Code of Conduct
Aspen University is committed to fostering a spirit of honesty, integrity and respect. All members of the Aspen University student community and prospective students are responsible for following Aspen University’s Code of Conduct Policy. The Code of Conduct Policy is composed of two sections: Conduct (behavioral) and Plagiarism (academic). A violation of these policies will be deemed to be misconduct and will not be tolerated, even if the violation remains undiscovered until after credits have been awarded or a degree has been conferred. Consequences may include course failure, reversal of final course grades, revocation of credits and degrees or dismissal from the University. Violation of Code of Conduct may result in consequences that include but are not limited to a verbal or written reprimand, immediate removal from the classroom, lab, simulation, clinical setting, or campus, or any other action deemed appropriate for violations of the student’s responsibilities.
Students in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Pre-licensure) program are subject to the additional policies identified in their location’s BSN Pre-licensure Clinical Handbook.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of actions that are considered student conduct violations, for which prospective and current students are subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the University:
- Falsification, forgery, alteration, or invention of information, including, but not limited to, any document used for admission or eligibility to the University, or other official University documents
- Communicating or behaving in any form that disrupts or interferes with the educational process or any institutional function
- Communicating or behaving in any manner that creates a disruption, or a hostile or offensive educational environment for a student, faculty member, or staff member, including bullying, hazing, menacing, threatening, intimidating, use of profanity or offensive words in an angered or annoyed manner, or violent behavior.
- Discriminatory or inappropriate comments and/or inferences towards or about students, faculty, or staff related to sex, race, color, height, weight, national origin, religion, age, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, physical or mental disability, medical condition as defined by law, or any basis prohibited by law.
- Communication or behavior towards a student, faculty, or staff member that is disrespectful, derisive, or offensive in nature
- Failing to comply promptly with any reasonable directive, including health and safety directives, from a faculty member or University official
- Failing to cooperate with officials in a University investigation
- Permitting anyone, with the exception of university-authorized persons, access to one’s classroom, to attend class in one’s stead, or to attend class for another
- Sharing answers, information, or documents related to course materials and assignment submissions, soliciting, or hiring others to complete course assignments on the student’s behalf
- Obtaining completed work or revising a work that was found on the Internet, or submitting work found or purchased from a website
- Acquiring work that is written or produced by another person/organization as their own for submission under the student’s name
- Giving, receiving or presenting any work or materials by a student with the aim of helping oneself or another with any academic work
- Using unauthorized materials or access and/or obtaining unauthorized assistance on an examination
- Sharing one’s university username/password or using someone else’s username/password for any University system or network
- Using any University system, network, or other IT resources to upload, download, or otherwise share and/or distribute any copyrighted music, video, software, written works, or other materials without the written consent of the copyrighted owner
- No student or person, individually or on behalf of any business or organization of any kind, whether for-profit or not-for- profit, is permitted to solicit, market, offer goods or services, or operate on behalf of such organization in any way on the University’s campus without the prior written consent of the University’s President or Provost. In addition, no student or person, individually or on behalf of any business or organization of any kind, whether for-profit or not-for-profit, may use the University’s name, marks, seal, logos or other identifying symbols, without the prior written consent of the University’s President or Provost.
Aspen University students reported for violating the conduct policy may be subject to sanctions. Any reported student is allowed due process according to Aspen University’s conduct violation procedure.
Plagiarism
Higher education requires a greater level of self-monitoring to ensure academic integrity. Aspen University expects accuracy and integrity in coursework submitted by students. Plagiarism occurs when students intentionally or unintentionally use work that describes concepts, structures, words, or anything else from another source without giving due credit to the original source. Forms of plagiarism include submitting bought, shared, or borrowed work and self-plagiarized work. All coursework submitted by a student must represent original work produced by that student. All sources used within an assignment must be documented through acceptable references and citations and the extent to which the sources have been used must be apparent to the faculty. Faculty will review the TurnitinTM originality reports for greater than a 20% similarity rate and provide feedback to the student on how to avoid plagiarism and make improvements to their writing before reporting the student for a plagiarism violation. Where coursework is not submitted through TurnitinTM like discussion/journal posts, faculty may use other means of determining potential plagiarism, including internet-based plagiarism detector programs. Faculty are responsible for reviewing and determining whether the student’s submission includes plagiarized material.
If plagiarism is observed, faculty will notify the student and refer them to the conduct policy in the academic catalog. If plagiarism is observed a second time, faculty will issue zero points for the assignment/discussion/journal, notify the student, the Dean or Program Director, and report the plagiarism violation. Additionally, students should be aware that plagiarism violation procedures will still be followed should they withdraw from the course for which the report of plagiarism occurred. Consequences may include course failure, reversal of final course grades, revocation of credits and degrees or dismissal from the University.