University reminds students to follow code of conduct during G-20

Pitt students must follow the Student Code of Conduct at all times during the G-20 Summit,… Pitt students must follow the Student Code of Conduct at all times during the G-20 Summit, whether they are on campus or at the event Downtown, according to a spokesman.

University spokesman John Fedele said the Student Code of Conduct applies to Pitt students wherever they go.

The University posted reminders in campus buildings and online this week, asking students to obey the code and keep themselves safe during the G-20.

Dean of Students Kathy Humphrey said University officials put up information about the Student Code of Conduct because students she spoke with last year said they wished they had more knowledge of the code before the Super Bowl victory celebrations.

To protest responsibly, students should obey all federal, state and local laws and obey any police directions, according to the code. Destroying property or endangering people’s safety also violates the Student Code of Conduct, Humphrey said.

She encouraged students to be appropriate and responsible in their protests, should they decide to become involved.

Students who violate federal, state or local laws may be brought before the student judicial system, Humphrey said.

However, a conviction of a crime that violates the code is not necessary to bring a student into the student judicial system. The student judicial system works off evidence presented by police or an investigation, not on convictions made by an outside court, Humphrey said.

She added that the University’s Judicial Board won’t necessarily wait for civil courts to complete a case, and it may begin its process before a case is finished in an outside court.

The Student Code of Conduct says that the violation of any local, state or federal law also violates the code and might put the student into the judicial system.

More serious infractions of the code — such as directly endangering a student’s own safety or that of someone else — might result in immediate action by the Office of Student Affairs, Fedele said.

Those immediate actions are only an interim measure until the case goes through the Judicial Board, Humphrey said.

The safety tips advertised by the University advise students to carry their IDs at all times, lock doors when entering or leaving a residence and travel with others at night. These tips are very similar to those that Carnegie Mellon issued to its students early last week.

The text of the Student Code of Conduct is available at www.studentaffairs.pitt.edu/conduct/code.html.