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Student Conduct

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University of Toronto Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters

The University of Toronto Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters (the Code) governs the behavior of all members of the University of Toronto in academic life. It ensures honesty and fairness in the teaching/learning relationship between all parties who participate in the academic life: faculty, staff, and students. The Code applies to all Rotman students, faculty, and staff. The Code lists possible offences (e.g. plagiarism, cheating) and outlines the process that follows any suspected offence(s), as well as appeals mechanisms.

Penalties can be very severe. Students are strongly encouraged to review the University’s Academic Integrity website. More importantly, students should ask their instructors, teaching assistants, and other university resources if they have any questions about academic integrity. When in doubt, always ask to ensure well-informed decisions.

At Rotman, instructors, Teaching Assistants (TAs), assistant/associate directors, and other offices listed in this section all want to help.

University of Toronto Code of Student Conduct

The University of Toronto Code of Student Conduct governs student behaviour. It also governs the penalties when conduct jeopardizes the good order and proper functioning of the academic and non-academic programs and activities of the University. This includes issues of harassment and other unacceptable behaviour.

University of Toronto Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment

On 1 January 2017, the University’s new Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy took effect. The policy applies to all members of the University of Toronto community and makes available the same services to everyone—students, faculty, and staff. All incidents between members of the community, whether they take place on or off campus or online, will be covered by the new policy.

Rotman Code of Conduct

Introduction

Achieving the mission and goals of the University of Toronto and the Rotman School of Management depends on the manner in which each member of our community conducts themselves, both within the school and when representing the Rotman School of Management externally.

Classroom, extracurricular, and professional relationships must be founded on the values and principles of mutual respect and acceptance, and also on the affirmation of the rights of all members of our community. As members of the Rotman community, students (along with staff and faculty) are expected to conduct themselves and communicate in a manner consistent with the values of academic, personal, and professional integrity. This includes, but is not limited to, professional conduct with faculty other students, and staff through the completion of course requirements; classroom behaviour; and extracurricular activities sponsored by Rotman or Rotman-approved student clubs and associations, corporate recruiters, alumni, other constituent groups, and members of the student body.

To this end, students are expected to adhere to the University of Toronto’s codes of behavior and conduct which include (hereinafter “U of T Codes”):

Non-Academic:

Academic:

General:

In addition, the Rotman Code of Conduct is intended to supplement the U of T Codes and support the development of the Rotman community by describing the standards of scholarship and professionalism to which each Rotman student must adhere. Violation of these standards may be cause for disciplinary action through the relevant U of T Codes or an internal review involving the Vice-Dean of MBA Programs, or the Vice Dean, Undergraduate and Specialized Programs or their designates.

Each member of the Rotman community, as a person of integrity, has a personal obligation to report known violations of the Rotman Code of Conductor the U of T Codes. Questions, concerns, and issues are first managed at the local, divisional, and faculty level as appropriate in the situation. Students are encouraged to reach out to their respective program office for guidance on the process to report complaints. 

Additional information pertaining to issues and complaints involving the U of T Codes can be found on the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students website. The establishment and maintenance of an environment that is most conducive to learning is highly valued by Rotman. 

All new students are required to read and sign a form acknowledging adherence to these policies prior to the start of classes. This document will be kept on file for the duration of the student’s program.

Rotman School of Management Code of Conduct

As a community of students, faculty and staff, we aspire to uphold the Rotman School’s Values of diversity, excellence, integrity, and respect.

The Rotman Code of Learning

Students will invest themselves fully in the Rotman program experience by adopting a growth mindset. All students are expected to do their best to:

  • Prepare thoroughly for class
  • Make every effort to attend every class
  • Arrive on time
  • Notify the professor in advance of anticipated absences, late arrivals, or early departures
  • Participate actively in class discussions
  • Respect the participation of others in class discussions, including their diversity of opinions and perspectives
  • Use technology in class only as it is relevant to the material being discussed
  • Recognize that the classroom is a special environment in which learning is the central goal
  • Recognize that the classroom is the domain of the professor who may establish specific expectations of students.
The Rotman Code of Professionalism

Students will treat all members of the Rotman community with respect and civility and operate to integrate and include diversity from all perspectives. Specifically, all students are expected to:

The Rotman Code of Integrity

Students will conduct themselves with the utmost integrity during their time at Rotman and, without limiting the foregoing, will:

