1. INTRODUCTION

This document outlines the standard ethical guidelines for all students enrolled in various courses at Sree Chaitanya College, Habra. It is mandatory for all students to adhere to this Code of Ethics and Conduct, which outlines their rights, responsibilities, and associated restrictions. The college aims to enforce this Code to establish and maintain a fair, conscientious, effective, and efficient student discipline process. 

All students are urged to familiarize themselves with this Code, which is also available for consultation on the college's official website: 

https://sreechaitanyacollege.in/code-of-conduct

2. SCOPE

This Code of Ethics and Conduct will cover all student conduct that takes place on the college premises, including activities sponsored by the West Bengal State University, events hosted by recognized student organizations, and any off-campus behavior that could have significant consequences or a negative impact on the college's interests or reputation.

3. FORMS OF MISCONDUCT

All students must refrain from engaging in any form of misconduct, both on and off-campus, that could significantly impact the interests and reputation of the college. Such misconduct include, and are not restricted to:

    • Discrimination based on gender, caste, race, religion, color, region, language, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status, physical or mental disability, gender identity, etc.

    • Engaging in harassment based on race, caste, colour, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, sex, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, or medical condition.

    • Intentionally damaging or destroying college property or property of others.

    • Engaging in disruptive activities in classrooms or events sponsored by the college.

    • Failure to produce or refusal to produce the college-issued identity card when demanded by campus security guards.

    • Participating in unauthorized activities such as organizing meetings or processions without permission, accepting membership of banned religious or terrorist groups, and possessing or using unauthorized weapons, explosives, fireworks, or banned drugs.

    • Smoking weed on college premises, consuming or distributing alcohol, parking vehicles in unauthorized zones, and rash driving causing inconvenience to others.

    • Not disclosing pre-existing health conditions to the Chief Medical Officer that may hinder academic progress.

    • Theft or unauthorized access to others' resources, misbehavior during student body elections or college activities, and engaging in disorderly conduct.

    • Interacting with media representatives or inviting them to college without college permission.

    • Recording lectures or actions of others without prior permission.

    • Recording or photographing individuals without their knowledge and express consent where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

    • Using social media responsibly and refraining from posting derogatory comments about college individuals.

    • Theft or abuse of college computers and electronic resources, including unauthorized entry, tampering, and interference with the work of others.

    • Damaging or destroying college or others' property on campus.

4. EXPECTED BEHAVIOUR AND CONDUCT

    •  Students must treat their teachers, the college staff and fellow students with courtesy at all times. Disorderly or offensive conduct is prohibited.

    • Students must wear and visibly display their Identity Cards during college hours within the campus. The loss of Identity Cards needs to be reported to the college, and a duplicate can be issued after payment of a fine.

    • Students must be punctual for classes and remain seated at the beginning of each class. Entry or exit from the classroom requires permission.

    • College property, furniture, computers, and library books must be handled with care.

    • Examination rules posted on the College Notice Board must be strictly followed.

    • Impersonation during roll-call is prohibited.

    • Students must regularly check the Notices section of the college website for important announcements.

    • Prohibited activities include smoking weed, chewing tobacco products, playing cards, spitting, and loitering within the college and hostel campus.

5. ATTENDANCE

 Students must maintain regular attendance at the college for lectures, projects, and laboratory work to be eligible for the end-semester examinations of the university. 

Attendance requirements are as follows:

    •  Attending at least 75% of total classes allows appearing in Semester Examinations, subject to other regulations.

    • Attending at least 60% but less than 75% requires payment of penalty fees to appear in Semester Examinations.

    •  Attending at least 60% allows appearing in Semester Examinations but requires re-admission for the same semester next year.

    •  Attendance is calculated from class commencement or admission date, whichever is later.

    • Absence for more than two weeks without prior permission/intimation needs to be reported to the college through a letter duly signed and forwarded by the respective Head of Department to the Principal.

    • Science-stream students not attending theoretical classes regularly cannot attend practical classes. No marks similarly will be allotted if a student fails to attend lab classes and fulfill project requirements as outlined in the syllabus of their respective courses of study. 

    • The clearing of college examinations, including internal assessments, is necessary to clear semester examinations. According to university norms, there will be no re-tests on Internal Assessments, and marks secured at Internal Assessments will be treated as final. 

