The following policies set expectations for student conduct and behavior in order to support a positive living and learning environment.
Failure to comply with any policy will result in disciplinary action. A hearing officer or panel will decide the severity of the offense and may give sanctions greater than the sanctions listed below when warranted by the facts and circumstances of the specific violation. Higher tiered offenses may also include sanctions prescribed in lower tiers. For example, in response to a third tier offense, sanctions for second and/or first tier offenses may also be issued. In the case of multiple offenses, sanctions for each offense may be issued in conjunction with each other.
Alcohol and Other Drugs
The College’s Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Policy stems from the belief that students who are educated as to the effects of the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs should be trusted and expected to make healthy, respectful decisions for themselves and the entire community. Students are responsible for living within the parameters of this policy and for encouraging others to do the same. Violations of the spirit and intent of this policy will be responded to with disciplinary action and sanctions as outlined below. The influence of alcohol or other drugs is not an excuse for unacceptable behavior and will not be seen as a mitigating factor in conduct hearings.
Furthermore, members of the community should understand that Sarah Lawrence College observes all federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing the sale and/or purchase of alcohol and other drugs and the service of alcoholic beverages by all members of its community. See Appendix 4. The College expects that these laws will be adhered to at all events associated with the College. The College cannot and will not protect any member of the Sarah Lawrence community who has broken federal, state, and/or local law.
Prohibited Behaviors and Sanctions
Prohibited behaviors regarding the use, possession, and distribution of alcohol and other drugs on campus, as well as minimum sanctions for engaging in such behaviors, are outlined in the charts below. Violations and alleged violations will be investigated according to the College’s Student Conduct Process. Some of these behaviors may also be violations of local, state, and federal laws and may be subject to off-campus legal action. See Appendix 4.
Prohibited Behaviors – Alcohol Related -MINIMUM SANCTIONS
CATEGORY A
Consumption and/or possession of alcohol by an individual under the age of 21. Possession of an open container of alcohol in public, regardless of age.
First Tier
- Conversational resolution
- Confiscation of alcohol and/or alcohol paraphernalia
Second Tier
- Documented warning
- Mandatory educational program
Third Tier
- Referral to Health & Wellness
- Housing and/or social probation
- Parental notification
Fourth Tier
- Loss of housing
CATEGORY B
Participating in or sponsoring activities that encourage excessive consumption (e.g., drinking games or contests). Possession of mass consumption containers (e.g., kegs, beer balls, beer bongs, etc.) Providing alcohol to an individual under the age of 21. Providing alcohol to someone who is visibly intoxicated.
First Tier
- Documented warning
- Mandatory educational program
- Confiscation of alcohol and/or alcohol paraphernalia
Second Tier
- Referral to Health & Wellness
- Housing and/or social probation
- Parental notification
Third Tier
- Loss of housing
Fourth Tier
- Suspension
CATEGORY C
Consumption of alcohol that causes a disruption to the community or necessitates assistance from others but does not require medical intervention (e.g., ER evaluation)
First Tier
- Documented warning
- Mandatory educational program
- Confiscation of alcohol and/or alcohol paraphernalia
Second Tier
- Referral to Health & Wellness
- Housing and/or social probation
- Parental notification
Third Tier
- Loss of housing
CATEGORY D
Consumption of alcohol that necessitates medical intervention (e.g., ER evaluation)
First Tier
- Documented warning
- Mandatory educational program
- Health & Wellness notification
- Confiscation of alcohol and/or alcohol paraphernalia
Second Tier
- Referral to Health & Wellness
- Housing and/or social probation
- Parental notification
Third Tier
- Loss of housing
Good Samaritan Policy
Student health and safety are primary concerns of the Sarah Lawrence community. To ensure that students receive prompt and appropriate medical attention for alcohol or other drug intoxication, and to reduce impediments to seeking such assistance, the College has instituted this Good Samaritan Policy.
