September 4, 2020
Dear SUNY Potsdam Student:
You are a valued member of our College community. And every community member has a responsibility for conducting themselves in a manner consistent with our campus values as outlined in the Potsdam Pledge.
BEAR COVID-19 Pledge
All students are expected to complete the short COVID-19 training developed by faculty from the Department of Public Health and Human Performance by clicking on the "Mandatory Student COVID-19 Training" link located at the top of the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards webpage. By progressing though the pages of the training site and completing short quizzes students will learn about important COVID-19 related topics. On the final page please be sure to click the "Take the BEAR Pledge" link to be taken to the SUNY Potsdam BEAR COVID-19 pledge and sign the pledge. Students are expected to practice social (physical) distancing, wear a face mask/covering at all times and practice good personal hygiene. It is important that all students complete the training and sign the pledge to learn about ways we can keep each other safe and healthy.
Students should also complete the daily COVID symptoms tracker which can be found by following the instructions here.
Student Conduct
Community Rights and Responsibilities is the official code of conduct outlining behavioral expectations for all SUNY Potsdam students. Each student is expected to be familiar with these policies and the procedures for their enforcement. The code applies to all student conduct and behavior, both on and off campus. Please be especially aware of how your behavior might impact our community neighbors who live near the college.
In particular, all students should understand the rules and expectations regarding academic integrity, violence, sexual misconduct, and drug and alcohol use and abuse, as well as the sanctions associated with the violation of any of these policies. Read the Student Code of Conduct.
Hearing board officers work with the Office of Student Conduct to hear cases of students who have been charged with violating campus policies. If you are interested in serving as a student conduct hearing officer, please contact the Office of Student Conduct at studentconduct@potsdam.edu.
TITLE IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a comprehensive federal law that protects people from and prohibits discrimination based on sex in any federally-funded education program or activity. SUNY Potsdam prohibits all forms of sexual discrimination. Incidents should be reported immediately to ensure that the victim/survivor gets the help, resources, and services that they need. The victim/survivor is in full control of what happens next, if anything. They decide if they want to file an official Title IX complaint, if a Title IX investigation happens, and/or if criminal charges will be filed. Even if they don’t wish to pursue a Title IX investigation or criminal charges, students are able to use the resources/services that are available to them such as medical assistance, counseling, advocacy services, safe housing/room change, no contact order, academic support services, safety escorts, etc.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) provides current and former students with the right to inspect and review educational records, the right to seek to amend those records, the right to limit disclosure of information from the records and the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants or students may also waive their rights to inspect confidential letters or statements of recommendation. SUNY Potsdam also may disclose education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. For the complete FERPA policy, please refer to the FERPA webpage.
To learn more about the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, visit: http://www.potsdam.edu/studentlife/studentconduct, call (315) 267-2579 or email studentconduct@potsdam.edu
Sincerely,
Patrick Meldrim
Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards