Updated 11/04/2024

The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (“CTY”) is committed to academic excellence and provides unique opportunities for intellectually curious people from diverse backgrounds to come together in pursuit of academic challenge and growth, within a supportive environment built on respect, responsibility, and trust.

CTY expects the highest standards of behavior both in deportment and in dedication to academic pursuits. For purposes of this CTY Student Code of Conduct, a “student” is defined as any individual registered in one or more activities, programs, or courses offered by CTY.

The conduct standards, below, fall into two distinct but related areas that contribute to creating a positive learning environment (online, in the classroom, and in informal settings) for all students: respectful behavior and academic integrity. CTY may amend this Code from time to time. Students are expected to read, be familiar with, and abide by this Code. Nothing in this Code shall affect the inherent authority of CTY to take actions deemed necessary to further the educational mission of CTY or to protect the safety and security of the CTY community. 

STANDARDS

Respectful Behavior Guidelines

Students are expected to show respect for themselves and for the peers and adults that make up the CTY community. These standards encompass behaviors exhibited during in-person experiences and during online experiences (sometimes referred to as “netiquette”), as well as in communications among community members.

All students are expected to: 

  • Be respectful. Respect individuals of all races, cultures, religions, genders, gender identities or expressions, ages, sexual orientations, abilities, and national origins. Behave in a cooperative, safe, and responsible manner toward all people in the CTY community and to people at host institutions and local communities facilitating CTY programs. 
  • Lead with kindness and civility. Be respectful and kind in all interactions. Be careful with tone in speaking and writing. Remember that it’s especially hard for others to recognize emotions when they can’t see and hear the speaker. 
  • Support a safe space for ideas. Respect the ideas of others. Stay on topic in discussions and use course information to support arguments. Disagree respectfully. Reread online posts before sending to make sure they clearly communicate ideas in a scholarly way. 
  • Support a safe space for individuals. Be conscious of interactions with others. Strictly avoid any physical, verbal, or electronic conduct that could reasonably be interpreted as risking, threatening, or causing physical or emotional harm to any person, including yourself. Tell a staff member if feeling bullied or unsafe. Weapons of any kind are prohibited at all CTY spaces and events. Possession or use of additional prohibited items or engaging in illegal activity during any CTY programming is a violation of this Code.
  • Respect property. Respect the property of others. The touching, handling, or using of another person’s property should only be done with clear, express permission of the property owner. 
  • Protect privacy. Do not share classmates’ personal information, work, posts, or links to workspaces (such as Zoom) with others.
  • Be present. Attend all scheduled in-person or virtual events, including all class sessions, meals, social activities, and meetings.
  • Take responsibility for their own work and actions. Acknowledge conflict or inappropriate behavior and demonstrate effort to improve. Have personal integrity: do the right thing even when no one is looking. If unsure whether an action is permitted, ask.
  • Cooperate with CTY staff supervision. Comply with all instructions, directions, and requests of CTY staff, including the CTY Student Policy on Appropriate Use of Technology. If uncomfortable with a request, bring it to the attention of another staff member.

At CTY’s in-person sites, supporting a safe space for individuals specifically includes:

  • Being where you are supposed to be when (and only when) you’re supposed to be there.
    • Knowing which parts of campus are open to CTY students, and where CTY students may not go.
    • Staying on campus unless you’re accompanied by a staff member or have been properly checked out by your parent or an authorized adult.
    • Staying in your own room after lights out except when using the restroom, or seeking assistance from a staff member for an emergency situation.
    • Entering another dorm room only with permission of all occupants of the room, and only at times when it’s okay to be outside your own room.
    • Entering other halls only with permission from a staff member.
  • Leaving all of your prescription and non-prescription medications in the health office, unless you have specific permission to keep an urgent-use medication with you.
  • Never possessing or use tobacco, alcohol or drugs that are illegal or not prescribed to you. 
  • Never possessing alcohol- or drug-related paraphernalia.

Academic Integrity

All students must adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity in all programs and services associated with CTY. Although academic integrity is a form of respectful behavior, the focus in this section is on the way coursework in the classroom and on assignments is completed and represented.

All students are expected to:

  • Strive to do their best work.
  • Present their own original work.
  • Use appropriate acknowledgement. When including the work of others, whether paraphrasing, using direct quotes, or extrapolating, acknowledge the source of the material.
  • Follow appropriate use of AI. The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT is not considered original work. AI should only be used as specifically authorized by the course instructor and must be appropriately acknowledged. 
  • Seek permission for tool use. Technology is rapidly changing. As new tools become available, students must seek permission for their use to ensure that it is not interfering with learning objectives or producing an unfair advantage. 
  • Refrain from cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, and facilitating academic dishonesty. 

Definitions

Most acts of academic dishonesty fall into one of the four categories noted below. These definitions are designed to help students and families understand potential violations of the above standards. 

