Preamble:

As an educational institution, Guilford is committed to supporting the ideals and standards that help create a constructive and healthy learning community.  That requires, among other things, encouraging positive classroom behaviors, discouraging disruptive classroom behaviors, and setting clear standards for both of those things.

Constructive classroom behaviors are those that support learners and teachers in an environment that promotes trust, respect, and collaborative learning.

Disruptive classroom behaviors are those that undermine or interfere with the abilities to learn and to teach.  Clear examples of disruptive behaviors include, but are not limited to:  engaging in disrespectful, offensive, or threatening speech; interrupting others or persistently speaking out of turn; distracting the class from the subject matter or discussion at hand; making unauthorized recordings or photos of a class meeting or discussion (except as permitted as part of ADA-mandated accommodations); and in extreme cases, any physical threat, physical, psychological, or sexual harassment or ridicule, or abusive act towards a student, staff member, or instructor in a classroom or related setting.

Policy:

Although disruptive classroom behavior is not common, it can seriously harm a student’s or instructor’s sense of trust and even safety when it occurs, even when it occurs unintentionally.  For that reason, individual faculty members and academic departments may define both constructive and disruptive behavior requirements in their particular courses.  The instructor determines which  classroom behavior is disruptive.  They will include a description of disruptive conduct, and consequences for disruptive behavior, in their syllabi.  Those consequences may include:

• 1st incident, depending on severity:  Private discussion between the instructor and the student(s) about the behavior and why it was disruptive, and agreement about how best to address it.
•  2nd and/or subsequent incidents, depending on severity:  Removing a student from a given class or lab period, preceding or following a private discussion between the instructor and the   student(s) about the behavior and why it was disruptive, and agreement about how best to address it.
• 3rd and/or subsequent incidents, depending on severity:  Having a student immediately administratively withdrawn from the course.

If a student is administratively withdrawn from the course by the published last day to withdraw with a W grade, then the student’s course grade is a W.  If the withdrawal occurs later in the semester,  then the student’s course grade is either a WP (withdrawn passing) or WF (withdrawn failing) grade. A WP has no effect on the cumulative grade-point average, but a WF is calculated into the cumulative grade-point average as a zero. No tuition refunds will be granted for administrative withdrawals, other than those allowable under already-published policies.

The Provost’s Office will provide support and consultation to students and instructors as needed.