Student Code of Conduct

Article (1)

• Title of Bylaw: Student Code of Conduct
• Effective date: Beginning of Spring 2023
• This decision applies to Qatar University students

Article (2)

The previous Code of Conduct bylaw issued on September 1, 2020 is cancelled by the issuance of this bylaw.

Article (3)

In the implementation of the provisions of this Decision, the following terms and phrases have the meanings ascribed to them:

1. The University: Qatar University (QU).
2. The Board: University Board of Regents.
3. The President: President of Qatar University.
4. The Responsible Vice-President: Vice President of Student Affairs.
5. The Responsible Dean: Dean of the College in which the misconduct occurred
6. The Student: Any student, (male or female) whether enrolled or registered at Qatar University, including the visiting student or registered from another University.
7. The Responsible Authority:  The President or the Vice President, or the Dean as appropriate.
8. The Responsible Director: The director or head of the department in which the misconduct occurred.
9. The Disciplinary Committee: The Disciplinary Committee in Qatar University.
10. Assignments: Academic assignments and short tests that are not mid-term or final exams according to the course syllabus.
11. Departments Responsible for Implementation: Departments designated by the responsible Vice President.
12. University Campus: University's land, facilities, educational venues, halls, laboratories, libraries, gardens, playgrounds, university housing, and others.
13. University Bylaws, Policies and Decisions: Bylaws, policies and decisions issued by the University.
14. Extra-curricular/ Co-Curricular Student Programs: The programs, activities and experiences that the University offers to the student outside the classroom according to specific criteria and outcomes to develop and promote specific aspects of the student.
15. The Staff Member Supervising the Extra-curricular / Co-Curricular program: a staff member from one of the departments under Student Life or as appropriate from other departments or colleges.

Article (4)

Qatar University students are subject to the rules of the code of conduct and disciplinary procedures outlined below.

Article (5)

The student must abide by all the provisions of applicable student bylaws and university policies and regulations and should adhere to the following in particular:

1. Attend lectures, seminars, exams and all forms of educational and academic requirements in accordance with the established student bylaws and university academic policies.
2.  Preserve and maintain the order of the university campus.
3. Collaborate with various Qatar University affiliates, stakeholders and visitors on campus and treat them with respect.
4. Preserve the University’s reputation.
5. Respect the rights of all stakeholders at QU: faculty, students, staff and others.
6. Dress appropriately and according to the University rules and regulations as well as the traditions and norms of the culture.
7.  Safeguard the University’s properties and observe the bylaws and instructions issued regarding their usage.
8. Behave responsibly to maintain one’s own security, health and safety, as well as the safetyand health of others.
9.  Adhere to the instructions of the University security personnel.

Article (6)

Academic violations are breaches of the provisions of the university bylaws, policies, and established regulations, including but not limited to the following cases:

1. Re-submitting the work prepared for one course for another course.
2. Cheating or any attempt of cheating, assisting, or participating in any cheating act during assignments.
3.  Submitting research or assignments written and completed by other students or other persons.
4.  Intentionally disrupting the teaching and learning process in the classroom, or attempting to do so.
5. Falsifying and fabricating any information, figures or quotes.
6. Cheating, trying to cheat, assisting or participating in any cheating during the mid-term or final exams. .
7. Disrupting the examination process or causing a disturbance during the exam.
8. Student impersonation by another student or any other person during an exam, assignment, or any academic activity.
9. Violating the intellectual property rights of others, whether by unauthorized photocopying or undocumented quoting.
10. Forging any documents and information submitted to the University.
11. Possession of a mobile phone or any electronic device during an exam or an assignment without a disclosure to, or prior permission by, responsible proctor, whether it is intentional or unintentional.

