Student Conduct

CM-56 - Student Responsibilities and Rights (lsuhsc.edu)

LSU Health Sciences Center at New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO) is dedicated to providing an environment of respect, dignity, inclusivity, and support for all members of its student community, and to ensuring honesty, fairness, and respect for students’ physical, educational, and emotional well-being. Likewise, as integral members of the LSUHSC-NO community, students have certain rights, roles, and responsibilities to themselves, the institution, their peers, faculty, staff, and patients.

This policy describes the rights, roles, and responsibilities of LSUHSC-NO students. It also defines the processes and procedures for both student complaints and disciplinary proceedings to sustain a professional, ethical, and equitable learning community at LSUHSC-NO.

Student Responsibilities:

1. Students shall conduct themselves appropriately, lawfully, and with the highest standards of personal, academic, professional, and ethical behavior, always demonstrating the integrity and honesty required in the health sciences professions.

2. Students shall treat faculty, staff, peers, clients, patients, and all others with dignity and respect, and shall abide by the LSUHSC-NO Code of Conduct as well as any applicable code of conduct of their respective professional discipline. Ignorance of a professional standard is not a defense for unprofessional behavior. Professionalism is a criteria upon which students are evaluated and graded as they matriculate in the School of Dentistry.

3. Students shall comply with all LSUHSC-NO and individual School codes of conduct, professional standards, policies, procedures, rules, regulations and other applicable information published on institutional and school websites, which may be updated from time to time.

4. Students who fail to adhere to these responsibilities, whether on or off campus, may be subject to disciplinary action, with the disciplinary pathway determined by whether their alleged infraction is academic or non-academic in nature. Examples of LSUHSC-NO academic infractions can include but are not limited to cheating, falsification of data, and plagiarism.  Examples of LSUHSC-NO non-academic infractions can include but are not limited to the following: possession of dangerous weapons/devices; distribution, manufacture, or possession of drugs or driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs; making false accusations; creating a hostile educational environment for others; misrepresentation of facts; physical violence/assault; technology misuse; and theft/robbery.

Acknowledging the significance of professionalism and its necessity within a dental education setting, the School of Dentistry shall be guided by value-based principles identified by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA).  The value-based principles in which to support professionalism are outlined below.  Each principle is in alignment with the ADA Principles of Ethics, the ADHA Code for Dental Hygienists, and the ASDA Student Code of Ethics.

• Competence: Acquiring and maintaining the high level of special knowledge, technical ability, and professional behavior necessary for the provision of clinical care to patients and for effective functioning in the dental education environment.
• Fairness: Demonstrating consistency and even-handedness in dealings with others.
• Integrity: Being honest and demonstrating congruence between one’s values, words, and actions.
• Responsibility: Being accountable for one’s actions and recognizing and acting upon the special obligations to others that one assumes in joining a profession.
• Respect: Honoring the worth of others.
• Service-mindedness: Acting for the benefit of the patients and the public we serve, and approaching those served with compassion.

ADEA Statement on Professionalism in Dental Education

Students who violate any of the above when involved in any school or school related activity/function, whether on or off campus, will be subject to disciplinary action.

It is the duty and responsibility of all students to acquaint themselves with all provisions of the Code of Conduct. Every student will be conclusively presumed to have knowledge of all rules and regulations contained in the Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct may be amended at any time by the authority of the Administrative Council. The Code of Conduct and any other School of Dentistry rules and regulations of personal conduct currently in effect, including all amendments, shall be contained in the Student Handbook of Policies and Procedures.

All School of Dentistry students are expected to obey federal, state, and local laws and comply with directives issued by administrative officials at the School of Dentistry or LSU Health New Orleans in the course of their authorized duties. Any student who engages in conduct that violates the School of Dentistry or LSU Health New Orleans rules or federal, state, or local laws is subject to discipline whether the conduct takes place on or off campus and whether or not civil or criminal penalties are imposed for such conduct.

Misconduct

Misconduct occurring within or outside the confines of the teaching programs will subject the offending student to appropriate disciplinary measures which may include dismissal, depending on the severity of the offense.  At the time of matriculation, all students receive a copy of the LSU School of Dentistry Student Handbook of Policies and Procedures. The handbook puts forth a complete set of policies and procedures including all phases of due process relating to misconduct.  

The Committee on Professional Conduct, a subcommittee of the Student Affairs Committee, is charged with ensuring that the School of Dentistry Code of Conduct is being upheld by all members of the dental school community.  Reports of unprofessional conduct will be reviewed by the committee while protecting the right to due process of all members of the School of Dentistry. 

Individuals displaying unprofessional conduct will be subject to disciplinary action. Reports of such conduct will be reviewed by the Committee on Professional Conduct according to the Rules of Procedure. Recommendations made by the Committee on Professional Conduct will be presented to the Dean for approval.