Student Conduct and Community Standards

1. Students have the right to experience a high-quality learning environment, free from disruptions and distractions.
2. Students have the right to a learning environment free from harassment and discrimination.
3. Students have the right to request reasonable and appropriate support and assistance from the other campus community members, including students, staff, and faculty in maintaining a climate conducive to thinking and learning.
4. Students have the right to protection against improper academic evaluation.
5. Students have the right to a safe, tobacco-free, drug-free, weapons-free, and alcohol-free learning environment.
6. Students have the right to express their ideas in writing, in speech, or by use of other media, within the guarantees of the law.
7. Students have the right to participate in the formulation and application of college policy affecting student life and services through clearly defined means, to form clubs and organizations within the guidelines established by the Student Activities Board, and to allocate appropriate student activity and incidental fees.
8. Students have the right to bring formal charges against other campus community members for violating the Student Code of Conduct or other college policies, procedures, and practices.
9. Students have the right to due process if accused of violating the Madison Area Technical College Student Code of Conduct. This includes a right to be heard, a right to decision and review by impartial persons or bodies, and a right to adequate notice.
10. Students have the right to protection against identity theft and fraud and to have personally identifiable information from the college records not disclosed by the college without each student’s prior written consent; to request to withhold student record information; to inspect, review and challenge the contents of their educational records; and to request corrections to inaccurate or misleading data contained in their records.

The following responsibilities represent the Student Code of Conduct for Madison Area Technical College. Any misconduct or violation of the Student Code of Conduct may serve as a basis for formal disciplinary review and action.

1. Students are responsible to comply with all local, state, and federal policies, statutes, laws and ordinances.
2. Students are responsible to comply with all college policies and procedures.
3. Students are responsible to interact in ways that will not interfere with the educational process, normal college operations, and/or any Madison College-sponsored activity. Class disruptions are considered an interference with the educational process. See Classroom Disruptions procedures.
4. Students are responsible to take no action that improperly utilizes or is damaging or disabling to safety equipment or systems such as alarms, exit signs, fire extinguishers, window screens, sprinklers, elevators, or escalators.
5. Students are responsible to make no threat, or take any action, which could potentially cause physical harm to themselves or others including but not limited to physical or sexual assault, suicidal and/or homicidal ideation, self-mutilation, or conduct that intentionally or recklessly threatens the health or safety of themselves or any person.
6. Students are responsible to take no action that improperly utilizes, alters, damages, or disables property, systems, or equipment owned or leased by the college or other Madison College community members. This includes theft or unauthorized possession of another person's property.
7. Students are responsible to refrain from unauthorized entry or use of Madison College property, facilities, or systems. This includes the unauthorized possession and/or use of keys and electronic access cards or codes or occupation of college facilities that are locked, closed to student activities, or otherwise restricted to use.
8. Students are responsible to refrain from the unauthorized or illegal use, possession, or distribution of controlled substances, associated paraphernalia and/or alcohol on property owned or leased by Madison College or at a Madison College-sponsored activity. This includes presence under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
9. Students are responsible to refrain from the unauthorized use, possession, or distribution of weapons, dangerous firearms (or their facsimiles), explosives and/or hazardous objects or substances on Madison College property or at Madison College-sponsored activities. Students that are licensed under Wisconsin law to carry concealed weapons may carry such weapons only in places not prohibited by the college.
10. Students are responsible, to be honest and furnishing accurate information to all members of the Madison College community. Honesty includes the absence of all forms of academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is defined as any behavior which results in a student giving or receiving unauthorized assistance or receiving credit for work that is NOT his/her own. See Academic Integrity. Honesty also includes the absence of all forms of forgery, fraud, alteration, or misuse of any Madison College document, record, or instrument of identification.
11. Students are responsible for the behavior of any guest they escort onto the Madison College campus or have accompanied them at a Madison College-sponsored activity.
12. Students are responsible to ensure that gambling does not occur on Madison College property or at Madison College-sponsored activities.
13. Students are responsible to comply with all reasonable verbal and written instructions and/or directives from authorized Madison College personnel.
14. Students are responsible to take no action, which could be defined as discrimination. Discrimination is defined as unfairness or prejudice based on a person’s age, race, creed/religion, color, disability, marital status, sex, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, conviction record, parental status or pregnancy or protected veteran status in its educational programs, admissions, activities or employment practices.
15. Students are responsible to take no action, which could be defined as harassment. Harassment is defined as unwanted, deliberate, or repeated unsolicited comments, slurs, demeaning references, gestures, graphic materials, physical contacts, solicitation of favors, advances, or other adverse treatment.
16. Students who are members of formally recognized college clubs and organizations, which receive segregated funds through the Student Activities Board, are responsible to conduct themselves within the charters, constitutions and guidelines of those organizations and the Student Activities Board.
17. Students are responsible to be appropriately clothed and wearing shoes, sandals and shirts in/on Madison College facilities for safety and health reasons.
18. Students are responsible to ensure that smoking or the use of tobacco products or electronic tobacco product substitutes does not occur within any Madison College facility, or designated campus tobacco-free areas. All district facilities are designated as tobacco-free areas.
19. Students who wish to circulate petitions are responsible to obtain a facility permit from the Department of Facilities.
20. Students are responsible to refrain from using bicycles, skateboards, rollerblades and hoverboards within Madison College facilities, or as posted on the grounds of the district-owned or leased property.
21. Students are responsible to conduct themselves appropriately when utilizing college-owned computer equipment and following the Student Computer Systems Acceptable Use Guidelines.
22. Students are responsible to comply with copyright law, which protects written works, recorded works, computer programs and other forms of expression. Copyright law generally prohibits the duplication of copyrighted works without the permission of the copyright owner, but there are important exceptions that permit copying for some educational purposes.

