STUDENTS CODE OF ETHICS & CONDUCT

Preamble:

The following paras indicate the Adichunchanagiri Institution of Medical Sciences’ standard procedures and practices (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Institution’) for all students enrolling with the Institution for pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate courses. All students must know that it is incumbent upon them to abide by this Code of Ethics and Conduct (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Code’) and the rights, responsibilities including the restrictions flowing from it. That the Institution’s endeavor by means of enforcing this Code is to pioneer and administer a student discipline process that is simple, understandable, effectual and expeditious; and providing a system which promotes student growth through individual and collective responsibility. All Students are requested to be well conversant with this Code, which can also be reviewed on the official website of the Institution. 

Jurisdiction

1. The Institution shall have jurisdiction over the conduct of the students associated /enrolled with the Institution and to take cognizance of all acts of misconduct, including incidents of ragging or otherwise which are taking place on the campus or in connection with the related activities and functions.

2. The Institution may also exercise jurisdiction over conduct which occurs off-campus violating the ideal student conduct and discipline as laid down in this Policy and other regulations as if the conduct has occurred on campus, which shall include:

   1. Any violations of the Sexual Harassment Policy of the Institution against other students of the Institution. 

   2. Physical assault, threats of violence, or conduct that threatens the health or safety of any person including other students of the Institution;

• Possession or use of weapons, explosives, or destructive devices off/on campus

• Manufacture, sale, or distribution of prohibited articles, drugs, alcohol etc.

• Conduct that has a negative impact or constitutes a nuisance to members of the surrounding of the off-campus community.

The Institution, while determining whether or not to exercise such off campus jurisdiction in situations enumerated hereinabove, the Institution shall consider the seriousness of the alleged offense, the risk of harm involved, whether the victim(s) are members of the campus community and/or whether the off campus conduct is part of a series of actions, which occurred both on, and off-campus. 

Ethics and Conduct:

1. This Code shall apply to all kinds of conduct of students that occur on the Institution premises, including in Institution sponsored activities, functions hosted by other recognized student organizations, and any off-campus conduct that has or may have serious consequences or adverse impact on the Institution’s interests or reputation. 

2. Each student must accept that,

   1. He/she shall be regular and must complete his/her studies in the Institution.

   2. He/she shall adhere to the dress code of the Institution. (formal clothing with white apron)

   3. He/she shall mandatorily have the minimum required attendance in each subject, as prescribed by the Institution

   4. He/she shall not misuse electronic gadgets and cell phone during the class hours

   5. In the event a student is forced to discontinue studies for any legitimate reason, such a student may be relieved from the Institution subject to the written consent of the Principal 

   6. As a result of such relieving, the student shall be required to clear pending hostel and any other dues, and if a student had joined the Institution on a scholarship, the said grant should be revoked. 

3. The Institution believes in promoting a safe and efficient climate by enforcing behavioral standards. All students must uphold academic Integrity, respect all persons and their rights and property and others’ safety, etc. 

4. All students must deter from indulging in any and all forms of misconduct, including partaking in any activity off-campus which can affect the Institution’s interests and reputation substantially

The various forms of misconduct include:

1. Any act of discrimination (physical or verbal conduct) based on an individual’s gender, caste, race, religion or religious beliefs, colour, region, language, disability, or sexual orientation, marital or family status, physical or mental disability, gender identity, etc. 

2. Intentionally damaging or destroying Institution property or property of other students and/or faculty members 

3. Any disruptive activity in a classroom or in an event sponsored by the Institution.

4. Unable to produce the identity card, issued by the Institution, or refusing to produce it on demand by campus security guards

5. Participating in activities including:- 

   • Organizing meetings and processions without permission from the Institution.

   • Accepting membership of religious or terrorist groups banned by the Government of India. 

   • Unauthorized possession, carrying or use of any weapon, ammunition, explosives, or potential weapons, fireworks, contrary to law or Policy. ¬ 

   • Unauthorized possession or use of harmful chemicals and banned drugs.

   • Smoking on the campus of the Institution.

   • Possessing, consuming, distributing, selling of alcohol in the Institution and/or throwing empty bottles on the campus. 

   • Parking a vehicle in a no parking zone or in area earmarked for parking other type of vehicles

   • Rash driving on the campus that may cause any inconvenience to others 

   • Not disclosing a pre-existing health condition, either physical or psychological, to Registrar which may cause hindrance to the academic progress. 

   • Theft or unauthorized access to others resources

   • Engaging in disorderly, lewd, or indecent conduct, including, but not limited to, creating unreasonable noise, pushing and shoving; inciting or participating in a riot or group disruption at the Institution.

