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    Apr 18, 2024  
2014-2015 School of Law Bulletin 
    
2014-2015 School of Law Bulletin [Archived Bulletin]

GENERAL ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT EXPECTIONS


Code of Conduct

The Hamline Law Code of Conduct is the key policy governing expected academic and professional conduct while students are enrolled in any course in the law school. The Code is promulgated by the law faculty and defines both generally and specifically “elemental standards of honesty and integrity to the end that graduates of the School of Law will be academically qualified for the practice of law and possessed of those character traits necessary to the special trust relationships involved in the practice of law.”

Violations and Report of Hamline Law Code of Conduct Violation

Any person may report an allegation of a violation of the Code of Conduct to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. A description of actions that constitute a violation of the Code of Conduct and procedures for reporting and follow-up on a Code allegation are provided in the Hamline Law Code of Conduct, Appendix A, of this policy manual.

Other Policies, Academic and Professional Conduct

HU and Hamline Law have promulgated several other policies outlining their expectations for academic, professional and personal conduct by Hamline University students. An alphabetical list of all of these policies can be accessed at http://www.hamline.edu/policies/a-z.html. In particular, students should review the following academic and professional conduct policies:

  • Discrimination and Harassment Policy
  • Student to Student Sexual Misconduct Policy
  • Disability Accommodation Policy and Procedures
  • Firearms and Weapons Policy
  • Alcohol Use on Campus Policy
  • Smoking Policy
  • Substance Abuse and Prevention Policy
  • Building Use Policy
  • Parking Policy
  • Technology Use Policy
  • E-mail Distribution Policy

Violations and Sanctions

Violations of other policies as defined above that are not also prima facie violations of the Hamline Law Code of Conduct may give rise to HU and/or Hamline Law administrative responses as follows:

HU Policy Violations: Violations of a HU policy that contains a specific procedure for addressing it will be handled through the prescribed procedure.

Hamline Law Policy Violations and Conduct Unbecoming of a Law Student: The Dean and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may initiate procedures or apply sanctions other than those prescribed by the Code of Conduct even where no probable cause has been found in a Code of Conduct investigation. These sanctions include but are not limited to:

Grade Reduction: The student’s grade in a course may be reduced if the violation occurs during class meeting hours, during examination or other evaluation periods, involves online or in-person communications between students or faculty relating to that course, or occurs in the course of a student’s interaction with non-Hamline Law students or faculty when the student is engaged in completing work for that course.

Letter of Reprimand: A letter of reprimand by the Dean or his designee may be placed in the student’s file.

Bar Notification: The Dean may notify the bar authorities in the state in which the student applies to be admitted to the bar describing the conduct.

Counseling Requirement: The Dean or his designee may require that a student obtain counseling or evaluation for substance abuse, mental health issues, anger management, or other issues, as a condition to continuing his or her coursework for the semester.

Withdrawal: An involuntary withdrawal from school may be imposed if there is a serious violation of a law school or university policy that is not a violation of the Code of Conduct.

Holds: A hold may be placed on a student record for failure to comply with certain requirements. A hold may prevent a student registering for an upcoming term, accessing grade information, or obtaining transcripts or other official records.

Disputes: For violation of HU policies that do not include a procedure for resolution, or to resolve conflicts between students and other students, faculty or staff members that are not prima facie violations of the Code of Conduct, the Dean may establish dispute resolution procedures such as mediation, arbitration, restorative justice circles, or similar mechanisms. The Hamline Law Code of Conduct Investigators may also utilize these dispute resolution mechanisms in settlement of a Hamline Law Code of Conduct allegation. Students also have the option to discuss disputes with the Hamline University Office of the Ombudsman.  For more information, see http://www.hamline.edu/offices/ombudsman/

Policies Incorporated by Reference: The following law school and university policies are incorporated into this manual by reference. University policies may be found on the Hamline website.

  • Hamline Law Code of Conduct
  • University Policies Relating to Interpersonal Behavior (included in part or whole)
  • Discrimination and Harassment Policy (see also Hate Incident and Crime Protocol on the university web page)
  • Sexual Misconduct Policy
  • Firearms and Weapons Policy (See also Policies on Response to Crimes Against Persons, University Authority and Civil Penalties, Violence Prevention on the university web page)
  • Policies on the Use of Hamline Property
  • Alcohol Policy
  • Smoking Policy
  • Substance Abuse and Prevention Policy
  • Building Use Policy (see also law school posting rules, and Posting and Canvassing Policy and Political Candidate/Campaign Policy on the university web page)
  • Parking Policy (see also Bicycles Policy on the university web page above)
  • Technology and Information Policies
  • Technology Use Policy (see also Web Policy and Software Policy on the university web page above and the Bandwidth and Copyright Infringement Policy if you live in a Hamline residence or intend to download significant amounts of material.)
  • E-mail Usage Policy
  • Freedom of Expression and Inquiry Policy
  • Disability Policies

Students Responsible for Policies

Hamline Law students and any persons who are enrolled in Hamline Law courses are responsible for knowing and abiding by the student policies, Academic Rules, financial aid policies and procedures applicable to them, course limitations, and any University policies that are posted on the university website, as well as any policies and procedures pertinent to activities in which they are involved, such as journals, competitions, and student organizations.