Classroom Behavior

Occasionally, faculty members will find that students behave in an instructional environment in a manner that is either potentially or blatantly disruptive to the learning environment. Many faculty members are unclear about how to address behavioral issues and when the behavior should be turned over to the Dean of Students Office. The three primary things to consider include:

1. Contact Security if the situation poses any immediate threat to you or to other students.
2. Faculty members may not withdraw a student from class for behavioral reasons, but they can ask a student to leave class/lab for the remainder of a class period if the behavior is disrupting the normal operations of the classroom or lab environment. If a student is asked to leave class for that day, this should be immediately reported to the Dean of Students Office for appropriate follow-up with the student.
3. Behavioral misconduct that may constitute a violation of the Student Code of Conduct should be documented (for future use by the Dean of Students Office if a referral results), and should be addressed (preferably in private before or after class) with the student to ensure the student understands your expectations.
4. If a student's behavior escalates or continues to be pervasive even after is is addressed, the Dean of Students Office should be notified and an incident report detailing the specific behavioral concerns should be provided.
5. The Student Code of Conduct Incident Report Form (78 kb) downloadable from this page is an optional form designed to provide clear instruction on reporting possible Student Code of Conduct violations.