The aim of this 'Code of Conduct' is to apprise the students of the rules and regulations that they shall have to abide by during their studentship at Sonargaon University (SU).

Once a student makes a choice of being a student of SU, s/he becomes part of the SU family. This family includes the students, faculty members, administrators and guardians. The relationship of the students of the SU family, based upon mutual trust, personal respect and individual integrity, shall demonstrate respect for all members of the SU family.

As an individual, s/he will avoid exploitation of fellow family members and make every effort to foster academic conduct.

This code of conduct covers the following heads:

• Section 1 – General Code of Conduct: expectations from students; offences leading to penalty; punishments; disciplinary procedure; the proctorial body and its power; the students discipline committee and its power.
• Section 2 – Examination Code of Conduct: examination offences and punishments.
• Section 3 – Specimen of the 'Undertaking' to be filled in by the students.

Students are expected to become their best selves and to work consciously toward bringing forth the best in others. It is expected that students clearly understand that while they are in SU they carry the name of the University. All behaviour, therefore, must reflect this reality in the social, civic, educational and living environments in which they find themselves.

Students are expected to be involved in the educational process that extends beyond the classroom as they design, create and participate in educational opportunities with other members of the university and civic community. Students are expected to adhere to the policies and requirements of SU and to abide by all applicable rules and regulations, including this code of conduct. Therefore, the university is free to take preventive action against students for any act of indiscipline.

A student is liable to be punished for the commission, provocation or abetment of any or all of the following offences:

1. Falsifying or submitting false/fake documents, transcripts or other academic credentials.
2. Preventing, hindering or disrupting faculty, staff, students, visitors or other employees of the University in discharging their duties or academic pursuits.
3. Damaging, removing or making unauthorized use of university property, or the personal property of faculty, staff, students or others working in the university ('property' includes information as well, however it be recorded or stored).
4. Assaulting an individual, including conduct which leads to the physical or emotional injury of faculty, staff, students or other members of the University, or which threatens their physical or emotional well-being.
5. Using, possessing, distributing or selling alcohol, drugs or other substances of abuse, including tobacco, for any reason other than medical grounds, on the University premises (University premises means the area of the facilities, administrative building and campuses, and includes all landed properties of SU or any installation thereon).
6. Possessing any weapon or instrument capable of resulting in bodily injury to others in the University.
7. Speaking, addressing, behaving towards or treating members of the opposite gender in a manner that could be construed as gender harassment.
8. Discriminating on the grounds of gender, colour, race or religion.
9. Dressing inappropriately, or in a manner that may be considered offensive in the context of the culture of the country.
10. Bringing false allegations against a member of the faculty, staff, students or other members of the University.
11. Withholding information about any offence committed by another faculty, staff, student or others in the University, when asked to produce such.
12. Failing to comply with any penalty imposed for misconduct.
13. Offences committed by bringing outsiders into the campus to create any type of disturbance.
14. Forming clubs, societies or student organizations other than the recognized unions or associations.
15. Arranging parties, playing musical instruments or using loudspeakers, etc., on the University premises without previous permission from the University Authority.
16. Declaring a strike in the University, or preventing/obstructing another student from attending classes, examinations, laboratories, library, etc.
17. Arranging or attending unauthorized meetings, gatherings, demonstrations or processions on the University premises other than those organized by the departments, students' unions or associations authorized by the university.
18. Any other activity which the University Authority may consider to be a violation of discipline.

The penalties which may be imposed, singly or in combination, for any of the above offences may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Punishment up to expulsion from the University.
2. Suspension from the University for more than seven (7) days.
3. Reprimand, with a letter placed in the concerned student's file.
4. Restitution in the case of damage to, removal of, or unauthorized use of property.
5. Forfeiture of scholarships and stipends, etc.

1. For the offences mentioned above, a formal written complaint shall be lodged with the office of the proctor (regarding gender harassment, the proctor may consider receiving an oral complaint also).
2. If the offence is serious in nature, a show-cause notice from the office of the proctor will be served to the concerned student to explain the matter within the stipulated period mentioned in the notice.
3. The student shall submit their explanation in writing to the office of the proctor within the stipulated time.
4. If the student fails to reply within the stipulated time, it shall be deemed that s/he either admits the allegation(s) or is withholding information, which itself is an offence, and the case shall be dealt with accordingly.
5. If the proctor is not satisfied with the explanation, s/he shall inform the chairman of the students discipline committee of the offence.
6. The chairman of the students discipline committee may form a formal inquiry committee comprising members of the faculty and staff.
7. After investigation and hearing, in which the student may be invited to appear, the inquiry committee shall submit a written report to the proctor (the ex-officio member secretary of the students discipline committee), stating its findings and recommendations within a reasonable time.
8. If the inquiry committee decides not to invite the student to appear, the student may request the committee for an interview, and the committee will give due consideration to the request.
9. On the report of the inquiry committee, the students discipline committee, if required, shall issue a show-cause notice to the offenders. On receiving the reply, the committee shall decide upon the penalty to be imposed and forward its decision to the Vice-Chancellor for approval.
10. After the approval of the Vice-Chancellor, the penalty will be imposed and the student and their guardians will be informed in writing.
11. The student upon whom the penalty is imposed may apply to the Vice-Chancellor for a review of the decision within 7 days of the communication of the penalty.
12. While reviewing the decision, the Vice-Chancellor shall have the power to grant pardons, reprieves and respites, and to remit, suspend or commute any penalty mentioned in section 3C above.
13. Lastly, the penalty shall be placed before the syndicate (Porichalona Porshod) for ratification.

