Student’s Grievance Redressal Portal

CODE OF ETHICS AND CONDUCT ALONG WITH STANDARD PROCEDURES

PREAMBLE

This Handbook indicates the standard procedures and practices of the Shahajiraje Mahavidyalaya, Khatav (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Institute’) for all students enrolling with the Institute for pursuing varied courses. All students must know that it is incumbent upon them to abide by this Code of Ethics and Conduct (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Code’) and the rights, and responsibilities including the restrictions flowing from it.

That the Institute’s endeavor through enforcing this Code is to pioneer and administer a student discipline process that is egalitarian, conscientious, effectual, and expeditious; and to provide a system that promotes student growth through individual and collective responsibility.

All Students are requested to be well conversant with this Code, which can be also reviewed on the official website of the Institute

JURISDICTION

2.1 The Institute shall have jurisdiction over the conduct of the students associated /enrolled with the Institute and take cognizance of all acts of misconduct including incidents of ragging or otherwise which are taking place on the Institute campus or in connection with the Institute-related activities and functions.

2.2 Institute may also exercise jurisdiction over conduct that occurs off-campus violating the ideal student conduct and discipline as laid down in this Policy and other regulations as if the conduct has occurred on campus which shall include

Any violations of the Sexual Harassment Policy of the Institute against other students of the Institute.

Physical assault, threats of violence, or conduct that threatens the health or safety of any person including other students of the Institute;

Possession or use of weapons, explosives, or destructive devices off-campus

Manufacture, sale, or distribution of prohibited drugs, alcohol, etc.

Conduct that has a negative impact or constitutes a nuisance to members of the surrounding off-campus community.

The Institute, while determining whether or not to exercise such off-campus jurisdiction in situations enumerated hereinabove, the Institute shall consider the

the seriousness of the alleged offense, the risk of harm involved, whether the victim(s) are members of the campus community, and/or whether the off-campus conduct is part of a series of actions, which occurred both on, and off-campus.

Ethics and Conduct

3.1 This Code shall apply to all kinds of conduct of students that occur on the Institute premises including in University sponsored activities, functions hosted by other recognized student organizations, and any off-campus conduct that has or may have serious consequences or adverse impact on the Institute’s Interests or reputation.

3.2 At the time of admission, each student must sign a statement accepting this Code and giving an undertaking that

he/she shall be regular and must complete his/her studies in the Institute.

In the event, a student is forced to discontinue studies for any legitimate reason, such a student may be relieved from the Institute subject to written consent of the Principal.

As a result of such relieving, the student shall be required to clear pending hostel/mess dues and if a student had joined the Institute on a scholarship, the said grant shall be revoked.

3.3. Institute believes in promoting a safe and efficient climate by enforcing behavioral standards. All students must uphold academic integrity, respect all persons and their rights and property and the safety of others; etc.

3.4 All students must deter from indulging in any form of misconduct including partaking in any activity off-campus which can affect the Institute’s interests and reputation substantially. The various forms of misconduct include:

3.5 Any act of discrimination (physical or verbal conduct) based on an individual’s gender, caste, race, religion or religious beliefs, color, region, language, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status, physical or mental disability, gender identity, etc.

3.6 Intentionally damaging or destroying Institute property or property of other students and/or faculty members

3.7 Any disruptive activity in a classroom or an event sponsored by the Institute

3.8 Unable to produce the identity card, issued by the Institute, or refusing to produce it on demand by campus security guards

3.9 Participating in activities including

3.9.1 Organizing meetings and processions without permission from the Institute.

3.9.2 Accepting membership of religious or terrorist groups banned by the Institute/Government of India

3.9.3 Unauthorized possession, carrying, or use of any weapon, ammunition, explosives, or potential weapons, fireworks, contrary to law or policy.

