Official Regulations

The regulations, policies, and grading system as described here apply only to Columbia students and to Visiting Students from non-BCGS institutions. Students from BCGS institutions other than Columbia will in general be governed by the policies and regulations of their respective home institutions.

University Regulations

According to University regulations, each person whose registration has been completed will be considered a student of the University during the term for which he or she is registered unless the student's connection with the University is officially severed by withdrawal or otherwise. No student registered in any school or college of the University shall at the same time be registered in any other school or college, either of Columbia University or of any other institution, without the specific authorization of the dean or director of the school or college of the University in which he or she is first registered.

The privileges of the University are not available to any student until he or she has completed registration. Since, under the University statutes, payment of fees is part of registration, no student's registration is complete until the fees have been paid. A student who is not officially registered for a University course may not attend the course unless granted auditing privileges (see Auditing Privileges). No student may register after the stated period unless he or she obtains the written consent of the appropriate dean or director.

The University reserves the right to withhold the privilege of registration or any other University privilege from any person with an unpaid debt to the University.

Academic Discipline

The continuance of each student upon the rolls of the University, the receipt of academic credits, graduation, and the conferring of any degree or the granting of any certificate are strictly subject to the disciplinary powers of Columbia University.

Within the University community, certain standards of academic and social behavior are expected of its members. Thus, academic honesty in term papers, examinations, laboratory reports, and computer projects is essential. Social behavior includes respect for University facilities, observance of all regulations, and civil behavior in and out of the classroom.

When students enrolled in the Columbia University in Paris program are alleged to be in violation of University regulations or guilty of inappropriate behavior, the Associate Provost may convene a hearing. The purpose of the hearing is not to impose punishment on an accused already assumed to be guilty, but rather to seek sufficient understanding of the matter to determine whether disciplinary action is warranted.

The hearing committee is composed of the Associate Provost, the Director of Studies, and a member of the Columbia faculty at Reid Hall. Additional members may be appointed for specific cases. When the committee has heard the student's account and considered any additional evidence that it deems relevant, it determines whether disciplinary action is warranted and, if so, what action is appropriate. The sanctions range from disciplinary warning to dismissal. Students who are placed on disciplinary warning may continue their studies. If a student is found guilty of a second violation of University regulations or of inappropriate behavior, that student is suspended or dismissed. In cases of plagiarism, not only will the student's final grade be affected, since the course work will be deemed not to have been satisfactorily completed, but dismissal is normally required, and the student's home school is informed.

Rules of University Conduct

The Rules of University Conduct (Chapter XLI of the Statutes of the University) provide special disciplinary rules applicable to demonstrations, rallies, picketing, and the circulation of petitions. These rules are designed to protect the rights of free expression through peaceful demonstration while at the same time ensuring the proper functioning of the University and the protection of the rights of those who may be affected by such demonstrations. Additional information about the Rules of University Conduct is reprinted in FACETS (Facts About Columbia Essential To Students), available in 203 Lewisohn or on the Web (select here).

The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The University abides by the provisions of the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. This act insures a wide range of rights, including but not limited to: information about student records that the University maintains, who maintains them, who has access to them, and for what purposes access is granted. The act also permits the University to release ódirectory informationÇ without a student's consent. In addition, the act guarantees students access to their records and restricts the access of others.

Students who wish to restrict access to their directory information may do so at the Office of the Registrar, 205 Kent. This same office can provide a set of guidelines and a policy statement. The guidelines are also available on ColumbiaWeb and in the current edition of FACETS (Facts About Columbia Essential To Students), available in 203 Lewisohn or on the Web (select here).Questions about the interpretation of the guidelines should be referred to the University's General Counsel, 412 Low Memorial Library.

Policy Statement on Discrimination and Harassment

The following statement was adopted by the University Senate on April 27, 1990.

As a great center of learning, Columbia University prides itself on being a community committed to free and open discourse and to tolerance of differing views. We take pride, too, in preparing the leaders of our society and exemplifying the values we hope they will uphold. These commitments are subverted by intolerance, bigotry, and harassment. Even in recent history, we must recognize race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and other irrelevancies have all occasioned attacks by the ignorant, the foolish, the sick, the evil. Instead of enjoying our differences and the richness they bring to our shared lives, some have chosen to make those differences the targets of anger and hate. As a community, we are committed to the principle that individuals are to be treated as human beings rather than dehumanized by treatment as members of a category that represents only one aspect of their identity.