Certain academic programs, such as the Criminal Justice-Law Enforcement Program and some Health Sciences programs, require students to comply with additional standards.

Copies of these policies are available from instructors and the dean or chairperson upon request. Students failing to recognize these standards may be withdrawn from one or more classes in the program at any time and be subject to other disciplinary action.

Users of Madison College’s computing systems, networks, and associated facilities are responsible and accountable for all actions and activities they conduct with Madison College systems.

1. You must use only your system account. You must not use a USER ID that was not assigned to you unless multiple accesses have been authorized.
2. You must respect the rights of other users, respect the integrity of the systems and related physical resources, and observe all relevant laws, regulations, policies, and contractual obligations.
3. You must cooperate in the operation of computer systems and networks as well as the investigation of misuse or abuse. Accordingly, while users need not expect a regular examination of such files, users must be aware that the files on Madison College systems and networks are subject to inspection.
4. You must abide by the terms of all software licensing agreements and copyright laws. The copying of copyrighted materials, such as music, videos, films, and third-party software, without the express written permission of the owner or the proper license, is prohibited.
5. You must not use any of Madison College's technology systems other than a Madison College course, research project, personal communication, or enrichment activity.
6. You must not share or disclose your password to others.
7. You must not supply false or misleading data nor improperly obtain another's password to gain access to any technology systems, data, or information. The negligence of another user in revealing an account name or password is not considered authorized use.
8. You must not use College technology resources to impersonate another individual. Messages transmitted must correctly identify the sender.
9. You must not attempt to subvert the restrictions associated with your computer account.
10. You must not use Madison College's network resources to gain or attempt to gain unauthorized access to remote systems.
11. You must not attempt nor knowingly tamper with, obstruct, or impair the availability of Madison College resources. This includes knowingly sending a crippling number of files across the network and introducing damaging, self-propagating, or otherwise harmful software into a machine or network.
12. You must not knowingly hoard computer, network, or print resources in an attempt to deliberately degrade performance or deny service to others in the user community.
13. You must not remove or modify computer or network equipment without proper Madison College authorization.
14. You must not intentionally make changes to software or hardware or cause it to malfunction.
15. You must not attempt to circumvent data protection schemes or uncover security loopholes.
16. You must not harass others by sending annoying, threatening, libelous, or sexually, racially, or religiously offensive email messages. This includes sending repeated, unwanted emails to another user.
17. You must not attempt to monitor another user's data communications, nor may you read, copy, change, or delete another user's files or software, without the permission of the owner.
18. The following type of information or software cannot be displayed on, installed, or loaded on any college-owned computer system:
    • Material, which is offensive, obscene, or abusive and may violate the Madison College Student Code of Conduct. Users of Madison College computer systems must make themselves familiar with, and comply with, Madison College's codes and policies concerning all forms of harassment.
    • That which infringes upon the rights of another person.
    • That which consists of information that may injure someone else and/or lead to a lawsuit or criminal charges. Examples of these are pirated software, destructive software, pornographic materials, or libelous statements.
    • That which uses computer resources for personal commercial gain, or another commercial purpose without approval by Madison College.
19. Misuse of computing, networking, or other information resources may result in the loss of computing privileges and/or disciplinary action. Additionally, misuse can be prosecuted under applicable local, state, and federal laws. Users will be held accountable for their conduct under applicable Madison College policies and procedures. Complaints alleging misuse of Madison College resources will be directed to those responsible for taking appropriate disciplinary action.

To the greatest extent possible, it is our interest to preserve your privacy. However, you must recognize that communications on Madison College computer systems and networks are public and subject to the Wisconsin Open Records Act. Additionally, Madison College cannot guarantee the privacy or confidentiality of electronic documents.

Madison College reserves the right to access email, electronic files, system logs, and computer systems to engage in routine computer maintenance and housekeeping, carry out internal investigations, prepare responses to requests for public records, and disclose messages, data, or files to law enforcement authorities.

The College aims to provide an environment that supports student learning and social and individual growth. A Student Code of Conduct has been developed which outlines student behavior and the student's relationship with Madison College. The Dean of Students Office upholds the student code of conduct to help create a campus community of civility, safety, and ethical decision-making and is assigned the task of creating a process where students are held accountable for their behavior.

The disciplinary procedure is designed to provide students with due process to ensure equal protection for all students. Please note that this procedure does not replace other college procedures such as dispute of charges, final grade dispute, or harassment/discrimination.

Download the Student Code of Conduct Disciplinary Procedures (PDF)