Principles of the Brown University Community 

We, as members of the Brown University community – faculty, students and staff – are dedicated to supporting and maintaining a scholarly community in which all share together in the common enterprise of learning. As a central aim, Brown University promotes intellectual inquiry through vigorous discourse, both oral and written. The fundamental principles that must necessarily undergird this aim include:

• respect for the integrity of the academic process;
• individual integrity and self-respect;
• respect for the freedoms and privileges of others; and
• respect for University resources.

In becoming a part of Brown University, we accept the rights and responsibilities of membership in the University’s academic and social community and assume the responsibility to uphold the University’s principles.

Respect for the Integrity of the Academic Process

The rights and responsibilities that accompany academic freedom are at the heart of the intellectual purposes of the University. Our conduct as community members should protect and promote the University’s pursuit of its academic mission. We are all, therefore, expected to conduct ourselves with integrity in our learning, teaching and research and in the ways in which we support those endeavors.

Individual Integrity

In order to ensure that the University can dedicate itself fully to its academic and educational vision, it is expected that an individual’s personal integrity will be reflected not only in honest and responsible actions, but also in a willingness to offer direction to others whose actions may be harmful to themselves or the community. The University expects that members of the Brown community will be truthful and forthright. The University expects that community members will not engage in behavior that endangers their own sustained effectiveness or that has serious ramifications for their own safety, welfare, academic well-being or professional obligations or for that of others.

Respect for the Freedoms and Privileges of Others

We strive for a sense of community in which the individual growth of all members is advanced through the cultivation of mutual respect, tolerance and understanding. Brown University values and encourages individuality while also affirming the community dimensions of academic life. A socially responsible community provides a structure within which individual freedoms may flourish without threatening the privileges or freedoms of other individuals or groups.

The University is committed to honest, open and equitable engagement with racial, religious, gender, ethnic, sexual orientation and other differences. The University seeks to promote an environment that in its diversity is integral to the academic, educational and community purposes of the institution.

Respect for University Resources

All community members must respect the general resources and physical property of the University. Such resources are assets in which community members have a vested interest, as these resources specifically support the institutional mission.

To uphold the Principles of the University Community, students in the Brown Collegiate Scholars Program are required to abide by the Code of Conduct. The code covers behaviors by all students participating in any program activity, including but not limited to meetings with mentors, tutors, and while engaged in summer programming, whether on-campus and/or online, regardless of location. This includes, but is not limited to, behaviors that occur off campus but cause potential or actual harm to individuals (whether or not those individuals are affiliated with the University), the University community or to institutional reputation or that suggest a student’s presence on campus may pose a safety risk. Students may have approved guests in program-related activities and locations if the guest(s) are in a school-related study group with the student or are a family member of the student. Students are responsible for the behavior of their guests while they are participating in program-related activities and on location. The determination of whether behavior is subject to this Code will be made by the Director or their designee. Online behaviors are also subject to the jurisdiction of the Code. The Code applies beginning on the student’s Program start date through to the end of their Program, including when participating in a Brown-sponsored trip or at an affiliate site.

A.1. Act as good citizens by showing respect and courtesy to all members of the University community, including fellow participants, students, staff, instructors, campus neighbors and affiliates.

A.2. Contribute to a healthy and safe community environment. Use methods of expression that are appropriate for a healthy living-learning environment. Obscene, derogatory and/or abusive language is prohibited.

A.3. Respect University and other community members’ property, including equipment, furnishings and facilities (including but not limited to residence halls, classrooms, athletic facilities, dining halls, indoor and outdoor common areas), affiliate property and facilities and private property.

A.4. Be truthful in personal engagements and uphold high standards of academic integrity; including producing work that is one’s own creation and meeting intellectual challenges through honest effort and hard work.

A.5. Respect academic freedom and others’ freedom of expression and inquiry.

A.6. Abide by the University's Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy that prohibits any form of discrimination or harassment that is based upon a person’s race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any other characteristic protected under applicable law as well as retaliation against individuals who report discrimination or harassment.

A.7. Abide by the University’s Sexual and Gender-based Harassment, Sexual Assault, Interpersonal Violence and Stalking Policy as well as the University’s Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy which outline prohibited conduct related to sexual and gender-based harassment, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.