This University resolutely condemns conduct that makes such targets of our differences. The free exchange of ideas central to the University can take place only in an environment that is based on equal opportunity for admission to academic and other programs and to employment, and on freedom from behavior that stigmatizes or victimizes others. All decisions concerning an individual's admission to or participation in any University program must be based on that individual's qualifications, free of stigmatizing consideration of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, citizenship, or Vietnam era or disabled veteran status. Nor will Columbia tolerate any behavior that harasses members of the community on the basis of any of these qualities. Such behavior will be regarded as a violation of the standards of conduct required of any person associated with the University and will subject the person guilty of it to the full range of internal institutional discipline, including permanent separation. While mediation and consensual resolution are of course to be encouraged, we also recognize the right of all persons who believe themselves to have been the targets of such behavior to institute a formal grievance. Coercion to require them to overlook or retract their complaints fosters discrimination and harassment and is equally intolerable in our community.

It is not enough to be prepared to respond when ugliness appears. Members of a community such as ours must work preventively as well, to ensure that all our dealings with each other are marked by decency and characterized by civility. Columbia is committed to do what it can to engender mutual respect, understanding, and empathy. The University acknowledges a special responsibility to develop sensitivity to the concerns of those who are most vulnerable to discrimination and harassment.

Statement of Nondiscriminatory Policies

The University is publishing the following statements in accordance with certain federal, state, and local statutes and administrative regulations:

Consistent with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended, and regulations thereunder, the University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the conduct or operation of its education programs or activities (including employment therein and admission thereto). Inquiries concerning the application of Title IX may be referred to Ms. Beth Wilson, Associate Provost, who heads the University's Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 402 Low Memorial Library, Mail Code 4333, 535 West 116th Street, New York, NY 10027, (212) 854-5511; or to the Director, Office for Civil Rights (Region II), 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY 10278.

Columbia University admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, and age to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the University. It does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, or age in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other University-administered programs.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, prohibits discrimination against any person on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, prohibits employment discrimination against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Executive Order 11246, as amended, prohibits discrimination in employment because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin and requires affirmative action to ensure equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment. In addition, the New York Human Rights Law, Article 15, Executive Law Section 296 prohibits discrimination against any person in employment because of age, race, creed, color, national origin, disability, sex, marital status, and genetic predisposition or carrier status.

Consistent with the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and regulations thereunder, the University does not discriminate against any person on the basis of disability in admission or access to, or employment or treatment in, its programs and activities. Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, requires affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified workers with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 also prohibits discrimination in public accommodation and in employment against qualified persons with disabilities. It requires the University to provide qualified applicants and employees with reasonable accommodations that do not impose undue hardship or pose a direct threat of harm to themselves or others.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in rates of pay. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended, prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of age. The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.

Section 313 of the New York Education Law, as amended, prohibits educational institutions from discriminating against persons seeking admission as students to any institution, program, or course because of race, religion, creed, sex, color, marital status, age, or national origin. The New York City Human Rights Law, Title 8, Å8-107, makes it an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer to discriminate against any person because of their age, race, creed, color, national origin, gender, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or alienage or citizenship status. It also prohibits educational institutions from discriminating against persons in any of the above categories in the provision of certain accommodations, advantages, facilities, or privileges.

On December 1, 1978, the Columbia University Senate passed a resolution announcing its general educational policy on discrimination, which reaffirms the University's commitment to nondiscriminatory policies and practices. The Senate reaffirmed this policy on April 27, 1990, by expanding the categories protected from discrimination and adding protection against harassment as well. Currently, the policies protect against discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, national and ethnic origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, and status as a Vietnam era or disabled veteran.

The Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended, (38 U.S.C. 4212), prohibits job discrimination and requires affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified special disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam era.

