Prohibited 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, a person acting with the purpose to harass another:

     * Makes, or causes to be made, a communication or communications anonymously or at extremely inconvenient hours, or in offensively coarse language, or any other manner likely to cause annoyance or alarm;

    * Subjects another to striking, kicking, shoving, or other offensive touching, or threatens to do so; or

    * Engages in any other course of alarming conduct or of repeatedly committed acts with purpose to alarm or seriously annoy such other person.

Harassment is considered a separation offense under the University Code of Student Conduct as a "heinous act."

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 as a "heinous act."

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 should be resolved at the college level and not be treated as separation offenses requiring a university-level hearing. The initial judgments of whether a particular act is of a separable or nonseparable level are made by the appropriate college official and are subject to review by the assistant vice president for student life policy and services.

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:

• Dr. Gregory Blimling, Vice President for Student Affairs, 83 Somerset Street, Old Queens Building, College Avenue Campus, 732-932-8576

• Jenny Kurtz, Acting Director of Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities, 247 Tillet Hall, Livingston Campus, 732-445-4141

• Mary Beth Daisey, Dean of Students and Associate Chancellor for Student Affairs, Office of the Chancellor, Second Floor, Camden Campus, 856-225-6050

• Marcia W. Brown, Vice Chancellor for Student and Community Affairs, Center for Law and Justice, Newark Campus, 973-353-5541

Some complaints can be 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.