Community Standards Overview
Carnegie Mellon University is committed to cultivating an environment that supports the personal and intellectual growth of each student by promoting our traditions of innovation, leadership, responsibility to society, learning, dedication, commitment to quality and commitment to each other. We are a community with high expectations for those who choose to become members, including established community standards intended to foster behavior that is consistent with an educational setting where each member can achieve their full potential.
It is the responsibility of each community member to become familiar with the standards and expectations of the Carnegie Mellon community. In general, each member should:
- Respect the rights of others;
- Respect the property of individuals, groups and Carnegie Mellon;
- Know, understand and abide by all Carnegie Mellon community standards, policies and regulations, as well as all local, state and federal laws;
- Engage in behavior that does not interfere with individual, group or Carnegie Mellon regular activities and/or operation;
- Ensure that guests behave in a manner consistent with and in accordance with the expectations of our community.
At the core, our standards, policies and procedures are designed to:
- Promote and protect the rights of all members and guests of our community;
- Promote and protect the health and safety of all members and guests of our community;
- Promote the respect of and protect community members’ and University property;
- Promote and protect the academic integrity of our community.
The Word provides a list of policies students are expected to uphold and the process by which violations will be addressed. Policies and procedures may be established or amended as necessary during the course of the academic year, which will become effective immediately upon notification by the dean of students.
In all cases involving infractions of community standards (excluding the adjudication of Federal Rule Sexual Misconduct under Section VI.C of the Sexual Misconduct Policy (Interim) the following procedures will be used:
- The Resolution Review Board will review the case and determine the appropriate venue for resolution.
- When appropriate, an Administrative Resolution Meeting will take place with a university adjudicator. If the student respondent and the university adjudicator can resolve the matter, the student will be notified in writing of the determined action once said action is approved by the Resolution Review Board.
- When the University Disciplinary Committee is assigned original jurisdiction or when Administrative Resolution has failed, the procedures outlined in the Conduct of University Disciplinary Committee Hearings will apply.
A student who requires accommodations due to a disability in order to full participate in the community standards process should contact the Carnegie Mellon University Office of Disability Resources which provides responsive and reasonable accommodations to students who self-identify as having a disability, including physical, sensory, cognitive and emotional disabilities.
The university’s policy on Student Accommodations is available in the Office of Disability Resources website. Additional information regarding the Office of Disability Resources, including how to request accommodations, is available in the Office of Disability Resources website.