Student-Athlete Code of Ethics

Meeting tonight with our fall athletes to go over NCAA compliance issues and our basic Athletic Department policies. After reviewing these policies and having the opportunity to ask questions of me, each athlete will sign a form acknowledging that they have read and understand these policies and will abide by them. The most fundamental is our Student-Athlete Code of Ethics which reads as follows:

PURPOSE

The purpose of intercollegiate athletics at Bates College is to provide the opportunity for students to develop their full potential in a rigorous academic setting that values varsity sport participation and the keenest competition as a key component of the educational process. However, it is considered a privilege rather than a right to be a student-athlete and with that privilege come certain responsibilities. Foremost among these responsibilities is the adherence to a Bates College Student-Athlete Code of Ethics.

Bates College supports a prominent Division III NCAA intercollegiate athletic program. Your representation of the College, involving public exposure in the competitive arena and the media, makes you one of the most visible groups in a number of "communities": the College, local municipalities, Androscoggin County, and the State of Maine. As an athlete, what you do and the way in which you do it are often highlighted, placing you in a public position not experienced by other Bates students; a position that requires exemplary conduct. Your behavior has a most definite impact on the reputation of your particular team, the Athletic Department, and also on the attitude that the others not involved in intercollegiate athletics have toward you and your fellow athletes. Lastly, whether or not you so choose, you will be looked upon, particularly by younger children, as a role model and as a leader.

DEFINITION

The Student-Athlete Code of Ethics is meant to provide behavioral guidelines consistent with the responsibilities of participation, representation, and public exposure outlined above. The Code applies to any and every Bates student who is considered to be a member of an intercollegiate team(s), WHETHER THAT SPORT IS IN SEASON OR NOT.

Under this Code of Ethics, you are expected to obey the laws, rules, and regulations of the "communities" already cited: the College (specifically, see attached alcohol and hazing policies), local municipalities, Androscoggin County, and the State. Furthermore, you are expected to conduct yourself at all times with honor, integrity, good sportsmanship, honesty, and dignity. Conduct that brings dishonor to a team and/or the Athletic Department is considered a breach of the Code.

The Code of Ethics does not supersede or replace the College judicial process. Where a case involving a student-athlete has been adjudicated by the College judicial process, the Code of Ethics will not be used to affect any decision that has been rendered. However, the Code may still be used to examine the case in light of the expectations cited above and could be utilized for the imposition of sanctions in addition to any judgment coming from the College judicial process.

CODE OF ETHICS JUDICIAL PROCESS

Whether or not a particular incident constitutes a breach in the Code of Ethics, and the subsequent degree of sanction that is to be applied to a breach of the Code, will be decided by the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC - comprised of at least one representative from each intercollegiate sport sponsored by Bates College). The SAAC will be convened by the Director of Athletics to hear cases of student-athlete misconduct that potentially constitute a breach in the Student-Athlete Code of Ethics and have not already been addressed by the Athletic Department. The SAAC will be convened as soon as possible to hear the case and in so doing will employ all of the applicable general standards of due process outlined in the Bates Student Handbook. Note: the SAAC will take into account previous Code violations when considering a case and repeat-offenses may encourage a recommendation for heavier sanctions.

After hearing the case, the SAAC will make its recommendation for sanction(s), if any, to the Director of Athletics. The Director will convey this decision, in writing, to the student-athlete.