Cheating occurs when a student uses books, notes, or other aids, including generative AI, not permitted by the instructor, or copies work from another student. Examples include, but are not limited to, failing to follow rules for online or in-person assignments and assessments (e.g., time-limits, closed-book, calculator, phone, or other mobile device use, etc.); asking another student to provide answers on a non-collaborative assignment or assessment; and unauthorized use of generative AI.

Plagiarism occurs when a student intentionally presents another’s work as their own or takes credit for someone else’s ideas. This includes using another’s words, phrases, code, theories, or ideas verbatim, as well as paraphrasing them, or using AI-generated material, without acknowledging the source. Additionally, self-plagiarism occurs when a student submits the same or substantially similar work for multiple courses without permission.

Fabrication occurs when a student misrepresents or makes up data, quotations, sources, or other information or uses AI-generated information that they have not independently verified and acknowledged.

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty occurs when one student helps, asks, persuades, or pressures another student to cheat, plagiarize, fabricate, or engage in any form of academic dishonesty.

PROCEDURES

Staff at sites and online will naturally encounter student behaviors that need correction but fall below the level of seriousness that warrant these procedures. These procedures do not replace the processes used for documenting and addressing those less severe incidents and concerns. The following procedures are for incidents that require significant CTY attention because of their severity or their recurrence.

Initial Assessment

An incident of student misconduct may be reported by any member of the CTY community. Students are expected to share suspected misconduct with a staff member, who will report the allegations to the appropriate supervising staff member for review:

  • For in-person activities: Relevant Site Director or their designee
  • For online experiences: Relevant Senior Program Manager or their designee 
  • For partner or integrated programs: Relevant Program Manager or their designee 

The staff member will gather the details in a single folder or document and do an initial assessment of the situation. The staff member may wish to speak to the individuals involved in the incident and document any discussions. 

Following this initial assessment, the relevant staff member may make one of three determinations: 

  • There is no violation—case is documented and closed.
  • The violation warrants a verbal warning with program-level corrective action.
    • Student is notified. 
    • Violation & verbal warning is documented. 
  • The violation may warrant more than verbal warning or program-level remediation. 
    • The following documentation is prepared:
      • Description of alleged violation 
      • Timeline of the relevant events 
      • Brief description of any communications with the student/family or others involved in the incident. 
      • Description of any interim actions that may have occurred (e.g., reprimand by a site staff member, instructor warning on previous suspect assignments, etc.) 
    • The case is passed to the CTY Student Conduct Committee (“Committee”) via the relevant program staff. 
      • For in-person programs: Assistant Director, In-Person Experiences or their designee 
      • For online experiences: Director of Online Experiences or their designee 
      • For partner or integrated program: Director of Integrated Programs or their designee 
    • Student & parents/guardians are informed as time permits. For some behavioral violations, immediate action may be required. In such cases, Committee review (see below) and actions may occur concurrent with or prior to contact with parents/guardians. 
    • Initiate any immediate actions required to ensure the safety of all students (e.g., temporary separation of students, etc.).

Student Conduct Committee Review

The Student Conduct Committee consists of three directors from the CTY academic programs unit, one of which serves as the chair. A senior CTY director is appointed as the executive sponsor to provide oversight and advice as needed. The role of the Committee is to provide an objective review of the alleged student misconduct and recommend a course of action. 

When the relevant program staff member determines that a case requires Committee review, access to the folder or file containing all of the information is provided. A folder is created for the case, and the Committee begins the review.

The review must include: 

  • A review of all materials associated with the violation 
  • A review of communications to the student/family 

A review may also include: 

  • Additional (synchronous or asynchronous) discussion with staff who witnessed the incident(s) 
  • Additional (synchronous or asynchronous) discussion with staff who reported the incident(s) 
  • Additional (synchronous or asynchronous) discussion with staff in contact with the student(s) involved 

The Committee may request materials or ask for clarification on any element of the incident(s). In rare cases, the Committee may request that additional information be sought from the student(s) or staff involved.

The Committee makes one of the following determinations: 

  • No violation has occurred.
    • Record the determination and date in the case timeline.
    • Student may still receive a warning about the behavior if there are concerns that a similar behavior in the future would reflect a pattern that amounts to a violation of this Code. 
    • If family has been contacted, an email notification should be generated explaining the outcome and any actions. 
  • The incident(s) constitutes a violation of this Code. 
    • Record the determination in the case timeline. 
    • Move immediately to consequences. 

Consequences 

CTY believes that students can learn from their mistakes. However, the safety of our community and the integrity of our programs must also be maintained. Consequences vary as a function of the type of violation, severity of the violation, and the potential impact of the violation and consequences on other participants of the program or activity. 

