Students who are considered to be in violation of any of these standards of classroom conduct may be asked to leave the room. Further action may be taken if the behavior is deemed particularly disruptive to the intellectual climate of this course.

1. Cheating* in any form will not be tolerated. During exams you are not permitted to exchange information in any form with other students, nor may you obtain textual or graphic information from any printed or electronic media.

 
2. Based on University policy, any acts of academic misconduct (see The MTSU handbook of student rights and responsibilities for further details) will be reported to the Assistant Dean for Judicial Affairs & Mediation Services. Likewise, the case will be referred to the University Discipline Committee for resolution. I will request that anyone found guilty of any form of academic misconduct receive a failing grade for the course.  I also reserve the right to pursue further disciplinary action against all perpetrators; this may include expulsion from the university.

 
3. Students who anticipate or observe an act of academic misconduct are strongly encouraged to report the offense. A student present during the planning, or facilitating the commission, of any offense listed in  The MTSU handbook of student rights and responsibilities will be considered guilty of aiding and abetting.

 
4. Any student who is disruptive to the academic environment of my classroom may be asked to leave. According to "The MTSU handbook of student rights and responsibilities" disorderly conduct is defined as "any individual or group behavior which is abusive, obscene, lewd, indecent, violent, excessively noisy, disorderly, or which unreasonably disturbs other groups or individuals. In the case of minor offenses, you will be required to cease the offending behavior. Examples of inappropriate behavior in my classroom include but are not limited to:
• (a) disrespectful interjections or comments,
• (b) conversation unrelated to the class subject,
• (c) disruptive noises including in-class use of a cell phone, and
• (d) repeated ingress and egress to the classroom.

 
5. ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY. According to the MTSU Student Handbook: "A student is expected to attend each class for which he/she is registered except in cases of unavoidable circumstances.... Students who are reported for nonattendance will be assigned a grade of "F," which will appear on their transcripts."

 
6. Students should arrive to class and be seated before class begins.

 
7. Students should anticipate that class will routinely be conducted for the full class period. If you must leave early, you should arrange to sit at or near the end of the row and toward the back of the room. This will help minimize any disturbance for your classmates and instructor.

 
8. Students are expected to read ALL of the assigned material BEFORE CLASS. Don't ask me to explain concepts or repeat myself simply because you didn't read the assigned material before coming to class.

 
9. Questions asked in class should pertain to the topic at hand, or at the very least, to the broad topic of Earth Science. Queries concerning unrelated subjects will be discouraged.

 
10. The use (either making or receiving calls) of cell phones & audible beepers is not permitted in lecture. Turn them OFF before class begins! If I have to remind you of this more than once, you'll thereafter be required to surrender your cell phone each day when you arrive.

 
11. Casual conversation with classmates during lecture will not be tolerated. If you find personal chit-chat more important than the subject at hand, you should pursue your discussion outside my classroom.  Therefore, if I see or hear classroom conversations I will likely interrupt class to confront the chatterers and ask them to leave.