IES Abroad Code of Student Responsibility

• Violence against others. This is defined as striking or doing any other physical harm to another.
• Sexual misconduct. This is defined as any actual or attempted nonconsensual sexual activity. Nonconsensual sexual activity may occur in situations including, but not limited to, those in which the victim is unable to consent due to force, threat of force, or impairment due to illness, injury, disability, or consumption of alcohol or other drugs.
• Verbal abuse of faculty, staff, students, or representatives from IES Abroad partner organizations.
• Cyber bullying or purposely embarrassing, harassing, or tormenting another using digital media.
• Willful or malicious maligning of members of the IES Abroad community.
• Obstruction of classes at the IES Abroad Center or local universities, or obstruction of other IES Abroad activities.
• Damage to IES Abroad property, property of host universities, residence halls, hosts or host families, apartments, facilities used by IES Abroad, or fellow students.
• Vandalism at IES Abroad Centers or facilities used by IES Abroad, the host universities, Center-located residences, or of institutional members’ property.
• Possession and/or use of firearms or other dangerous weapons.
• Possession or use of fireworks, incendiary devices, or dangerous explosives.
• Theft.
• Unauthorized entry to or use of IES Abroad Center facilities, equipment,or technology or host university/partners’ facilities, equipment, or technology.
• Use of IES Abroad technology for any illegal or inappropriate purpose as outlined in the IES Abroad Information Technology Policy.
• Disorderly, lewd, indecent or obscene conduct, gestures, or actions.
• Behavior that is disturbing or distressing to students, staff, faculty, or IES Abroad partners.
• Violations of residential guidelines and/or rules, including, but not limited to hosting overnight guests in housing arranged, provided, paid for, rented, owned or located by IES Abroad, as well as excessive noise, rowdy conduct, and drunkenness.
• Failure to pay for property damage caused by negligent, tortious, reckless, or intentional acts, or omissions of overnight guests in housing arranged, provided, paid for, rented, owned, or located by IES Abroad.
• Violations of IES Abroad policies, laws of the host country or other local regulations or ordinances.
• Forgery or alteration of IES Abroad documents, identification instruments, legal or government documents, or use of any documents with the purpose to defraud.
• Criminal behavior or violation of local laws.
• Failure to follow the IES Abroad established guidelines, directives, timetables, and instructions of the IES Abroad staff or faculty members.
• Obtaining unauthorized access to, viewing of, copying, or distributing confidential IES Abroad academic, administrative, or personal records.
• Falsification or alteration of academic or personal records, including, but not limited to, any unauthorized alteration of transcripts, grade reports, medical history & physician’s exam form, or any verbal or written misrepresentation of student records. Falsification or unauthorized alteration of any portion of the application for admission or financial aid or other official documents required for participation in an IES Abroad program.
• Harassment of any person not limited to members of the IES Abroad community. Harassment is defined as any act or behavior that demeans, slurs, intimidates, or stereotypes an individual or group. This includes but is not limited to oral and written remarks, illustrations, innuendoes, and physical gestures or actions.
• Stalking of any person not limited to members of the IES Abroad community. Stalking is defined as the willful and unsolicited following or harassing of another person. This includes but is not limited to excessive and unsolicited telephone calls, visits, mailings, emails, text messages, blogs, instant messages, newsroom comments, or any other electronic means of contact, following and/or threatening another person or his/her acquaintances, observing another person or a person’s acquaintances from a distance, trespassing, or vandalizing the property of the person or the person’s acquaintances.
• Violation of any requirements contained in the student’s Waiver for Students of Contracted Institutions or his/her Form of Agreement.
• Permanent or temporary diversion of academic materials needed by other students, including unauthorized removal of library materials, audio-visual materials, or technological materials.
• Self-endangerment, including involvement in activities or behavior that could result in personal harm, including, but not limited to, frequenting dangerous places, association with criminals, self-destructive behavior, including failure to maintain and monitor personal health at a stable level, extreme intoxication, repeated intoxication, etc.
• Failure to acquire a fully functional mobile phone within the specified time frame and/or, once acquired, failure to keep the phone charged, turned on, and in one’s possession at all times.
• Alcohol and Other Drug Policy violations.
• Sexual Harassment Policy violations.