3.9.4 Unauthorized possession or use of harmful chemicals and banned drugs

3.9.5 Smoking on the Campus of the Institute

3.9.6 Possessing, Consuming, distributing, selling alcohol in the Institute and/or throwing empty bottles on the campus of the Institute

3.9.7 Parking a vehicle in a no-parking zone or in an area earmarked for parking another type of vehicles

3.9.8 Rash driving on the campus that may cause any inconvenience to others

3.9.9 Not disclosing a pre-existing health condition, either physical or psychological, to the Chief Medical Officer which may cause hindrance to academic progress.

3.9.10 Theft or unauthorized access to others’ resources

3.9.11 Misbehaviour at the time of student council elections or during any activity of the Institute

3.9.12 Engaging in disorderly, lewd, or indecent conduct, including, but not limited to, creating unreasonable noise; pushing and shoving; inciting or participating in a riot or group disruption at the Institute.

3.10 Students are expected not to interact, on behalf of the Institute, with media representatives or invite media persons onto the campus without the permission of the Institute authorities.

3.11 Students are not permitted to either audio or video record lectures in classrooms or actions of other students, faculty, or staff without prior permission.

3.12 Students are not permitted to provide audio and video clippings of any activity on the campus to media without prior permission.

3.13 Students are expected to use social media carefully and responsibly. They cannot post derogatory comments about other individuals from the Institute on social media or indulge in any such related activities having grave ramifications on the reputation of the Institute.

3.14 Theft or abuse of the Institute computers and other electronic resources such as computer and electronic communications facilities, systems, and services which includes unauthorized entry, use, tampering, etc. of Institute property or facilities, private residences of staff/professors, etc. offices, classrooms, computers networks, and other restricted facilities and interference with the work of others is punishable.

3.15 Damage to, or destruction of, any property of the Institute, or any property of others on the Institute premises.

3.16 Making a video/audio recording, taking photographs, or streaming audio/video of any person in a location where the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, without that person’s knowledge and express consent.

3.17 Indulging in any form of Harassment which is defined as a conduct that is severe and objectively, a conduct that is motivated based on a person’s race, color, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, sex, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition,

4 If there is a case against a student for a possible breach of the code of conduct, then a committee will be formed to recommend a suitable disciplinary action that shall inquire into the alleged violation and accordingly suggest the action to be taken against the said student. The committee may meet with the student to ascertain the misconduct and suggest one or more of the following disciplinary actions based on the nature of the misconduct.

4.1 WARNING – Indicating that the action of the said delinquent student violated the Code and any further acts of misconduct shall result in severe disciplinary action.

4.2 RESTRICTIONS -Reprimanding and Restricting access to various facilities on the campus for a specified period.

4.3 COMMUNITY SERVICE – For a specified period to be extended if need be. However, any future misconduct along with failure to comply with any conditions imposed may lead to severe disciplinary action, including suspension or expulsion.

4.4 EXPULSION – Expulsion of a student from the Institute permanently. Indicating prohibition from entering the Institute premises or participating in any student-related activities or campus residences etc.

4.5 MONETARY PENALTY – This may also include suspension or forfeiture of scholarship/fellowship for a specific period.

4.6 SUSPENSION – A student may be suspended for a specified period which will entail prohibition on participating in student-related activities, classes, programs, etc. Additionally, the student will be forbidden to use various Institute facilities unless permission is obtained from the Competent Authority. Suspension may also follow by possible dismissal, along with the following additional penalties.

4.7 Ineligibility to reapply for admission to the Institute for a period of three years, and

4.8 Withholding the grade card or certificate for the courses studied or work carried out

5 APPEAL: If the delinquent student is aggrieved by the imposition of any of the aforementioned penalties, he/she may appeal to the Director. The Director may decide on one of the following:

5.1 accept the recommendation of the committee and impose the punishment as suggested by the Committee or modify and impose any of the punishments as stipulated in this Code which is commensurate with the gravity of the proved misconduct, Or

5.2 Refer the case back to the committee for reconsideration.

In any case, the Director’s decision is final and binding in all cases where there is possible misconduct by a student.

