciplinary proceedings, college sponsored activities, or any other activities that occur on college property. Any act of disruption in the residence halls including quiet hours and hall sports.
Dishonesty which includes; cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty. Furnishing false information to any college official. Forgery, alteration, or misuse of any official document, record, or instrument of identification.
Drug Free Policy
Failure to Comply which includes cooperating with and adhering to instructions of college employees acting within the scope of their employment. Completing any assigned judicial sanctions as the result of disciplinary proceeding.
Free Speech & Demonstration Policy
Gambling & Bookmaking
Hazing
Personal/Community Safety including but not limited to the following: causing physical harm; verbal abuse; threats; intimidation; harassment; sexual assault; coercion; restricted items/fire safety; driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs; tampering with fire safety equipment; key lending; hate crimes; any other conduct which threatens or endangers the health and safety of any person.
Responsible Use of Information Technology
Smoking Policy
Solicitation
Stealing which includes attempted or actual theft of BSC property or property of a member of the community.
Unauthorized Use of Premises/Property which includes unauthorized entry or use of any college facility. Any willful damage to college property. Violation of the college's posting policy.
Weapons & Firearms Policy

Zero Tolerance Behaviors

Specific behaviors that compromise the safety and security of Bridgewater State College will not be tolerated. Conduct code violations, such as those on the following list, may lead to a student's suspension or dismissal from BSC after a finding of responsibility. Examples include but are not limited to: