Non-Academic Misconduct

Non-Academic Misconduct

NorQuest College is committed to maintaining high standards of non-academic conduct in order to foster a learning environment conducive to the personal, educational, and social development and well-being of all its students. To this end, the college has identified standards of acceptable conduct that promote the maintenance of a safe, respectful, inclusive, and supportive environment that benefits all students equally.

It is incumbent upon all members of the NorQuest community to uphold these standards by ensuring that they inform themselves and others of the fundamental importance of these standards.

Non-academic misconduct may be defined broadly as any behaviour that:

• Adversely affects the learning of others or the college’s educational mission
• Violates civil or criminal statutes
• Threatens the safety or well-being of members of the NorQuest community
• Violates the ethical standards set by professional associations or the workplace standards set by practicum, clinical, or volunteer placement agencies

Examples of Non-Academic Misconduct

Common examples of non-academic misconduct include, but are not limited to, the following behaviours:

• Disruption of the learning environment, including classrooms, laboratories, study areas, the library, and student placement sites
• Exercise of force on any person or property or the threat of such force
• Verbal assault, abusive or offensive language, defamation, discrimination, retaliation, or harassment towards others
• Sexual assault or other sexual harassment
• Dissemination of malicious material that creates a climate that hinders or prevents the full participation of another person or group in the NorQuest community
• Unauthorized entry into, unauthorized use of, or misuse of college property, including facilities and equipment
• Theft of, intentional or careless damage to, or unlawful possession of college property, including its facilities and equipment, as well as the personal property of members of the college community
• Possession or use of any weapon or device that may reasonably be construed to be a weapon, explosives, fireworks, or dangerous chemical, regardless of whether the individual has a licence to possess such items
• Evidence of consumption of alcohol or other substances that impair behaviour or academic performance or adversely affect members of the NorQuest community
• Failure to adhere to college policies or the instructions of a staff member who is enforcing college policy, including refusing legitimate requests to produce identification or refusing to obey emergency procedures
• Violations of civil or criminal statutes where such violations adversely affect the college’s educational mission
• Neglect of safety procedures or intentional creation of safety hazards
• Willful failure to participate in established disciplinary procedures, knowingly violating approved disciplinary sanctions, or failure to comply with legitimate directives from college personnel.

Standards of Classroom Behaviour

The primary responsibility for managing the classroom environment rests with the individual instructor. Students who engage in any prohibited or unlawful behaviour that results in disruption of a class or other supervised academic activity may be directed by the instructor to immediately leave the instructional area until the incident can be satisfactorily resolved. If necessary, Campus Security may be
contacted  to escort the student from the area and, if required, from the campus itself. Persistent disruptive behaviour may result in a formal allegation of non-academic misconduct under the Code.

Related Information

• Download the Non-Academic Misconduct Procedure (280K pdf)
• Misconduct Report Form (112K pdf)

For more information about this procedure, contact OSJA@norquest.ca.