6 Academic Integrity

The Institute values academic integrity and is committed to fostering an intellectual and ethical environment based on the principles of academic integrity. Academic Integrity encompasses honesty and responsibility and awareness relating to ethical standards for the conduct of research and scholarship. The Institute believes that in all academic work, the ideas and contributions of others must be appropriately acknowledged. Academic integrity is essential for the success of the Institute and its research missions, and hence, violations of academic integrity constitute a serious offense.

6.1 Scope and Purpose

This Policy on academic integrity, which forms an integral part of the Code, applies to all students at the Institute who are required to adhere to the said policy. The purpose of the Policy is twofold:

To clarify the principles of academic integrity, and

To provide examples of dishonest conduct and violations of academic integrity. NOTE: These examples are only illustrative, NOT exhaustive.

Failure to uphold these principles of academic integrity threatens both the reputation of the University and the value of the degrees awarded to its students. Every member of the University community, therefore, bears a responsibility for ensuring that the highest standards of academic integrity are upheld.

The principles of academic integrity require that a student,

Properly acknowledges and cites the use of the ideas, results, material, or words of others.

Properly acknowledges all contributors to a given piece of work.

makes sure that all work submitted as his or her own in a course or other academic activity is produced without the aid of impermissible materials or impermissible collaboration.

obtains all data or results by ethical means and reports them accurately without suppressing any results inconsistent with his or her interpretation or conclusions.

ethically treats all other students, respecting their integrity and right to pursue their educational goals without interference. This requires that a student neither facilitates academic dishonesty by others nor obstructs their academic progress.

6.2 Violations of this policy include, but are not limited to:

(i) Plagiarism means the use of material, ideas, figures, code, or data as one’s own, without appropriately acknowledging the source. This may involve the submission of material, verbatim or paraphrased, that is authored by another person or published earlier by oneself.

Examples of plagiarism include:

(a) Reproducing, in whole or part, text/sentences from a report, book, thesis, publication, or the internet.

(b) Reproducing one’s own previously published data, illustrations, figures, images, or someone else’s data, etc.

(c) Taking material from class notes or incorporating material from the internet graphs, drawings, photographs, diagrams, tables, spreadsheets, computer programs, or other non-textual material from other sources into one’s class reports, presentations, manuscripts, research papers, or thesis without proper attribution.

(d) Self-plagiarism which constitutes copying verbatim from one’s own earlier published work in a journal or conference proceedings without appropriate citations.

Submitting a purchased or downloaded term paper or other materials to satisfy a course requirement.

 

Paraphrasing or changing an author’s words or style without citation.

(ii) Cheating

Cheating includes, but is not limited to:

(a) Copying during examinations, and copying of homework assignments, term papers, theses, or manuscripts.

(b) Allowing or facilitating copying, writing a report, or taking the examination for someone else.

(c) Using unauthorized material, copying, collaborating when not authorized, and purchasing or borrowing papers or material from various sources.

(d) Fabricating (making up) or falsifying (manipulating) data and reporting them in thesis and publications.

(e) Creating sources, or citations that do not exist

(f) Altering previously evaluated and re-submitting the work for re-evaluation

(g) Signing another student’s name on an assignment, report, research paper, thesis, or attendance sheet

(iii) Conflict of Interest: A clash of personal or private interests with professional activities can lead to a potential conflict of interest, in diverse activities such as teaching, research, publication, working on committees, research funding, and consultancy. It is necessary to protect actual professional independence, objectivity, and commitment, and also to avoid the appearance of any impropriety arising from conflicts of interest.

Conflict of interest is not restricted to personal financial gain; it extends to a large gamut of professional academic activities including peer reviewing, serving on various committees, which may, for example, oversee funding or give recognition, as well as influencing public policy.

To promote transparency and enhance credibility, potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed in writing to appropriate authorities, so that a considered decision can be made on a case-by-case basis. Some additional information is available also in the section below dealing with resources.

4.3 Guidelines for academic conduct are provided below to guard against negligence as well as deliberate dishonesty:

(a) Use proper methodology for experiments and computational work. Accurately describe and compile data.

