Professional Conduct Policy

Student/Professional Conduct Statement

We pride ourselves in having a program and major that is welcoming and friendly both in the classroom and at off-campus sponsored activities.

It is our desire that everyone feel like this is their home away from home, and in so doing everyone is expected to treat others with the utmost respect and dignity at all times.

These are the same expectations employers have of their own employees and as we are preparing you for the professional field, we believe it is important to conduct ourselves in the same manner.

With this understanding, students should be aware of the appropriateness of language used, jokes that are shared, and passing or flippant comments made that in anyway may compromise the academic and social environment we wish to maintain.

This is not intended to interfere with students' free speech and important dialog or differences of opinion in class with the faculty or other students but to say your right to free speech is limited to what can be taken as offensive by others in the SRA community.

It is our intent to simply apply the golden rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated.

Thank you for your support and cooperation. Any student concerned with any such issues that affect the quality of their learning experience should report their concerns to the SRA program director.

Student conduct that conflicts with these tenets can be grounds for semester sanctions or termination from the program.

The Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities of Missouri State University

4.19 Sexual offenses specifically include, but are not limited to, the following acts with another person which occur without the consent of the other person:

Sexual harassment: which includes any unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other unwelcome written, verbal, or physical contact of a sexual nature when:

• Submission to such conduct is made, explicitly or implicitly, a term or condition of an individual’s education, employment, or participation in a University program or activity;
• Submission to, or rejection of, such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for decisions affecting that individual’s academic standing, employment status, or participation in a University program or activity; or
• Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s academic or work performance, or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for that individual’s employment, education, or participation in a University program or activity. (This third situation is commonly known as hostile environment sexual harassment.)

The recommended minimum sanction shall be Disciplinary Probation for one semester (a summer semester does not satisfy this requirement). In addition, other sanctions may be applied, as needed: e.g., moving from one residence hall to another or a required change of academic schedule.

Review Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities

Procedures for Misconduct

Any report from peers or faculty of behavior that may be deemed of the nature that applies to the SRA Professional Conduct Statement of any on or off campus program sponsored setting must be submitted to the SRA program director in writing in a timely fashion.

The SRA program director will meet with the individual(s) submitting the complaint report for a review of the information. The Program Administrative Assistant will also be present to document proceedings.

The SRA program director will notify the kinesiology department head, and determine whether a referral to another campus office may need to be involved. (Dean of Students, Legal Counsel, Disability Resource Center, Institutional Equity and Compliance, or others as deem necessary).

As directed, the SRA program director will make written notice to the student(s) for a meeting to review the submitted report within five working days.

The SRA program secretary will document this meeting and the student to inform them of the raised concern and to give the student one week to respond in writing to the RLS faculty, and a follow up appointment will be set at that time.

The SRA faculty will be asked to convene for the following week’s meeting and be presented with the original filed complaint report and written response(s). All parties involved will be asked to be available to answer any questions that may be raised during the review of these documents.

The Program administrative assistant will keep minutes of the meeting, and a judgment will be made by the faculty to address the initial concern.

A written notice of this decision will be presented to the individual(s) who filed the initial report and the person(s) involved within 3 working days of the meeting.

Should the student(s) wish to appeal the process, they can do so through the normal appeal process in writing by chain-of-command beginning with the chair of kinesiology followed by the dean of MCHHS and other appropriate offices on campus.

The student(s) will be permitted to attend class throughout these proceedings until any appeal process comes to conclusion.

If a reinstatement is a consideration, given the nature of the incident, the student(s) will be informed in their appeal letter from the faculty through the RLS program director.

However, a student will have to sit out of the program minimally one semester (not including summer). It should be understood that an opportunity for reinstatement is not a guarantee to be readmitted to the SRA program and will be considered on an individual case bases.