ABSTRACT
The very nature of the university–its ethos–is the surest touchstone for defining student misconduct and determining responses to it. Every important campus constituency should be involved in discussing how students are expected to conduct themselves, and should come away with a clear understanding of the guiding principles that underlie those expectations. Students should be encouraged to focus not on a list of do’s and don’ts but on the principles that they need to grasp in order to determine for themselves, in any setting, what is the right thing to do. While it is important to know what the usual kinds of student misconduct are, it is also true that each case will require its own analysis to determine the nature of the misconduct and who and what an appropriate response to it will involve. The mission of the university is to teach its students, and they may learn the most important lessons of all by grappling with matters of principle, moving from principle to practice, and developing in the process the habit of thoughtful reflection on issues of importance.
