Any of the following acts, even if communicative in nature, are
prohibited "separation 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. Harassment is considered a separation 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 separation
offense under the University Code of Student Conduct.
While any of the four categories of acts listed above is a separation
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 should be resolved at the college level and not be treated as
separation 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 college official.
Students who believe themselves to be victims of verbal assault,
harassment, or defamation should report such incidents to the dean or
the dean of students of their college or school. In addition, the
following individuals have been identified to handle complaints:
Brian T. Rose, director of compliance, student policy, and judicial
affairs, 3 Bartlett Street, College Avenue campus (732/932-7312);
Cheryl Clarke, director of diverse community affairs and lesbian/gay
concerns, 3 Bartlett Street, College Avenue campus (732/932-1711);
Mary Beth Daisey, associate provost for student affairs, Armitage Hall, Room 248, Camden campus, (856/225-6043);
Marcia W. Brown, associate provost for student affairs and community
outreach, Center for Law and Justice, Newark campus (973/353-5541).
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.
