Student Code of Conduct

Article (1)

In applying the provisions of these bylaws, the following terms shall denote the meanings indicated next to each of them:

• The University: Qatar University.
• The Board: University Board of Regents.
• The President: President of Qatar University.
• The concerned VP: Vice President of Qatar University for Student Affairs.
• The concerned Dean: Dean of the College where the violation occurred.
• The Student: Any student, whether enrolled at or attending Qatar University, including any visiting student or enrolled student at any other university.
• The Concerned Authority: The President or the concerned VP, as appropriate.
• The Concerned Director: The Director of the Department or the Head of the Department where the violation occurred.
• The Concerned Director: The Director of the Department or the Head of the Department where the violation occurred.
• The Student Housing Disciplinary Committee: The concerned committee to consider and investigate violations that occur within students’ housing.
• The Disciplinary Office: The specialized administrative unit in the Vice President’s Office for Student Affairs, tasked with communicating with concerned persons and following up on violations.
• Assignments: Academic assignments and quizzes that are not considered mid-term or final exams.
• Departments Concerned with Implementation: Designated Departments by the concerned VP.
• University Campus: The University’s land, facilities, educational facilities, halls, laboratories, libraries, parks, play courts, student housing, and others.
• University Bylaws, Policies and Decisions: Bylaws, policies and decisions issued by the University.
• Extra-curricular Student Programs: The programs, activities and experiences that the University offers to students outside the classroom according to specific criteria and outcomes to develop and promote specific aptitudes of the student.

Article (2)

Qatar University students are subject to the rules of the code of conduct and disciplinary procedures outlined below.

Article (3)

The student must comply with the provisions of applicable laws, bylaws, decisions and the established regulations, and in particular should fulfill the following expectations:

1. To attend lectures, seminars, exams and all forms of Educational and academic prerequisites in accordance with the applicable bylaws and established regulations.
2. To preserve the order of the University Campus.
3. To collaborate with Qatar University affiliates and its visitors on campus, and to treat them with respect.
4. To preserve the University’s reputation.
5. To respect the rights of others including students, faculty members, staff, and others.
6. To dress appropriately in the University’s Campus and accordance with traditions, customs and University’ rules.
7. To safeguard the University’s properties and to comply with the bylaws and instructions with relevance to their usage.
8. To behave responsibly in order to protect his own security, health and safety, as well as the others’ security, health and safety.
9. To comply with the University security personnel’s instructions.

Article (4)

Academic violations are breaches of the provisions of laws, bylaws, policies, decisions, established regulations, University traditions and customs, and include, but not limited to, the following:

1. Submission of a work previously submitted for another course.
2. Cheating, attempting to cheat, assisting or participating in any cheating act during the performance of the assignments.
3. Submission of a research or an assignment undertaken by other students or other persons.
4. Intentionally disrupting classes, or its order, and attempting to do so.
5. Cheating, attempting to cheat, assisting or participating in any cheating act during mid-term exams.
6. Falsifying or forging any information, figures, or quotes.
7. Cheating, attempting to cheat, assisting, or participating in any act of cheating during final exams.
8. Disrupting of the examination order or its environment.
9. Incidents where other person fraudulently attends an exam or any academic activity or assignment in place of another student.
10. Violating intellectual property rights of others, whether by means of photocopying or undocumented quoting.
11. Forging any documents and information submitted to the University.
12. Possession of mobile phones or electronic devices without disclosure of such information to the responsible proctor, regardless of whether or not such possession was intended.

Article (5)

Non-academic violations are breaches of the provisions of laws, bylaws, policies, decisions, established regulations, or University traditions and customs, and include, but not limited to, the following:

