Any
of the following acts, even if communicative in nature, are prohibited
"separable offenses" (charges that could lead to suspension or
expulsion from the university) under the provisions of the University
Code of Student Conduct:
1. Use of force against the person or
property of any member of the university community or against the
person or property of anyone on university premises, or the threat of
such physical abuse. (Verbal assault may be prosecuted as a "threat of
. . . physical abuse.")
2. Theft of, or intentional damage to,
university property, or property in the possession of, or owned by, a
member of the university. (Acts of graffiti or other vandalism may be
prosecuted as "intentional damage to . . . property.")
3.
Harassment, which is statutorily defined by New Jersey law to mean, and
here means, purposefully making or causing to be made a communication
or communications anonymously or at extremely inconvenient hours, or in
offensively coarse language, or in any other manner likely to cause
annoyance or alarm, or subjecting or threatening to subject another to
striking, kicking, shoving, or other offensive touching, or engaging in
any other course of conduct or of repeatedly committed acts with
purpose to alarm or seriously annoy any other person. This may also
include cyber-bullying or contact through electronic communication.
Harassment is considered a separable offense under the University Code
of Student Conduct.
4. Defamation, which is judicially defined
to mean, and here means, the unprivileged oral or written publication
of a false statement of fact that exposes the person about whom it is
made to hatred, contempt, or ridicule, or subjects that person to loss
of the goodwill and confidence of others, or so harms that person's
reputation as to deter others from associating with her or him.
Defamation is considered a separable offense under the University Code
of Student Conduct.
While any of the four categories of acts
listed above is a separable offense that, if proven, could lead to a
sanction of expulsion or suspension from the university under the
provisions of the University Code of Student Conduct, clearly minor
instances of such prohibited behavior may be resolved at the
nonseparable level and not be treated as separable offenses requiring a
university-level hearing. The initial judgment of whether a particular
act is of a separable or nonseparable nature is made by the appropriate
judicial officer.
Students who believe themselves to be victims
of verbal assault, harassment, or defamation should report such
incidents to the dean of students of their respective campus, the
Office of Judicial Affairs, or any one of the following individuals:
Donald
C. Heilman, Director of Compliance, Student Policy, Research and
Assessment, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, 115
College Avenue, College Avenue Campus, 732-932-7109;
Cheryl
Clarke, Director of Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities, 3
Bartlett Street, College Avenue Campus, 732-932-1711;
Mary Beth
Daisey, Dean of Students and Associate Chancellor for Student Affairs,
Armitage Hall, Room 248, Camden Campus, 856-225-6050;
Marcia W. Brown, Vice Chancellor for Student and Community Affairs, Center for Law and Justice, Newark Campus, 973-353-5234.
Some
complaints can and should be resolved by informal methods, while others
will require the implementation of formal procedures. All complaints
are treated confidentially; complainants are encouraged to report
incidents even if they do not wish to pursue the matter beyond the
reporting stage.
