The New School is committed to being an academic community that is racially and culturally diverse, that values mutual respect, human dignity and individual differences, including political differences. These values are compromised when individuals or groups engage in statements or actions that devalue, dismiss, harass, intimidate, or threaten others on the basis of race, color, religion, religious practices, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, age, marital status, political identity, or other personal attributes. In addition to the information below, faculty may wish to consult new FAQs for faculty on dealing with conduct and topics in the classroom released jointly by the AAUP and AFT.
Incidents that fall below violation of the Student Code of Conduct
Many hurtful incidents such as micro-aggressions may occur within and outside the classroom but do not rise to level of violation of the Student Code of Conduct. Instructors should be alert to such instances, name them, declare them unacceptable and, if possible, briefly discuss what happened and why it is unacceptable. Students who report such experiences to faculty should be referred to an advisor, program chair/director, or faculty or staff member with whom they feel comfortable speaking.
Actions that Violate the Student Code of Conduct
The following quick references are derived from the Student Code of Conduct, Statement on Prevention of Violent, Abusive, and Intimidating Behavior, and the Policy on Discrimination. All the actions described below are violations of the Student Code of Conduct and should be reported.
Harassment
The policy on harassment is not intended to discourage the expression of ideas that, while they may be offensive, are protected by the university's Policy on the Free Exchange of Ideas and the university's Statement of Freedom of Artistic Expression, and by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Speech or other expression constitutes discriminatory harassment if:
It deliberately insults, stigmatizes, threatens or intimidates an individual or small group on the basis of race, color, religion, religious practices, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, age, marital status, political identity, or other personal attributes and is addressed directly to the specific individual or individuals who it insults, stigmatizes, threatens or intimidates, and makes use of 'fighting words' or non-verbal symbols which as a matter of common knowledge are understood to convey contempt or hatred for are used to incite or inflict injury.
Bullying
Bullying is behavior that intimidates, harasses, frightens, abuses, insults, threatens, or otherwise harms an individual psychologically or physically. Bullying can be verbal, non-verbal, written, or physical. Cyber-bullying occurs via emails, texts, and online posts, as well as through the use of social media. Bullying can be a one-time incident or a series of incidents. Bullying is a crime in New York State.
Stalking
Stalking is a course of unwanted conduct which causes the targeted person to fear for their personal safety and sometimes for the safety of those close to them. Stalking has a negative impact on the victim's sense of security and emotional health. Stalking is a crime in all states including New York.
Procedures for Reporting and Investigating Violations of the Student Code of Conduct
Members of the community are encouraged to report any violations of the code of conduct, including harassment and discrimination, intimidation, violence and abuse. The University Non-Academic Disciplinary Procedures are designed to facilitate fact-finding and to review incidents involving violations of the University's policies governing student conduct or behavior and other non-academic policy violations where the responding party is a student. It is not intended to create an adversarial proceeding. When a student communicates an incident to an employee of the university, the employee may not keep the communication confidential and is bound to report the incident and follow procedures. Contact Student Support and Crisis Management to report concerns about a student's health or well-being. Contact studentconduct@newschool.edu or click here to report an incident witnessed or reported to you.
Once reported, the Assistant Vice President for Student Life will investigate the complaint by speaking with the victim and the accused aggressor. After a thorough inquiry, a determination will be made and appropriate punishment imposed.
Faculty and Staff Resources for Reporting Behavior
Faculty and staff who themselves experience or observe, from faculty or staff, micro-aggressions, intimidating, discriminatory or bias-based behavior may report it confidentially:
Irwin Kroot, Acting Vice President for Human Resources. 212.229.6715
Ann-Lou Shapiro, Faculty and Staff Ombuds. 646.830.0530
Employee Assistance Program, available to employees. Inquiries and services provided through Bensinger, DuPont and Associates, are free and completely confidential. 888.294.6938 (24 hours)
Anonymous Reporting through Ethic Points.