Section III: Jurisdiction

Students at Texas Wesleyan University are provided a copy of the Code of Student Conduct annually in the form of a link on the www.txwes.edu website.  Hard copies are available upon request from the Dean of Students office located in the Brown-Lupton Student Center.  Students are responsible for reading and abiding by the provisions of the Code.

The Code of Student Conduct and the student conduct process apply to the conduct of individual students, both undergraduate and graduate, and all University student groups.  For the purposes of student conduct, Texas Wesleyan University considers an individual to be a student when an offer of admission has been extended and thereafter as long as the student has a continuing educational interest in the University. 

Texas Wesleyan University retains conduct jurisdiction over students who choose to take a leave of absence, withdraw, or have graduated for any misconduct that occurred prior to the leave, withdrawal, or graduation. If sanctioned, a hold may be placed on the student’s ability to re-enroll, obtain official transcripts, and/or graduate and all sanctions must be satisfied prior to re-enrollment eligibility.  In the event of serious misconduct committed while still enrolled, but reported after the accused student has graduated, Texas Wesleyan University may invoke these procedures and should the former student be found responsible, the University may revoke that student’s degree.

The Code of Student Conduct applies to behaviors that take place on campus, at University-sponsored events, and may also apply off-campus when the Dean of Students determines that the off-campus conduct affects a substantial University interest.  A substantial University interest is defined to include:

• Any situation where it appears that the student’s conduct may present a danger or threat to the health or safety of him/herself or others; and/or
• Any situation that significantly impinges upon the rights, property or achievements of self or others or significantly breaches the peace and/or causes social disorder; and/or
• Any situation that is detrimental to the educational mission and/or interests of the University.

The Code of Student Conduct may be applied to behavior conducted online, via email, or other electronic medium. Students should be aware that all online postings are in the public sphere and are not private. These postings can subject a student to allegations of student conduct violations if evidence of policy violations is posted online. The University does not regularly search for this information but may take action if, and when, such information is brought to the attention of University officials.  However, most online speech by students not involving Texas Wesleyan University networks or technology will be protected as free expression and not subject to the Code of Student Conduct, with two notable exceptions:

• A true threat, defined as “a threat a reasonable person would interpret as a serious expression of intent to inflict bodily harm upon specific individuals”;
• Speech posted online about the University or its community members that causes a significant on-campus disruption.

The Code of Student Conduct applies to guests of community members.  Hosts may be held accountable for the misconduct of their guests.  The Code may also be applied to resident non-students, campers, and high school bridge/extension/partner/dual-credit and continuing education programs by contractual agreements.Visitors to and guests of the University may seek resolution of violations of the Code committed against them by members of the University community.

There is no time limit on reporting violations of the Code; however, the longer someone waits to report an offense, the harder it becomes for University officials to obtain information and witness statements and to make determinations regarding alleged violations.

Though anonymous complaints to the student conduct process are permitted, doing so may limit the University’s ability to investigate and respond to a complaint. Those who are aware of misconduct are encouraged to report it as quickly as possible to the Dean of Students office and/or Campus Security. 

Reports can be filed at www.txwes.edu/report.

Texas Wesleyan University email (@txwes.edu) is the University’s primary means of communication with students. Students are responsible for all communication delivered to their University email address.