The Art Institute of Seattle recognizes its students as responsible and dedicated men and women who are preparing for career employment. An integral part of their career and professional development is the expectation that they conduct themselves during the education process in the same manner as will be expected in all employment situations.

As members of The Art Institute community, students have responsibilities and duties commensurate with their rights and privileges. In this policy, The Art Institute provides guidance to students regarding those standards of student conduct and behavior that it considers essential to its educational mission. This policy also provides guidance regarding the types of conduct that infringe upon the fulfillment of the Institute's mission.

Any student who is found to have violated the student conduct policy is subject to disciplinary sanctions up to and including suspension or permanent dismissal, as further described below.

I. Elements/Violations:

The following is a list of behaviors that violate The Art Institute of Seattle's Student Conduct Policy; although not exhaustive, this list provides examples of unacceptable student behaviors.

1. Persistent or gross acts of willful disobedience or defiance toward school personnel
2. Assault, battery, or any other form of physical abuse of a student or school employee
3. Fighting
4. Verbal abuse of a student or school employee
5. Conveyance of threats by any means of communication including, but not limited to, threats of physical abuse and threats to damage or destroy school property or the property of other students or school employees
6. Any conduct that threatens the health or safety of one's own self or another individual. Threats to commit self-harm and/or actual incidents of self-harm by any student are a violation of this code
7. Harassment by any means of any individual, including coercion and personal abuse. Harassment includes but is not limited to, written or verbal acts or uses of technology, which have the effect of harassing or intimidating a person
8. Any form of unwanted sexual attention or unwanted sexual contact
9. Violations by guest of a student on school property. Students are responsible for the actions of their guests
10. Theft, attempted theft, vandalism/damage, or defacing of school property or the property of another student, faculty or staff member
11. Interference with the normal operations of the school (i.e., disruption of teaching and administrative functions, disciplinary procedures, pedestrian or vehicular traffic, or other school activities)
12. Use of cell phones and pagers during scheduled classroom times
13. Unauthorized entry into, or use of, school facilities
14. Forgery, falsification, alteration or misuse of school documents, records or identification
15. Dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly supplying false information or deceiving the school and/or its officials
16. Disorderly, lewd, indecent, or obscene conduct. This would include but is not limited to any type of clothing or materials worn or brought onto the premises by any student or guest deemed to be lewd, indecent or obscene as determined by school officials
17. Extortion
18. Violation of school safety regulations, including but not limited to setting fires, tampering with fire safety and/or fire fighting equipment, failure to exit during fire drill, turning in false fire alarms and bomb threats
19. Breach of peace on school property or at any school-sponsored or supervised program
20. Use, sale, possession or distribution of illegal or controlled substances, drug or drug paraphernalia on school property, or at any function sponsored or supervised by the school. Being under the influence of illegal or controlled substances on school property, or at any school function is also prohibited
21. Use, sale, possession or distribution of alcoholic beverages on school property or at any function sponsored or supervised by the school. Being under the influence of alcohol on school property or at any school function is also prohibited
22. Possession or use of firearms, explosives, dangerous chemicals, or other weapons on school property or at school sponsored functions
23. Smoking in classrooms or other school buildings or areas unless designated as a smoking area
24. Failure to satisfy school financial obligations
25. Failure to comply with direction of school officials, faculty, staff or security officers who are acting in the performance of their duties
26. Failure to identify oneself when on school property or at a school-sponsored or supervised functions, upon request of school official acting in the performance of his/her duties
27. Violation of federal, state or local laws and school rules and regulations on school property or at school sanctioned or school sponsored functions
28. Any form of "hazing" and any act that endangers the safety of a student, or that destroys or removes public or private property, for the purpose of initiation, admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in a group or organization. "Hazing" includes any method of initiation or pre-initiation into a student club or any pastime or amusement engaged in with respect to such a club that causes, or is likely to cause, bodily danger, physical harm, or personal degradation or disgrace resulting in physical or mental harm, to any student or other person attending the school
29. Any in-school or off-campus act considered inappropriate or as an example of misconduct that adversely affects the interests of The Art Institute and/or its reputation
30. Any violation of the student housing contract, rules and
31. Any violation of the institutions policies on the responsible use of technology including but not limited to:
    • The theft or abuse of computer, email, Internet or Intranet resources
    • Unauthorized entry into a file, to use, read, or change the contents, of for any other purpose
    • Unauthorized transfer of a file
    • Unauthorized downloading of copyrighted materials in violation of law
    • Unauthorized use of another individualÕs identification and/or password
    • Use of computing facilities to interfere with the work of another student, faculty member, or school official
    • Use of computing facilities to send obscene or abusive messages
    • Use of computing facilities to interfere with normal operation of the school's computing system
32. Abuse of The Art Institute of Seattle's disciplinary system, including but not limited to:
    • Failure to obey the summons of a disciplinary body or school official
    • Falsification, distortion, or misrepresentation of information before a disciplinary body or school official
    • Disruption or interference with the orderly conduct of a disciplinary proceeding
    • Attempting to influence the impartiality of a member of a disciplinary body prior to and/or during the course of the disciplinary proceeding
    • Verbal or physical harassment and/or intimidation of a member of a disciplinary body prior to, during, and/or after the disciplinary proceeding
    • Failure to comply with the sanction(s) imposed under the student conduct policy
    • Influencing or attempting to influence another person to commit an abuse of the disciplinary system
33. Harassment based on sex, race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other criteria protected by state, federal or local law.