The procedures for conducting Administrative Reviews are as follows:

• Students will be notified verbally and/or in writing by the Hearing Officer of the incident or alleged violation, and of the time and place of the Review proceedure.
• In the administrative review proceeding, the involved student(s) will be informed of the allegation(s) and pertinent information reported to IES Abroad regarding the incident and alleged violation in question. The involved student(s) will also be provided with an opportunity to be heard concerning the incident and alleged violation(s) in the administrative review proceeding.
• In the administrative review proceeding, the involved student(s) may present relevant information, including written and/or verbal statements from witnesses, as well as relevant documents and materials. The Hearing Officer determines which statements, documents and other materials are relevant in an administrative review proceeding.
• In the administrative review proceeding, students may be accompanied by a third party support person of their choice, but the support person may not be the student’s legal counsel, as administrative review proceedings are not legal proceedings before a court of law, but rather informal student disciplinary hearings where formal rules of evidence and civil procedure do not apply.
• The Hearing Officer will offer the student against whom a violation ofthe Code of Student Responsibility is alleged an opportunity to explain and discuss his/her involvement in the incident(s) and alleged violation(s) in question. If the student admits the alleged violation, then the circumstances, causes, and any mitigating factors may be discussed, and appropriate sanctions will be determined by the Hearing Officer.
• If the student against whom a violation of the Code of Student Responsibility is alleged denies the alleged violation, the discussion will focus on the available reports, witness statements (verbal and written), as well as other relevant information, including documents and/or materials gathered prior to the hearing or offered during the hearing and deemed relevant by the Hearing Officer. Following the hearing, the Hearing Officer will make a determination as to whether or not the alleged violation(s) of the Code of Student Responsibility occurred based upon the relevant information gathered and presented, applying a preponderance of the evidence standard (i.e., “is it more likely than not that the alleged violation occurred?”).
• The Hearing Officer has up to two working days following the administrative review proceeding to render his or her decision, unless the Hearing Officer determines there is a need for further investigation. In such circumstances, the student will be notified within two working days that a delay will occur for further investigation, with the investigation to be conducted in a timely fashion.
• Student(s) found responsible for violating the Code of Student Responsibility will be promptly notified in writing once a decision has been made. Sanctions for violations become effective as soon as the student has been notified of them, either verbally or in writing, whichever comes first.
• The home school of a student found responsible for a violation of the IES Code of Student Responsibility will be promptly notified of any student disciplinary sanctions or proceedings involving their student(s) occurring during an IES Abroad program.

Student(s) against whom a violation of the Code of Student Responsibility is alleged will have the opportunity to meet with the Hearing Officer (the Center Director of the IES Abroad Center where the student is studying or the Center Director’s designee) to review and discuss the incident(s) and/or allegation(s). The student will have the opportunity to explain him/herself and his/her actions with regard to the incident and/or allegation in question. The Center Director or his/her designee will consider the relevant facts and information gathered and presented and make a decision based upon the relevant information regarding whether or not the alleged violation occurred. If a student is found responsible for a violation, the Center Director will determine an appropriate sanction(s) for the violation(s).

If a violation which occurred during an IES Abroad program is discovered at the end of the program, or after a student has left the program, IES Abroad reserves the right to notify the student(s) home school of the incident violation so that the home school can decide whether or not it wants to follow up on the allegation following the student’s return to campus. In this situation, documentation and information pertinent to the case may be conveyed to the accused student’s home institution by IES Abroad for appropriate action and/or follow up.

In the case of egregious behavior, or for the sake of the health or safety of the student or others, the IES Abroad Center Director has the authority to immediately and summarily suspend a student from their student housing and/or the IES Abroad program until an administrative review proceeding can occur.

Students who have been found responsible for violating IES Abroad policies have the right to request an appeal, in writing, of a decision made by a Center Director (or their designee). Student appeals should be directed to the IES Abroad Dean of Students Office in Chicago.

In order for an appeal to take place, the student pursuing an appeal must demonstrate that at least one of the three reasons for appeal exist:

• There were procedural errors that substantially and adversely impacted the student and resulted from a failure by IES Abroad to follow its policies and procedures.
• New information has been discovered since the administrative review proceeding occurred that was not known, could not have been presented at the original hearing, and is of a character directly affecting the decision.
• The sanction(s) imposed was/were excessive or inappropriate.

If one of the above requirements for an appeal is satisfied, then the student pursuing an appeal may submit a written appeal to the IES Abroad Dean of Students Office within five days of being notified of a decision. The student may give the appeal request to the Center Director who will email or fax the appeal to the Dean of Students (or their designee) at IES Abroad headquarters in Chicago. The student may also email or fax the appeal directly to the Dean of Students (or their designee) at 312.264.5118 (fax). All sanctions shall remain in effect until any appeals have been considered, responded to in writing and decided.

Initial review of the merits of an appeal is based on the content of the written request and the written record and may or may not (in the Dean of Student’s discretion) include consultations by the Dean of Students Office with Center Staff, the involved student(s) and/or other individuals involved. An appeal may or may not include a hearing, which shall be in the discretion of the Dean of Students Office handling an appeal. If an appeal is granted, the student pursuing the appeal will be afforded an opportunity to present the basis for the appeal via telephone (in addition to the student’s written submission). The student may be accompanied by a third party support person on the telephone, provided that party is not the student’s legal counsel. The Dean of Students (or their designee) will review the record and consult with individuals deemed relevant regarding pertinent information to the extent necessary to decide the appeal. It should be noted that the student appealing a decision bears the burden of proof on appeal. An appeal is not a rehearing of the case.

