Exclusion of Disruptive Students

The successful conduct of a course depends upon a spirit of mutual respect and cooperation among its participants. If a student disrupts a class in such a way that it seriously compromises the educational experience of the course for other students and/or prevents the instructor from accomplishing the goals of the course as outlined in the syllabus, the instructor may require the student to leave the class meeting. The student's academic dean will be notified of this action. The following process will then be implemented as necessary and appropriate:

1. The student may not return to the course until the matter has been resolved. It is expected that the instructor and the student will meet to discuss and agree upon the conditions under which the student may return to the course. These conditions will be set out in writing and the student's academic dean will receive a copy of them.
2. If the disruptive behavior continues in spite of this agreement, or if the instructor and the student fail to reach an agreement, the matter is referred to the student's academic dean who will begin the process of removing the student from the course. If the student is permanently excluded from the course, the instructor will assign a grade of W.
3. If the student wishes to appeal his or her exclusion from a course, the appeal is to be directed to the Senior Associate Dean of Trinity College or the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education in the Pratt School of Engineering, who serve as the academic appellate officer. The decision of the Associate Dean in such a case is final.
4. The student's academic dean may also refer the matter to the Office of Student Coduct, which will determine whether the student should be formally charged with violation of University policies such as "Classroom Disruption," "Disorderly Conduct," and/or "Failure to Comply."

Last updated: June 21, 2012