1. Organizing an event at the University without a prior approval of the concerned authority.
2. Engaging in any activity that violate the laws, bylaws, policies, and University decisions.
3. Collecting donations on campus or from University members, without a prior written approval of the concerned authorities at the University.
4. Establishing or joining organizations, clubs, or associations that carry out activities on campus without a prior written approval from the concerned authority.
5. Disrupting order on campus.
6. Non-compliance with the policies, laws, procedures, decisions, and instructions of clubs, student organizations, trips, activities, events, and extra-curricular programs organized on or off campus.
7. Impairing the University’s reputation.
8. Disrupting or attempting to disrupt any events or extra-curricular programs organized in whole or in part by the University, whether in or off campus, or organized within the University by third parties.
9. Using the University facilities or exploiting its resources, without a prior approval of the concerned authority at the University or doing so for a purpose other than the authorized purpose.
10. Issuing flyers, newspapers, magazines, or posters, or circulating them on campus, without a prior written approval from the concerned authorities at the University.
11. Carrying in, holding, or manufacturing any weapons, sharp objects, explosive or flammable materials on campus.
12. Possessing, using, carrying, or disseminating any intoxicating or narcotic substances on campus.
13. Stealing, destroying or distorting any of the University’s properties, or harming its members or visitors.
14. Forging any of the documents or information submitted to the University or usage of such documents.
15. Violating University procedures and instructions with relevance to student housing.
16. Dressing inappropriately or by contrast to the University traditions and customs.
17. Non-compliance with traffic rules on campus.
18. Non-compliance with the instructions of the security personnel on campus while performing their duties, or refuse to provide proof of identity whenever requested.
19. Providing others with University documents and identities in order to use them illegally.
20. The unjustified presence of male students in the designated areas for female students, or vice versa.
21. Smoking in unauthorized places.
22. Providing or disclosing any incorrect data or information with relevance to the university affairs on any media outlet or via any media outlet.
23. Defaming the University or any of its members on social media or by any other means.
24. Displaying pictures, video clips, or audio recordings of any of the University’s members on social media or any other electronic means, without taking their consent to do so.
25. Acts that are inconsistent with honor, dignity and ethics, or violate good conduct and behavior inside or outside the University.
26. Any abuse, humiliation, or physical, verbal or psychological abuse committed by the student against any of the University members, visitors, or any other personnel on the university campus.

Article (6)

Any student who violates the requirements of the provisions of these bylaws or other instructions issued by the University shall be disciplined, without prejudice to civil and criminal responsibility when appropriate.

Article (7)

Disciplinary sanctions that may be inflicted upon the student, in case of committing any of the academic violations, include the following:

1. Repetition of the work in which the violation occurred, or the performance of any other alternative work as determined by the course instructor.
2. Drafting an article discussing the negative impact of the violation on the University experience.
3. Excluding the results of the assignment or examination in which the violation occurred.
4. Verbal warning.
5. Excluding the results of some or all of the assignments related to the course.
6. Written warning.
7. Compulsorily withdrawal from the course.
8. Failing the course in which the violation occurred.
9. Dismissal from the University for a period not exceeding one semester.
10. Failing all courses registered in the semester during which the violation occurred.
11. Dismissal from the University for more than one semester, and no more than four semesters.
12. Suspension of awarding the academic degree for a period not exceeding two semesters.
13. Expulsion from the University.
14. Annulling or revoking of the academic degree.

Article (8)

Students of graduate studies shall be subject to expulsion from the University in cases of cheating or attempting to cheat as specified n Article (4) unless a court ordered expungement of his criminal conviction.

Article (9)

Disciplinary sanctions that may be inflicted on the student, in case of committing any of the non-academic violations, include:

1. Drafting an article discussing the negative impact of the violation on the University experience.
2. Repetition of the work in which the violation occurred, or the performance of any alternative work as determined by the supervisor of the extracurricular program in which the violation occurred.
3. Excluding the grades result of the assignment or examination in which the violation occurred, and excluding it from the extracurricular record.
4. Verbal warning.
5. Canceling the award of the extracurricular record or revoking it from the student.
6. Temporary suspension from participating in one or more of student activities.
7. Temporary suspension of a scholarship.
8. Written warning.
9. Temporary or permanent exclusion from the student employment program.
10. Exclusion from permanent or temporary student housing, or cancellation of his residency in the housing facility and vacating such facility in cases he uses it.
11. Dismissal from the University for a period no less than the remainder of the semester and not exceeding one semester.
12. Dismissal from the University for more than one semester, and no more than four semesters.
13. Suspension of awarding the academic degree for a period not exceeding two semesters.
14. Expulsion from the University.