Article (7)

Non-academic violations are breaches of the provisions of the university bylaws, policies, and established regulations, including but not limited to the following cases:

1. Organizing an event at the University without a prior approval of the responsible authority.
2.  Collecting donations on campus or from University members, without a prior written approval from the responsible authority at the University.
3. Disrupting or obstructing order on campus.
4. Exploiting university resources, or using the university facilities without a prior approval of the responsible authority at the University or doing so for a purpose other than the authorized intent.
5.  Issuing flyers, newspapers, magazines, or posters, or distributing them on campus, without a prior written approval from the responsible authority at the university.
6. Bringing in, holding, or making any weapons, sharp objects, explosive or flammablematerials on campus.
7. Possessing, using, carrying, or distributing any intoxicating or narcotic substances on campus.
8. Stealing, destroying or causing damage to any of the University’s properties, or harming its members or visitors.
9. Non-observance of traffic rules on campus.
10. Non-compliance with the instructions of the security personnel on campus while performing their duties, or refusing to provide proof of identity whenever requested.
11. Granting and allowing others access to university documents and identities in order to use them illegally.
12. The unjustified presence of male students in the female designated areas, or vice versa.
13. Any abuse, humiliation, or physical, verbal or psychological abuse committed by the student against any of the university members, visitors, or others who are present on campus.
14. Smoking in unauthorized areas.
15. Not adhering to the policies, guidelines, procedures, or instructions for clubs, student organizations, trips, activities, events, and extra-curricular/ Co-Curricular programs organized on or off campus.
16. Disrupting or attempting to disrupt the activities or extra-curricular/ Co-Curricular programs that the university organize or participate in organizing, whether on or off-campus or organized within the University by external parties.
17. Engaging in any activity that violates the university bylaws, policies, and established regulations.
18. Forming organizations, clubs, or associations that carry out activities on campus or joining similar ones without a prior written approval from the responsible authority.
19.  Forging any of the documents or information submitted to the University or using them.
20. Violating University procedures and instructions related to student housing.
21. Wearing inappropriate attire that does not suit university traditions and norms.
22. Providing or declaring any incorrect data or information for any media outlet via any media platform on any of the university affairs.
23. Defaming the university or any of its members on social media or any other means.
24. Displaying pictures, video clips, or audio recordings of any of the university’s members on social media and other electronic means, without taking their consent to do so.
25. Harming the University’s reputation.
26. Every act inconsistent with honor, dignity and ethics, or violates good conduct and behavior inside or outside the University.

Article (8)

Article (9)

Disciplinary actions that may be imposed on the student, in case of committing any of the academic violations, are as follows:

• The student repeats the work in which the violation occurred, or performs any alternative work as determined by the course instructor.
•  The student writes an article reflecting on the negative impact of the violation on his/her university experience.
• Exclude the result of the assignment or examination in which the violation occurred.
•  Verbal warning.
• Exclude the result of some or all of the assignments related to the course.
• Written warning.
• Cancel the registration of the student in the course in which the violation occurred.
• Cancel all the courses registered in the semester in which the violation occurred.
• Receive  a compulsory failing grade in  the course in which the violation, occurred and cancel all the courses registered in the semester in which the violation occurred
• Receive a compulsory failing grade in all courses registered in the semester during which the violation occurred.
• Dismissal from the University for a period not exceeding one semester.
• Dismissal from the University at least one semester, but not more than four semesters
• Suspension of awarding the academic degree for a period not exceeding two semesters.
• Final Dismissal from the University. 
• Denial the awarding of, or revoking,  the academic degree

Article (10)

Graduate students shall be subject to final expulsion from the University in cases of cheating or attempting to cheat as specified in Article (6).

