Community Standards and Policy Overview

Middlebury College's community standards reflect our commitment to the following goals:

• developing the life of the mind in the fullest sense through learning in and out of the classroom;
• fostering integrity, honesty, and respect for all individuals and for our shared environment;
• encouraging personal and intellectual growth;
• cultivating an awareness of responsibility and accountability to self and others;
• promoting healthy, safe and balanced lifestyles;
• building and maintaining a diverse, vibrant and inclusive community where conflict is navigated through a commitment to civility, open-mindedness and finding common ground.

Therefore, a balance of individual development and community health and safety guides the College's approach to all academic and residential endeavors, and to the policies that support those endeavors.

This balance additionally guides the College’s approach to addressing policy violations.  The deans and judicial boards consider the totality of a student’s history, the impact on community, and the specific circumstances of the event when determining appropriate responses to policy violations. Consistent with the cultivation of an awareness of responsibility and accountability, students found in violation of College  policies and/or participating in prohibited acts will be held responsible, will be subject to College discipline, and/or will be charged for fines and associated costs (such as materials or labor costs for repairs; cost of impoundment; restitution, etc.) as appropriate. As with all College fees, students with unpaid charges may be restricted from registering for classes until their accounts are in order. Please see “General Disciplinary Processes” and “Fines” for more information.

In addition to fostering the growth of its individual students, Middlebury College recognizes its obligation to promote the welfare of the College community as a whole and to take appropriate action when that welfare is jeopardized. To that end, the College reserves the right, notwithstanding and apart from the procedures described under General Disciplinary Processes, on an emergency basis, to suspend, dismiss, or require to withdraw any student whose presence is determined by College authorities (the dean of the College; the dean of students, the vice president for Language Schools, Schools Abroad and Graduate Programs; the director of the Bread Loaf School of English; or the director of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, as appropriate) to pose a danger to self, the College community, or its members, or to be unduly disruptive of College life. Should the student be readmitted to the College, the matter must be resolved either before the student's return, or immediately upon the student's return. The College recognizes that its students are citizens of larger communities - local, state, and federal -and should enjoy the same rights of petition and freedoms of speech and peaceful assembly that other citizens enjoy. Faculty and administrative officials should ensure that College authority is not used to inhibit that intellectual and personal growth of students, fostered by the exercise of the rights of citizenship, both on and off campus.

Scope of Oversight

Students will be held accountable for policy violations that take place between the time they first arrive on campus to begin their Middlebury program and their graduation, or the College's confirmation of their withdrawal. Conduct that takes place on or near Middlebury College premises or property; occurs at or in connection with a Middlebury College-related event; or occurs off-campus but adversely affects or could reasonably be expected to adversely affect the Middlebury College community and/or the pursuit of its objectives, is subject to the College disciplinary process.

Ordinarily, a student will not be permitted to graduate, or to withdraw with the expectation of returning to the College, while a disciplinary matter is pending; both processes will be held in abeyance until the matter is resolved. If a student nevertheless withdraws with a disciplinary matter pending, the withdrawal will be considered a resignation from Middlebury, and the student will have given up any opportunity to return to the College. Notation thereof will be made in the student's permanent file.  In extraordinary circumstances, however, the Judicial Affairs Officer may, after appropriate consultation and following a review of the case and consideration of the College's best interests, grant permission for a student to withdraw from the College when a disciplinary matter is pending. Should the student be readmitted to the College, the disciplinary matter must be resolved either before the student's return, or immediately upon the student's return.