A.8. Behave in ways that do not expose oneself or others to injury or endangerment, regardless of intent.

A.9. Not commit, or threaten to commit, acts of violence on people or property.

A.10. Not engage in any form of discrimination, harassment, bribery or bullying. Discrimination and harassment are defined in the Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy.

A.11.  Abide by all applicable federal, state and local laws.

A.12. Abide by the Code of Conduct and all applicable University policies, procedures and rules, including, without limitation, the policies listed in this Code of Conduct and on the Brown BCSP website and any rules and guidelines presented by BCSP professional staff and instructors during the Program.

A.13. Not assist or attempt to assist another individual in violating the Code of Conduct or any other University policy, procedure or rule.

A.14. Promptly report any suspected violations of the Code of Conduct or any other University policy, procedure or rule to a Program staff member or University official.

Failure to abide by this Code, policies and practices on the forms each student attending must review and sign, program website and applicable University policies, procedures and rules may result in disciplinary action, which could include but is not limited to: a warning, consultation with parent/guardian or in cases of serious or repeated incidences, immediate dismissal from the program. More information about dismissals can be found below.

If participants or parents/guardians have questions about the Code of Conduct, they should contact the Brown Collegiate Scholars Program Office at any time during the course of the program.

B.1. Students are expected to respect others. Violence, threats of violence, intimidation, bullying, stalking behavior, dangerous conduct, belligerent behavior and menacing behavior are prohibited. Any actual or attempted unauthorized use of electronic or other devices to make an audio or video recording of any person without prior knowledge or consent is prohibited.

B.2. Students are expected to respect themselves by avoiding conduct that is potentially dangerous and/or detrimental to their physical, psychological or emotional well-being. 

If the Director and the Assistant Director determine that a student is unable to function independently and/or is having a significant impact on the community, the participant may be asked to leave the program. 

B.3. Students are expected to respect the community, including virtual communities. Disruption and disorderly conduct are prohibited, as is unauthorized entry into buildings, spaces or rooms, virtual or otherwise.

B.4. Students are expected to respect the property of the University and the property of others. Vandalism, defacement of property, destruction of property and moving or removal of property without permission of the owner or owners are prohibited.

B.4.1 Students must comply with fire safety regulations posted in buildings when on campus. Participants must evacuate buildings immediately when a fire alarm sounds. Tampering with fire equipment, including fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and alarm boxes is strictly prohibited. Participants may not prop open or otherwise tamper with a locked exterior door or fire doors.

B.4.2. Animals are not permitted in any University building, even on a temporary basis, except for pre-approved service and emotional support animals.

B.5. Students are expected to be courteous to University officials and program administrators. Harassment and/or belittling of staff performing their duties and disrupting program or University operations or authorized non-University activities occurring on campus are prohibited.

B.6. Students may not use, possess or distribute the following while on-campus for the duration of their program:

• Weapons - the University defines a weapon as an object or implement designed or used for inflicting bodily harm or physical damage;
• Firearms, ammunition, projectile launchers, slingshot devices, facsimile weapons, BB guns/pistols, illegal knives, fireworks or explosives; 
• Hoverboards;
• Alcohol, tobacco products, illegal drugs (including marijuana) or related paraphernalia. 

B.6.1. Students who find themselves in the presence of any prohibited item(s) listed in B.6. while on-campus or while participating in program-related activities must promptly and immediately remove themselves from that situation and report the existence of these items to staff.

B.7. Students may not use or be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs (including marijuana) while participating in any program-sponsored activities whether in-person or online.

B.7.1. Students may not have alcohol, illegal drugs or related paraphernalia visible while participating in program-sponsored online meetings.

B.8. Students may use personal over-the-counter and prescription medication, but may not share with others or use others’ medications. 

B.9. The operation of motorized vehicles, including electric bikes or electric scooters, by students is prohibited while on campus grounds. Students may only use motor vehicles for transportation to and from the Brown campus. Students who must commute to campus by car are required to purchase a parking permit from the Transportation Office or find their own parking off-campus. Students are not permitted to transport other participants in their motor vehicles.