Article (11)

Disciplinary actions that may be imposed on the student, in case of committing non-academic violations, are as follows:

• The student writes an article reflecting on the negative impact of the violation on the his/her university experience.
• The student repeats the work or assignment in which the violation occurred, or be assigned alternative work as determined by the supervisor of the Extra curricular/ Co-Curricular program in which the violation occurred.
• Verbal Warning
• Canceling the award of the extra-curricular/ Co-Curricular record or revoking it from the student record.
• Temporary suspension from participation in one or more of the student activities.
• Temporary suspension from scholarship qualification.
• Written warning
• Temporary or permanent exclusion from the student employment program.
• Disqualification from permanent or temporary student housing privileges, or the cancellation of the residency in the housing facility and vacating such facility in cases of use.
• Dismissal from the university for a period of no less than the remainder of the semester and not exceeding one semester, while preserving the right by the responsible authority to take any appropriate disciplinary action related to registered courses.
•  Dismissal from the university for more than one semester, but not more than four semesters.
• Suspension of awarding the academic degree for a period not exceeding two semesters.
• Final dismissal from the university

Article (12)

Without prejudice to the provisions of Article (11) of these Bylaws, if the student causes the loss or damage of any of the university’s properties, he/she must pay the value of what is lost or damaged.

Article (13)

A faculty member may exclude any student from the classroom if the student disrupts the class or commits any action that would disrupt or obstruct the teaching and learning process of the lecture.

Article (14)

The supervisor of the  extra-curricular / Co-Curricular program may exclude any student from the activities training areas or the place where the program is conducted  if the student disrupts the order during the program or takes any action that would disrupt or obstruct the course of the program.

Article (15)

In the event of repeated violations of these Bylaws, the university has the right to increase the disciplinary action commensurate with the nature of the violation. The authority to impose such disciplinary actions lies in the hand of the responsible Vice President.

Article (16)

It is permissible, with the approval of the responsible Vice President, to notify the college, or the complaining entity, or the guardian of the student of the violation committed and the disciplinary action taken.

Article (17)

The president, upon the recommendation of the responsible Vice President, may reconsider a final expulsion decision.

Article (18)

The responsibility to consider academic violations varies according to the following: The course instructor may consider academic violations in clauses (1) to (3) of Article (6) of these Bylaws and take the appropriate action accordingly. The responsible dean of the college may consider academic violations that fall within the powers of the course instructor in addition to clauses (4) to (5) of Article (6) and take the appropriate action in coordination with the Student Affairs Committee of the relevant college. The President of the University and the responsible Vice-President may consider all academic violation clauses listed in Article (6) of these Bylaws.

Article (19)

The responsibility to impose disciplinary action for academic violations varies according to the type of violation and is as follows:

• The course instructor is to impose any of the penalties stipulated in clauses (1) to (3) of Article (9) of these Bylaws.
• The responsible dean may impose any of the penalties stipulated in clauses (1) to (6) of Article (9) of these Bylaws based on the recommendations of the Student Affairs Committee at the College.
• In the event of repeated violations, the student case shall be referred to the responsible Vice President even if the case falls under the authority of the dean or other responsible authorities.
•  Responsible Vice President may close the case or impose any of the penalties stipulated in clauses (1) to (12) of Article (9) of these Bylaws upon the recommendation of the Disciplinary Committee.
• The president has the right to close the case or impose any of the penalties stipulated in clauses (1) to (15) of Article (9) of these Bylaws based on the recommendations of the responsible Vice President.

Article (20)

In the event a student misconduct case is referred to the university disciplinary committee, the student’s instructor is required to defer the submission of the grade on banner until a final decision pertaining to the case has been rendered by the Vice President for Student Affairs. In the event the student is graduating, the graduation process is suspended until the investigation is completed and a final decision has been reached.  

Article (21)

The Director of Campus Security, or anyone designated by him, shall investigate non-academic violations described in Article 7 in these bylaws, including collecting information, verifying facts, and  providing evidence related to the violation while complying with all the stipulated process described in Article 35 in these Bylaws pertaining to the full cooperation with the office or the Vice President for Student Affairs in such cases. 

The supervisor of the extra-curricular/ Co-Curricular program may investigate non-academic violations in Articles 15 to 18, and may impose any of the penalties appropriate to the violation.  The President of the University and the responsible Vice President may consider non-academic violations in all clauses of Article (7) of these Bylaws.  