In those instances in which students contact Campus Safety or other College officials to request medical assistance (either for themselves or for another student) due to intoxication, neither student will be subject to formal disciplinary action for being intoxicated or under the influence of other drugs or for having provided the intoxicated person with alcohol.
In lieu of formal disciplinary action, the involved students are encouraged to meet with a Student Life staff member to discuss the incident confidentially. The student requiring medical attention will be referred to Health & Wellness for a consultation and should complete any resulting treatment recommendations in a timely manner. This policy does not excuse or protect students who flagrantly or repeatedly violate the Alcohol and Other Drugs Policy and does not preclude disciplinary actions regarding other violations of College policy.
The spirit of the Good Samaritan Policy is that we all have an ethical responsibility to help people in need. As a community, we expect that all members will take active steps to protect the safety and well-being of other members of our community.
Damage to Property and Vandalism
Sarah Lawrence community members (e.g., students, faculty, staff, and visitors) are expected to respect College property, the private property of other members of the community, and the property of the larger community in which we live.
Examples of behaviors that would be violations of this policy include, but are not limited to, damaging, removing, tampering with, vandalizing (including etching, painting, drawing upon, or otherwise marking something without permission), or otherwise altering property owned, operated, or controlled by the College or one of its members. This includes, but is not limited to, signs, gardens, lawns, and landscapes.
Sanctions
Violations and alleged violations of this policy will be investigated according to the College’s Student Conduct Process. Sanctions may include:
- RestitutionPayment of repair costs
- Payment of hourly wages of College staff incurred in the repair or cleanup
- A $100 community impact fine
- Housing and/or social probation
- Documented warning
- Conversational resolution
Violators may also be subject to arrest.
Dishonesty/Falsification of Information
Students will be considered in violation of this policy if they:
- Lie or furnish false information to the College or to College officials.
- Are aware of false information being furnished by others with the intent to deceive (and do not correct that false information in a timely manner).
- Withhold information pertinent to student misconduct.
- Alter, misuse, enter any false information, or forge signatures on any official documents or College resources including, but not limited to, registration form, audit form, fourth course request form, academic transcripts, drop/add form, or electronic communication.
- Alter or have in their possession an altered identification card of any form.
- Counterfeit, forge, and fabricate official documents/paperwork/electronic communications.
- Intentionally issue a bad check/payment or other financial instrument in order to remove a hold, register for classes, or receive an official transcript or diploma.
- Provide false information or fail to provide current information for the purpose of defrauding Sarah Lawrence College or other parties.
Sanctions
Violations and alleged violations of this policy will be investigated according to the College’s Student Conduct Process. Possible sanctions include those described in the Student Conduct Process.
Disruptive Behavior
The College expects that students and their guests will avoid disruptive behavior that impairs, interferes with, or obstructs the orderly conduct, processes, and functions of the College. Examples of disruptive behavior include, but are not limited to:
- obstruction or disruption of teaching, research, administration, conduct proceedings, and other College activities including, but not limited to, the integrity of classes, lectures, discussion groups, readings, performances, meetings, and public occasions, such as Opening Day, Family Weekend, Mayfair, admission events, and Commencement;
- self-destructive conduct that may impact the larger community;
- interference with the rights of others to enter, use, or leave any College facility, service, or activity;
- throwing any object from a window or structure.
This policy covers acts and attempted acts, regardless of whether the act or attempted act was deliberate or whether the potential outcome was intended.
Sanctions
Violations and alleged violations of this policy will be investigated according to the College’s Student Conduct Process. Possible sanctions include those described in the Student Conduct Process. Students engaging in self-destructive behavior may also be referred to Health & Wellness and/or a local hospital.
Failure to Comply
Violations of this policy include failure to comply with the request of a College official (including requests for identification or information), lying to a College official, failing to provide relevant information, and/or running away when approached by a College official.
Sanctions
Violations and alleged violations of this policy will be investigated according to the College’s Student Conduct Process. Sanctions may include, but are not limited to, housing and/or social probation or restriction of access to campus. Additional sanctions as described in the Student Conduct Process may be imposed. Any physical aggression directed at a College official, including but not limited to shoving, kicking, or spitting, may result in suspension.