(b) Carefully record and save primary and secondary data such as original pictures, instrument data readouts, laboratory notebooks, and computer folders. There should be minimal digital manipulation of images/photos; the original version should be saved for later scrutiny if required, and the changes made should be clearly described.

(c) Ensure robust reproducibility and statistical analysis of experiments and simulations. It is important to be truthful about the data and not to omit some data points to make an impressive figure (commonly known as “cherry picking”).

(d) Laboratory notes must be well maintained in bound notebooks with printed page numbers to enable checking later during publications or patenting. The date should be indicated on each page.

(e) Write clearly in your own words. It is necessary to resist the temptation to “copy and paste” from the Internet or other sources for class assignments, manuscripts, and theses.

(f) Give due credit to previous reports, methods, computer programs, etc. with appropriate citations. Material taken from your own published work should also be cited; as mentioned above, it will be considered self-plagiarism otherwise.

6.3. Individual and Collective Responsibility: The responsibility varies with the role one plays.

Student roles: The student should undertake that he/she is aware of the academic guidelines of the Institute, has checked the document for plagiarism, and that the thesis is original work. A web check does not necessarily rule out plagiarism. If a student observes or becomes aware of any violations of the academic integrity policy he/she is strongly encouraged to report the misconduct promptly.

Faculty roles: Faculty members should ensure that proper methods are followed for experiments, computations, and theoretical developments and that data are properly recorded and saved for future reference. In addition, they should review manuscripts and theses carefully. Faculty members are also responsible for ensuring personal compliance with the above broad issues relating to academic integrity. Faculty members are expected to inform students of the Institute’s academic integrity policy within their specific courses, to ensure minimal academic dishonesty, and to respond appropriately and timely to violations of academic integrity.

Institutional roles: A breach of academic integrity is a serious offense with long-lasting consequences for both the individual and the institute, and this can lead to various sanctions. In the case of a student, the first violation of academic breach will lead to a warning and/or an “F” course grade. A repeat offense, if deemed sufficiently serious, could lead to expulsion. It is recommended that faculty bring any academic violations to the notice of the department Chairperson. Upon receipt of reports of scientific misconduct, the Director may appoint a committee to investigate the matter and suggest appropriate measures on a case-by-case basis.

 

 

8 SEXUAL HARASSMENT

The Institute’s Policy on Prevention and Prohibition of sexual harassment at Workplace, 2016 shall apply to the students of the Institute which can be accessed and reviewed by the students at the Student Portal. Students should note that sexual misconduct or harassment encompasses a range of conduct, including but not limited to sexual assault, unwanted touching, or persistent unwelcome comments, e-mails, or pictures of an insulting or degrading sexual nature, which may constitute harassment, which shall depend of the circumstances of each case.

9 STUDENT GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

Any student of the Institute aggrieved by any acts of sexual harassment, misconduct, or ragging as defined and summarised hereinabove can approach the Student Grievance

Redressal cell at the Institute. Further, any student who is aware of any violations must report the same to the Cell. The Cell shall consist of members as appointed by the Director. The said grievance must be in writing and should be made within 60 days from the day of the alleged violation. The Cell shall take cognizance of the grievance and inform the Committee formed to enforce this Code or the Internal Complaints Committee, in cases of any sexual harassment complaints.

10 STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNANCE

As Students are members of the Institute campus, they have a substantial interest in the governance of the Institute. The Code, policies and the varied procedures laid down herein intend that the principle of student involvement in governance in both administrative and academic areas is essential and it is pivotal that Students must be, at all junctures, encouraged to put forth their views and advice, for an informed decision making. Student Participation is encouraged and must be strengthened through the involvement of students at all levels. Therefore, all students who are a part of the Institute and who are going to be enrolled in the Institute are advised to uphold the policy and inform the Institute of any violations and assist individually and collectively to improve the quality and effectiveness of this Code and appended policies.