Article (22)

The responsibility mandated to impose disciplinary action for non-academic violations varies according to the type of violation and is as follows:

• The responsible supervisor of the extra-curricular/ Co-Curricular program may impose any of the penalties stipulated in clauses (1) to (5) of Article (11) of these Bylaws.
• The responsible Vice President may close the case or impose any of the penalties stipulated in clauses (1) to (12) of Article (11) of these Bylaws, or refer the case to the Disciplinary Committee.
•  The president may close the case  or impose any of the penalties stipulated in clauses (1) to (13) of Article (11) of these Bylaws based on the recommendations of the responsible Vice President.

Article (23)

The student may appeal the disciplinary decision issued by the Disciplinary Committee within ten (10) working days to an appeal committee mandated by the president. The committee shall decide on the appeal within a period not exceeding ten (10) working days during the Fall and Spring semesters from the date of its submission. If the student does not file an appeal within the designated period, the decision against him or her shall be final. The student has the right to appeal a disciplinary action decision issued by the instructor to the responsible dean, and similarly, a decision issued by the dean maybe appealed to the responsible Vice president. 

Article (24)

The Disciplinary Committee is mandated with investigating the cases referred to it by the responsible Vice-President, and issues its recommendations for the appropriate disciplinary action.

Article (25)

The Disciplinary Committee shall be comprised of five members, two of whom shall be QU  faculty members and at least one from the Student Affairs sector. The committee shall have a secretary who records its minutes of meetings but does not have the right to vote.

The members of the committee and the secretary shall be appointed upon a decision issued by the President following the recommendation from the responsible Vice-President.

Article (26)

The convening of the Disciplinary Committee is not valid unless attended by at least three members. The Committee issues its recommendation by a majority of votes. In the event of a tie, the opinion of the team with whom the Chairman of the Committee voted is likely.

In the event that one of the committee members or its Chairman is absent or exempted for any reason, the committee shall notify the responsible Vice-President within three working days, and accordingly should be chaired by the faculty member whose appointment with QU is the longest.

Article (27):

Membership of the Disciplinary Committee is a two-year renewable term for one or more identical periods. The Committee will continue with its duties until a new committee is formed by the President.

Article (28):

Meetings of the Committee are confidential. The Committee issues its recommendations after fully studying and examining the submitted violation.

Article (29):

The student to whom the violation is attributed must attend the investigation hearings and the disciplinary meetings to which he or she is called.

Article (30):

The Disciplinary Committee may hold the student accountable in absentia and impose the appropriate penalty on him/her if they fail to attend the disciplinary meetings without an acceptable excuse.  The student shall be notified of the penalty in writing via e-mail.

Article (31):

The committee may question and cross-examine the student and review all the documents it deems necessary for the investigation even if they are confidential.

Article (32):

The recommendations of the committee shall be justified and signed by Committee Chair and members and sent to the responsible Vice-President for the required action.

Article (33):

• If a student commits an academic violation, the faculty member shall document the violation in the relevant form and shall include all the details related to the incident.
• In the event where a violation occurs in the exam room, the proctor shall document the violation in the relevant form and shall include all the details related to the incident and send it to the instructor of the course .
• The instructor of the course shall notify the Head of the Department within two working days, including all details and actions taken. If the faculty assigns a disciplinary penalty according to the powers entrusted to him in these Bylaws, then all the related documents shall be referred to the dean's office to take the necessary action.
•  The Head of the Department shall refer the case to the responsible dean within two working days from the date of receiving the violation.