For violations of the Respectful Behavior Standards, students may be subject to the following outcomes, alone or in combination: 

  • Written warning & review of the Code: For violations that do not represent a threat to the safety of our community and the integrity of our programs, students may be allowed to continue their activities after a review of the Code with a staff member. This review may or may not include the student’s caregiver(s) depending on the timing, the type of program, and the nature of the violation. Additional violations following a written warning are grounds for dismissal. 
  • Restorative action: For violations that do not represent a threat to the safety of our community and the integrity of our programs, the Committee may assign the student an activity that helps them to reflect upon the violation and work towards a higher standard going forward. Such activities may include written reflections and/or apologies, discussions with a counselor at an in-person site, etc. Additional violations are grounds for dismissal.
  • Dismissal from the program: For violations that represent an ongoing threat to the safety of our community and/or the integrity of our programs or multiple violations at the time of reporting, students may be dismissed from the program. For in-person programs, a decision to dismiss will result in immediate removal from classes and activities and removal from the site at the earliest possible point for the family. Residential students will be moved off their halls while awaiting pick up.
  • Ineligibility for future courses/programs.

Depending on the nature of the allegations, some matters may also be referred to the Johns Hopkins University’s Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) to consider review under its Interim adjudication procedures for Title IX sexual and sex-based misconduct involving minor participants in non-degree programs. OIE will contact families directly if additional follow up is required under this policy.

For violations of the Academic Integrity Standards, students may be subject to the following outcomes, alone or in combination: 

  • Written warning & review of the Code: For violations that are minor, including but not limited to those where a student acknowledges and demonstrates remorse, students may receive a written warning and review of the of the Code. Additional violations are grounds for dismissal.
  • Resubmission: When the violation is associated with one or more graded activities (tests and assignments), the student may (at the discretion of the applicable instructor) be given the opportunity to replace the assignment for full or partial credit. Students who do not complete the resubmission will receive a zero on the items for which the violation occurred. Additional violations are grounds for dismissal. 
  • Zero credit on specific items: When the violation is associated with one or more graded activities (tests and assignments), the student may (at the discretion of the applicable instructor) be given a zero on the assignment with no option to resubmit. Additional violations are grounds for dismissal.
  • Dismissal from the course/program: If the violation is deemed sufficiently blatant or repeated, the student may be dismissed from the course or the program. For graded courses, the student will receive a failing course grade.
  • Ineligibility for future courses/programs. 

Appeals 

Families may appeal the decision of the Committee by submitting a written appeal to the Office of the Executive Director within 48 hours of the email notification date. After reviewing the Committee’s complete documentation of the evidence and review process, along with all communications provided to the student and family, the Executive Director will assess whether the procedures articulated in this Code were followed. Appeals shall be granted solely on the basis of failure to comply with these procedures. Students who have been dismissed from a program may not remain in the program or at a program site during the appeal process.

The Executive Director shall render a final decision on all appeals, and the outcome of that decision shall be provided via email to the family. No further appeals are permitted. 

CTY Student Policy on Appropriate Use of Technology 

The term "personal electronic device" includes without limitation smart phones, tablets, laptops, personal computers, storage devices, printers, and scanners whether your own or provided by the John Hopkins University, CTY, or a host institution, and as well as any software, apps, internet connections, and servers.

CTY student personal electronic device use must be in keeping with all provisions of the CTY Student Code of Conduct at all times. Expectations specific to the in-person program experience are provided to enrolled students in their site information.

Unacceptable uses of personal electronic devices in all CTY programs and activities include, but are not limited to, the following, which are prohibited: 

  • Disrupting classes or CTY-sponsored activities by using a personal electronic device.
  • Using a personal electronic device to harass, bully, haze, stalk, abuse, threaten, or defame others. 
  • Using a personal electronic device to engage in, support, or promote harassment or discrimination of an individual in violation of any University or CTY policies, including without limitation policies prohibiting discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct.  
  • Using a personal electronic device to send messages, images, website postings, or other content that appear to come from someone other than the sender; forge electronic communication; or engage in identity theft. 
  • Sending or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs, or images.
  • The making, attempting to make, sharing, or distribution of an audio or visual recording, or photographing of, any person(s) without the knowledge and consent of all such person(s) in locations where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy and/or when the action causes or is likely to cause injury, distress, or damage to reputation or violates applicable law. 
  • Engaging in improper activities, including downloading, obtaining, or distributing pornography; copyright infringement; or violation of vendor licensing agreements. 
  • Modifying, manipulating, or tampering with hardware, software, apps, files, and data on another individual's personal electronic device, including by downloading apps, files, videos, and software, or unauthorized use of another individual's personal electronic device. 
  • Engaging in any use that disrupts or interferes with the orderly functioning of JHU or CTY, the performance of the duties of JHU or CTY staff, or other University business or activities, including without limitation studying, teaching, research, and administration.
  • Engaging in any use inconsistent with the mission or integrity of JHU or CTY.
  • Engaging in any use in violation of any applicable JHU or CTY policy or procedure.
  • Engaging in illegal conduct.