Miscellaneous Policies

Compliance with the Uniform Crime Reporting Act Reporting Requirement
RGS, in compliance with the Uniform Crime Act, publishes an annual report for current and prospective students and employees. This report contains important safety information and crime statistics for each year. These statistics pertain to reported crimes that have occurred on the RGS campus, in certain non-campus buildings or properties that are owned or controlled by RGS, and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus.
RGS requires faculty, staff, students and guests to report any illegal or suspicious activity in a timely manner to any available RGS administrator. The administrator shall inform the Campus Facilities Manager, who will take appropriate action, which may include notification of the Bethlehem Police Department. The campus community is also required to notify officials of any situation or incident on campus that involves a significant emergency or dangerous situation that may pose an immediate or ongoing threat to the health and safety of anyone on campus or to campus property. Reports of any criminal activity will be reported annually.
Under the Act, RGS reports annually, no later than March 1, the following criminal offenses to the Facilities Manager or local police: (1) murder, (2) sex offenses, forcible or non-forcible, (3) robbery, (4) aggravated assault, (5) burglary, (6) motor vehicle theft, (7) manslaughter, (8) arson, and (9) arrests or persons referred for drug-related violations and/or possession of illegal weapons.
In addition, RGS will report any hate crimes. A reportable hate crime consists of larceny/theft; simple assault; intimidation; and destruction, damage, or vandalism of property; or a crime involving bodily injury to any person, as well as any crime in the nine categories listed above, in which the victim is intentionally selected because of his or her actual or perceived race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or disability.
RGS will also keep and maintain a daily log of campus crime activity and make it available for public inspection.
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) requires institutions to report “specified on-campus crimes that were reported to local police agencies or to any official of the institution with significant responsibility for student and campus activities.” RGS self-designates those who fall into this category, including the following:
• The President
• All other administrators, including Deans
• All faculty/administration advisors to student organizations

Non-Discrimination Policy
The Respect Graduate School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, sexual orientation, marital status, physical disability, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, physical handicap, medical condition, or age in its educational programs, student activities, employment or admissions policies; in the administration of scholarship and loan programs; or in any other School-administered concern.
Drug Policy
The Respect Graduate School is committed to providing a drug-free workplace and academic environment in compliance with The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989 (Public Law 101-226). The unlawful manufacture, distribution, possession, or use of controlled substance on Institution’s property, or off-site while on Institutional business, is strictly prohibited. Violations of this policy will result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal and/or mandatory participation in and successful completion of a drug assistance or rehabilitation program approved by an appropriate health or law enforcement agency.
Alcohol Policy
No person under 21 years of age shall possess, purchase, or consume alcohol on campus.
No person at the Institute shall offer, give, or sell alcoholic beverages to anyone younger than 21 years of age.
Kegs of beer are prohibited on campus property.
Alcoholic beverages shall not be served or consumed at any Institute event or function.
Persons determined to be in violation of the above policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination or expulsion and/or referral to authorities for prosecution under applicable laws
Smoking Policy
The Respect Graduate School is a smoke-free environment. All academic buildings are designated as non-smoking. Those choosing to smoke must do so outside.
Weapons Possession
The possession, use or sale of weapons is prohibited in all areas of the Institution’s campus. Weapons include, but are not limited to, firearms, ammunition, explosives, fireworks and hunting knives.
Inclusive Language
The Institution encourages both sensitivity to other persons and the use of words that include, not exclude, other persons, where this is appropriate (e.g., “humanity” instead of “mankind”). All persons should be treated with the same respect, dignity, and seriousness, and no person or group of persons should be trivialized or stereotyped.
Academic Honesty Policy
The Institution assumes and expects that students will be honest on examinations and in acknowledging sources used in all assignments. With respect to academic work and other Institution business, the Institution expects students to represent themselves and their work honestly to their instructors and other Institution representatives.