All employees, students, and applicants are protected from coercion, intimidation, interference, or retaliation for filing a complaint or assisting in an investigation under any of the foregoing policies and laws.

The University's Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action has been designated to coordinate compliance activities under each of the programs referred to above. Any employee or student who believes that he or she has been denied equal opportunity should contact this Office, which may informally investigate complaints and offer advice and counsel on questions relating to equal opportunity and affirmative action, including information about applicable formal grievance procedures and agencies where complaints may be filed.

Discrimination Grievance Procedure

The University's Discrimination Grievance Procedure is available to enrolled students who feel that they have been the victims of sexual harassment or discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, citizenship, or Vietnam era or qualified special disabled veteran status. A copy of the Procedure is available in FACETS (Facts About Columbia Essential To Students). FACETS is available in 203 Lewisohn and in the office of the Associate Provost for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 402 Low Memorial Library or 101 Bard Hall; (212) 854-5511; or on the Web (select here).

A complaint under this Procedure is initiated through completion of a written complaint filed with the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Office. Staff in that office will assist with filing the complaint and are also available for confidential counseling and informal investigation of discrimination claims.

Columbia University Ombuds Office

The Ombuds Officer is a neutral and confidential resource for informal conflict resolution serving the entire Columbia University community-students, faculty, and employees.

Additional information about the Ombuds Office is reprinted in FACETS (Facts About Columbia Essential To Students), available in 203 Lewisohn or on the Web (select here).Students may also contact Marsha Wagner, Ombuds Officer, 660 Schermerhorn Extension; (212) 854-1234; fax: (212) 854-6046; e-mail: [email protected]. On Wednesdays the Ombuds Officer is at the Health Sciences campus office, 101 Bard Hall, 50 Haven Avenue; (212) 304-7026.

Protection Against Sexual Harassment

As this bulletin went to press, the University Senate was considering a new policy on sexual misconduct. Please contact the University Senate, 406 Low Library, (212) 854-2023, for current information after June 2000.

Policy Statement on Sexual Harassment

Federal law, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, provides that it shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any employer, because of the sex of any person, to discharge without just cause, to refuse to hire, or otherwise to discriminate against that person with respect to any matter directly or indirectly related to employment. Harassment of any employee on the basis of sex violates this federal law.

To help clarify what is unlawful sexual harassment the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued Guidelines on the subject. While the EEOC Title VII Guidelines apply only to faculty and other employees, Title IX, administered by the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), also protects students from sexual harassment. Accordingly, the University prohibits sexual harassment of any member of the Columbia community, whether such harassment is aimed at students, faculty, or other employees, and violators will be subject to disciplinary action. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature will constitute sexual harassment when:

1. submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment;

2. submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for academic or employment decisions affecting that individual; or,

3. such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's academic or work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive academic or working environment.

Any person who believes that he or she is being sexually harassed may choose to seek a resolution of the problem through discussion with the person directly concerned. If this does not resolve the matter, or if there is a reluctance to deal directly with the person involved, the problem should then be brought to the attention of a member of the University Panel on Sexual Harassment. Advice may also be sought from the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 402 Low Memorial Library or 101 Bard Hall, (212) 854-5511, or the Ombuds Office, 660 Schermerhorn Extension or 101 Bard Hall, (212) 854-1234. If these steps do not resolve the problem, the applicable University grievance procedure should be used. The University Discrimination Grievance Procedure is available if no other University grievance procedure is specifically applicable. No one at the University may retaliate in any way against a person who makes a claim of sexual harassment.

Charge of the University Panel on Sexual Harassment

The Columbia Panel on Sexual Harassment is composed of trusted, accessible, and sympathetic members of the University community who act as informal mediators. Their goal is the protection and counseling of any member of the University who is made to feel personally pressured or uncomfortable because of the behavior of another University member. Members of the Panel provide a safe, impartial, nonadversarial setting in which the problem can be considered or solved through confidential counseling and, when requested, mediation between the complainant and the alleged harasser. The Panel thus provides guidance and protection for the accused as well, identifying false or mistaken accusations, misunderstandings, or unconscious behavior. Panel members are also a link through which the University can take account of, and take appropriate action against, those on campus who are behaving illegally. The Panel on Sexual Harassment is thus a timely, protective, and compassionate arm of the University, one that not only sensitizes and educates the University community but also demonstrates the University's commitment to fair treatment of all its members.

