COVID-19 Community Response and Reporting Guidelines for Student Behavior
As Detroit Mercy implements new health and safety protocols and expectations, all members of our community play a role in helping to establish our new social norms. The Detroit Mercy community are encouraged and empowered to actively promote and reinforce our community expectations through respectful, and compassionate dialogue.
In our educational environment direct, constructive engagement regarding our community expectations should be our first approach. Should additional response be required, the following guidelines offer response and reporting options.
Unacceptable Behaviors
Examples of behaviors:
- Deliberately not using or ineffectively using PPE in classrooms and other shared spaces
- Failure to comply with University guest expectations, including, but not limited to Residence Hall policies
- Deliberately not complying with health promoting behaviors and community expectations, which includes moving furniture, not following social distancing protocols, failure to clean spaces as expected, quarantine and/or isolation, contact tracing, etc.
Directly confront the behavior:
“I noticed you (insert poor choice/behavior). Just wanted to remind you that we are supposed to (insert good choice/behavior. If you’re not willing to do so, you’ll need to leave this space and you may face significant student conduct consequences.”
“I see that you have your mask but it’s under your chin. We are expected to wear it at all times, can you please put it on? If you’re not willing to do so, you’ll need to leave this space and you may face significant student conduct consequences.”
“Your choice to invite people to this puts me at this risk and I am asking you to have your guests leave and you may face significant student conduct consequences.”
- Notify relevant staff member (examples include: supervising staff, residence life staff, and department heads)
Student Conduct Response:
- Charges may include, but are not limited to, harm to others, failure to comply, disrespect (others, community, property)
- The benchmark sanction if found responsible is University Probation and/or Removal from Detroit Mercy Residence Halls.
Probation is a formal notice to the student that the behavior in question is unacceptable within the Detroit Mercy community and that the student is not considered to be in "good conduct standing" with Detroit Mercy for the duration of the sanction.
Removal from On-Campus Housing-is a notice to a student that they have lost the privilege of living on campus for a designated period of time (usually the remainder of the academic year). Students assigned this sanction are not permitted to enter or visit any Detroit Mercy residence hall.
Extreme Risk Behaviors
Examples of behaviors:
- Disrespectful or disruptive response when refusing to comply with health promoting behaviors and community expectations
- Planning/hosting an event (on or off campus) that puts people at risk for exposure
- Knowingly engaging with community members while exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms
- Failing to comply with quarantine/isolation expectations
Options to address the behavior:
- Contact Public Safety if there is an immediate threat of violence or you witness harassment occurring: 313-993-1234.
Student Conduct Response:
- Charges may include, but are not limited to, disruptive behavior, endangering behavior, harassment, threat/intimidation, property neglect/damage, disorderly conduct, harm to others, failure to comply, disrespect (others, community, property)
- The benchmark sanction if found responsible ranges from University Probation to Non-Academic Dismissal and includes Removal from Residence Halls and Suspension.
Probation is a formal notice to the student that the behavior in question is unacceptable within the Detroit Mercy community and that the student is not considered to be in "good conduct standing" with Detroit Mercy for the duration of the sanction.
Removal from On-Campus Housing - Removal from residence halls is notice to a student that they have lost the privilege of living on campus for a designated period of time (usually the remainder of the academic year). Students assigned this sanction are not permitted to enter or visit any Detroit Mercy residence hall.
Suspension excludes a student from participation in any academic or other Detroit Mercy activities for a specified period of time, which may be indefinite and prohibits a student from visiting Detroit Mercy's premises for the duration of the sanction.
Non-Academic Dismissal is the most serious University sanction and involves the permanent exclusion of the student from Detroit Mercy.
The Dean of Students or designee is responsible for determining the method of resolving a charge of a violation of the Student Conduct of Conduct. Should a case be referred to the conduct process, all rights will be afforded to the student as outlined in the Student Handbook. Charges, outcomes, and sanctioning are determined at the discretion of the Conduct Officer based on a preponderance of the evidence. (Adapted with permission from Xavier University)