National Sun Yat-Sen University Student Commendation & Discipline Method (Draft)

Amended and Approved during the 2nd Student Affairs Meeting of 2014-Academic Year on 06-02-2015

Intend to be submitted for discussion during the 1^st University Affairs Meeting of 2015-Academic Year to be held on 10-16-2015

Chapter I        General Guidelines

Article One

This method shall be used for commending and applying disciplinary actions to University students, except of otherwise regulated special instances.  This method has been devised in accordance with University Code Article Thirty-two and NSYSU´s Organization Regulations Article 39.

Article Two

Student Commendations shall be divided into four categories:   Honorable Mention, Merit, Exceptional Merit and Other Commendations.

Article Three

Every three Honorable Mentions received shall equal to receiving one Merit commendation and every three Merit commendations shall equal to one Exceptional Merit commendation.

Article Four    

Disciplinary actions shall be divided into Reprimand, Fault, Grave Fault, Probation and Expelling from University.

Article Five

Every three Reprimands received shall equal to one Fault received and every three Faults received shall be equal to one Grave Fault received.

Chapter II       Commendations

Article Six

An honorable mention shall be attributed to student who has accomplished one of the following:

1.     Has shown great voluntarism spirit and has participated in public services.

2.     Has obtained good results in activities held on and off campus.

3.     Has returned found lost objects of value that belonged to others.

4.     Any other conduct equivalent to any of the above.

Article Seven

A Merit shall be attributed to student who has accomplished one of the following:

1.     Has shown great voluntarism spirit and has a proven track record in public services.

2.     Has obtained very good results in activities held on and off campus.

3.     Was able to act properly when involved in a special incident.

4.       A courageous act of service to others that can be proven factually.

5.       Serviced as officer in student organizations with due diligence and has achieved good results.

6.       Exposed a major harm that has been proven factually.

7.       Achieved good results as organizer of an extracurricular event.

8.       Used creativity or inventiveness for the greater good that can be proven factually.

9.       Any conduct that is equivalent to any of the above.

Article Eight

An Exceptional Merit shall be attributed to student who has accomplished one of the following:

1.     Devoted to public services and has made special contributions to this University that can be proven factually.

2.     Elevated the University reputation by achieving top results while representing the University in events held off-campus. 

3.     A proven act of resolving a dispute that resulted in promoting group unity or maintained public safety.

4.     An especially courageous act that obtained positive outcome.

5.     Exposed a criminal act that has been proven factually.

6.     Took great risk to save another person’s life, from bodily harm or protect valuable property.

7.     Any conduct that is equivalent to any of the above.

Article Nine

Diploma, banner and or medals shall be awarded to honor students whose conducts were exemplary among peers.

Chapter III       Disciplinary Actions

Article Ten

A Reprimand or Fault shall be given to student who committed any of the following acts:

1.     Disrupting class or research sessions, making public disturbance.

2.     Willfully destroying legitimate posters authorized by the University.

3.     Violating University dormitory rules and regulations.

4.     Unauthorized entry into dormitory of opposite gender.

5.     Not wearing helmet when riding motorcycle, not observing lane regulations when driving and violating parking regulations.

6.     Violating campus internet regulations set by the University or by the Ministry of Education.

7.     Proven act of sexual violation or sexual harassment by direct or indirect actions through language, written words, movements, drawing, sounds or images.

8.     Theft of vandalism of public property.

9.     Grave violation of public order or public health.

10.  Theft, falsification or adulteration of another student´s University identification card or University issued parking permit.

11.  Stalking, internet harassment or any other excessively undesirable behaviors that interferes with another person´s life.

12.  Violating smoke-free zoning regulations.

13.  Infringement of intellectual property rights of others.

14.  Lesser violations of examination hall regulations.

15.  Performing intimate acts such as kissing, hugging, touching the breasts, buttocks or any other private body parts against that person´s will.

16.  Interfering University staff while performing duty.

Article Eleven

A Grave Fault shall be given to student committed any of the following acts:

1.     Involving in a physical fight.

2.     Proven to have committed any fraudulent act in exam such as imposing as another student, changing seating order without authorization, copying answers, peeping other´s exam sheets, exchanging notes or conversing with others, peeping at books, sneaking in notes, showing exam sheets to others.

3.     Proven to have used illegal substances or medicine on campus.

4.     Committed theft.

5.     Using University internet services to commit illegal actions.

6.     Proven to have committed direct or indirect sexual violation to other causing psychological and physical harm to that person.