1. Students are expected not to interact, on behalf of the Institution, with media representatives or invite media persons onto the campus without the Institution authorities’ permission. 

2. Students cannot provide audio and video clippings of any activity on the campus to media without prior permission.

3. Students are expected to use social media carefully and responsibly, meaning that that they cannot post derogatory comments about other individuals from the Institution on the social media or indulging in any such related activities having grave ramifications on the reputation of the Institution.

4. Theft or abuse of the Institution computers and other electronic resources such as computer and electronic communications facilities, systems, and services which includes unauthorized entry , use, tamper, etc. of Institution property or facilities, private residences of staff/professors etc. offices, classrooms, computers networks, and other restricted facilities and interference with the work of others is punishable. 

5. Damage to, or destruction of, any property of the Institution, or any property of others on the Institution premises.

6. Making a video/audio recording, taking photographs, or streaming audio/video of any person in a location where the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, without that person’s knowledge and express consent.

7. Indulging in any form of harassment which is defined as conduct that is severe and objectively, conduct that is motivated based on a person’s race, color, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, sex, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition.

Disciplinary procedure

If there is a case against a student for a possible breach of code of conduct, then a standing investigating committee will be formed to recommend a suitable disciplinary action who shall inquire into the alleged violation and accordingly suggest the action to be taken against the said student. The Committee may meet with the student to ascertain the misconduct and suggest one or more of the following disciplinary actions based on the nature of the misconduct,

1. Warning – Indicating that the action of the said delinquent student was in violation of the Code and any further acts of misconduct shall result in severe disciplinary action.

2. Restrictions- Reprimanding and Restricting access to various facilities on the campus for a specified period of time. 

3. Community service – For a specified period of time to be extended if need be. However, any future misconduct along with failure to comply with any conditions imposed may lead to severe disciplinary action, including suspension or expulsion. 

4. Expulsion – Expulsion of a student from the Institution permanently. Indicating prohibition from entering the Institution premises or participating in any student related activities or campus residences etc. 

5. Suspension – A student may be suspended for a specified period of time which will entail prohibition on participating in student related activities, classes, programs etc. Additionally, the student will be forbidden to use various Institution facilities unless permission is obtained from the Competent Authority. Suspension may also follow by possible dismissal, along with the following additional penalties:- 

1. Ineligibility to reapply for admission to the Institution for a period of three years, and 

2. Withholding the grade card or certificate for the courses studied or work carried out. 5 

Appeal

If the delinquent student is aggrieved by the imposition of any of the aforementioned penalties, he/she may appeal to the Dean. The Dean may decide on one of the following: 

1. Accept the recommendation of the Committee and impose the punishment as suggested by the Committee or modify and impose any of the punishments a as stipulated in this Code which is commensurate with the gravity of the proved misconduct, or

2. Refer the case back to the investigating Committee for reconsideration. In any case the Vice-Chancellor decision is final and binding in all the cases where there is a possible misconduct by a student. 

Academic Integrity 

As a premier institution for medical education and health care, the Institution values academic Integrity. It is committed to fostering an intellectual and ethical environment based on the principles of Academic Integrity. Academic Integrity encompasses honesty and responsibility, and awareness relating to ethical standards for the conduct of research and scholarship. The Institution believes that in all academic work, others’ ideas and contributions must be appropriately acknowledged. Academic Integrity is essential for the Institution’s success, and its research missions, and hence, violations of academic Integrity constitute a serious offense. 

6.1 Scope and Purpose 

1. This Policy on Academic Integrity, which forms an integral part of the Code, applies to all students at the Institution and are required to adhere to the said Policy. The purpose of the Policy is twofold: 

   • To clarify the principles of academic Integrity, and

   • To provide examples of dishonest conduct and violations of Academic Integrity. 

2. Failure to uphold these academic integrity principles threatens both the reputation of the Institution and the value of the degrees awarded to its students. Therefore, every member of the Institution community bears responsibility for ensuring that the highest academic integrity standards are upheld. 

3. The principles of academic Integrity require that a student, 

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

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

   • makes sure that all work submitted as his or her own in a course or other academic activity is produced without the aid of impermissible materials or impermissible collaboration. 

   • obtains all data or results by ethical means and reports them accurately without suppressing any results inconsistent with his or her interpretation or conclusions. 

   • treats all other students in an ethical manner, respecting their Integrity and right to pursue their educational goals without interference. This requires that a student neither facilitates academic dishonesty by others nor obstructs their academic progress. 