II. Disciplinary Procedures:

Complaint

1. Any member of The Art Institute community i.e. faculty, staff, student, may file a complaint against any student for misconduct or for otherwise being in violation of Art Institute policies. The complaint shall be prepared in writing and directed to the Dean of Student Affairs or his/her delegate. Complaints should be submitted as soon as possible after the alleged violation occurred.
2. The Dean of Student Affairs or a delegate shall review and investigate the complaint to determine if the allegations have merit, to identify violations of the student conduct policy, and to impose sanctions for such violations.
3. Unless otherwise provided by law, The Art Institute generally will not disclose the name of the person making the complaint to the accused student ("STUDENT") unless it determines in its sole discretion that the circumstances warrant it.

Notification and Adjudication

1. Within a reasonable period of time after the complaint is received, the Dean of Student Affairs or his/her delegate will notify the STUDENT of the complaint and the alleged violation of the student conduct policy. This notification may be in written form or through oral communication. The STUDENT will meet with the Dean of Student Affairs or his/her delegate to discuss the complaint and alleged violation. The Dean of Student Affairs or his/her delegate will render and communicate the decision to the STUDENT.
2. If a good faith effort has been made to contact the STUDENT to discuss the alleged violation and the STUDENT fails to appear for the meeting, the Dean of Student Affairs or his/her delegate may make a determination of violations of Art Institute policies on the basis of the information available, and impose sanctions for such violations. This decision shall be communicated to the STUDENT.
3. The Dean of Student Affairs or his/her delegate's determination shall be made on the basis of whether it is more likely than not that the STUDENT violated a rule, regulation or policy of The Art Institute of Seattle.

Procedures Regarding Student Dismissals

When the Administration proposes to dismiss/expel a student from The Art Institute of Seattle, the following procedures should apply unless the student elects to forego them.

1. The charges against the student shall be presented to the STUDENT in written form, including the time, place and nature of the alleged offense(s). A time shall be set for a hearing not less than two nor more than fifteen calendar days after the STUDENT has been notified of the charges and his/her proposed dismissal from school. Maximum time limits for scheduling of hearings may be extended at the discretion of the Dean of Student Affairs or his/her delegate.
2. Hearings shall be conducted by the Dean of Student Affairs or his/her delegate (herein referred to as the "Hearing Officer")
   Hearings normally shall be conducted in private.
   • Admission of any person to the hearing shall be at the discretion of the Dean of Student Affairs or his/her delegate.
   • In hearings involving more than one STUDENT, the Hearing Officer, in her or her discretion, may permit the hearing concerning each student to be conducted separately.
   • The complaining party (which may be a member of the Administration) and the STUDENT may present witnesses at the hearing. Those witnesses may be questioned by the Hearing Officer.
   • Pertinent records, exhibits and written statements may be accepted as evidence for consideration by the Hearing Officer at his/her discretion.
   • All procedural questions are subject to the final decision of the Hearing Officer.
   • After the hearing, the Hearing Officer shall determine whether the STUDENT has violated the rules, regulations or policies that the STUDENT is charged with violating. The Hearing Officer will issue a written determination. If the Hearing Officer determines that a violation has occurred, the Hearing Officer's determination will also address whether dismissal from the Institute is an appropriate sanction for the offense(s).
   • The Hearing OfficerÕs determination shall be made on the basis of whether it is more likely than not that the STUDENT violated a rule, regulation or policy of The Art Institute of Seattle.
   • The Hearing Officer shall provide the STUDENT with a copy of the determination, including information regarding the student's right of appeal therefrom.