B.10. Students may not visit the residence halls or other housing accommodations of Pre-College, undergraduate, graduate or medical school students.

Offenses Against the Academic Code may include

Excerpted from Brown University's Academic Code

C.1. Use of Sources

In preparing assignments, students often need or require outside sources of information or opinion. All such sources should be listed in the bibliography.

Citations and footnote references are required for all specific facts that are not common knowledge and about which there is not general agreement. New discoveries or debatable opinions must be credited to the source, with specific references to edition and page even when students restate the matter in their own words. Word-for-word inclusion of any part of someone else’s written or oral sentence, even if only a phrase or sentence, requires citation in quotation marks and use of the appropriate conventions for attribution. Citations should normally include author, title, edition and page. (Quotations longer than one sentence are generally indented from the text of the essay, without quotation marks and identified by author, title, edition and page.) Paraphrasing or summarizing the contents of another’s work is not dishonest if the source or sources are clearly identified (author, title, edition and page), but such paraphrasing does not constitute independent work and may be rejected by the instructor. Students who have questions about accurate and proper citation methods are expected to consult reference guides and speak with course instructors and/or BCSP staff.

Any use of generative AI tools that is not expressly approved by the instructor and clearly cited in the student’s work may constitute a violation of the academic code.

C.2. Copyright Infringement

Improper use of copyrighted materials can also constitute infringement of the Academic Code when it compromises the integrity of the academic process.

C.3. Creative Work

A piece of work presented as the individual creation of the student is assumed to involve no assistance other than incidental criticism from any other person. Students may not, with honesty, knowingly employ story material, wording or dialogue taken from published work, including websites; film, video and DVDs; radio and television programs; and lectures or other sources, without full acknowledgment.

C.4. Examinations, Quizzes and Tests

In writing examinations and quizzes, students are required to respond entirely on the basis of their own memory and capacity, without any assistance whatsoever except such as is specifically authorized by the instructor.

Cheating on examinations and quizzes can take the forms listed below. The list is not exhaustive.

• Engaging in other actions that undermine equity and reduce the objectivity of evaluation of student work.
• Having another person take an examination in one’s own name.
• Using unauthorized materials from which one gains unfair assistance during an exam.
• Appropriating an exam or exam materials without authorization.
• Missing an exam in order to gain an advantage.
• Copying another students' work during an examination.
• Engaging in collaboration or unauthorized assistance on take-home examinations or assignments.

C.5. Laboratory Work and Assignments

Notebooks, homework, reports of investigations or experiments and computer code projects must meet the same standards as all other written work. If any of the work is done jointly or if any part of the experiment or analysis is made by anyone other than the writer, acknowledgment of this fact must be made in the report submitted. It is dishonest for students to falsify or invent data.

C.6. Other Offenses

In addition to fraudulent uses of sources, academic dishonesty includes a number of other offenses that circumvent procedures set up to produce fair grades. These actions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Lying in the course of investigation of an Academic Code case or during a disciplinary hearing 
• Using commercial “research” companies’ services
• Using papers, reports, or other exercises produced by other students and/or that have been saved or kept on file from earlier years
• Furnishing one’s own or others’ work to one or more other students
• Falsifying records or routines for grading
• Withholding, removing or destroying materials needed by other students for class exercises

C.7. Acceptable Use for Computing

Brown has its own standards of behavior for users of its computing facilities and services (see Brown's Acceptable Use Policy for computing). All users of Brown's computing resources are expected to abide by the guidelines outlined in the document "Using Computer Resources at Brown," which is linked in the Student Portal. Brown does not actively monitor Internet activity, and takes no responsibility for the content students find while on the internet. Students will have access to all on-line materials. Printers located in the computing facilities may be used for program assignments only.

C.8. Attendance Policy

Students are required to attend program-related activities, including but not limited to, classes, mentor meetings, tutoring, and/or advisor meetings. Absence or inactivity may result in a dismissal from the program and a forfeit of future scholarship and stipend.

Students are expected to be in possession of their Brown issued identification card (Brown ID) while on campus and must immediately report any instance of lost or stolen ID Cards to a program staff member or a member of Brown Card Office.