  • Submit only original work, giving credit to others where appropriate. Students should not seek access to past student case solutions or instructor solutions from prior course offerings; by the same token, students agree to keep their own case solutions for personal use, not to be widely distributed to other students for future use. Students who violate these rules may be subject to disciplinary action under the University’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters
  • Neither give nor receive unauthorized aid in examinations or on assignments
  • Contribute substantially and proportionally to each group assignment
  • Ensure enough familiarity with the entire contents of group assignments so as to be able to sign off on them as original work
  • Accept and acknowledge that assignments found to be plagiarized in any way will be subject to sanctions under the University’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters
  • Represent Rotman appropriately to members of the Rotman community and the external community.
Team Behaviours and Protocols

All students are expected to treat team work as they would in a business setting, ensuring professional behaviour at all times as operating effective as part of a team is a core expectation of the Rotman degree. Professional behaviour in team settings includes (but is not limited to) the following:

  • Respecting and treating all others in a manner consistent with the Rotman Code of Conduct
  • Ensuring all team members voice their opinions, thoughts, and concerns
  • Taking personal responsibility to voice thoughts to benefit the team’s learning
  • Contributing equal time and effort to the project as others in the group
  • Committing to a standard of work agreed upon by the group
  • Participating in team projects at a level agreed upon by the entire team.

The Rotman School of Management has additional policies relating to group work and behaviour for review.

Career Services Professional Code of Conduct

The following guidelines have been established to create a positive environment at Rotman. Adherence to these policies will both strengthen relationships with our top employers and provide Rotman students with the opportunity to make productive connections with prospective employers and corporate guests.

Student Information
  • All information provided to Career Services and to employers in all written and verbal correspondence such as résumés, transcripts, and employment information and interviews must be accurate and complete.
  • All information regarding current employment and changes to employment submitted to Career Services for statistics must be valid.

Academic Integrity

The value of students’ University of Toronto degree depends on the integrity with which we all approach academic life. We place a great deal of importance on honest work and demand our university community members to give credit where credit is due. The University has zero tolerance when it pertains to academic integrity. It will pursue violations, intentional or unintentional, very vigorously and impose very severe penalties. This is in all of our interests, students and faculty, because it ensures the University of Toronto degree will always be a credible signal of the knowledge and skills of those who earned it.

The University expects us to know all the rules and will act accordingly when these are not followed. It is simply not a defense to say “I did not know…” or “My friends told me…” or “I was allowed to do this before…” The standard of proof in any dispute is “Could the student have known?”

Below we list some of the resources students will need to ensure they can always make the right decision. Students should always ask for help if uncertain. The Registrar’s Office, instructors, and all University of Toronto libraries are good places to ask for help.

Academic Integrity Course

The most important starting point is the mandatory Academic Integrity Course. Students receive information about this course before program orientation (students who entered in 2017 or later). If that information is lost, come to the Registrar’s Office and we will help you regain access. The course has lots of information and resource links.

Academic Integrity Resources

Here are other helpful resources at the University of Toronto:

Group Work and Behaviour

Team work is a substantial part of the Rotman School’s programs and plays a significant role in both the academic setting for course grades as well as training for professional life. Therefore, the content and the workload within the programs are structured around the requirement for students to work successfully in project teams.

Team Formation

In an effort to facilitate teamwork and allow students to benefit from the diversity of backgrounds represented in the program, the Program Services staff forms and assigns project teams of four to five students for all core courses which incorporate group work as part of the grading scheme. We take a number of factors into account when forming the project teams, including academic background, industry experience, program of study, and international background. Project teams are utilized for course projects and are also intended to provide an academic support for students for individual course work and class preparation.

Should there be group work in the MBA elective courses students will have the opportunity to form their own teams for project work.

Team Work and Academic Integrity

When working as a team, each team member is responsible for the work submitted collectively by the team. This includes work that may be considered academically dishonest, or in which an academic offence has been committed (as defined by the University’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters).

In other words, if one of your team members takes a shortcut and copies material from the internet or a past assignment, or simply isn’t aware of the rules regarding appropriate citation for sources consulted, the whole team faces consequences that may arise from an allegation of academic misconduct. It is up to each team member to be sufficiently familiar with the work being submitted; to check each other’s work for proper citations and originality; and to be aware of the relevant policies. As a general guideline, students should approach group assignments—and the checking of citations and originality—in the same manner that they normally would for an individual assignment; ultimately, ensuring the quality of the final product being submitted meets the standard of integrity.

Team Behaviours and Protocols

All students are expected to treat team work as they would in a business setting, ensuring professional behaviour at all times.

