We define “classroom disruption” as behavior a reasonable person would view as being likely to substantially or repeatedly interfere with the conduct of a class. Examples include repeated, unauthorized use of cell phones in the classroom; persistent speaking without being recognized; or making physical threats.

Classroom disruption is rare. The likelihood of encountering it can be further minimized by stating reasonable expectations in advance. For example, if you want cell phones turned off in class, say so in your syllabus, and on the first day of class. Explain the reasons for your classroom expectations, and invite student comments and suggestions. You will find that students are often the strongest supporters of classroom decorum. Most students want to help you create a positive and productive learning environment.

If you believe inappropriate behavior is occurring, consider a general word of caution, rather than warning or embarrassing a particular student (e.g., a good approach is to say 'we have too many private conversations going on at the moment; let's all focus on the same topic'). If the behavior in question is irritating, but not disruptive, try speaking with the student after class. Most students are unaware of distracting habits or mannerisms, and have no intent to be offensive or disruptive.

There may be rare circumstances when it is necessary to speak to a student during class about his or her behavior. Correct the student in a courteous manner, indicating that further discussion can occur after class. Overall, key factors in responding to apparent disruptive or uncivil behavior are clarity in expectations; courtesy and fairness in responses (making sure students have an opportunity to discuss the incident with you in a timely manner); and progressive discipline, in which students (in less serious cases) are given an opportunity to learn from the consequences of their misbehavior, and to remain in the class.

Current university policy states that a student who persists in disrupting a class may be directed by the faculty member to leave the classroom for the remainder of the class period and can refer the student to the Dean of Students Office for judicial action. The student should be told the reason(s) for such action, and be given an opportunity to discuss the matter with the faculty member as soon as possible. Prompt consultation should also be undertaken with the department chair.

You should call the campus police whenever you believe there is any threat of violence or other unlawful behavior-including a student's refusal to leave a class after being told to do so. Any threat of violence should be taken seriously. Err on the side of caution and notify the police as soon as you can.

It's often a mistake to assume disruptive behavior will stop on its own. A fundamental tenet of progressive discipline is to document and respond to "small" incidents sooner rather than later. Generally, teachers who state reasonable expectations early, and enforce them consistently, help students avoid the harsher consequences that flow from more serious infractions later.

The University will take appropriate disciplinary action in cases of proven classroom disruption. Consequently, you should discuss allegations against named or identifiable students only with individuals who have some role in the disciplinary process. Examples of people who usually have such a role include your department chair and the Dean of Students’ Office.

A general rule to keep in mind is that you should refrain from sharing any personally identifiable information from student education records (like grades, or reports of misconduct) with any person (including a colleague) who has no educational interest in the information. If in doubt, confer with the Dean of Students’ Office.

The fact that a student may have a disability should not inhibit you from notifying appropriate authorities (including the campus police, as needed) about disruptive behavior. Students with or without disabilities need to know they must adhere to reasonable behavioral standards. Setting and enforcing such standards may encourage students with disabilities to obtain needed therapy, and to take prescribed medications. Disability claims and accommodation requests should be discussed with Student Support Services.

There is an established procedure students should follow if they have a disability and seek a reasonable accommodation. Generally, while different rules apply in the elementary and secondary school setting, pertinent federal agencies and the courts have made it clear that an institution of higher education does not have to tolerate or excuse violent, dangerous, or disruptive behavior, especially when that behavior interferes with the educational opportunities of other students. Colleges and universities may discipline a student with a disability for engaging in misconduct if it would impose the same discipline on a student without a disability.

Any person who is concerned about a student’s behavior may submit an incident report. Current students, faculty, or staff can submit an incident report online at students.msstate.edu. When submitting an incident report you will be asked to login using your netID and password for authentication purposes. Others, such as family members, neighbors, and friends, can submit an incident report by contacting the Dean of Students Office (662-325-3611).

All incident reports are reviewed by staff members in the Dean of Students’ Office to determine an appropriate action plan.  Depending on the magnitude of the incident report, the case may be reviewed by members of the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT Team).

The severity of the behavior exhibited by the student will help to drive the response by the BIT team. The student may be asked to meet with a BIT team member for a care and concern meeting. The student may be encouraged to attend counseling or psychological assessment meetings, or asked to withdraw from the University. The primary goal of every response option is to gather information, make the student aware of available resources, establish a web of support for the student, and to help protect the campus community.