ANTI-RAGGING

The Institute has a coherent and effective anti-ragging policy in place which is based on the ‘UGC Regulation on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions, 2009 [hereinafter referred to as the ‘UGC Regulations]’.The UGC Regulations have been framed given the directions issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India to prevent and prohibit ragging in all Indian Educational Institutions and Colleges. The said UGC Regulations shall apply mutatis mutandis to the Institute and the students are requested kindly to

7.1 Ragging constitutes one or more of the following acts:

any conduct by any student or students whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating, or handling with rudeness any student;

indulging in rowdy or undisciplined activities by any student or students which causes or is likely to cause annoyance, hardship, physical or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in any other student;

asking any student to do any act which such student will not in the ordinary course do and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame, torment, or embarrassment to adversely affect the physique or psyche of such a student;

any act by a senior student that prevents, disrupts, or disturbs the regular academic activity of any student;

exploiting the services of a student for completing the academic tasks assigned to an individual or a group of students;

any act of financial extortion or forceful expenditure burden put on a student by other students;

any act of physical abuse including all variants of it: sexual abuse, stripping, forcing obscene and lewd acts, gestures, causing bodily harm or any other danger to health or person;

any act or abuse by spoken words, emails, posts, or public insults which would also include deriving perverted pleasure, vicarious or sadistic thrill from actively or passively participating in the discomfiture to any other student ;

any act that affects the mental health and self-confidence of any other student with or without an intent to derive a sadistic pleasure or show off power, authority, or superiority by a student over any other student.

ANTI-RAGGING COMMITTEE:

The Anti-Ragging Committee, as constituted by the Director and headed by student affairs advisors shall examine all complaints of anti-ragging and come out with recommendations based on the nature of the incident. The committee shall be headed by student affairs advisors and can have as its members, the Deans, Student Counselors, Faculty Advisors, and the Chairperson of the concerned Department.

A student found guilty by the committee will attract one or more of the following punishments, as imposed by the Anti-Ragging Committee:

• Suspension from attending classes and academic privileges.
• Withholding/ withdrawing scholarship/ fellowship and other benefits.
• Debarring from appearing in any test/ examination or other evaluation processes.
• With holding results.
• Debarring from undertaking any collaborative work or attending national or international conferences/symposia/meetings to present his/her research work.
• Suspension/ expulsion from the hostels and mess.
• Cancellation of admission.
• Expulsion from the institution and consequent debarring from admission to any other institution for a specified period.
• In cases where the persons committing or abetting the act of ragging are not identified, the institute shall resort to collective punishment.
• If need be, given the intensity of the act of ragging committed, a First Information Report (FIR) shall be filed by the Institute with the local police authorities.

The Anti-Ragging Committee of the Institute shall take appropriate decisions, including the imposition of punishment, depending on the facts and circumstances of each incident of ragging and the nature and gravity of the incident of ragging.

UGC provided various mechanisms to resolve the issues and concerns of various stake holders. Because of non-availability of a single window system the stake holders were lodging multiple complaints /grievances at various places. Due to that the redressal mechanisms was at slow pace, which was also causing further concerns to the stake holders. The resolution of Institutional Entity Grievances has always been a top priority of the University Grant Commission. UGC took advantage of ICT enhancements and came up with the “e-Samadhan Online Grievance Registering and Monitoring System” It is a digital platform for Stake holders to identify and apply for grievances/feedback/queries. This platform ensures a time-bound mechanism for redressal of the grievances.

 

To stream line the stake holders grievance redressal mechanisms, UGC has merged its existing portals/ helplines except Anti Ragging Helpline and developed a new portal “UGC e-samadhan: A step forward: Service to Stake Holders” which would be a single Window system for all the stake holders for registering their complaints/ grievances on the portal which would be available 24×7 with a click of mouse. A toll free No. 1800-111-656 will also be available on UGC website 24×7 for lodging complaints by the stake holders on any issue faced by them.

The user would be able to register a grievance by following simple procedure with the help of mail ID /making a phone call on toll free number. The complaint gets recorded and a docket number shall be allotted which would be automatically reflected in the concerned bureau head’s accounts. The concerned bureau shall resolve the issues within the stipulated time as per details given below:

Courtsey: https://samadhaan.ugc.ac.in/Pages/AboutUs