Reporting Sexual Harassment

Information about going to a panelist and initiating a formal investigation is reprinted in FACETS (Facts About Columbia Essential To Students), available in 203 Lewisohn or on the Web (select here).

Panel Membership List

Names and contact information for members of the Columbia University Panel on Sexual Harassment are listed in FACETS (Facts About Columbia Essential To Students), available in 203 Lewisohn or on the Web (select here).

Sexual Misconduct Policy and Alternative Procedure

On April 27, 1995, the University Senate adopted a Sexual Misconduct Policy and grievance procedure that can be used as an alternative to traditional Dean's Discipline. The Sexual Misconduct Policy applies to students in all schools on the Morningside campus, all schools on the Health Sciences campus, Barnard College, and Teachers College. The alternative disciplinary procedure applies to these same groups (through June 2000, unless extended), with the exception of the Law School. The policy prohibits sexual assault of one student against another student. A comprehensive program to address the issue has also been developed. Copies of the policy and alternative procedure are available through Columbia's Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 402 Low Memorial Library or 101 Bard Hall; mailing address: Mail Code 4333, 535 West 116th Street, New York, NY 10027; telephone: (212) 854-5511; fax: (212) 854-1368. A brief summary description of the policy, procedure, and program follows.

Policy

Columbia University's policy defines sexual misconduct as nonconsensual, intentional physical contact with a person's genitals, buttocks, and/or breasts. Lack of consent may be inferred from the use of force, coercion, physical intimidation, or advantage gained by the victim's mental and/or physical impairment or incapacity, of which the perpetrator was, or should have been, aware.

Alternative Procedure

The alternative procedure may be chosen in lieu of traditional Dean's Discipline, Columbia's sexual harassment procedure, or informal internal means of mediated resolution, by a student who alleges he or she has been the victim of sexual assault in violation of the University's policy. It can be initiated by contacting a Gatekeeper or the Associate Provost for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and filing a complaint. If the established criteria are met and the situation is not otherwise resolved, a hearing may be convened before a three-member hearing panel consisting of one student, one faculty member, and one administrator. The complainant and the accused will be asked to provide information to the panel and, along with other information made available, it will be used to make a determination of guilt or innocence and any disciplinary action deemed warranted. The determination is sent as a recommendation to the Dean of Students of the accused's school, whose decision is final. There are appeal avenues at various stages of the procedure available to the complainant and the accused.

Hearing Panelists

Hearing Panelists are selected by the Associate Provost from a pool of students, faculty members, and officers of administration. None of the panelists will be from the school/department of the complainant or accused or closely affiliated with either party.

Gatekeepers

Twelve Associate or Assistant Deans have been appointed and trained to provide information about the policy and alternative procedure as well as other options for dealing with a sexual assault. They can also receive complaints for mediation, investigation, and formal or informal resolution. Any one of the Gatekeepers may be contacted for information or advice or to report an incident of sexual misconduct. Gatekeepers cannot accept complaints by or against students in their own schools.

For a current list of Gatekeepers or for additional information, please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, (212) 854-5511.

Romantic Relationship Advisory Statement

Faculty and staff members are cautioned that consensual romantic relationships with student members of the University community, while not expressly prohibited, can prove problematic. A faculty or staff member involved in such a relationship with a student is expected to remove him/herself from academic or professional decisions concerning the student. The Provost has, however, authorized some departments to adopt more restrictive policies. Individuals with questions about the position of their department are encouraged to raise them with their department head.

Should a romantic relationship with a student lead to a charge of sexual harassment against a faculty or staff member, the University will pursue it in accordance with its Sexual Harassment Policy and applicable grievance procedure. Questions about this Advisory Statement may be directed to Associate Provost Beth Wilson, Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 402 Low Memorial Library or 101 Bard Hall, (212) 854-5511. For the complete statement, please see Appendix F of FACETS (Facts About Columbia Essential To Students), available in 203 Lewisohn or on the Web (select here).

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