STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT

Pending Approval by the Board of Regents

Academic institutions exist for the transmission of knowledge, the pursuit of truth, the development of students and the general well-being of society. The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) is a community of scholars which values the freedoms of inquiry and expression. The University has the duty to protect these freedoms and furthermore has the responsibility to encourage all of its members to develop the capacity for critical judgment in their sustained and independent search for truth.

All members of the University community must at all times govern their social and academic interactions with tolerance and mutual respect so that the men and women who pass through the University's doors are enriched by these experiences and are prepared for full and enlightened participation in a multi-cultural society. Because of the University's commitment to principles of pluralism, mutual respect, and civility, certain activities are not acceptable in a university setting.

This Student Code of Conduct is intended to present a clear statement of student rights and responsibilities and to set forth the procedures established by the University of Nebraska at Kearney to protect those rights and address the abdication of those responsibilities. The Student Code of Conduct describes the types of acts that are not acceptable in an academic community, as well as the general processes used to address those acts.

The UNK Student Code of Conduct procedures act as an educationally-based fact-finding process, not a court of law. Its proceedings are not civil or criminal trials. The hearings are not adversarial proceedings but rather inquiries conducted by the Conduct Officer and/or Board.

Students do not relinquish their rights or shed their responsibilities as citizens by becoming members of the University community. Students must also be aware that, as citizens, they are subject to all federal and state laws in addition to all University regulations governing student conduct and responsibilities. For the full text of the Student Code of Conduct see Student Handbook.