Ball State University students who do not check their e-mail cannot use that as an excuse for missing appointments, but if they break school rules while helping a friend who needs medical attention, they can get away punishment free.
These, as well as other rules and regulations students may not be aware of in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, will be discussed during the Student Code Awareness Week presentation "Decoding the Code."
Today at 7 p.m., the second annual student code presentation will be given by the Office of Student Rights and Community Standards in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Forum Room.
Two rules were added to the code at the beginning of the school year, David Fried, director of the Office of Student Rights and Community Standards, said.
A good samaritan exception says students will be exempt from punishment for violating university policy if they were helping another student who needed medical attention when the violation took place. Also, students will be held responsible for checking their e-mail regularly because Ball State departments, teachers, organizations and offices send information everyday that might be important to know.
The student code is not something students and faculty normally look at on their own, Andrew Parker, a graduate assistant in the Office of Student Rights and Community Standards, said.
"The purpose of the presentation and the week is to help students, faculty and anybody in the Ball State community have a better understanding and awareness of the code," he said.
Last year, one goal of the Office of Student Rights and Community Standards was to have outreach presentations and go to areas around campus and give out information about the student code, Fried said. The office thought having an awareness week was a good way to inform the entire community, he said.
"Last year the presentation was in the spring but we thought having it in the fall this year would be more effective and provide information about the code to students and faculty earlier," he said.
Advertisements, announcements on the residence hall's Channel 55 and campus-wide e-mails have been sent during the past couple of weeks in hopes of improving the turnout from last year, Fried said.
The evening includes a PowerPoint presentation by Fried and Parker that highlights major areas of the student code, and between each section of the presentation will be a quiz, Parker said.
Students who participate in the presentation quizzes and do the online quiz can win prizes, Fried said. Prizes include gift certificates to local restaurants and the Atrium and T-shirts from T.I.S. and the Ball State Bookstore, he said.
Some of the areas highlighted are academic integrity, grade appeals processes and disciplinary procedures and the rights of students during those procedures, Parker said.
The student code is important because it does not just include rules and behavior expectations, he said. It also includes the rights students and faculty have when implementing those rules and behaviors, he said.
"There are a lot of rights students might not know about," he said. "Because the campus has over 18,000 students and faculty, there are certain guidelines and community expectations that ensure everyone has the best environment to learn and live in."
Find out how much you know by taking the Code Challenge. Or go read about it on the Student Rights and Community Standards Web site.
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