6.2 Violations of this Policy include, but are not limited to: 

1. Plagiarism means the use of material, ideas, figures, code or data as one’s own, without appropriately acknowledging the original source. This may involve submission of material, verbatim or paraphrased, that is authored by another person or published earlier by oneself. Examples of plagiarism include: 

   1. Reproducing, in whole or part, text/sentences from a report, book, thesis, publication or the internet. 

   2. Reproducing one’s own previously published data, illustrations, figures, images, or someone else’s data, etc. 

   3. Taking material from class-notes or incorporating material from the internet graphs, drawings, photographs, diagrams, tables, spreadsheets, computer programs, or other non-textual material from other sources into one’s class reports, presentations, manuscripts, research papers or thesis without proper attribution. 

   4. Self plagiarism which constitutes copying verbatim from one’s own earlier published work in a journal or conference proceedings without appropriate citations. e) Submitting a purchased or downloaded term paper or other materials to satisfy a course requirement. f) Paraphrasing or changing an author’s words or style without citation. 

2. Cheating : Cheating includes, but is not limited to: 

   1. Copying during examinations, and copying of homework assignments, term papers, theses or manuscripts.

   2. Allowing or facilitating copying, or writing a report or taking examination for someone else.

   3. Using unauthorized material, copying, collaborating when not authorized, and purchasing or borrowing papers or material from various sources. 

   4. Fabricating (making up) or falsifying (manipulating) data and reporting them in thesis and publications. 

   5. Creating sources, or citations that do not exist

   6. Altering previously evaluated and re-submitting the work for re-evaluation 

   7. Signing another student’s name on an assignment, report, research paper, thesis or attendance sheet

3. Conflict of Interest: A clash of personal or private interests with professional activities can lead to a potential conflict of interest, in diverse activities such as teaching, research, publication, working on committees, research funding and consultancy. It is necessary to protect actual professional independence, objectivity and commitment, and also to avoid an appearance of any impropriety arising from conflicts of interest. Conflict of interest is not restricted to personal financial gain; it extends to a large gamut of professional academic activities including peer reviewing, serving on various committees, which may, for example, oversee funding or give recognition, as well as influencing public Policy. To promote transparency and enhance credibility, potential conflicts of interests must be disclosed in writing to appropriate authorities, so that a considered decision can be made on a case-by-case basis. Some additional information is available also in the section below dealing with resources. 

6.3 Guidelines for academic conduct are provided below to guard against negligence as well as deliberate dishonesty: 

1. Use proper methodology for experiments and computational work. Accurately describe and compile data. 

2. Carefully record and save primary and secondary data such as original pictures, instrument data readouts, laboratory notebooks, and computer folders. There should be minimal digital manipulation of images/photos; the original version should be saved for later scrutiny, if required, and the changes made should be clearly described.

3. Ensure robust reproducibility and statistical analysis of experiments and simulations. It is important to be truthful about the data and not to omit some data points to make an impressive figure (commonly known as “cherry picking”). 

4. Laboratory notes must be well maintained in bound notebooks with printed page numbers to enable checking later during publications or patenting. Date should be indicated on each page. 

5. Write clearly in your own words. It is necessary to resist the temptation to “copy and paste” from the Internet or other sources for class assignments, manuscripts and thesis.

6. Give due credit to previous reports, methods, computer programs, etc. with appropriate citations. Material taken from your own published work should also be cited; as mentioned above, it will be considered self-plagiarism otherwise. 

6.4. Individual and Collective Responsibility: The responsibility varies with the role one plays. 

1. Student roles: Before submitting thesis to the department, the student is responsible for checking the thesis for plagiarism using software that is available on the web. In addition, the student should undertake that he/she is aware of the academic guidelines of the Institution, has checked the document for plagiarism, and that the thesis is original work. A web-check does not necessarily rule out plagiarism. If a student observes or becomes aware of any violations of the academic integrity policy he/she is strongly encouraged to report the misconduct in a timely manner. 

2. Faculty roles: Faculty members should ensure that proper methods are followed for experiments, computations and theoretical developments and that data are properly recorded and saved for future reference. Besides, they should review manuscripts and theses carefully. Faculty members are also responsible for ensuring personal compliance with the above broad issues relating to academic Integrity. Faculty members are expected to inform students of the Institution’s academic integrity policy within their specific courses, ensure minimal academic dishonesty, and respond appropriately and timely to violations of academic Integrity. 

3. Institutional roles: A breach of academic Integrity is a serious offence with long lasting consequences for both the individual and the Institution, and this can lead to various sanctions.