Breaches of the Institution’s standards for Academic Honesty include, but are not limited to: cheating on examinations or papers; plagiarism [misrepresenting the nature and extent of one’s own research; offering work done by others as one’s own; employing words and/or ideas originating with others without proper acknowledgment]; and/or submitting the same work for more than one course without the clear prior consent of all instructors.

Where there is an indication of dishonesty or plagiarism on the part of a student in the completion of academic work, the following procedure will be followed:

A meeting will be arranged between the professor(s) of the course(s), the student, and the Dean of Students.

If there is sufficient evidence to sustain a charge of academic dishonesty, the Dean of Students will refer the matter to the Standards Committee (see below), which will investigate the matter and formulate a motion for action by the Faculty.
Copyright Infringement
All students should recognize that information obtained through electronic methods might be protected by copyright laws of the United States (Title 17 U.S. Code), the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (H.R. 2281), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). As such, any student in violation may be prosecuted under the terms of the law. It is the student’s responsibility to understand the laws pertaining to copyright infringement.
Computer Use Policies
The Respect Graduate School is committed to providing computing services to support the needs of students, faculty, and staff of the Institution.

The policies below are: (1) to ensure the security and integrity of computer resources available on campus, (2) to ensure that users have reasonable access to the facilities, and (3) to ensure that the action of any one user will not adversely affect any aspect of the work of another. The Institution reserves the right to control, evaluate and monitor all student computers and electronic telecommunications, except as may be prohibited by federal or state laws.
The following activities constitute unauthorized use of computer resources and are expressly prohibited:

1. Unauthorized access: Attempting to gain access to another user’s programs or account without that user’s express permission.
2. Passwords: Sharing student ID or password with any other person.
3. Harassment: Using the Institution’s computer resources to harass or annoy others, or prevent them from legitimately using the facilities. Note: Using electronic mail to send other users unsolicited messages of obscene, demeaning, and/or menacing content constitutes harassment.
4. Changing settings on Institution computers: Altering system software or hardware configurations without authorization, or disrupting or interfering with the delivery or administration of computer resources in any way. Copying, renaming, altering, examining, or deleting the files or programs of another person without permission.
5. Games: Using the Institution’s computing facilities for non-academic purposes. Academic work always takes precedence over recreational use. An individual must desist from playing computer games, writing non-academic email, using the Internet or any other non-academic computer activity when any person is waiting to use any computer intended for student/public use.
6. Compliance with federal, state, and local laws: Using any part of the computer resources of the Institution for any activity that violates federal, state, or local laws.
7. Commercial use: Using the Institution’s computing resources for personal business or commercial use, such as the posting of commercial web pages and the distribution of unsolicited advertising.
8. Tampering/creating viruses, worms or other malware: Deliberately attempting to tamper with, disrupt, delay, or endanger the regular operation of the Institution’s computing resources. Creating or propagating computer worms, viruses or other malware, or distributing electronic mail or software intended to replicate or do damage to another user’s account, hardware, software, or data.
9. Network Monitoring: Monitoring and/or sniffing of any network traffic, passwords, email or any other network communications.
10. Using or distributing pornographic material: Using the Institution’s computing resources to view or transmit material with prurient content. For purposes of this document “prurient content” is defined as material unrelated to a legitimate academic purpose and intended for the arousal of the sexual thoughts or desires of the recipient and/or the sender.
11. Access to the Institution’s computing facilities and resources is a privilege, and student responsibilities accompany that privilege.
12. All students affiliated with the Institution, or those guests using library services, are expected to use good judgment when using computing resources, including Internet access and e-mail. This also includes appropriate personal behavior while using the computers.
Being granted access to the Institution’s computing resources does not provide the user with a guarantee or warrantee of any kind regarding system reliability, nor does it guarantee or provide a warrant for the user that any information obtained from its electronic communications system is correct and free of errors. The Institution is not responsible for any personal damage as a result of loss of data, inaccuracy of data, delays in processing of data or non-delivery of data over its electronic communications system.
Cell Phone Policy
Cell phones must be turned off during classes, special lectures, and in the library. In no case may cell phone communication be made in any of these contexts.