False Identification
Possessing false identification is a Class D Felony (170.10 of the Penal Code—Forgery in the Second Degree or 170.25 of the Penal Code—Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree).
Sanctions
Violations and alleged violations of this policy will also be investigated according to the College’s Student Conduct Process. Sanctions may include:
- Suspension
- Restriction of access to campus
- Housing and/or social probation
- Confiscation of false identification
Freedom of Expression and Mutual Respect
Sarah Lawrence is committed to offering all its students the fullest opportunity to pursue their education.
We believe education best occurs in an atmosphere of unfettered inquiry and freedom of expression; we believe such inquiry and expression are possible only in a community founded on mutual respect and acceptance practiced by students, faculty, and staff alike. Free and robust debate and exchange of ideas are at the heart of our academic enterprise. However, the College makes a distinction between free expression of ideas and physical or verbal abuse that threatens or inhibits such expression or significantly interferes with a person’s education. Repeated and confirmed instances of abuse or harassment will be subject to disciplinary action.
Hearing officers may assess whether a verbal action constitutes an abuse serious enough to warrant disciplinary action. With the understanding that speech includes oral, written, and electronic forms of communication including social media, the following definitions will serve as guidelines:
Threatening or Menacing Speech: Speech intended to put a particular person or group of persons in reasonable fear of physical or psychological harm, or speech that may reasonably be foreseen to induce such fear
Slander: Speech referring to a particular person that is false, defamatory, and malicious, with malice understood as knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard of truth
Verbal Harassment: A pattern of behavior entailing at least two instances of insulting and vituperative speech, directed at a particular person and in the presence of that person, that may reasonably be foreseen to interfere with that person’s education, inhibit that person’s freedom of action or expression, or cause significant mental or emotional harm
Assaultive Speech: Speech intended to insult and provoke, employing vituperative obscenity or abusive epithets, directed at a particular person and made in that person’s presence, without reasonable provocation, that may reasonably be foreseen to interfere with that person’s education, inhibit that person’s freedom of action or expression, or cause significant mental or emotional harm
These definitions may be employed to evaluate allegations of harassment of all kinds including, but not limited to, harassment on the basis of race, sex, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, or sexual orientation. We hope that these definitions may also serve to guide members of the community in the formation of ideas and expression of responses to others that are critically constructive, ethically responsible, and intellectually courageous.
We urge students to resolve conflicts that cause or are caused by such remarks through the various types of mediation available in the College: Resident Advisors and staff and faculty members.
Allegations of possible harassment involving faculty or staff may be presented to the Dean of the College or the Director of Human Resources Students who believe they have been harassed by other students in terms of the definitions outlined above may file a complaint using the SLC Residential Life Incident Reporting form, found on MySLC..
Sanctions
Violations and alleged violations of this policy will be investigated according to the College’s Student Conduct Process. Possible sanctions include those described in the Student Conduct Process.
Graffiti
Graffiti of any kind (tape, paint, and chalk, etc.) is forbidden. Students and their guests may not alter, write on, or paint College property, including, but not limited to, sidewalks, walls, furniture, gardens, lawns, and landscapes.
Sanctions
- Violations and alleged violations of this policy will be investigated according to the College’s Student Conduct Process. Possible sanctions include: Payment of a $100 community impact fine
- Payment of the cost of labor and materials to remove the graffiti).
- Housing and/or social probation
- Documented warning
- Conversational resolution
Restoration work must be completed by SLC staff or a third-party vendor. Students and/or guests are not allowed to repaint the affected areas. See also “Damage to Property and Vandalism”.
Hazing
According to the New York State Penal Code, “a person is guilty of hazing in the first degree when, in the course of another person’s initiation into or affiliation with any organization, he intentionally or recklessly engages in conduct which creates a substantial risk of physical injury to such other person and thereby causes such injury.”
