Code of Campus

Academic Integrity

The University regards honesty and integrity as essential moral qualities in our students . Any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty is considered to have violated academic integrity and will therefore be subject to academic disciplinary actions. Behaviour which constitutes academic dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarism, submission of material for assessment which is not the student’s own work, as well as the use of fabricated or copied data for assessment.

The handbook presented by the Academic Registry is designed to help you avoid the common pitfalls of plagiarism and maintain your intellectual integrity.

Code of Practice

English has been the Medium of Instruction of the University since 2003. With the vision to be a leading liberal arts University in Asia, the University strives to provide the best cross-cultural learning experiences to students. As more students of diverse cultural backgrounds have been admitted and a campus environment conducive to in-depth cultural and intellectual exchange should be established for the benefits of ALL students, the Code of Practice is therefore approved by the Senate in 2018. The Code, based on the principles of inclusion and respect, is to provide a standard of good practice for language use in outside classroom activities. It serves the purpose of facilitating communication and exchange among all members of the University in the campus. 

 

  • All text announcements, promotional and display materials (printed or online) should contain an English version.  All verbal announcements should contain a version or synopsis in English.  
  • For talks/forums conducted in a language other than English, the announcements and promotional materials should contain sufficient information in English so that nonspeakers of the language would have a basic idea of what the activity is about.  Such information should include and not be limited to particulars such as date, time, speaker and title, as well as a synopsis of the content of the activities. 
  • Official ceremonies (e.g., inauguration, opening and closing ceremonies) should be conducted in English or simultaneous interpretation should be provided as appropriate.  
  • Social or recreational activities should be conducted in English or arrangements should be made to ensure that students who are in attendance and do not understand the language being used, if any, can follow and be properly engaged without any problem. Such activities can be conducted in a language other than English without any English arrangement if all those in presence or intend to join share the language. 
  • For everyday conversation or social interaction on campus, students can freely use a language that is common to all those who are present or intend to join.

Standards of Conduct

Principle

The University is a community of individuals aspiring to academic excellence, personal wellness, and spiritual maturity. All members of the University are expected to behave as responsible persons with high standards of honesty and conduct.  The Office of Student Affairs is especially concerned with student life and self-discipline of students.  The University affirms its commitment to academic freedom, to the rights of the individual, and to provide an open forum for differing opinions. Students are to conduct themselves with dignity in accordance with University regulations.  They should therefore seek to understand thoroughly the information in the Calendar/Bulletin as well as other University publications.  When a student accepts admission, there must be a willingness to abide by the social, moral, and academic standards of the University throughout the course of study.

 

1. Standards of Conduct

Students are required to observe the following Standards of Conduct that are considered appropriate to the educational purposes and Christian principles of the University:

  1. Students are to exhibit a regard for the rights of others at all times.
  2. Students are to show respect for the safety and property of other persons as well as of the University.
  3. Students are expected to value their personal integrity and therefore to demonstrate honesty at all times.
  4. Students are expected to respect basic notions of civility and to ensure their conduct does not harm any person or group.
  5. Students are expected to show respect to University administrators, faculty and staff at all times and to establish friendly relationships with other students.
  6. Students are expected to comply with the rules and regulations set by the University.

The following examples of misbehaviour, while not exhaustive, are intended to give a student an idea of what kind of behaviour amounts to a breach of the University’s Standards of Conduct and would therefore result in disciplinary action. 

  1. Dishonesty in completing assignments and examinations, including plagiarism and cheating.
  2. Obstruction or disruption of learning, teaching, research or administration such as talking, eating or drinking in classrooms and using of mobile phone during lectures.
  3. Disorderly behaviour related to drunkenness.
  4. Smoking on campus.
  5. Use or possession of illegal drugs or illegal drug paraphernalia.
  6. Gambling on campus.
  7. Stealing, defacing or destroying properties of another person or of the University.
  8. Unauthorized entry into or occupation, damage, improper use, and defacement of University's facilities.
  9. Forgery or falsification of or use of forged or falsified documents.
  10. Misuse of University documents.
  11. Indecent behaviour.
  12. Assault on or defamation of or sexual and other form of harassment towards or battery against the person of any staff or student member of the University or of any visitor to the University.
  13. Failure to provide identification to authorized staff upon request when being suspected of violation of University's rules and regulations.
  14. Failure to observe rules and regulations governing the use of various facilities and resources provided by the University.
  15. Violation of local law or ordinance.
  16. Defamation of a person or group, hate speech, abusive, offensive, obscene or threatening language or expressions.

 

2. Sanctions for Breach of Standards of Conduct

The University Senate has now adopted a set of standard procedures for handling student disciplinary matters. Students who fail to comply with the University’s Standards of Conduct will be brought before the Director of Student Affairs or the Panel on Disciplinary Cases as appointed by the Student Affairs Committee for inquiry and, depending on the seriousness of the matter, be given one or more of the following sanctions:

  1. Censure
  2. Written reprimand
  3. Written warning
  4. Restitution
  5. Suspension of the right to use certain facility within certain period
  6. Order to provide voluntary service on campus
  7. Disqualification from serving as office bearers of student organizations and/or sitting on University committees for a specific period
  8. Barred from examination for specified period
  9. Probation
  10. Suspension of study
  11. Dismissal
  12. Others

 

3. No Smoking Campus

All indoor and outdoor areas of the University have been designated as no smoking areas where *smoking is prohibited. Offenders will be subject to a maximum fine of HK$5,000.

* including smoking of e-cigarettes and other new tobacco product

Student Charter

As a student of Hong Kong Baptist University, I pledge:

  • To develop a proactive attitude toward learning;
  • To seek various kinds of learning opportunities for holistic development;
  • To build a character that upholds the highest ethical standards;
  • To get involved in campus life and develop a strong sense of belonging to the University;
  • To respect and care for others, and to cultivate a team spirit;
  • To understand the nation and serve the community.