Students’ rights, and what is expected from the University of Guyana community

Mar 16, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
The University of Guyana (UG) is an institution which encourages the intellectual and personal growth of its students as scholars and citizens.
As an educational institution, UG recognises that the transmission of knowledge, the pursuit of truth, and the development of individuals require the free exchange of ideas, self-expression, and the challenging of beliefs and customs.
In order to maintain an environment where these goals can be achieved safely and equitably, UG promotes civility, respect, and integrity among all members of the community. Students are expected to exhibit high standards of behaviour and concern for others.
The University strives to protect and guide the educational community by establishing a Student Code of Conduct and student judicial system, which promote individual and social responsibility. Choosing to join the UG community obligates each member to a code of civilized behaviour. Individuals and student organisations are expected to observe the policies, rules, and regulations of UG. University policies have been designed to protect individuals and the campus community and create an environment conducive to achieving the academic mission of the institution. The purpose of the Student Code of Conduct is to set forth the specific authority and responsibility of the University in maintaining social discipline, to establish guidelines which facilitate a just and civil campus community, and to outline the educational process for determining student and student organisation responsibility for alleged violations of University regulations.
This judicial process will follow established procedures for insuring fundamental fairness and an educational experience that facilitates the development of the individual and of the organisation.
Student Rights
· The right of respect for personal feelings, freedom from indignity, and to expect an education of the highest quality.
· The right to participate in self governing student bodies which provide channels of communication and means for using democratic processes to solve problems.
· The constitutional rights of freedom of expression and assembly.
· The right of freedom to hear and participate in dialogue and to examine diverse views and ideas.
· The right of freedom to write and distribute printed material for reasons that are not commercial without the exercise of prior restraint.
· The constitutional rights of freedom of the press for all student publications.
· The right of due process in disciplinary procedure in accordance with rules of procedures prescribed in the Student Code of Conduct.
Student Responsibilities
· The responsibility of assuming the consequence of one’s own actions. The responsibility for knowledge of and observance of established University policies presented in official University publications.
· The responsibility that free discussions represent the scholarly nature of an academic community.
· The responsibility for filing a statement of intent to make such distribution of printed material subject to the Student Code of Conduct.
· The responsibility to exercise journalistic ethics. The responsibility to insure that no student organisation, constitution or other organisational document includes discriminatory clauses pertaining to race, creed, religion, colour, sex, national origin, disability or sexual orientation.
· The responsibility for becoming acquainted with the University Catalog, Student Guide and other publications.
Honesty, integrity, and caring are essential qualities of an educational institution, and the concern for values and ethics is important to the whole educational experience. Individual students, faculties and staff members, as well as the University’s formal organisations must assume responsibility for these qualities. The concern for values and ethics should be expressed in classes, seminars, laboratories, and, in fact, in all aspects of University life. By definition, the University community includes members of the faculty, staff, and administration as well as students.
Education at UG is not an ethically neutral experience. The University stands for, and seeks to inculcate, high standards. Moreover, the concern for values goes well beyond the observance of rules.
A university is a place where self-expression, voicing disagreement, and challenging outmoded customs and beliefs are prized and honored. However, all such expressions and challenges need to be civil, manifesting respect and concern for others.
As a major sector in the community, students are expected to follow the University’s rules and regulations that, by design, seek to promote an atmosphere of learning. The other sectors, faculty, staff, and administration, are expected to provide encouragement and leadership as well as example.
Faculty members have a duty to promote honest behaviour and to avoid practices and environments that foster cheating in their classes. Teachers should encourage students to bring negative conditions or incidents of dishonesty to their attention. In their own work, teachers should practice the same high standards they expect from their students.
As highly visible members of our academic community, administrators should be ever vigilant to promote academic honesty and conduct their lives in an ethically exemplary manner.
While the University seeks to educate and encourage, it also has a responsibility to restrict any behaviour that adversely affects others or is contrary to the pursuit of knowledge.
The purpose of this letter is to summarize what is expected of the members of the University community.
Ganesh Mahipaul
UGSS – Executive Council Member

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