Article (10)

Without prejudice to the provisions of Article (9) of these bylaws, if a student damages, or causes a loss of any university property, he must pay for the damaged or the lost property.

Article (11)

A faculty member may exclude any student from the classroom if the student disrupts the order or normal operation of the lecture.

Article (12)

The supervisor of the extracurricular program may exclude any student from the training room or the area where the extracurricular program takes place if the student disrupts the order or the normal operation of the program.

Article (13)

In the event of repetition of violations to these bylaws, the university could harshen the sanctions in a manner that is commensurate with the nature of the violation. The competent authority to impose disciplinary sanctions for repeated violations is the concerned VP.

Article (14)

It is permissible, upon the approval of the concerned VP, to notify the college or the complaining body, and the guardian of the student of the violation committed and the inflicted sanction.

Article (15)

The president, upon the recommendation of the concerned VP, may reconsider the expulsion decision.

Article (16)

The competent authority to consider academic violations varies according to the following: The course instructor may consider academic violations in clauses (1) to (3) of Article (4) of these bylaws and take the appropriate action. The dean of the college may consider academic violations that fall within the powers of the course instructor in addition to clauses (4) to (6) and take the appropriate action in coordination with the Student Affairs Committee of the relevant college. The President of the University and the concerned VP may consider academic violations in all clauses of Article (4) of these bylaws.

Article (17)

The competent authority to impose disciplinary sanctions for academic violations varies according to the following:

1. The course instructor may impose any of the sanctions stipulated in clauses (1) to (3) of Article (7) of these bylaws.
2. The concerned dean may impose any of the sanctions stipulated in clauses (1) to (6) of Article (7) of these bylaws based on the recommendations of the Student Affairs Committee at the College.
3. The concerned VP may order the closure of the case or impose any of the sanctions stipulated in clauses (1) to (11) of Article (7) of these bylaws upon the recommendation of the Disciplinary Committee.
4. The president may order the closure of the case or impose any of the sanctions stipulated in clauses (1) to (14) of Article (7) of these bylaws based on the recommendations of the concerned VP.

Article (18)

The competent authority to impose disciplinary sanctions for non-academic violations varies according to the following:

1. The supervisor of the extracurricular program may impose any of the sanctions stipulated in clauses (1) to (4) of Article (9) of these bylaws.
2. The concerned VP may order closure of the case or impose any of the sanctions stipulated in clauses (1) to (12) of Article (9) of these bylaws based on the recommendation of the Disciplinary Committee.
3. The president may order closure of the case or impose any of the sanctions stipulated in clauses (1) to (14) of Article (9) of these bylaws based on the recommendations of the concerned VP.

Article (19)

The student may appeal the decision by filing a grievance against the decision within 10 working days from his notification before a grievance committee that shall be formed and mandated upon a decision by the president. The committee shall decide upon the grievance within a period not exceeding ten working days from the day of its submission during the fall and spring semesters. If the student does not file a grievance within the designated period, the decision shall be final.

Article (20)

The Disciplinary Committee is tasked with investigating cases referred to it by the concerned VP, and recommending the appropriate disciplinary sanctions.

Article (21)

The Disciplinary Committee consists of five members, two of whom shall be faculty members at the University and one from Student Affairs section; the committee shall have a secretary who records minutes of its meetings but does not have the right to vote. Members of the Committee and the secretary are appointed upon a decision issued by the president based on a proposal provided by the concerned VP.

Article (22)

Meetings of the Disciplinary Committee are not valid unless attended by at least three members. The Committee issues its recommendations by a majority of votes. In the event of a tie vote, the chairperson side opinion shall prevail. In the event of absence or expulsion of any of the committee’s members or its chairperson, the Committee shall notify the concerned VP within 3 working days; and shall be chaired in such event by the faculty member whose appointment with QU is the oldest.

Article (23)

Membership of the Disciplinary Committee is two years renewable for one or more identical periods.

Article (24)

Sessions of the Committee are confidential. The Committee issues its recommendations after investigating the violation.

Article (25)

When the accused student is summoned, he must attend all investigating procedures and hearings to which is called.