Anytime you are concerned about a student it is time to involve others. Reporting this to your department head or supervisor may be helpful. The Dean of Students Office (662-325-3611) is available for consultation as well.

Due to the potential serious nature of information presented to the BIT team anonymous reports are not accepted.  Staff reviewing the report and creating an action plan often need to follow-up with the person expressing a concern to learn more information and perspective.

All students with an active academic schedule are expected to comply with the Code of Student Conduct.  If an individual is not enrolled in the current semester at Mississippi State University, but does have an active schedule for the following semester or is pursing admission to Mississippi State University, any violations may be taken into consideration.

All conduct regulations are provided in the Code of Student Conduct. Examples of behaviors that could violate the Code of Student Conduct include underage possession or consumption of alcohol or drugs, driving under the influence, disruptive conduct, assault, theft, interfering with the conduct process, and possession of weapons, just to name a few.

In short, yes. The university's Code of Student Conduct states that “The Code of Student Conduct applies to all students while present on campus or at a University facility. It further applies to all student conduct that occurs in connection with a University program or activity, regardless of the location.”

This means that students found responsible for violating the law, or rules and regulations of the university, are subject to the university's disciplinary process. The university reserves the right to take disciplinary action based upon conduct by students occurring off-campus and between academic periods.

The Office of Student Conduct is located on the 1st Floor of the YMCA building which is directly across from the Colvard Student Union.

The Office of Student Conduct receives complaints and referrals from individuals and University departments.

Before your meeting, you should review the Code of Student Conduct and the conduct process.

During the meeting, the administrative officer will review the Code of Student Conduct and discuss the conduct process including how we receive reports and resolution options. You will be provided an opportunity to share additional information regarding the incident.  If the administrative officer has enough information to move forward with the case, the student has the option of resolving through an administrative hearing or student conduct board hearing.

The student, group, or registered organization being disciplined may petition for an appeal of a decision reached by a conduct board or administrative hearing. A petition for an appeal must be made in writing by the student or student organization to the Dean of Students’ Office within a period of five (5) days from the date of notification. A petition for appeal made to the Dean of Students’ Office will be reviewed to determine its merit and must be based on one or more of the following reasons:

• An error in procedure, which prejudiced the process to the extent that the participant was denied a fundamentally fair hearing as a result of the error. Procedural flaws alone are not grounds for an appeal. Significant procedural errors that may have affected the verdict or sanction will be considered.
• The emergence of new evidence that could not have been previously discovered and that, had it been represented at the initial hearing, would have substantially affected the original decision of the hearing body.

Administrative conferences are informal resolutions done between the student and a conduct officer. A board hearing occurs when the alleged student wants to have a panel (3-5 students) hear the case and evidence and determine if the alleged student violated the Code of Student Conduct.

The Office of Student Conduct facilitates an educational process that is separate from the legal process. Because our process is educational in nature, and intentionally designed to help you learn from the incident, there are instances where your case may be resolved through the school prior to the legal process being resolved.

An attorney/advisor is not necessary during conduct meetings or hearings, but is allowed. The Office of Student Conduct needs notification if an attorney/advisor will be present within 48 hours of a student conduct board hearing. The accused student, however, is required to present information or evidence and the attorney/advisor is not allowed to address the student conduct board. During administrative hearings, only students will discuss the incident and any information from the alleged incident.

Sanctions are intended to be educational by nature.

Sanctions

If a hold has been placed on your account by the Office of Student Conduct, it typically means that you have not scheduled a meeting with our office or completed your sanctions by the stated deadline. Call the Office of Student Conduct at (662) 325-3611 for further clarification.

Any violation of the Code of Student Conduct is noted on the student’s conduct record. Violations are not noted on a student’s transcript or diploma. However, If a student is suspended or expelled from Mississippi State University, that is marked on their transcript. Also, many graduate or professional schools and some employers may request a disciplinary check. (see "Will anyone ever request to see my conduct record?" below).

Often, employers, professional schools, and graduate schools ask to view conduct records before accepting or offering job opportunities. In this case, your record may be viewed with your written permission only.

