Student Handbook – Discipline & Due Process

◄ Acceptable Use Policy

Discipline and Due Process

Discipline Policy

Students of the Indiana Academy are expected to practice self-discipline and to assume a shared responsibility for ensuring a safe and comfortable living-learning community. The Academy staff assists students in managing their behavior by educating them about policies, confronting them about policy violations, and issuing consequences for violations. Academy staff members strive to encourage and promote positive behavior. Throughout the disciplinary process, the Academy staff takes great care to ensure that students receive due process.

Code of Conduct

The Indiana Academy offers a unique living-learning experience to students. For the community to thrive, residents must understand and adopt the lifestyle expectations of the Academy community. Students should also remember that being a student of the Academy is a privilege, not a right. Along with privileges come student and community responsibilities. The Academy recognizes that students need to grow and mature. Part of that growth involves making academic and lifestyle decisions and choices within the limits of the community. In the event that a student’s decisions and choices do not follow Academy expectations and standards, they will be held accountable with consequences. Minor policy violations will be handled primarily by the student’s Student Life Counselor or appointed Academy staff members. However, there are occasions in which disciplinary cases will be immediately referred to the Director of Academic or Residential and Student Affairs and/or the Associate Director of Academic or Residential and Student Affairs.

Actions have consequences, and a student who violates Academy or Ball State policy will be held responsible. Students attempting to break a law or school policy, regardless of outcome, will be held accountable for their actions. A student in the PRESENCE of any other student who is attempting to or in fact breaking an Academy policy is held KNOWINGLY PRESENT and equally responsible as the student(s) in violation, likewise, students are held responsible for whatever occurs in their living space.

Students may be suspended and/or expelled for multiple instances of insubordination, behavior or actions that cause disruption to the school environment, substantial disobedience, and/or repeated behavioral infractions.

If the Academy receives or intercepts information regarding student(s) planning or conspiring to break any Academy/Ball State policy or state/federal law, the student(s) will be held accountable for their intent and/or involvement in these actions regardless of outcome.

Students are expected to report an attempt at or violation of Academy/University policy to an Academy representative in a timely manner to ensure the safety of all students. Student(s) will be held responsible if they are discovered to have withheld information, aided another student(s) in concealing evidence of wrongdoing, or intentionally obstructed the Academy/University disciplinary process.

Students are advised that there are some violations of conduct and policies for which they will automatically receive a series of consequences, or may be suspended, lose residential privileges, and/or be expelled whether or not it is their first violation. Such violations include but are not limited to:

1. Acts/threats dealing with arson, explosives, or weapons.
2. Violations of any local/state/or federal law (this includes any activity that interferes with school purposes OR any acts conducted during weekends away, holidays, school breaks, and the summer when a student may not be attending school functions).
3. Sale, possession, distribution, purchase, or consumption of illegal drugs/substances, alcohol, unauthorized prescription drugs, inhalant abuse, related items and paraphernalia.
4. The possession of a firearm will result in an automatic ONE-YEAR EXPULSION.
5. Physical/Emotional threats, abuse, and acts to self and/or others (including acts of harassment, hazing, or racism).
6. Words, actions, gestures, pictures, or postings that are deemed insensitive to marginalized populations and/or diversity. This includes the use of terms of disparagement (ethnic, racial, sexual, etc. slurs) in any situation. Please note the previous examples are meant to be representative not exhaustive.
7. Egregious display(s) of disrespect toward any Academy/University administrator, faculty, and/or staff member.
8. Tampering with safety equipment (security cameras, fire alarms, emergency alert systems, etc.), or placing the safety of self or others in jeopardy by failing to follow safety procedures during a drill, disaster, or emergency (which includes false reporting of an emergency).
9. Unauthorized exit or entry of any Academy/University building (the Academy cannot accept responsibility for students’ failure to follow safety procedures).
10. Repeated failure to comply with Academy transportation policies.
11. Disruption causing interference with the educational process, Academy activities and the rights of others (including entry into unauthorized areas, possession of unauthorized keys, misuse and/or forgery of Academy/University documents, ID cards, tests, etc.).
12. Engaging in sexual harassment of another person, including sexually related verbal statements, gestures, or physical contact, engaging in voluntary or consensual sexually related contact with another person while under Academy guardianship. It is illegal to participate in sexual activity while on Ball State, Academy, Burris, or other public properties.
13. Smoking in the residence hall.
14. Repeated neglect of or failure to comply with Academy sign in/out policies.
15. The attempt of, conspiring to, or engaging in theft, burglary, shoplifting, consumption of alcohol, abuse of medications (over-the-counter, controlled, prescription, etc.), or securing/use of illegal substances.
16. Unauthorized access or not having permission to enter a stairwell, floor, or room based on the student’s room assignment. Students living on floors 1 & 4 are prohibited access to stairwells, floors, and rooms utilized by students living on floors 2 & 3. Students living on floors 2 & 3 are prohibited access to stairwells, floors, and rooms utilized by students living on floors 1 & 4
17. Entering a private residence without proper Academy permission.
18. Extortion of any kind. Extortion is the act of a group or an individual to secure money, favors, or other things of value from another person or group through blackmail, abuse of authority, force, intimidation, etc. This includes but is not limited to:
    • Acting against or threatening another person(s) with the intent of obtaining something of value
    • The action of a person(s) to obtain, withhold, or demand the property of, information pertaining to, or compliance of another person(s) by force, threat of violence, other harm, or intimidation.

The above are serious violations of the Academy mission and purpose, and will be treated as such. If a student is found to be in violation of these policies, parents/guardians will be notified and will be expected to immediately come get their student from the Academy. Students may be suspended from the Academy. If suspension is imposed then expulsion proceedings could begin. While on suspension from the Academy, students are not allowed on the school grounds (including all of Ball State University’s campus), in the residence hall, in Burris Laboratory School, or to participate in any school function. Likewise, a student who is expelled from the school, or who has chosen to withdraw for discipline reasons, is not allowed to return to the school or to return to participate in school activities or attend any school activities for a minimum of one calendar year.

Please note:

1. The Indiana Academy reserves the right to involve law enforcement agencies when deemed appropriate by Academy personnel.
2. In the event that a student is taken into the custody of University, local, state, or federal police agents, those agencies will not release the student to the custody of the Indiana Academy or any Academy personnel. At that time, the parent/legal guardian of that student will be responsible for their release from those agencies.

The following is intended to be a list of those actions or violations that can also result in disciplinary action. This is an attempt to specify more obvious types of violations and should not be considered an all-inclusive list. The staff reserves the right to determine the appropriate disciplinary action for each violation. Every effort will be made to be fair and just. The staff will also deal with each student individually based on attitudes and past disciplinary history. Some possible violations receiving disciplinary actions include but are not limited to:

Students knowingly in the presence of any other person who is breaking local/state/federal law or Academy policy is held KNOWINGLY PRESENT and is equally responsible as the person in direct violation. Students are also held responsible for occurrences in their own living spaces, such as their rooms or the study lounges.
For more details, please refer to the ABCs of Student Life.

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