Article (26)

The Committee may hold the student accountable in absentia and inflict upon him the appropriate sanction in cases of failure to obey to summons, without an acceptable excuse, despite notifying the student in writing by e-mail.

Article (27)

The Committee may cross-examine the student and review all the documents it deems necessary for the investigation, even if they are confidential.

Article (28)

The recommendations of the Committee shall be justified and signed by the Committee Chairperson as well as the members, and then sent to the concerned VP for endorsement.

Article (29)

• If a student commits an academic violation, the faculty member shall document the violation in the designated form and shall include all relevant details to the case.
• In the event where a violation occurs in the exam room, the assigned proctor shall document the violation in the designated form and shall include all relevant details to the case, and then send it to the instructor of the course.
• The instructor of the course shall bring the matter to the attention of the Head of the Department within three working days of the incident, and notifying him with all measures taken. If the faculty decides to impose a disciplinary sanction according to the powers entrusted to him, all relevant documents to the case shall be referred to the Dean's office and kept in the student's file.
• The Head of the Department shall refer the accused student to the Dean of the college within three working days from the date of submission of the violation to him.

Article (30)

• The concerned Dean refers the case to the Student Affairs Committee in the college to conduct an investigation on the accusations attributed to the student, and then the committee has to present a report describing the outcomes of the investigation to the Dean.
• The concerned dean may recommend the appropriate Sanction after reviewing the report of the Student Affairs Committee in the college, provided that this sanction falls within the powers entrusted to him in Article (14). However, if the sanction does not fall within his scope of powers, he must refer the report to the concerned VP within five working days from the date of the receipt of the report.
• If the concerned Dean recommends a disciplinary sanction in accordance with the powers entrusted to him, all documents related to the case shall be referred to the concerned VP. The concerned VP may approve the recommendation of the dean or refer the report to the University Disciplinary Committee.

Article (31)

• If a student commits a non-academic violation, the supervising employee shall document the violation in the designated form and shall include all relevant details to the case.
• The supervising employee shall bring the matter to the concerned manager within three working days of the incident, and notifying him with all measures taken. If the concerned employee recommends a disciplinary sanction, according to the powers entrusted to him, all relevant documents to the case shall be referred to the office of the concerned manager to take the necessary action for the approval of the recommendations, and then submit everything to the concerned VP.
• The concerned manager shall refer the student, to whom the violation is attributed, to the VP for Student Affairs within three working days from the date of bringing the matter to his attention to take notice of the case or to impose a the disciplinary sanction that is beyond the powers entrusted to the supervising employee.

Article (32)

The concerned VP has the right to order the closure of the investigation or refer the accused with committing the violation to the Disciplinary Committee within five working days from the date of referring the case to him.

Article (33)

The Disciplinary Committee should start investigating the case within ten working days from the date of bringing the case to its attention in the fall and spring semesters, and take the appropriate action in accordance with these bylaws or recommend dismissal of the case. If the violation occurs during the final examinations of the Spring semester or during the Summer semester, and it was not referred to the committee before the beginning of the summer vacation, the committee should meet at the beginning of the fall semester and issue the necessary recommendations before the last day of the drop and add period.

Article (34)

Before undertaking the investigation with the student, he/she must be notified in writing about his referral to the committee for investigation by means of a summons request that includes the following information:

• Triple or quadrant name.
• Enrollment number or personal ID number.
• Student’s college.
• Accusation attributed to him.
• The concerned authority that decided to refer student to investigation and the date of that decision.
• Date and place of the investigation, provided that the starting date of the investigation falls within the ten working days from the day of receiving the referral to investigation decision.

Article (35)

No disciplinary action shall be taken against a student unless after interrogation of such a student in writing and hearing his point of view. In cases where the student refuses to receive the summons, or does not show up before the committee, the summons request is marked and kept in the investigation file.

Article (36)

The University Disciplinary Committee has the right to take the necessary measures to ensure the integrity of the investigation, and can do the following in particular:

• Viewing records and papers, and acknowledging that in the minutes of the meeting, marking every paper it examines, and confirming the date of review.
• Requesting copies of any papers as long as neither the investigation nor the public interest require preservation of the original copies of such papers.

