Statement on Values and Moral Standards

As the Florida public university most deeply rooted in the liberal arts tradition, Florida State University not only focuses on intellectual development, but as a community of moral discourse it also recognizes the need for the development of the whole person. The University maintains a comprehensive educational program ranging from classroom instruction to research and creative activities at the frontiers of human knowledge. These modes of searching for the truth are mutually enhancing and provide the context for the liberating experiences students gain from contact with ideas and individuals.

Florida State University shares a commitment to the dignity and worth of each person and is guided in its many endeavors by that underlying value. Through academic activity, community involvement, social interaction, cultural experience, recreational and physical activity, and religious involvement, students find many avenues in the University community for the development of the whole person.

A responsible student recognizes that freedom means the acknowledgment of responsibility to the following: to justice and public order; to fellow students' rights and interests; to the University, its rules, regulations and accepted traditions; to parents and teachers, and to all others whose support makes one's advanced education possible. Responsible student behavior requires observance of the Student Conduct Code which is based on respect for the dignity and worth of each person and the requirements for successful community life.

Relations among all persons should be characterized by mutual respect and equality. Sexism, sexual harassment, and sexual coercion of any sort are wrong and constitute a violation of fundamental moral requirements and state law. Minimally responsible behavior requires that no one take sexual advantage of another.

The University enforces all laws relevant to alcohol and controlled substances and strongly discourages the use of illegal substances at any time. The University disseminates and encourages the dissemination of information concerning the responsible use of alcohol.

The cultural, ethnic and racial diversity of the University community provides an opportunity for learning about those different from oneself. The University expects each individual to make a special effort to ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect and accorded the full opportunities of the University. Racism, whether in assumptions, attitudes, acts or polices, is incompatible with the concept of responsible freedom as espoused by Florida State University.

The University is a compassionate community. In its treatment of students, it recognizes the wisdom both of letting students experience the consequences of their actions and of providing the opportunity to learn and grow in ways that can overcome past difficulties. The University provides ongoing student support through the health center, counseling services and the academic advising process. The university experience is a time for adventure, fun, excitement, the making of new friends and the discovery of new possibilities. There are numerous individual and organized opportunities for students to develop and to learn in the course of their university years to exercise newly acquired freedom deliberately and responsibly.

Equal Opportunity Statement -

The Florida State University believes in equal opportunity practices, which conform to both the spirit and the letter of all laws against discrimination. The University actively strives to build a community in which opportunity is equalized. Facilities and human resources will be used to develop the skills and opportunities of the members of all groups so that they may play responsible and productive roles in society.

Sexual Harassment Policy Statement -

The Florida State University regards sexual harassment as a violation of an individual’s human rights and as a form of discrimination based upon sex. The University deems sexual harassment to include conduct under Titles VII or IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or under applicable implementing regulations such as the EEOC guidelines and Florida law.

It is therefore the policy of The Florida State University that its employees and students neither commit nor condone sexual harassment in any form. This prohibition applies equally to male and female staff, faculty and students, to all other persons on property subject to university control, and to those engaged to further the interests of the University.

Employees and students who engage in sexual harassment will be subject to applicable disciplinary processes. Acts of sexual harassment that also constitute sexual battery or other violation of criminal law will be referred to the appropriate authorities for prosecution.

The university administration strongly encourages all Florida State University community members to report incidents of sexual harassment. A student victim of sexual harassment should report the incident to the University Coordinator of Sexual Harassment Resolutions, 416 Westcott, 644-6031. Students may seek assistance from the Dean of Students, 644-2428.

All students are encouraged to read the full text of the University Policy on Sexual Harassment in the 2003-2004 Student Handbook.

University Policy on HIV/AIDS -

It is the policy of the State University System to balance the rights of HIV/AIDS victims to an education and employment against the rights of students and university employees to an environment in which they are protected from contracting the disease.

Students, employees and applicants for admission or employment at FSU who have or who may become infected with the HIV virus will not be excluded from enrollment or employment or restricted in their normal responsibilities and access to University services or facilities due to their HIV/AIDS status, unless individual medically-based judgments establish that exclusion or restriction is necessary to the welfare of the individual or of other members of the University community.

The Student Counseling Center has designated University HIV/AIDS counselors who can provide confidential counseling and referrals. Records gathered by the university about a student’s condition are confidential, as provided by federal and state regulations. For additional information, please refer to the 2003-2004 Student Handbook.