DC3: Code of Conduct

Full Sail DC3 promotes responsibility, respect, civility, and academic excellence in a safe and professional learning and teaching environment. The Code of Conduct intends to set a clear set of standard behavior and professionalism that is expected in our institution and industry.

Guiding Principles

The Full Sail DC3 community [which includes students, facilitators, staff, and consented guardians] is included in the Code of Conduct while enrolled in the course[s].

The Community’s Guiding Principles include that:

• All members of the Full Sail DC3 Community are to be treated with respect and dignity.
• Insults, disrespect, threats, bullying, or any type of harassment are not part of a professional environment and will not be tolerated.
• Classroom disruptions are detrimental to the learning and teaching environment.

Standards of Behavior

Responsible Citizenship

All members of the DC3 Community must:

• Treat one another with dignity and respect at all times
• Demonstrate honesty and integrity
• Respect and treat others fairly, regardless of their race, ancestry, color, religion, gender, disability, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation
• Refrain from unprofessional language used to communicate in person, on paper or by email via schoolwork

Bullying

Any type of bullying is strictly prohibited. The following behaviors are considered bullying:

• Engaging in verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, harassment, coercion, bullying or other conduct that threatens or endangers the mental or physical health/safety of any person
• Violation of the Code of Conduct may be grounds for termination from the course[s] and could prevent a student’s ability to enroll in future courses

Student Projects

Full Sail DC3 student work is optional and does not need to be completed or shared. If a DC3 student chooses to share their work with the DC3 community, the content of student project work must not contain any pornographic material, any material that would be considered offensive by the general public, sexually explicit material, or profanity. A general rule of thumb is to follow a PG-13 rating.

Students grant Full Sail DC3 perpetual license to any project work created as part of their academic progress. This perpetual license does not require that students give up ownership to their work, but that they give Full Sail DC3 the right to use the work for educational purposes in classroom and academic materials, as well as any marketing or promotional material for the school.

Academic Dishonesty

Our students are expected to have integrity at all times. This is especially true with regard to their academic performance, including the submission of creative work and assignments. Submitting work that is not a student’s own is academic dishonesty and will not be tolerated. While submission of student work is optional and not required for DC3 students, if a student does submit work, they should follow these guidelines:

• Academic Dishonesty: Includes, but is not limited to plagiarism, misrepresentation, and unauthorized (uncited) use or possession of the material.
• Projects/Assignments: Students are expected to be honest and produce their own projects/assignments. Work submitted by our students is assumed to be a student’s own thoughts, ideas, and words. Discovery to the contrary will result in immediate consequences.

Forgery and Fraud

No member of the community shall:

• Attempt to take, or assist in the taking of money, property, services, identity or any item of value for which they do not have rightful possession
• Forgery, alteration, or misuse of any Full Sail document, record, key, electronic device or identification is prohibited.
• Fraudulent use of checks, credit card or bank account numbers, or other attempts to engage in illegal and deceptive financial transactions is prohibited.

Dress Code

During recorded sessions, students are requested to wear appropriate clothing. Clothing should cover the torso and upper legs and offensive T-shirts or printed clothing is not permitted.

Software Piracy

Full Sail DC3 will sometimes offer students the opportunity to attend live events on Full Sail University’s campus. In the event a Full Sail DC3 student attends these events, Full Sail will strictly enforce the United States copyright laws. Please do not copy software from computers in labs or in the Library. Do not allow any person to copy software from you. Failure to comply with this policy may be cause for immediate dismissal.

No Harassment Policy

Full Sail DC3 is an open institution, available to everyone. We welcome a diverse student population from all walks of life and from virtually any location in the world. It is important that every student is treated with respect by the faculty, staff, and fellow students.

The No Harassment policy is not meant to regulate our students’ personal lives or their morality; however, each student is entitled to remain free from conduct that is improper, threatening, or demeaning while pursuing an education at DC3.

No Harassment

• Sexual Harassment. Improper and unwanted conduct of a sexual nature is prohibited. This includes both physical conduct, such as touching, as well as verbal conduct, such as comments about an individual’s anatomy. Sexual Harassment is not tolerated and may subject a student to disciplinary action, including suspension or dismissal.
• Other Harassment. Conduct that is demeaning or disparaging with regard to a student’s race, national origin, age, disability, religion, or sexual orientation is not permitted. Such conduct may also subject a student to disciplinary action, including suspension or dismissal.

Complaint Procedure

Students who experience serious acts of harassing conduct should promptly report these to the Director of Student Affairs. Each complaint will be investigated and appropriate action will be taken. Any complaint will be kept confidential to the maximum extent possible.

Full Sail DC3 will not tolerate any sort of retaliation against any student for filing a complaint of harassment.

Disruptive Behavior

Students who disrupt an online synchronous activity or lab will be asked to leave the session. Disruptive students will be required to meet with an appropriate administrator before they are allowed to attend future classes. These students may be dismissed from the course, with no refund, depending on the severity of the situation.

Nondiscrimination Policy Statement

Full Sail DC3 is committed to providing equal access to educational opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ancestry, familial status, spousal affiliation, medical condition, military veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law.

