Community Standards & Student Conduct
Related Links
What we expect from students
Every student who enrolls at JWU agrees to follow the Student Code of Conduct. It sets expectations for how students treat one another and the communities around them — on campus, off campus and online.
Community Standards and Conduct manages that code and reviews reports when a student may have violated it. Outcomes are meant to teach — we help the student understand what went wrong, repair any harm and avoid a repeat.
Policies students agree to follow
The full text of each policy lives in the Student Handbook. Choose your campus handbook — Providence, R.I., Charlotte, N.C. or Online — to see the version that applies to you.
- Student Code of Conduct
- Drug & Alcohol Policy
- Prohibited Discrimination and Harassment Policy
- Sexual Assault & Relationship Violence Policy
- Nondiscrimination Statement
Related Handbook Sections
Prohibited Discrimination and Harassment, additional sections:
- What is sexual harassment?
- Other types of prohibited harassment
- What to do
- Filing a complaint
- Investigation and resolution
- Retaliation and false complaints
- Enforcement agencies
Sexual Assault & Relationship Violence, additional sections:
- Education and prevention
- Steps to follow if an offense occurs
- Getting help
- Criminal and disciplinary action
How the conduct process works
Anyone who sees or learns about a possible violation can report it. Reports can go to Campus Safety & Security, a Residential Life staff member, Equity & Compliance, the vice president of student affairs/dean of students or Community Standards and Conduct.
Once a report comes in, staff prepare an incident report and may investigate further. If the case moves ahead, the student meets with a conduct administrator or attends a hearing and then receives a written outcome. Students who disagree with the outcome can appeal.
Outcomes range from a written warning to conduct probation, and in serious cases, suspension or dismissal. Many include an educational component instead of or alongside a status sanction.
How JWU contacts students
JWU sends official notices to students’ JWU email accounts, including anything related to a conduct case — meeting times, next steps and deadlines to respond. Email is the university’s official communication channel.
That makes checking email and jwuLink daily one of the more important habits to build early. Both carry deadlines that matter, and it’s much easier to stay on top of them than to catch up after one passes.
Academic integrity cases
Community Standards and Conduct also handles academic integrity cases. These include plagiarism, cheating on exams, falsifying academic records and using generative AI tools on coursework without the instructor’s permission. Faculty refer these cases, and they follow the same review and appeal structure as other conduct cases.
Reporting a concern
Report It holds every reporting form in one place. Anyone can use it — students, faculty, staff, parents, guardians and community members. Some forms accept anonymous reports.
Report It is not for emergencies. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or Campus Safety & Security: 401-598-1103 in Rhode Island, 980-598-1900 in North Carolina.
Use Report It to report:
- Behavior that may violate JWU policies
- Concerns about a student who may be in distress, which go to the CARE Team
- Discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual assault
- Bias incidents
- Hazing
- A crime, anonymously
- Academic integrity violations or disruptive classroom behavior, for faculty
What families should know
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects a student’s education records, including conduct records. JWU cannot discuss a conduct case with a parent or guardian unless the student gives written permission.
Students grant that permission with a FERPA waiver for conduct. The form has to be completed by the student, not by a family member, and students will find it on the Academic Forms page in jwuLink.