This has been temporarily added to the Student Handbook in response to COVID-19 to increase safety and accountability among students, staff, and faculty. This addendum will remain active until further notice. Any revisions or removal of this addendum will be made clear through and email notice to Students, Faculty, and Staff. These policies, in addition to those in the Student Handbook, govern the behavior of students on campus to ensure that the Institute can uphold its mission. The policies below specifically outline expectations for student behavior on campus.
However, the authority of the Student Handbook and Code of Conduct extend into virtual classrooms, meetings, and off campus activity should a student’s behavior fall under one of the following interests:
- Any situation where it appears that the student’s conduct may present a danger or threat to the health or safety of themselves or others
- Any situation that significantly impinges upon the rights, property or achievements of self or others or significantly breaches the peace or causes social disorder
- Any situation that is detrimental to the educational mission or interests of BAMSI Students engaging in misconduct off campus may be charged with Violation of Law or Failure to Comply with local guidelines.
The following set of procedures has been determined in the interest of student and community safety. No student may return to campus without signing the COVID Addendum Agreement, agreeing to campus safety precautions. Violations of these policies will be reported and handled through the student conduct process.
Social Distancing Students, faculty and staff are expected to maintain six feet of distance from one another under all reasonable circumstances. This policy applies to all classrooms, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces and offices. Members of the BAMSI community are responsible for reading and adhering to posted information about gathering limits and distancing while on the campus. If a gathering is discovered in a residence location, the students present—in addition to all students assigned to that room, apartment, or house—will be charged.
Required Quarantine / Isolation The Institute reserves the right to require that students who test positive for COVID, or may have been exposed, quarantine in line with Ministry of Health guidelines. Students who receive a formal request from the Institute to quarantine or isolate must do so. During a required quarantine or isolation, individuals must do the following:
- Move quickly to their assigned quarantine or isolation location
- Remain in the quarantine/isolation space with no outside contact until cleared by college staff (Students in quarantine may leave quarantine only to get a COVID-19 test or for other healthcare emergencies)
- Respond to all college communications including calls, emails, and room visits
- If the individual receives a positive test result, they must complete the diagnosis reporting form. The college reserves the right to require a COVID test for any student who is identified as a potential close contact of a positive case. The student must enter quarantine and receive a test within 24 hours if they wish to quarantine on-campus.
Guest Visitation All Residence Hall visitation is prohibited. Only students who live in a building should enter the facility and should remain on their assigned floor when possible. Any prohibited guests will be escorted out of the building immediately. Campus Tours and other vendors may enter Residence Halls under permission from Campus Safety and Security.
Use of Personal Protective Equipment Individuals could spread COVID-19 to others even if they do not feel sick. By wearing a face covering you can help protect others if you are infected. Students and employees may use face coverings provided by the college or supply your own reusable or disposable coverings. Per Health recommendations, face coverings with one-way valves or vents are not permitted for use on campus. Individuals are expected to wear face coverings anytime they cannot maintain a physical distance from others, including meetings in small offices. Even while wearing a face covering, you should strive to always maintain physical distance of at least six feet from other. Members of the community are required to wear face coverings in all common spaces indoors, including classrooms, labs, and other learning spaces. Face coverings may be removed when you are actively eating or drinking. Students may remove face coverings in their own residence hall rooms and employees may remove face coverings when they are alone in their own offices.
Class, Meeting, and Event Attendance In order to be able to appropriately respond if the Institute should have a student or employee test positive for COVID-19, it is mandatory that attendance be tracked for any in person class in Populi, and all meeting and event attendance should also be tracked. All students should comply with these measures. Students exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, dry cough, or difficulty breathing) and those who believe they have been exposed to a person who has tested positive are not permitted to attend any in-person gathering. Students in this situation should contact their instructors for alternative delivery of course content.
Classroom Disruption With increase in hybrid and online classes, students are expected to maintain a high standard of integrity. Any behavior that negatively disrupts the ability for an online or in-person class to progress appropriately will be addressed. Disruptions include, but are not limited to, Zoom bombing, inappropriate attire, and sharing of images
Implied Consent The BAMSI Honor Code requires that a student who witnesses misconduct must intervene, seek assistance of Residence Life Staff or Campus Safety, or immediately remove themselves from the situation. Students complacent with violation of any COVID-19 safety precautions may be charged with Implied Consent and, if found responsible, receive the same sanctions as the charge they were aware of. Failure to Comply Students are required to comply with clearly indicated safety precautions and requests of college employees and law enforcement. The charge of failure to comply will also be applied in cases where a student has already been found responsible for a safety-related charge. This charge may be applied if a student has been instructed to self-quarantine and fails to do so
Reporting The policies listed in the COVID-19 addendum exist solely to protect the BOAR community. Failure to abide puts all members of the community at risk. Any student, faculty or staff member may report a possible violation by:
- Calling BAMSI Safety and Security.