    • Medical absences require submission of Medical Certificate and guardian's letter stating reasons within three days of examination completion.

    • The student needs to comply with other college notices on attendance as displayed on the Notice Board and the college website.

    • Failure to clear fees by the notified date requires re-admission with full fees and Principal's approval.

6. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Academic integrity is paramount for the success of the college and its academic reputation. Violations of academic integrity are considered serious offenses.

The policy on academic integrity, an integral part of the college's Code of Ethics and Conduct, applies to all students and they must adhere to it. The purpose of this section is twofold:

    a) To clarify the principles of academic integrity.

    b) To provide examples of dishonest conduct and violations of academic integrity. 

Failure to uphold these principles of academic integrity threatens the reputation of the college and the value of degrees awarded to its students. Therefore, every student bears responsibility for ensuring the highest standards of academic integrity are maintained.

6 (a).  Principles of academic integrity

    • Properly acknowledges and cites the use of others' ideas, results, material, or words.

    • Properly acknowledges all contributors to a given piece of work.

    • Ensures all work submitted as their own is produced without impermissible materials or collaboration.

    • Obtains all data or results ethically and reports them accurately without suppressing any inconsistent results.

    • Treats all other students ethically, respecting their integrity and right to pursue their educational goals without interference.

6 (b).  Examples of dishonest conduct and violations of academic integrity

Plagiarism: 

    • Using material, ideas, figures, code, or data without appropriately acknowledging the original source in project work and assignments. 

    • Reproducing or copying text from reports, books, articles and information from the internet without proper attribution or citation.

Cheating: 

    • Copying during examinations or assignments

    • Allowing or facilitating copying from another person's answerscripts

    • Using unauthorized materials such as handwritten chits micro-xerox sheets and mobile phones, 

    • Fabricating or falsifying data, creating non-existent sources, altering previously evaluated work such as answer scripts or project reports

    • Using false identity to appear as another student during examinations, or signing another student's name on academic documents.

Note: The examples listed above are illustrative, not exhaustive.

7. DISCIPLINARY ACTION

 In case of a potential breach of the code of conduct by a student, a committee will be formed  by the college to investigate the matter and recommend appropriate disciplinary action. In case of incidents like ragging and sexual harassment, the college will refer the cases to the respective committees to pursue independent investigation and action. 

 The general outline of disciplinary procedures is as follows:

The committee will meet with the student to discuss the alleged misconduct.

Based on the nature of the misconduct, the committee may suggest one or more of the following disciplinary actions:

    • Warning: Indicates the violation of the code, with further misconduct resulting in severe disciplinary action.

    • Restrictions: Restricts access for the student to various campus facilities for a specified period.

    • Community Service: Requires the student to perform community service for a specified period, with potential extension if necessary. Failure to comply may lead to suspension or expulsion.

    • Monetary Penalty: May include suspension or forfeiture of scholarships/fellowships for a specific period.

    • Suspension: Temporarily suspends the student from participating in student activities, classes, and programs, with restricted or no access to college premises unless permission is granted.

    • Expulsion: Permanently expels the student from the college, prohibiting entry to campus premises and participation in student activities.

        

PROCEDURE FOR APPEAL: The delinquent student may appeal to the Principal/Governing Body if they disagree with the imposed penalties.

The Principal/Governing Body may:

    • Accept the committee's recommendation and impose the suggested punishment, or modify and impose any punishment outlined in the Code appropriate to the severity of the proven misconduct.

    • Refer the case back to the committee for reconsideration.

The decision of the Principal/Governing Body is final and binding in all cases of possible student misconduct.

8. ANTI-RAGGING

The college has implemented a comprehensive and effective anti-ragging policy based on the 'UGC Regulation on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions, 2009' (referred to as the 'UGC Regulations'). These regulations, formulated in line with directives from the Honorable Supreme Court of India, aim to prevent and prohibit ragging in all educational institutions and colleges across the country. The UGC Regulations are applicable to the college, and students are urged to adhere to them.

Ragging encompasses one or more of the following acts:

    • Teasing, treating, or handling with rudeness any student through words spoken or written or by actions.

    • Engaging in rowdy or undisciplined activities likely to cause annoyance, hardship, physical or psychological harm, or fear in other students.

    • Coercing a student to perform acts that cause shame, torment, or embarrassment, adversely affecting their physical or mental well-being.

