Rules of Conduct and Procedures (NSHE Code)

The procedures and sanctions established in this chapter are applicable to the resolution and determination of charges against students of the Nevada System of Higher Education for allegedly engaging in conduct prohibited by the Nevada System of Higher Education rules of conduct or by other applicable stated policies, procedures, rules, regulations or bylaws of the System institutions. Except as expressly provided in Section 10.4.12, the System institutions and professional schools may establish written policies, procedures and sanctions for the discipline of their students that may be used in lieu of the policies, procedures and sanctions of this chapter, including but not limited to the establishment of student conduct councils, subject to the prior review by the institution’s general counsel and to the approval of the President of the institution.

• Acts of dishonesty, including but not limited to the following:
  • Cheating, plagiarism, fraudulently obtaining grades, falsifying research data or results, assisting others to do the same, or other forms of academic or research dishonesty;
  • Furnishing false information to any institution or System official, faculty member, or office;
  • Forgery, alteration, misuse, theft, or using without permission, any institutional document or record.
• Disorderly, lewd or indecent conduct, including the disruption, obstruction, or unauthorized interruption of teaching, convocations, recruiting interviews, social events, research, meetings, business and administration, disciplinary proceedings, or other institutional or System activities, including public service functions and outreach activities on or off campus, or other activities when the conduct occurs on institutional premises.
• Physical abuse and/or conduct that threatens or endangers the health or safety of any member or guest of the System community.
• Verbal abuse, intimidation, coercion, or bullying which is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive so as to interfere with or limit a student's ability to participate in or benefit from the educational services, activities or opportunities offered by the university.
• Interference by force, threat or duress with the lawful freedom of movement of persons or vehicles on institutional premises.
• Resisting or obstructing institutional or other public officials in the performance of their duties.
• Failure to comply with the directions of institutional officials acting in accordance with their duties and/or failure to identify oneself to these persons when requested to do so.
• Acts of physical force or disruptive acts which interfere with institutional activities, freedom of movement on the campuses, freedom for students to pursue their studies, freedom of speech, freedom to be heard, and freedom to pursue research of their own choosing.
• Failure of the student to present proper credentials, student identification card, driver’s license, or parking registration, to institutional officials upon their request.
• Forgery, alteration, falsification or destruction of System documents or furnishing false information in documents submitted to the System.
• Willful damage, destruction, defacement, theft or misappropriation of equipment or property belonging to, in the possession of, or on premises occupied by the System.
• Knowing possession on any premises of the System of any firearms, explosives, dangerous chemicals or other instruments of destruction, or other dangerous weapons as defined by the laws of the State of Nevada, without the written authorization of the institutional President or the President’s authorized agent.
• Continued occupation of buildings, structures, grounds or premises belonging to, or occupied by, the System after having been ordered to leave by the institution’s President, the President’s designee, or the Chancellor.
• False reporting of any emergency situation, including but not limited to, misuse of campus or System emergency notification equipment. Unauthorized tampering with, and/or accessing of, safety, security, or fire protection equipment or devices. Setting off a fire alarm for reasons other than actual fire or emergency, involvement in setting or causing any unauthorized fire in or on institution property.
• The unauthorized possession, loan, modification, or distribution of keys, pass cards or institutional identification cards. Unauthorized or unlawful entry or access to institutional or System facilities, including buildings and grounds. The reproduction, manufacture or duplication of any key, pass card, institutional or System identification card or unlocking devise for use on institution or System facilities or locks without proper authorization.
• Abuse, unauthorized use, or theft of institutional or System computer facilities and resources, including but not limited to:
  • Unauthorized entry into, or transfer of, a file to use, read, or change the contents or for any other purpose; and/or a violation of copyright laws;
  • Use of another individual’s identification and/or password;
  • Interfering with the work of another student, faculty member or institution or System official, or with the normal operation of the institution or System Computing System; or,
  • Violating the institution’s Standards of Conduct for the Use of Institution’s Computers.

