Student Guidelines, Expectations, and Rights

Gardner-Webb University is a community of students, faculty, and staff who are dedicated to learning and personal development in a Christian environment. As in any community, certain standards of conduct are necessary to protect the safety, rights, health, and general well-being of all members of the community. The University strives to promote concern for the good of the entire group as opposed to selfish individualism. Each person, whether student, faculty, or staff, voluntarily joins the University community and thus is expected to abide by rules and regulations that have been adopted to ensure reasonable standards of conduct. The Code of Student Conduct describes conduct which the University does not tolerate. By enrolling in the University, each student agrees to abide by University rules, regulations, and expectations. The Board of Trustees has approved minimum penalties for certain of the prohibited behaviors. The University assures fundamental fairness to any student accused of involvement in prohibited behavior. The Online Undergraduate Degree Completion Program Student Handbook describes the Code of Student Conduct and the student conduct process used in the event a student becomes involved in prohibited behavior. The Handbook is available online. Gardner-Webb University supports and is fully committed to the concept of a drug-, tobacco-, and alcohol-free campus community. In order to comply with the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989, Gardner-Webb publishes these policies and makes them available to each student.

Gardner-Webb will impose disciplinary sanctions on students who violate the terms of paragraph 1. If found responsible, the appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from the University and/or satisfactory participation in a drug and alcohol abuse assistance or rehabilitation program approved for such purposes by a federal, state, or local health, law enforcement, or other appropriate agency, will be taken. More specific penalties are outlined in the Online Undergraduate Degree Completion Program Student Handbook. Violations may also be referred to the appropriate civil authorities for prosecution under local, state, and federal law.
Local, state, and federal laws prohibit the possession and distribution of illicit drugs, alcohol, and weapons. The applicable legal sanctions for various offenses are listed in the North Carolina Criminal Law and Procedure book, a reference copy of which is maintained by the University’s Campus Police Department.
Information describing the health risks associated with the illicit drugs and abuse of alcohol is made available to all students. Additional information and individual counseling is available through the University’s Counseling Center. If necessary and at the student’s expense, referral can be made to an outside agency.
Consistent with North Carolina Statute 14-269.2 banning weapons on campus, it is a violation of Gardner-Webb University policy to possess, store, carry, or use any weapon on the University Campus or at a curricular or extracurricular activity sponsored by the University, except as otherwise specifically provided by law.