Article (34):

• In the event, the violation falls within the dean’s responsibilities as described in these Bylaws, the responsible dean shall refer the case to  the Student Affairs Committee in the college to conduct the appropriate investigation into what is attributed to the student, and provides a report describing the outcomes of the investigation to the dean.
• The responsible dean shall recommend the appropriate penalty after reviewing the report of the Student Affairs Committee in the college, provided that the penalty falls within the powers entrusted to him/her in Article (19). If the penalty does not fall within his/her powers, he/she must refer the case to the responsible Vice-President within three working days from the date of receiving the report from the Student Affairs Committee in the college. 
•  If the responsible dean recommends disciplinary penalty in accordance with the powers entrusted to him/her by these Bylaws, all documents related to the case shall be referred to the responsible Vice-President. The responsible Vice-President may approve the recommendation of the dean or refer the report to the University Disciplinary Committee.

Article (35):

• In the event that the student commits a non-academic violation, the supervising employee shall document the violation using the appropriate form, and shall include all the details related to the incident.
• The supervising employee shall, within one working day,  notify the responsible manager of the violation and its relevant details.
• In collabartation with the Office of Vice President for Student Affairs, the responsible manager shall prepare a detailed report of the violation that includes all the relavent details, the circumstances of the incident, and a student status evaluation.
• In the event that the nature of the violation requires questioning the stduent in person , the Director of  Campus  Security Services shall immediately notify the designated representatives of the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and ensure their  presence during such process . All minutes and records of such investigation from the hearing  shall be forwarded to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs after ensuring that all the precadures and actions undertaken comply  with Article (38) of these Bylaws .
• Without prejudice to the provisions of the law in the State of Qatar, in the event that a female student is referred for investigation  , there must be a female member present from the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, who is authorized to do so, and as the circumstances require.
• The responsible manager  shall refer the student to whom the violation is attributed, to the Vice President for Student Affairs within two working days from the date the case was presented to the responsible manager.
• The Vice President for Student Affairs has the right to reconsider any action taken, based on the powers or authority vested in him/her.

Article (36):

The responsible Vice President has the right to close the case or refer the student to whom the violation is attributed to the Disciplinary Committee within three working days from the date of the referral of the incident.

Article (37):

If the violation occurs during the fall and spring semesters, the Disciplinary Committee shall start investigating the details of the incident within five working days from the date on which it receives the violation and take the appropriate action in accordance with these Bylaws or recommend dismissal of complaint.

If the violation occurs during the final examinations of the Spring semester or during the Summer semester, the committee shall issue the necessary recommendations during the last week of the semester if possible in case it received it before the summer vacation.

However, the committee shall convene a session at the beginning of the fall semester and issue the necessary recommendations before the last day of the add and drop period. The responsible Vice president has the right to extend the investigation time limit stipulated by this Article to an additional period or as needed even till after the add and drop period, if necessary.  

Article (38):

Before initiating the investigation with the student, the he or she must be notified about the accusations attributed to him/her in a written summon that includes the following information:

• Triple or quadrant name.
• Student QUID number or personal ID number.
• Student’s college
•  Subject of the committed violation
•  The responsible authority that decided to refer the student to investigation and the date of the decision.
• Date and place of the investigation, provided that the period for starting the investigation does not exceed ten working days from the date of receiving the decision of referral to investigation and the responsible Vice President may extend another period and beyond as required.

Article (39):

In the case the violation falls with the responsibility of the dean, no penalty, beyond the course instructor’s authority, shall be imposed on a student unless  the student has been questioned by the responsible college  Student Affairs Committee, or the Disciplinary Committee in case the violation was referred to the Vice President for Student Affairs.

In the event that the student refuses to receive the summon request or declines to respond to it, the summons request is documented and included in the investigation file.

Article (40):

The University Disciplinary Committee has the right to take the necessary measures to ensure the integrity of the investigation including the following steps:

• Examining the records and documents, confirming this in the proceedings, providing commentary on every page it examines while confirming the date of the case review.
• Requesting copies of any evidence as long as neither the investigation nor the public interest require the preservation of the original copies of such evidence.