• Willfully destroying, damaging, tampering, altering, stealing, misappropriating or using without permission any System, program or file of the System.
• Violation of the institution’s policies and regulations governing residence in institution owned or controlled property, and access to and use of all institutional facilities, including responsibility for the conduct of guests.
• Use, possession, or distribution of alcoholic beverages without authorization (except as expressly permitted by System or Institutional regulations, such as the Alcoholic Beverage Policy), or public intoxication. Alcoholic beverages may not, in any circumstances, be used by, possessed by, or provided to, any person under 21 years of age.
• Use, possession, manufacturing or distribution (hereinafter “use”) of marijuana, including for medical purposes; heroin; narcotics; or other controlled substances; use or possession of any illegal and/or unauthorized drugs, prescription drugs, and drug paraphernalia or being under the influence of illegal drugs except as expressly permitted by law. Use, possession or cultivation of marijuana, including for medical purposes, on any NSHE or NSHE foundation owned or leased property, or at any NSHE sponsored or authorized activity, is expressly prohibited. 
• Contempt of student disciplinary proceedings including impairing or interrupting any proceeding or providing false information to institution or System officials and student hearing board members during the course of the conduct resolution process. Failure to comply with the terms of any sanction imposed in accordance with the rules of conduct.
• The repeated use of obscene or abusive language in a classroom or public meeting of the System and which, if occurring in a class, is not significantly related to the teaching of the subject matter.
• The use of threats or violence against a faculty member or the faculty member’s family in order to secure preferential treatment for grades, loans, employment, or other service or privilege accorded by the System.
• Any act of unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex (including sexual harassment and pregnancy related conditions), age (40 or older), sexual orientation, disability, whether actual or perceived by others, military status or military obligations, religion or national origin, gender identity or expression, or genetic information, or any act of employment or educational retaliation against any person who has made a complaint about such discrimination.
• Sexual harassment, as defined in the regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106) implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, which is conduct based on sex that satisfies one of the following:
  • An employee of a NSHE institution (including but not limited to a student employee) conditioning the provision of an aid, benefit, or service of the institution on an individual’s participation in unwelcome sexual conduct;
  • Unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe or pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the institution’s education program or activity; or
  • Sexual assault, as defined in 34 C.F.R. § 668.46(a) (commonly known as the Clery Act), as amended by the Violence Against Women Act, including dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking.
• Sexual assault, which is the use of, or threat to use, force or violence of a sexual nature, defined as sexual assault, against any member or guest of the institutional community on institution-owned or institution controlled property or at any institution sponsored program.
• Acts of hazing, as defined in section 485(f)(6)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Stop Campus Hazing Act of 2024, 20 U.S.C. §1092, or Nevada Revised Statutes or NSHE and institutional policies and procedures.
• Intentionally making an accusation that is false or is made with reckless disregard for the truth against any member of the System community by filing a complaint or charges under the rules of conduct or under any applicable established complaint or grievance procedures in the System.
• Willful incitement of individuals to commit any of the acts herein prohibited.
• Any other conduct that violates applicable stated prohibitions, policies, procedures, rules, or regulations of the institution or Board of Regents. 
• Any act prohibited by local, state or federal law that occurs on System premises or at a System-sponsored function on or off such premises.
• Dating Violence. “Dating violence” means violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim, and where the existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the following factors: the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.
• Domestic Violence. “Domestic violence” means felony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction receiving grant monies, or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction.
• Stalking. “Stalking” means engaging in a course of conduct on the basis of sex directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others, or suffer substantial emotional distress.
• Sexual Violence. Sexual violence is a severe form of sexual harassment and refers to physical, sexual acts or attempted sexual acts perpetrated against a person’s will or where a person is incapable of giving consent, including but not limited to rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual coercion or similar acts in violation of state or federal law. A person may be incapable of giving consent due to the use of drugs or alcohol, age, an intellectual or other disability, or other factors, which demonstrate a lack of consent or inability to give consent.

The President of an institution may appoint a student conduct officer or coordinator and alternate student conduct officers or coordinators to serve if the student conduct officer is unable to perform the duties of this Section for any reason.

Any member of the institution community may file a complaint against a student for violations of the rules of conduct. The complaint shall be prepared in writing and filed with the President or the student conduct officer. Any complaint should be submitted as soon as possible after the incident takes place.