Within five (5) business days following notification of the outcome of an Administrative Review Proceeding that involves allegations or findings of sexual misconduct, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, discriminatory harassment, and/or stalking, the Complainant in the case may request, in writing, to the Executive Vice President for Academic Programs, a Case Review. The grounds for obtaining a Case Review are that at least one of the following conditions exist:

• There were procedural errors in the initial administrative review proceeding that substantially and adversely affected the rights of the complainant;
• New and relevant information that was not known or available at the time of the administrative review proceeding has been discovered that could not have been presented at the original hearing and that could materially affect the decision; and/or
• There is credible evidence that the decision of the Hearing Officer in the underlying administrative review proceeding was a result of fraud or bias.

The written request should be submitted to the Executive Vice President for Academic Programs. A student request for the Case Review can also be provided to the Center Director at the Center where the Complainant studied with IES Abroad, and the Center Director (or their designee) will promptly email or fax the request to the Executive Vice President for Academic Programs in Chicago. In all events, the Case Review request must state the basis on which the student is requesting a Case Review based upon the above required criteria, and provide any supporting documentation. The Executive Vice President for Academic Programs will determine whether or not the requested case review is warranted, applying the factors listed above. If a review is deemed warranted by the Executive Vice President for Academic Programs, the decision of the Executive Vice President for Academic Programs on the Case Review will be based on a review of the written file. In deciding an appeal, the Executive Vice President for Academic Programs or his/her designee may deny any change in the findings and corresponding sanctions against the respondent, or may modify and/or vacate any of the findings or sanctions, in whole or in part. The Executive Vice President for Academic Program’s decision on the Case Review is final. Any sanctions shall remain in effect during the pendency of a Case Review request or Case Review, and until any Case Review has been considered, decided and responded to in writing.

All sanctions under these procedures are designed to be educational in nature, with student development primarily in mind. Sanctions can take a variety of forms, and can be issued alone or in in combination, depending on the violation in question and the circumstances surrounding it. Sanctions may include the following:

• Written Warning: This is a written reprimand for a specific violation.
• Parent/Guardian Notification: This involves informing the parent or guardian of any violation.
• Restitution/Fine: This involves charges to be paid for damages, theft, or penalty, as well as resulting holds on IES Abroad grades and/or student transcripts until the same are paid in full.
• Community Education or Service: This involves students being required to perform an educational task or to provide service to a group as assigned for a limited period of time. These efforts will generally relate to the violation in question.
• Loss of Privileges: This means that a student’s privileges to use facilities or to participate in activities or events will be withdrawn for a specified period of time.
• Housing Change or Termination: This means that a student maybe required to leave his or her housing and move to alternate housing or obtain housing accommodations independently. No refunds will be provided.
• Disciplinary Probation: This is a notification that any further violation within a stated period of time will result in dismissal from theprogram.
• Dismissal: This means permanent termination of student status from the program.

IES Abroad is respectful of student privacy. The student agreement/waiver to participate in an IES Abroad program articulates the particular steps IES Abroad takes to help protect the privacy rights of our students. Students should refer to their Form of Agreement & Waiver for specific information, but an adapted version of those rights is provided below.

IES Abroad students authorize employees, agents and representatives of IES Abroad, the home campus, the overseas campus, health care providers, and others who, in the sole discretion of IES Abroad, have a need to know to share information and materials from the students’ academic and education records with one another, and also to communicate with one another and with the students’ parents or legal guardian concerning any emergency, medical, academic, disciplinary, legal, or health-related issues involving or related to the student, or to any conduct, misconduct, alleged misconduct, student disciplinary proceeding(s), academic proceeding(s), or legal proceeding(s) involving or relating to the student in any manner. The student’s privacy rights expire upon the student’s separation from IES Abroad, the overseas campus or the student’s home campus, whichever occurs last, except with respect to any information or materials that have already been shared or exchanged.

In accordance with the student’s Form of Agreement & Waiver, IES Abroad, at its discretion, may also provide to others directory information about students, including the student’s: name, permanent address, name of parent(s)/ guardians(s), local address, local telephone number, email address, dates of enrollment, majors, minors, concentrations, advisor, awards/honors/ scholarships, and activities. Students may revoke authorization for IES Abroad to share directory information by writing the IES Abroad Dean of Students within one (1) week of being admitted to an IES Abroad program. This request must be faxed or sent by mail and signed and dated by the student. Email requests for restrictions on directory information will not be accepted. The Dean of Students fax number is 312.264.5118. The mailing address is 33 W. Monroe Street, Suite 2300, Chicago, IL 60603.