1. Appointment of the Proctor: The proctor shall be an officer of the University directly responsible to the Vice-Chancellor, assisted by Assistant Proctors who remain responsible to the proctor. The Vice-Chancellor will appoint the proctor from among the Professors / Associate Professors / Additional Registrar of the University.
2. Appointment of Assistant Proctors: Assistant Proctors will be appointed by the Vice-Chancellor from among the Assistant Professors / Senior Lecturers / Lecturers / Deputy Registrars / Assistant Registrars on the recommendation of the proctor. Ordinarily one Assistant Proctor is chosen from each faculty after consulting the concerned Dean(s), so that at least one Assistant Proctor works in each campus of the University.
3. Duties of the Proctor:
   1. Ensuring discipline and good conduct of the students within the university campus.
   2. Taking such steps as he thinks necessary to ensure disciplined behaviour and good conduct of every student within the campus.
   3. Performing such other duties regarding discipline of students as may be required by the Vice-Chancellor from time to time.
4. Proctorial Power:
   1. The Vice-Chancellor may delegate such of his disciplinary powers as he thinks fit to the proctor, and shall issue standing orders regarding the delegated power.
   2. The proctor or Assistant Proctor may demand from any student within the premises the production of their Identity Card, and the student shall be bound to produce it.
   3. The proctor shall have the power to reprimand any student for behaviour or conduct defying or lowering the dignity of the person and office of the proctorial body.
   4. If any student repeats undignified conduct, the proctor may order suspension of the student from the University premises for a term not exceeding seven (7) days.

The Students Discipline Committee mentioned in Section 3D refers to the Students Discipline Committee mentioned in Section 19 of the First Statute of Sonargaon University (SU), adopted by the Syndicate (Porichalona Porshod) of SU in the exercise of its power under Section 28 of the Private University Act, 2010, and approved by the Chancellor of the University.

In order to ensure fairness and transparency and to maintain the highest discipline in examinations, the following shall be considered offences during examinations:

1. Possession of incriminating documents, including cell phones, multimedia players and other electronic devices in which information can be stored and retrieved, in the examination hall.
2. Copying from incriminating documents or from another examinee's script.
3. Writing anything related to the examination on the table, question paper, scale, etc.
4. Communicating with one another inside the examination hall.
5. Distribution, possession or consumption of tobacco products, alcohol, drugs or any other controlled substances inside the hall.
6. Writing an answer script in an unauthorized place.
7. Replacing the cover or any page of the answer script.
8. Smuggling a script into or out of the examination hall.
9. Creating obstruction or disturbance in holding the examination inside/outside the hall.
10. Taking false plea, or advantage of a false plea, of illness/physical incapability.
11. Absence of the invigilator's signature on the script.
12. Subtraction from or addition to the answer script without lawful authority.
13. Impersonating at the examination.
14. Using abusive language or giving threats to the invigilator or any other person in the examination hall.
15. Assaulting or attempting to assault anyone else in the examination hall.
16. Provoking, assisting or abetting the commission of the above offences.
17. Such other serious acts committed by the examinee whose gravity amounts to any of the above offences.

Examination offences initially reported by the invigilator will be forwarded to the Controller of Examinations through the Head of the Department or the Dean of the Faculty. The Controller of Examinations will place it before the Students Discipline Committee. Disciplinary action shall be taken by the Vice-Chancellor on the recommendation of the committee and reported to the Academic Council. The committee shall follow the guidelines below for the offences mentioned in 3G:

1. Offence 3G (i) & (ii): Examination on the particular course will be cancelled. If not deemed sufficient, the examinee may be debarred from the examination of the remaining course(s) of that semester depending on the gravity of the offence.
2. Offence 3G (iii): Examination on that particular course will be cancelled.
3. Offence 3G (iv) & (v): Examination on that particular course may be cancelled as per the gravity of the offence.
4. Offence 3G (vi) & (vii): Examination on that course and the remaining course(s) of that semester will be cancelled. If not sufficient, the examinee shall be expelled for 02 (two) more semesters as per the gravity of the offence.
5. Offence 3G (viii) & (ix): Examination on that course and the remaining course(s) of that semester will be cancelled. If not sufficient, the examinee shall be expelled for 04 (four) more semesters.
6. Offence 3G (x): Examination on that course and the remaining course(s) of that semester will be cancelled. If not sufficient, the examinee shall be expelled for 03 (three) more semesters.
7. Offence 3G (xi) & (xii): Examination on the particular course will be cancelled.
8. Offence 3G (xiii) & (xiv): Examination on the course and the remaining course(s) of that semester will be cancelled, and the examinee shall be expelled for 03 (three) more semesters.
9. Offence 3G (xv) & (xvi): All subsequent semesters, including that particular semester, will be cancelled, and the studentship of that examinee shall also be cancelled.
10. Offence 3G (xvii): Abetment of the above offences shall be punishable as may be deemed fit.

At the time of admission, every student is required to fill in and sign an undertaking, confirming that they have read and understood this Code of Conduct and agree to abide by all the rules and regulations of Sonargaon University during their studentship. The specimen of the undertaking is provided by the University Authority at the time of admission.