    • Acts by senior students that disrupt regular academic activities of junior students.

    • Exploiting a student's services to complete academic tasks.

    • Financial extortion or imposing forceful expenditure burdens on students by others.

    • Any form of physical abuse, including beating, sexual abuse, stripping, lewd gestures, causing bodily harm, or endangering health.

    • Verbal abuse through spoken words, emails, social media posts, or public insults aimed at causing discomfort to other students.

    • Acts that impact the mental health and self-confidence of other students, motivated by sadistic pleasure or a display of power or superiority over other students. 

Punishment for ragging

A student found guilty of ragging may face one or more of the following punishments, as determined by the college's Anti-Ragging Committee:

a) Suspension from attending classes and academic privileges.

b) Withholding or withdrawing scholarships, fellowships, and other benefits.

c) Debarring from participating in any tests, examinations, or evaluation processes.

d) Withholding of results.

e) Prohibition from undertaking collaborative work or attending national or international conferences, symposia, or meetings to present research work.

f) Suspension or expulsion from hostels and mess facilities.

g) Cancellation of admission.

h) Expulsion from the institution and subsequent prohibition from admission to any other institution for a specified period.

i) In cases where the individuals responsible for ragging cannot be identified, the institute may impose collective punishment.

j) In severe cases, a First Information Report (FIR) may be filed by the college with local police authorities.

9. ANTI-RAGGING COMMITTEE  

The Anti-Ragging Committee, comprising of faculty members, will investigate all complaints of ragging and provide recommendations based on the nature of the incident. 

Students should be aware that the committee is active and vigilant at all times, with the authority to inspect potential ragging locations and conduct surprise raids in hostels and other areas of concern within the college. 

The committee is empowered to investigate ragging incidents, make appropriate decisions, including the imposition of punishment, based on the facts and circumstances of each ragging incident and the severity of the offense, and make recommendations to the Principal/Governing Body, for necessary disciplinary action.

All students (especially first-year students) can confidentially report any incident of ragging in writing in the Students' Grievance Drop Box on the first floor of the college building, on the way to the College Library. Alternatively, they can report over telephone or call for help from any of the following members of the Anti-Ragging Committee:

Dr. Bibhas Dutta, Department of Physics +91 97328 79238

Dr. Kalpana Biswas, Department of Physics +91 98744 05839

Sri Jadav Baidya, Department of Philosophy +91 90930 95877

Dr. Chinmay Biswas, Department of Anthropology +91 9002152058

Sri Rupam Mandal, Department of Botany +91 99033 61564

Sri Sadik Mandal, Department of Sanskrit +91 86173 16857

Sri Swapan Sardar, Department of Anthropology +91 74396 63570

Sri Iqbal Azahar, Department of Botany +91 98365 64266

10. SEXUAL HARASSMENT 

Sree Chaitanya College, Habra, seeks to establish a campus that is free from gender discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and sexual assault at every level. The college abides with the Government of India's Policy on prevention and prohibition of sexual harassment at workplace (POSH Act, 2013), and the UGC (Prevention, prohibition, and redressal of sexual harassment of women employees and students in higher educational institutions) Regulations, 2015. Since the UGC Regulations are statutory in nature, they are applicable to all universities and colleges throughout the nation. The full text of the Act can be accessed here. 

In compliance with the above, an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) has been formed to protect against sexual harassment of women at the workplace and for the prevention and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment. The Committee aims to conduct awareness programmes to enlighten the students and staff of the college on the issues of basic human rights, gender equality and protection against sexual harassment. 

    • Students should be aware that sexual misconduct or harassment includes various behaviours, such as sexual assault, unwanted physical contact and touch, persistent unwelcome comments, emails, telephone calls, or sending text messages or images of a demeaning or offensive sexual nature. 

    • All harassment complaints are dealt with the strictest of confidentially by the college's Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), which is empowered to investigate incidents of sexual harassment, and make appropriate investigations and recommendations to the Principal/Governing Body, for necessary disciplinary action. 

    • 

Complaints of sexual harassment at the workplace may be sent by any aggrieved female student or staff of the college through email (sccposhicc@gmail.com). Alternatively, any student/s can confidentially report any incident of sexual harassment in writing to the Chairperson of the college ICC: