4.1 The Students

All of Section 4.1, setting out principles by which the Faculty guides the educational progress of students, is considered part of the Statutes.

Educational excellence in an academic community presupposes awareness of and respect both for institutional rights and duties and for individual liberties and responsibilities. The Institute has an obligation to fulfill its educational mission as effectively as its capacity and resources permit. Correspondingly, the Institute shall exercise its right to establish and maintain high academic standards and its authority to adopt and implement standards of orderly conduct which promote an atmosphere conducive to learning and meaningful individual development.

Admission and Acceptance
In the admission of students, the Georgia Institute of Technology shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, age, or handicap. The Institute shall exercise its responsibility to select those applicants who, in its judgment, can best benefit from the educational programs of the Institute. All standards and policies shall be equitably applied and shall be in conformity with state and federal laws.

Academic Relationships
The Faculty has an obligation to evaluate the academic performances of Students. Such evaluation will be conducted by the Faculty solely on an academic basis, not on opinions, conduct, or associations in matters unrelated to academic pursuits. Consult the Student Rules and Regulations published in the Institute’s General Catalog for policies concerning examinations and quizzes, progress reports, final examinations, and grades.

Maintaining Academic Honesty
The Office of Student Integrity and its website provide faculty and students with information about the standards, procedures, and best practices used at Georgia Tech in maintaining academic honesty. Key standards include:

The Academic Honor Code
Student Code of Conduct

Consult the Student Rules and Regulations published in the Institute’s General Catalog for additional related policies.

Free Inquiry, Expression, Peaceable Assembly
As a community of scholars, the Institute encourages Students to examine and discuss questions and issues of interest to them. The right of peaceable assembly, fundamental to an opportunity for free inquiry and expression, shall be assured.

The mutual responsibility of the Institute and the Student or Student organization seeking free inquiry, expression, and peaceable assembly shall be to assure an opportunity for a reasoned approach to the resolving of issues by means of orderly procedures that insure respect for the rights of others.

The Institute shall require that in their public expressions Students have the responsibility to make clear that they speak only for themselves as individuals or as representatives of a student organization.

Involvement in Institutional Policy and Procedures
The Institute recognizes that Students may become involved constructively in efforts of individuals and organizations to improve physical and social conditions of the Institute, to increase the effectiveness of the Institute, to increase the effectiveness of the processes of learning and development of maturity, and to create larger opportunities for self-government characterized by orderly procedures and the exercise of mature judgment.

Institute regulations with respect to student conduct shall be determined by the Academic Faculty and President upon recommendations of the appropriate committees of the Academic Faculty. Students may initiate changes in rules and regulations governing them or initiate proceedings dealing with infringement of their rights, both individually and collectively.

Procedural rules established by the student judicial bodies of the Institute shall be subject to the approval of the Academic Faculty.