Article (37)

The investigation shall be documented in minutes punctuated by a serial number, and shall include the date, place, starting time of the investigation, investigator’s name, the secretary’ name, referral decision and its issuing authority, student’s name, age, place of residence and college; summary of the case under investigation; statements of witnesses; viewed documents; date and time at which session was terminated. All pages of the recorded shall include signature of the investigator and involved parties.

Article (38)

The concerned VP Office shall notify the referred student with a copy of the referral decision along with the date and time of the investigation session by email that is sent to the student email account assigned by Qatar University, or by text message on the student's phone registered at the University, at least five working days before the investigation set date. The notification can be handed over personally to the student at his college if the case requires so.

Article (39)

Any student who is summoned for a hearing or investigation and refrains from attending or from giving information without an acceptable excuse shall undergo a disciplinary interrogation, if his testimony is substantial to the completion of the investigation. Relatives of the accused student up to the fourth degree are excluded from testifying.

Article (40)

If, through the investigation, it was found that there is a reasonable doubt of the commission of a crime, the matter must be brought to the attention of the President to inform the Public Prosecution. Notifying the Public Prosecution does not jeopardize the University’s right to impose disciplinary sanction for what has been proven against the violating student, unless in cases where the disciplinary action depends on the outcome of the criminal case.

Article (41)

The investigation period begins from the date of the student's referral to the investigation and ends with the preparation of a final report on the results of the investigation, which includes the recommendations of the University Disciplinary Committee to the concerned authority with either closing the case or inflicting the appropriate sanction upon the student. The investigation period shall not exceed 30 working days, but it may be extended for another period with the approval of the concerned VP.

Article (42)

The decision to inflict a sanction upon the student must be legally justified.

Article (43)

No more than one sanction shall be imposed for a single violation.

Article (44)

The concerned VP shall notify the student and the departments tasked with implementation of the written decision inflicting the sanction upon the student, within five working days from the date of its issuance.

Article (45)

All papers with relevance to investigation and the inflicted decision shall be kept in the student's file, and in addition, a record of penalties shall be made and kept in the same file detailing all the violations and sanctions imposed on him and the dates and reference numbers of decisions imposing those penalties. If the investigation resulted in the participation of more than one student in the commission of the violation, the original investigation papers shall be kept in the file of the first violator, and a genuine copy thereof in the files of the other students.

Article (46)

The University administration is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of investigations and interrogation procedures.

Article (47)

The prescription period for the disciplinary responsibility is two years from the date of commission of the violation. However, such period shall be interrupted by any investigating procedures or referral of the student to disciplinary investigation. The period shall be calculated again from the date of the last action taken regarding the violation. If there are multiple persons referred to disciplinary investigation, interruption of the period for one of them shall also be applicable to the others, even if no measures have been taken against them during the interrupted period. Nevertheless, if the act constitutes a crime, the right to disciplinary investigation shall not be forfeited unless the criminal case is dropped. Disciplinary measures shall end upon the death of the student.

Article (48)

The student is not entitled to drop or withdraw the course where the violation occurs except after a final decision has been issued by the concerned authority. In the event that the course is withdrawn or dropped by the student, the University has the right to re-register him in the same course, and implement the sanction issued against him.

Article (49)

If the violating student is in his final year at the University, graduation statement for such student shall be suspended until the violation is investigated and decided upon.

Article (50)

Violations, investigations and disciplinary records shall be kept in confidential records in the Office of the concerned VP throughout the student’s study period, and for a period of four years after graduation or cessation of study.

Article (51)

Procedures, University instructions, and special student housing instructions apply to residents of student housing. A committee titled the “Student Housing Committee” is formed by a decision of the concerned VP. The committee is tasked with handling violations of resident students committed inside the Student Housing and recommend any of the sanctions stipulated in points (1) to (4) of Article (9) of these bylaws. If the violation requires a greater sanction, the Student Housing Committee will refer the violation to the concerned authority, who has the right to either close the case or refer it to the University Disciplinary Committee for further investigation and recommendations.

 

Non-Academic Violation of Student Code of Conduct Form

Academic Violation of Student Code of Conduct Form