Interim Suspension

The Art Institute of Seattle may immediately remove or suspend a student from school and/or school-sponsored housing without applying or exhausting these procedures when, in The Art Institute's sole judgment, the student poses a threat of harm to himself, to others, or to property of The Art Institute or a member of The Art Institute community.

During the interim suspension, students shall be denied access to school-sponsored housing and/or to the school (including classes, labs, library) and/or all other school activities or privileges for which the student might otherwise be eligible, as the Dean of Student Affairs or designee may determine to be appropriate.

Violations of Law

If a student is charged with a violation of federal, state or local laws or regulations occurring away from the school, disciplinary action may be instituted and sanctions imposed against the student when the school has a reasonable belief that the health, safety or welfare of The Art Institute community is threatened. Disciplinary procedures may be instituted against a student charged with violation of a law that is also a violation of the student conduct policy. Proceedings under this policy may be carried out prior to, simultaneously with, or following civil or criminal proceedings off campus. The Art Institute of Seattle will cooperate fully with law enforcement and other agencies in the enforcement of criminal laws on school property.

Search of Student's Property

The Art Institute of Seattle reserves the right to search the contents of students' personal property or belongings when there is reasonable suspicion on the part of The Art Institute staff that a serious risk to the health, safety and welfare of students, and/or the school community exists. This includes but is not limited to vehicles brought onto property leased, owned or controlled by the school, backpacks, portfolios and clothing. This policy also applies to student property in school-sponsored housing.

III. Sanctions:

The Art Institute of Seattle may impose sanctions for violations of the student conduct policy. The type of sanction imposed may vary depending upon the seriousness of the violation(s). The Art Institute of Seattle reserves the right to immediately impose the most severe sanction if circumstances merit.

Although not exhaustive, the following list represents the types of sanctions that may be imposed upon any student or student organization found to have violated the student conduct policy:

1. Warning: A notice in writing that a student has failed to meet some aspect of the school's standards and expectations.
2. Probation: Probation is used for repeated violations or a specific violation of a serious nature. The Dean of Student Affairs or his/her delegate defines the terms of probation.
3. Removal from Sponsored Housing: The student will be immediately dismissed from school-sponsored housing. The student will be required to vacate the premises according to the terms of the sanction.
4. Suspension: Separation of the student from the school for a pre-determined period of time. The student may be able to return to school once specified conditions for readmission are met. The student may not attend classes, visit school-sponsored housing, use school facilities, participate in or attend school activities, or be employed by the school during his/her suspension.
5. Expulsion: The student will be expelled from The Art Institute of Seattle immediately. The student will not be permitted to continue his or her studies at the school and may not return to the school or to school-sponsored housing at any time or for any reason.
6. Restitution: Compensation for loss or damage to property leased, owned or controlled by the school. This may take the form of monetary or material replacement.
7. Discretionary Sanctions: The student will be required to complete an educational service, attend counseling, or have restricted privileges.

The above list is only a general guideline. Some sanctions may be omitted, and other sanctions not listed above may be used.

IV. Appeal Procedures

Students wishing to appeal a disciplinary decision may do so in the following manner:

• The student must obey the terms of the decision pending the outcome of the appeal, i.e., a student who has been suspended from school may not be on school property, a student dismissed from school-sponsored housing must leave in accordance with the directions indicated in the decision.
• The student must write a letter of appeal, addressed to the President of The Art Institute or his/her delegate. This letter will give the student the opportunity to indicate his/her position on the decision. It must detail all bases for the appeal. It must be delivered to the President or his/her delegate within seven calendar days following the student's receipt of the decision.
• The President or his/her delegate shall review appeals and make a disposition of the appeal. The student making the appeal and the person bringing the charges may be provided an opportunity to address the President or his/her delegate. The student may be accompanied by one person (family member, friend, etc.) as an observer.
• The President or his/her delegate will render a written decision on the appeal within thirty calendar days from receipt of the appeal and communicate same promptly to the student.