Professional behaviour in team settings includes (but is not limited to) the following:

  • Respecting and treating all others in a manner consistent with the Rotman Code of Conduct
  • Ensuring all team members voice their opinions, thoughts, and concerns
  • Taking personal responsibility to voice thoughts to benefit the team’s learning
  • Contributing equal time and effort to the project as others in the group
  • Committing to a standard of work agreed upon by the group
  • Participating in team projects at a level agreed upon by the entire team

General Dispute Resolution Procedures

The project team should attempt to resolve cases in which a team member does not demonstrate an adequate degree of commitment to the project team and its work, or if the quality of the work is not of MBA calibre or of the level expected by the project team. The general dispute resolution procedures are given below. Project teams that do not follow the general dispute resolution procedures described here are required to give each project team member equal credit for the disputed project work.

Early intervention can solve many of the minor disputes that arise among team members. During this stage a project lead is expected to ensure that the individual is aware of the team’s expectations and has the opportunity to commit to the successful completion of the project.

In the event that early intervention is unsuccessful, the project lead is expected to engage the support of the Program Services staff, without delay, to provide additional support and resolution options. The Program Services staff may enlist additional support and resources of an advisor from the Self-Development Lab and/or Academic Director if the situation necessitates.

If a satisfactory solution cannot be reached at the outcome of this discussion, the entire project team must meet with one of the team support designates. The team support designate will listen to every member of the team and discuss options for improving the team process and effectiveness. All members of the project team must commit to actively participate in the solution and utilize suggestions and terms agreed to in this meeting.

If attempts to resolve the project team’s issues have not been successful and the recurring issue(s) persist, the Program Services staff will consider alternative methods of team resolution, with due consideration for the University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters, Code of Student Behaviour, and the Rotman Code of Conduct, as well as the various support resources on campus. Resolution decisions may include an academic penalty.

Equitable Group Effort and Workload

In a situation where an individual or individuals have consistently failed to meet the project team’s expectations (as outlined in the team charter and the first project meeting for the specific project in question), and the dispute resolution procedure is not successful, a project lead must consult with their project team to decide whether or not the project team is to submit the assignment/project without all project team members’ names.

In the event that one or more project team members’ names are removed from the final submission, the affected student(s) is/are expected to contact both the instructor and Program Services immediately and no later than 48 hours after the submission deadline. The discussion with the affected student will be reviewed by the Program Services staff and the instructor for a final decision regarding academic penalty and/or accommodation by means of an alternative assignment.

Elective Course Teams

All members of the project team must actively work to resolve the issue through early intervention and discussion, led by a designated team leader. In the event that an internal project team resolution attempt fails, the instructor should then be approached as soon as possible for recommendations. The instructor may contact the Program Services staff or Registrar’s Office, if necessary, at any time in the process.

The instructor will listen to the team and offer options for improving the group process and to help with potential solutions. If these efforts do not result in a satisfactory resolution, the instructor and the Program Services staff will consider alternative methods of team resolution, with due consideration for the University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters, Code of Student Behaviour, the Rotman Code of Conduct, and the various support resources on campus. Resolution decisions may include an academic penalty.

Academic Penalties for Unprofessional Behaviour / Non-Participation

Failure to participate in group projects at a level agreed upon by the entire project team, or demonstrating unprofessional conduct, will not be tolerated and may be subject to investigation and academic penalty.

Unprofessional conduct includes violations of the professional behaviours listed above.

Respect, Diversity, and Inclusion

Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment Policy

The University aspires to achieve an environment free of prohibited discrimination and harassment and to ensure respect for the core values of freedom of speech, academic freedom and freedom of research, as per its Statement on Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment.

Student Complaint Process

Step 1: Issue(s) Identification

Raise the concern or complaint with the individual(s) who is believed to have engaged in discrimination/harassment (if possible).

Step 2: Consult/Refer

If a resolution is not achieved at the individual level, discuss the concern with the Office of Student Engagement Assistant Director / Program Services Associate Director. Students will be referred as appropriate.

Alternatively, students may directly contact any resources listed below.

Step 3: Initiating a Formal Complaint

If the issue still remains unresolved, students have the option to file a formal complaint. Please contact Rotman’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Office for consultation.

If, however, students prefer to go directly to a university resource, please approach any of the resources listed.

Step 4: Fact-Finding & Resolution

Once a formal complaint has been initiated, an equity officer/investigator, in consultation with university guidance, will ascertain whether an investigation is warranted.

Next steps on the fact finding and its resolution will be communicated directly to the student.

Campus Resources

Rotman Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Office
Director: Nouman Ashraf, Director
Project Coordinator: Ana Sofia Barrows

AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) Office
416.978.7236 – aoda@utoronto.ca

Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office
416.978.1259 – antiracism@utoronto.ca

Community Safety Office
416.978.1485

Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre
416.978.2266

Sexual and Gender Diversity Office
416.946.5624 – sgdo@utoronto.ca

Last Updated: 2022-05-16 @ 5:03 pm