As outlined in the Code of Student Conduct, the Office of Student Conduct will notify your parent or guardian every time you are found responsible for violating the Code of Student Conduct policies as it relates to drugs or alcohol, only if you are under the age of 21. We do not notify parents or guardians of any other violations nor do we send out police reports.

No, students are not allowed to get a copy of their conduct file. If the student wishes to review their file they must email the conduct officer and request a meeting to review their file. During the meeting the student will be able to view information within the file but they cannot take pictures, copies, or take documents from the file.

You will need to contact the Office of Student Conduct at (662) 325-3611 to schedule a meeting to discuss your return as well as completion of your sanctions.

Any student who is contacted by the Office of Student Conduct is expected to schedule an appointment with the Office of Student Conduct within 48 hours of receiving the referral/request to schedule an appointment. During the meeting, the administrative officer will review the Code of Student Conduct and the conduct process with the student.

The student will have the opportunity to review the information in the conduct file and share any additional information with the administrative officer. If the administrative officer finds there is enough information to move forward with the case, the student has the option of resolving through the administrative or student conduct board process. Detailed information about the student conduct process can be found in the Code of Student Conduct.

Encourage your student to review the Code of Student Conduct and schedule a meeting with the Office of Student Conduct as soon as possible, remind your student to be respectful of the conduct process, and support your student throughout the process.

The Office of Student Conduct sends all correspondence via email to the student’s myState email account. Parents or guardians are only notified when a student is found to have violated Code of Student Conduct regulations related to alcohol or drugs when they are under the age of 21.

Unfortunately, we cannot talk to you about your student’s case unless we receive written permission from the student based on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Once we have written permission, we welcome any questions and/or concerns parents or guardians have regarding their student’s case.

In order to attend, we must receive permission from your student. In most instances, if your student would like for you to attend, you are allowed to attend with the understanding that your student will be responsible for presenting the information.

In order to attend, we must receive permission from your student. In most instances, if your student would like for an attorney to attend, they are allowed to attend with the understanding that your student will be responsible for presenting the information.

Administrative conferences are informal resolutions done between the student and a conduct officer. A board hearing occurs when the alleged student wants to have a panel (3-5 students) hear the case and evidence and determine if the alleged student violated the Student Code of Conduct.

It means that your student was found responsible for violating the Code of Student Conduct regulations related to alcohol or drugs while under the age of 21.

Sanctions proposed by Office of Student Conduct staff are intended to be educational and to help your student learn from the incident.

Sanctions

This means that you student is no longer a member of the University community for a defined period of time and will not be able to participate in or attend classes. Other restrictions may apply during a suspension period. Your student needs to contact the Office of Student Conduct to schedule a meeting to discuss returning as well as the completion of any required sanctions.

Any violation of the Code of Student Conduct is noted on the student’s conduct record. Violations are not noted on a student’s transcript or diploma. However, If a student is suspended or expelled from Mississippi State University, that is marked on a transcript. Also, many graduate or professional schools and some employers may request a copy of the conduct record.

No. The University's conduct process is educational, remedial, and administrative in nature and is separate from the court system.

There is no cost to a successful appeal of a citation. However, if your appeal is denied by the Traffic and Parking Appeals Board, a $5 appeal processing fee will be charged to your student account.

Typically, you will receive an email notification on the same day you appeal to the board. In some cases it can take 24 to 48 hours to receive notification due to a high volume of appeals.

The Student Appeals Board is an all-student board administered by the Dean of Students' Office. The Faculty/Staff Appeals Board is composed of faculty/staff membership.

Yes. Documentation is not a requirement but it is strongly encouraged because it helps the board in their decision making. Any pictures/ receipts/ letters that you submit will give the board more information on which to base their decision.

You can appeal a ticket through your my.msstate.edu account. Please review a step-by-step procedure on Ticket Appeals

All parking fines are applied to your banner account within 14 days of it being written.

Only tickets can be appealed. If your car has a wheel lock or boot attached to it, you will have to pay 100.00 to get it removed. Unfortunately, the ticket appeals office can only hear appeals about tickets and not wheel locks or boots.

Typically, the outcome of the appeal will be sent to you via email within 24-48  hours of the appeal.  Keep in mind, though, that at peak times it may be within 5 business days.

Parking ticket fines are applied to your account, just as any other charge at Mississippi State University. You can pay these fines through your banner account.