Article (41):

The investigation must be documented in formal minutes and filed by a serial number that shall include date, time, place, investigator’s name; referral decision and its issuing authority;  referred student’s name, age, place of residence and college; summary of the incident under investigation; statements of witnesses; viewed documents; date and time at which the session completed. Furthermore, all pages of the investigation shall be recorded and documented by a signature of the committee members and all involved individuals.

Article (42):

The responsible Vice President Office shall notify the referred student with a copy of the referral decision and the date and time of the investigation via  the student email account assigned by Qatar University , or by text message to the student's registered phone at the university, at least one working day before the investigation scheduled date. The notification may be provided to the student at his college in person, if needed.

In the event of violations that are referred to the Disciplinary Committee at the end of the semester without enough time to process them before the academic vacation, the student may be summoned to appear before the Disciplinary Committee at the start of academic semester for faculty members.

Article (43):

Any student summoned to deliver his or her  testimony in the investigation and refrains from appearing or refrains from providing any information he/she has, without an acceptable excuse, he/she  will be subject to disciplinary action  if his/her testimony is substantial to the completion of the investigation. Relatives of the accused student up to the fourth degree are excluded from testifying.

Article (44):

If, through the investigation, it was found that there is a suspicion of committing a crime, the matter must be brought to the President to inform the Public Prosecution. Notifying the Public Prosecution does not jeopardize the University’s right to impose disciplinary penalty for what has been proven against the student to whom the violation is attributed, unless the disciplinary penalty is pending on the outcome of the criminal case.

Article (45):

The investigation period begins from the date of the student's referral to the investigation and ends with the preparation of a final report on the results of the investigation, which includes the recommendations of the University Disciplinary Committee to the responsible authority to either close the case or take the appropriate disciplinary action.

The investigation period shall not exceed 30 working days, but it may be extended for another period with the approval of the responsible Vice President.

Article (46):

The decision to take disciplinary action against the student must be legally justified. 

Article (47):

No more than one penalty shall be imposed for a single violation.

Article (48):

The responsible Vice-President shall notify the student and the responsible departments for implementation of the penalty decision signed in writing, within three working days from the date of its issuance.

Article (49):

Investigation documents and penalties shall be kept in the students’ files, and a record of penalties shall be kept in the same file including all details of all the violations and penalties imposed on them and the dates and reference numbers of decisions effecting those penalties.

If the investigation resulted in the participation of more than one student in committing the violation, it is sufficient to keep the investigation papers in the file of the first violator, and a copy of the original thereof in the files of the other students.

Article (50):

All concerned parties are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of investigations and interrogation procedures.

Article (51):

The right to disciplinary investigation shall expire in two years from the date the student commits the violation; however, such a statute of limitation shall be interrupted by investigation procedures or referral of the student to disciplinary investigation. In such case, the period shall be re-calculated from the date of the last action taken regarding the violation. If there are multiple persons referred to disciplinary investigation, interruption of the period applicable to one of them shall also be applicable to the others, even if no measures have been taken against them during the period in question.

Nevertheless, if the act constitutes a crime, the right to disciplinary investigation shall not be forfeited unless the criminal case is dropped. Disciplinary measures shall cease  upon the death of the student.

Article (52):

The student is not allowed to drop or withdraw from the course in which the violation occurred  or from the semester during which the violation occurred except after a final decision has been issued by the responsible  authority. In the event that the course is withdrawn or dropped by the student, the University has the right to re-register the student in the same course, and apply the penalty issued against him/her.

Article (53):

Violations, investigations and disciplinary records shall be kept in confidential records in the office of the responsible Vice-President throughout the student’s study period, and for a period of six years after graduation or cessation of study.

Article (54):

All provisions and policies of these Bylaws apply to all residents in student housing in addition to the existing and approved polices and procedures developed by the Student Housing Department. 

Non-Academic Violation of Student Code of Conduct Form

Academic Violation of Student Code of Conduct Form