- When calling, please be prepared to share the location of the incident, names of involved party, a description of the incident, and any relevant evidence.
- Contacting Residence Life On-Call Staff
- Incidents occurring in residence locations may be reported to the Residence Life staff member on call.
- Anonymous Reporting Form
- Members of the BAMSI community may submit a concern via an anonymous form. While all violations should be reported, student should not violate policies in order to intervene. Please allow Residence Life Professional Staff or Campus Safety Staff to intervene accordingly
Student Conduct Process All students alleged of violating COVID-19 policies, per the Student Handbook, have the right to due process through a student conduct hearing. Because of the urgency of and safety repercussions of these violations, the conduct process will be amended as follows:
- Within 24 business hours of an incident report being submitted, the alleged will receive a charge letter from the Office of Student Affairs.
- The student must make all possible accommodations to make their scheduled hearing time.
- All COVID-19 related conduct violations will be heard in a virtual conference meeting. Violations that may result in suspension or expulsion will be heard by a conduct board.
- If a student is found responsible, sanctions will be put into place immediately. Due to the nature of a COVID related sanction’s potential negative impact on the health and safety of BAMSI community, student may be interim suspended if the Director of Student Affairs, Academic Dean and Executive Director determine together that the case meets the level of an extraordinary measure. An interim suspension may be justified by one or more of the below offenses:
- A student is alleged to have been at a party or large gathering where social distancing and/or personal protective equipment are not being used
- A student has violated quarantine or isolation procedures or failed to comply with other safety related directive of the Institute or Health Department
- A student has been alleged to have repeatedly violated COVID Addendum policies
- A student is alleged to have engaged in a flagrant or egregious behavior that could negatively impact the safety or wellbeing of others. As all hearings are being hosted via Zoom for the safety of students and hearing or disciplinary board officers, students are responsible for ensuring that they are in a safe, confidential, and internet accessible location. Failure to meet this expectation at the time of the hearing (i.e. attending a hearing while driving, being in a non-confidential location, or being connected to inconsistent or unreliable internet) will result in the case being heard in absentia.
Students may complete the Appeal Form if they meet one of the following grounds:
- A procedural error occurred that significantly impacted the outcome of the hearing.
For example: substantiated bias or deviation from established procedures - To consider new evidence, unavailable during the original hearing or investigation, that could substantially impact the original finding or sanction
- The sanctions imposed are substantially disproportionate to the severity of the violation
Possible Sanctions
Violation: Social Distancing
Possible Sanctions:
- Verbal Warning
- Educational Sanction
- $25-$100 Fine
- Disciplinary Probation
- Ban from Campus Locations
- Removal from Housing
Violation: Guest Visitation
Possible Sanctions:
- Verbal Warning
- $100-$500 Fine
- Removal from Housing
- Suspension or Expulsion
Violation: Use of Personal Protection Equipment
Possible Sanctions:
- Verbal Warning
- Educational Sanction
- Disciplinary Probation (Up to 2 Semesters)
- Suspension (Up to 1 Semester)
Violation: Class, Meeting, Event Attendance
Possible Sanctions:
- Verbal Warning
- Ban from Campus Location
- $25-$100 Fine
- Removal from Leadership Position• Disciplinary Probation
Violation: Classroom Disruption
Possible Sanctions:
- Verbal Warning
- Educational Sanction
- Removal from Course
- Disciplinary Probation
- Suspension or Expulsion
Violation: Implied Consent
Possible Sanctions:
- Verbal Warning
- Educational Sanction
- Disciplinary Probation
Violation: Failure to Comply
Possible Sanctions:
- Verbal Warning
- Educational Sanction
- $25-$500 Fine
- Disciplinary Probation
- Removal from Housing
- Suspension or Expulsion
Violation: Violation of Required Quarantine or Isolation
Possible Sanctions:
- $250-$500 Fine
- Disciplinary Probation (Up to 2 Semesters)
- Removal from Housing
- Suspension or Expulsion