Discrimination Grievance/Complaint Procedures

Full Sail DC3 has adopted an internal grievance procedure for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints that students have against other students, faculty, employees, or any other third party, and which allege any actions prohibited under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibit discrimination on the basis of a disability; Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Civil Rights Act), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color religion or national origin; and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (Age Discrimination Act), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. This policy should also be used for the resolution of complaints that allege actions prohibited by Title II of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin; and the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 (Florida Civil Rights Act), Section 760.08, which prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, disability, familial status or religion.

This Discrimination Grievance/Complaint Procedure also applies to claims of harassment. For claims of sexual harassment, sex or gender-based discrimination, and sexual violence, complaints should be made in writing or verbally to the University’s Title IX Coordinator: Shayne Cade, Vice President of Compliance & Title IX Coordinator, 3300 University Boulevard, Winter Park, FL 32792, 407-679-0100 ext. 8351 or titleIX@fullsail.com. Unlawful sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature and can include sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature, which has the effect of denying, interfering with or limiting, on the basis of sex, the student’s ability to participate in or receive benefits, services, or opportunities in Full Sail DC3’s programs.

Pursuant to the procedures outlined in this policy, Full Sail DC3 will take prompt steps to address and remedy the effects of a violation, including discrimination and harassment, and to prevent its reoccurrence.

Harassment and Hostile Environment

Unlawful harassment on the basis of a protected characteristic (i.e., race, color, national origin, age, real or perceived physical or mental disability, pregnancy, familial status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law) is defined as intimidation or abusive behavior toward a student based on the student’s protected characteristic, that creates a hostile environment by interfering with, limiting or denying a student’s participation in or receipt of benefits, services or opportunities in DC3’s educational programs.

Harassing conduct can take many forms, including verbal acts and name-calling, as well as nonverbal behavior such as graphic and written symbols, or conduct that is physically threatening, harmful or humiliating. When harassing behavior is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that it creates a hostile or abusive educational environment, it can violate a student’s rights under Section 504, the ADA, the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination Act or the Florida Civil Rights Act. A hostile environment may exist even if there are no tangible effects on the student where the harassment is serious enough to adversely affect the student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the educational program.

Complaints

All Section 504, ADA, Age Discrimination Act, Civil Rights Act or Florida Civil Rights Act complaints, excluding those filed against the Director of Student Affairs, should be made in writing or verbally to Deborah Mills, Director of Student Affairs, 3300 University Boulevard, Winter Park, FL 32792, (407) 551-2024, ext. 8502. All Section 504, ADA and Age Discrimination Act complaints filed against the Director of Student Affairs should be made in writing or verbally to Garry Jones, President, 3300 University Boulevard, Winter Park, FL 32792, (407) 679-0100, ext. 8351.

Instructions

The following procedures will be used for all grievances or complaints alleging violations of Section 504, the ADA, the Age Discrimination Act, the Civil Rights Act or the Florida Civil Rights Act:

• A complaint must be filed within 60 calendar days of the alleged violation, claim of discrimination or harassment, or claim of failure to provide reasonable accommodation.
• All complaints may be filed in writing or verbally to the appropriate individual listed above and should state the name and address of the person(s) filing the complaint, and briefly describe the alleged violation.
• A formal investigation will follow the filing of the complaint if appropriate. This investigation will be conducted under the direction of either the Director of Student Affairs or the President, depending upon the nature of the grievance, and will normally be concluded within 60 business days. These procedures anticipate a thorough investigation, affording all interested persons and their representatives an opportunity to submit evidence (including documents and witnesses) relevant to a complaint.
• Any complaints which are withdrawn, or which are otherwise resolved, prior to Full Sail DC3 conducting or concluding an investigation will not be subject to a formal investigation.
• A written determination as to the investigative findings and a description of the resolution will be issued by either the Director of Student Affairs or the President, and a copy will be forwarded to the complainant and the respondent (if applicable) or any other interested party no later than 15 business days after its issuance.

Upon completion of the investigation, either the complaining party or the respondent (if applicable) may appeal the written determination to the President of Full Sail DC3 in writing within 15 business days of the receipt of it. The appeal must contain a statement as to the reasons the appealing party disagrees with the determination, as well as any changes the appealing party requests. The President will consider the appeal and advise the parties (including the appealing party, the non-appealing party, and/or any other interested party) as to the President’s answer, generally within 15 business days of the date the appeal is filed. 

An investigation will be considered complete either upon the expiration of 15 business days from the time the written determination (if no appeal is filed) or upon the issuance of the President’s answer to an appeal. The Director of Student Affairs will maintain the files and records of Full Sail DC3’s relating to any complaints filed.

Sexual Harassment Policy and Grievance Procedures

Statement of Nondiscrimination

Full Sail DC3 is committed to providing equal access to educational opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ancestry, familial status, spousal affiliation, medical condition, military veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law.

Sexual Harassment Policy Statement

Full Sail DC3 does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational programs and activities, including admissions, as required by Title IX and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 106.

Full Sail DC3 will promptly respond to and equitably investigate complaints regarding prohibited conduct that may violate this policy in order to eliminate, prevent, and remedy the adverse effects of such conduct within school-related programs or activities.

The full policy and all information regarding Title IX can be found at: https://www.fullsail.edu/policies-and-guidelines/title-ix.