E.1. Offenses - In a case where a student, in the judgment of the staff, fails to meet the established expectations for social conduct or shows disregard for a member of the staff's directives, the case will be forwarded to Brown Collegiate Scholars Program for review. If a BCSP professional staff member believes that a student in the program has acted questionably with regard to academic honesty, or fails to meet the academic requirements of programming, including attending the class, the case will be forwarded to the Director for review. 

E.2. Disciplinary Meetings - The disciplinary system is not meant to mirror the legal system. Rather, the principles of the Brown Collegiate Scholars Program and the goals of balancing student education with accountability provide a philosophical foundation distinct from the legal system. Students will receive a charge letter via email describing the alleged violation. Disciplinary meetings are conducted by a program staff member. In determining whether or not the Code of Conduct and/or other University policy has been violated, the staff member will review relevant documents, interview potential witnesses and other parties and will collect evidence as available. The finding of responsibility will be based on the standard of the preponderance of evidence. If it is determined that a violation has occurred, the program staff member will determine the appropriate discipline. Program administration has the authority to take interim action with respect to a participant’s status pending a final disciplinary action.

Parents/guardians will be notified of any disciplinary meeting or outcome. Notification to parents/guardians will take place depending on the severity of the incident or discipline.

E.3. Discipline - Discipline is designed to be educational and provide opportunities for students to reflect on the impact of their actions. Discipline includes but is not limited to one or more of the following outcomes:

• Loss of credit for an assignment: this penalty only applies in cases where academic dishonesty occurs.
• Directed no credit: this penalty for academic dishonesty results in a student to receive no credit for a particular assignment.
• Written warning.
• Test-Period(Note: Students placed on a test-period are notified in writing that any misconduct while on the test-period is likely to result in dismissal from the program.)
• Fines (for the repair, replacement or cleaning of property).
• Educational accompanying terms (e.g., reflection paper, apology letter, policy review paper) may be included.
• Dismissal from the program and a forfeit of future scholarship and stipend (further described below).

E.4. Program Dismissal - Should a single serious violation occur or should a student pose a substantial risk of harm to the health and/or safety of one or more members of the Brown community, a decision may be made to dismiss the participant immediately and without prior probation. This circumstance includes serious infractions that occur during the final days of the participant’s program. Such violations will result in withdrawal from the program without record, stipend or certificate of program participation issued. In cases of serious violations that lead to dismissal, program administration may request the assistance of Brown University Department of Public Safety.

Students dismissed from the program are notified in writing. A parent/guardian is notified immediately after the decision of dismissal has been made. In cases of sexual or gender-based misconduct, the complainant will be notified of the finding, sanction and any accompanying terms that impact them.

Stipends, Scholarship, Course Performance Reports or Certificates of Completion will not be issued to a student who has been dismissed.

E.5. Appeals - Students may appeal by submitting an appeal letter to the Director of the Brown Collegiate Scholars Program within 48 hours (during the summer programming) or within two weeks (during the school year) of being sent the written hearing decision communication. Appeals will only be considered on one or more of the following grounds which must be included in the justification for the appeal:

1. The student is presenting relevant new evidence that was not available at the time of the hearing and that may have changed the decision.
2. The student is able to demonstrate a substantial procedural error by the hearing body/officer that may have changed the decision.

Students are typically notified of the outcome of the appeal within 24 hours (during the summer programming) or within one week (during the school year) from the time of submission. During the appeal process, the findings are in effect, (i.e., a participant who is put on a test-period or if dismissed, the student will not be allowed to attend class or any program-related activities). The final decision of the Director may not be appealed.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and the Brown University FERPA Policy provide students certain rights of access, privacy and protection of their education records. The University cannot disclose a BCSP student’s education records, such as the student's final status in their BCSP course(s), specifically whether they successfully completed the course/program, the Course Performance Report written by the course's instructor, or the Certificate of Completion that is mailed to students upon successful completion, without the written authorization of the student, unless otherwise allowed by the FERPA Policy. Parents/guardians who have questions about these aspects of their students' experience in the BCSP may either review the content of the student's portal with the student or the student will need to email the pre-college programs granting their parent/guardian to speak with BCSP staff about these matters.

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