It is the responsibility of each University student to become and stay familiar with the Code of Student Conduct.

The University of Alabama aspires to transmit knowledge, to develop its students, and to promote the quality of society.  In seeking these goals, the University recognizes the significance of student rights.  These rights include freedom of expression, autonomy, procedural protection, and the integrity of people and their property.  By ensuring these individual rights, the University fosters an environment conducive to student success and well-being.  The Code of Student Conduct fully respects student rights.

Of course, students have obligations in addition to their rights.  As members of an academic community, students must observe rules that benefit their classmates, their community, and their University.  Students must practice personal integrity.  By so doing, they respect the dignity, rights, and property of others.  The University has a vital interest in the character of its students and, therefore, regards behavior at any location (on-campus or off-campus) as a reflection of a student’s character and fitness to be a member of the student body. The Code of Student Conduct thus creates an expectation of behavior that the University deems acceptable.  By fulfilling these expectations, students can enjoy their own rights, while also respecting the rights of others and furthering the University’s goals.

The University community, however, must have a system to deal with those instances when a member fails to adhere to the expectations of the community.  The Code of Student Conduct describes the actions that fail to meet expectations, the process for determining when a failure has occurred, and the sanctions that may be imposed for such failure.