About the Community Standards Violation Process Guide

As a student who is pursuing charges or being charged with alleged violation(s) of community standards, you may have a number of questions about Carnegie Mellon's community standards violation process. There are several administrators on campus who are available to meet with you to walk you through the process but if you are not sure about who to contact, I would be happy to be your starting point.

This resource is intended to be a reference guide for you to turn to as you navigate through these processes. I hope that you gain greater insight about our philosophy of community standards as well as an in-depth look at our procedures. If you have any ideas about how to improve this resource or if you still have unanswered questions after reading through this material, please contact me.

Jamie Rossi
Coordinator for Community Standards
Student Life Office, Morewood Gardens A-Tower
Phone: (412) 268-2142 - Email:jrossi@andrew.cmu.edu

Students are also encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Student Handbook which outlines university policies and procedures. The Student Handbook is contained within the WORD and available on the web:
http://www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/theword/

Below is the Carnegie Mellon Code. It is a statement that should put into context the value that the university community places on personal, ethical and moral conduct.

Carnegie Mellon Code

Students at Carnegie Mellon, because they are members of an academic community dedicated to the achievement of excellence, are expected to meet the highest standards of personal, ethical and moral conduct possible.

These standards require personal integrity, a commitment to honesty without compromise, as well as truth without equivocation and a willingness to place the good of the community above the good of the self. Obligations once undertaken must be met, commitments kept.

As members of the Carnegie Mellon community, individuals are expected to uphold the standards of the community in addition to holding others accountable for said standards. It is rare that the life of a student in an academic community can be so private that it will not affect the community as a whole or that the above standards above do not apply.

The discovery, advancement and communication of knowledge are not possible without a commitment to these standards. Creativity cannot exist without acknowledgment of the creativity of others. New knowledge cannot be developed without credit for prior knowledge. Without the ability to trust that these principles will be observed, an academic community cannot exist.

The commitment of its faculty, staff and students to these standards contributes to the high respect in which the Carnegie Mellon degree is held. Students must not destroy that respect by their failure to meet these standards. Students who cannot meet them should voluntarily withdraw from the university.