Article Twelve

Student who meets any of the following two conditions shall be put on probation:

1.     Received two Grave Faults and two Faults within one semester.

2.     Caused harm to other due to student´s illegal behavior.

Undergraduate student on probation shall receive a conduct score of 60 points for the semester; post-graduate student on probation shall receive a final semester score of 70 points.

Article Thirteen

Student shall be expelled from University for the following:

1.     Received three Grave Faults.

2.     Committed fault during probation period.

3.     Grave criminal act(s) confirmed by the judicial court.

Chapter IV        Commendation and Disciplinary Procedure

Article Fourteen

Written recommendation form detailing the facts of a student´s positive or negative action shall be submitted by proper University staff to Living Guidance Section to process the case.

Article Fifteen

Recommendations for attributing an Honorable Mention, Merit or Fault shall go through the involved student´s advisor, the head of the department/institution, Living Guidance Section and to the dean of Student Affairs for final approval.  Approved commendation attribution shall be announced publicly. The involved student shall be notified by writing of approved disciplinary action against the student.

Article Sixteen

Recommendations for Exceptional Merit or Grave Fault shall be reviewed by the Student Affairs Meeting and receive final approval from the president of the University before public announcement.  Student and parents or legal guardian shall receive written notification of attribution of a Grave Fault.

Article Seventeen

Any commendation or disciplinary action, beside recommendations made based on rules stated in Chapters II and III, Student Affairs shall also take into consideration factors such as the involved student´s age, class year, motive and purpose, attitude and means, action taken and consequences.  Student Affairs could recommend to the president of the University a change in the commendation/disciplinary action category.

Article Eighteen

In order to protect the rights and interests of students, when a Student Affairs meeting is called to review a recommendation/disciplinary case, beside the head of college/department/institution, attending professor and other involved persons, the student in question and student representatives shall also be notified to be present at the review meeting and to be given opportunity to make his/her case.

Article Nineteen

Student(s) that received a reprimand or a fault attribution shall be given the opportunity to revoke the attribution by taking part in the University´s “Make it Right Good Deed” program:

1.     Student that received a reprimand or a fault attribution can apply to this program with Living Guidance Section within 20 days of the attribution announcement.

2.     Student that has received a reprimand can make-up with committing to 8 hours of public labor service; to rectify a fault attribution shall require 24 hours of public labor service.

3.     The public labor service must be concluded before the semester finals begin or it will be deemed invalid.  Under special circumstances the student can ask for an extension to Student Affairs.

4.     A Grave Fault attribution cannot be revoked by performing good deeds.  Student Affairs shall review and decide on exceptional cases.

5.     The “Make it Right with Good Deeds” can only be used once per academic year by the student.

6.     The disciplinary action attribution can only be revoked after the good deeds performance record has been authorization by dean of Student Affairs.  Once revoked, the attribution shall no longer be reflected on the student´s record and no points shall be deducted from the student´s conduct score because of it.

Article Twenty

Student can appeal to Student Appeals Review Board in accordance with University regulations if he/she believes that the disciplinary action received was unfair or has damaged the student´s individual rights.

Chapter V       Supplementary Provisions

Article Twenty-one

All commendations and disciplinary actions received by student during his/her time registered at the University are accumulative and one cannot cancel the other.  Exceptional cases shall be reviewed during Student Affairs meetings.

Article Twenty-Two

Student returning to University after leave of absence or temporary drop-out, his/her previous conduct record shall still be valid.

Article Twenty-Three

Points shall be attributed to or deducted from the student´s total conduct score accordingly based on the student´s semester conduct record at the end of each semester.

Article Twenty-Four

Victims of any of the acts stated in Chapter III that have legal implications, have the right to take legal action against the student perpetrator.

Article Twenty-Five

The notifications, resolutions on disciplinary action taken into account the investigation results of Gender Equity Education Committee shall all be processed in conformity with relevant laws and regulations on all cases involving student(s) in sexual assault, sexual harassment or bullying.  In addition, the disciplinary and counseling mechanism and the fact determination process shall all be in conformity with Articles 25 and 35 of the Equal Education Law.

Article Twenty-Six

This method shall be passed by the University Affairs Meeting and signed into effect by the president of the University.  A copy shall be submitted to the Ministry of Education for reference.  The same procedure shall apply to future revisions.

 (This document contains five chapters and twenty-six articles in total)