Sarah Lawrence College defines hazing as any action taken or situation created which, regardless of location or consent of the participants, recklessly or intentionally endangers mental or physical health or involves forced consumption of alcohol or other drugs for the purpose of initiation into or affiliation with any organizations at Sarah Lawrence College. Hazing activities and situations include, but are not limited to, physical and psychological shocks, morally degrading or humiliating games and activities, coerced or forced illegal acts, personal servitude, and sexual harassment.
The College prohibits all forms of hazing, and any instances of hazing should be reported immediately to Campus Safety at 914.395.2222.
Sanctions
Violations and alleged violations of this policy will be investigated according to the College’s Student Conduct Process. Possible sanctions include:
- Expulsion
- Suspension
- Housing and/or social probation
- Restricted access to campus
- Documented warning
Organizations that violate the hazing policy may be revoked of their ability to operate on campus, and visitors to campus who engage in hazing are subject to ejection from campus property and/or arrest. In addition, violators are also subject to any applicable provisions of the Penal Code (e.g., arrest, imprisonment, and fines).
Physical Assault
Physical assault is defined as striking, shoving, kicking, or otherwise subjecting another person to physical contact that causes them harm, is harassing, or alarms that person regardless of whether the behavior was deliberate or whether the potential outcome was intended. Physical assault also includes hitting a person with anything thrown or propelled.
Sanctions
Violations and alleged violations of this policy will be investigated according to the College’s Student Conduct Process. Possible sanctions include:
- Expulsion
- Suspension
- Housing and/or social probation
- Referral to Health & Wellness
- Restricted access to campus
- Documented warning
Violators may also be subject to arrest.
If it is determined that a student found responsible for violating this policy had no other option but to use physical violence in self-defense, this will be taken into consideration in the sanctioning process.
Individuals who believe they have been physically assaulted should seek immediate assistance by contacting Campus Safety at 914.395.2222. If medical assistance is required, contact Health & Wellness at 914.395.2350 during business hours or Campus Safety at 914.395.2222 at any time.
Retaliation
Threats or other forms of intimidation and/or retaliation against a student or employee, or their family or friends, for bringing a complaint of any alleged violation of College policy, assisting another person with bringing a complaint, or participating in the investigation and/or student conduct process are prohibited.
All incidents that are believed to constitute retaliation committed by or against a student should be reported immediately using the SLC Residential Life Incident Reporting form, which can be found on MySLC.
Sanctions
Violations and alleged violations of this policy will be investigated according to the College’s Student Conduct Process. Possible sanctions include:
- Expulsion
- Suspension
- Housing and/or social probation
- Restricted access to campus
- Documented warning
Theft and Unauthorized Use
Sarah Lawrence community members, including visitors, are expected to respect College property, the private property of others, and the property of the larger community in which we live. Violations of this policy include, but are not limited to, the theft, attempted theft, unauthorized use, or possession of property or services owned or controlled by a community member of the College, regardless of location.
Sanctions
Violations and alleged violations of this policy will be investigated according to the College’s Student Conduct Process. Possible sanctions include:
- Housing and/or social probation
- Restitution
- Payment of a $100 community impact fine
- Payment of the cost of labor and materials incurred in any relevant repair or cleaning
- Restricted access to campus
- Documented warning
Violators may also be subject to arrest.
Weapons
The use, possession, and storage of any weapons of any kind (e.g., firearms, ammunition, air guns, knives, bows and arrows, replicas of such, etc.), including those defined in Sections 265.01(3) and 265.06 of the New York State Penal Code, are strictly prohibited on campus. Exceptions, for educational purposes only, must be arranged in advance via written approval by the Director of Campus Safety.
Sanctions
Violations and alleged violations of this policy will be investigated according to the College’s Student Conduct Process. Possible sanctions include:
- Expulsion
- Suspension
- Housing and/or social probation
- Documented warning
- Restricted access to campus
Violators may also be subject to arrest in accordance with the New York State Penal Code.