Office of the Dean of Students
Office of the Dean of Students
The Code of Student Conduct fosters and protects the University of Southern Mississippi's core missions, which include research, teaching and learning, and service. The Code accomplishes this by:
Preservation of academic freedom and free and open exchange of ideas and opinions for all members of the University are central to these missions. You will find a full list of institutional policies at the University's Institutional Policies page.
CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT 2023-24
If you or someone is in an emergency or dangerous situation, please call 911 or the University Police Department at 601-266-4986.
To report an alleged violation of the Code of Student Conduct, please click on this link and fill out the form. Please remember to designate the “Nature of the Report” as “General Conduct.”
Although the hearing procedural requirements are not as formal as those existing in criminal or civil courts of law, to ensure fairness, the following procedures will apply and, unless already provided to the student, be included within the hearing notice.
To review the Hearing Procedures, please visit section 14 of the Code of Student Conduct.
Sanctions will be commensurate with the violation(s) found to have occurred. In determining the sanction(s) to be imposed, the Dean of Students or designee or conduct hearing panel should take into account any mitigating circumstances and any aggravating factors, including, but not limited to, any provocation by the subject of the conduct that constituted the violation; any past misconduct by the student; any failure of the student to comply fully with previous sanctions; the actual and potential harm caused by the violation; the degree of intent and motivation of the student in committing the violation; the severity and pervasiveness of the conduct that constituted the violation; and whether or not the conduct has been found to constitute a clear and present danger to the University community.
Misconduct motivated by bias based on age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status may be considered an aggravating factor for sanctioning. Impairment resulting from voluntary use of alcohol or drugs (i.e., other than medically necessary) will also be considered an aggravating, and not a mitigating, factor.
To review Disciplinary Sanctions, please visit section 16 of the Code of Student Conduct.
A student found to have violated the Code of Student Conduct through a formal hearing process has the right to appeal the original decision of the conduct hearing panel. The appeal is not intended to re-hear or re-argue the case and is limited to the specific grounds outlined below. The appeal must state the specific grounds for the appeal and should include all supporting documentation.
To review the Appeal Process, please visit section 17 of the Code of Student Conduct.