Ethical Conduct

General Information

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Texas Baptist College is a Christian institution whose primary purpose is to build and create programs for undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate theological education, specifically designed to equip both men and women for effective Christian leadership in church-related ministries and other areas where theological training is necessary.

A. It is expected that students admitted into Texas Baptist College or Southwestern Seminary will conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the Lord’s calling, consistent with the institution’s policies, and Scriptural principles. It is the intent of student discipline to exercise genuine Christian concern while addressing challenging situations. The Dean of Students in conjunction with other school responds to challenging situations for the benefit of personal growth and professional development. The welfare of student is the primary concern (Cf. Gal. 6:2). Disciplinary action may result from any inappropriate behavior, such as immoral or unethical conduct, menacing or disruptive activity, violations of personal and/or property rights, civil or legal infractions.

Examples of prohibitive behavior includes:

  1. The use of illegal drugs, including marijuana.  
  2. The use of tobacco or nicotine products, including smokeless tobacco and electronic cigarettes.
  3. The use of or possession of alcohol on campus.  
  4. The engagement in a lifestyle contrary to Biblical standards including, but not limited to, heterosexual misconduct, homosexual or bisexual behavior, transgenderism or any other form of sexual misconduct.
  5. The act of giving a false or incomplete statement to the institution orally or written, including but not limited to one’s application for admission, registration, or alteration of records.  
  6. The engagement in financial irresponsibility, including gambling.
  7. Fighting, abusive, and/or vulgar language.
  8. Theft of institutional or personal property.
  9. Violation of the institution’s academic regulations and policies.
  10. Neglect, disregard, or breach of established institutional policies that govern the use of any property or facility.
  11. Behavior-verbal, physical, or emotional-which is demeaning, harassing, or abusive of another person; and behavior that is profane or vulgar.

    *Please note: In the case of any report of physical abuse of or by any seminary constituent, immediate contact will be made to the proper civil authorities.  
  12. Disrespect or abuse directed toward any faculty member, school administrator, staff person or student.
  13. A Disregard of updated information related to health and safety, especially as it relates to communicable disease.

B. Relationship/Marital/Familial Guidelines

  1. Any student in the process of marital separation or divorce must notify the Dean of Students and may be required to cease their studies in order to give full attention to the preservation of his/her marriage. In some cases, a class or counseling may be required to encourage the stability of the marital relationship.  
  2. Members of the opposite sex who are not married may not be alone together in campus housing. Members of the opposite sex may visit each other in a residential setting during reasonable hours, provided there are at least three people in the apartment at all times.

C. Academic Ethical Expectations
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Texas Baptist College are educational institution committed to a high standard of academic integrity at the undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels. As such, any student who submits work as part of the requirements for a course thereby asserts that the student personally has done that work and that it has not been submitted for credit in any other course without permission. Unless credit is explicitly given to sources, the student is asserting that the words and/or the thoughts are the student's own original work. Falling short of these standards is academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty includes the following: cheating, submitting without approval work originally prepared by the student for another course, and plagiarism, which is essentially submitting as one's own work material prepared in whole or in part by another person while failing to give proper credit on papers for sources used. All cases of plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Students and will be kept on file. The institution recognizes a professor’s authority to undertake disciplinary actions concerning any of his students in the context of his classroom.

D. Civil Infractions
Students involved in a criminal or civil infraction are accountable to civil authorities but may also be subject to discipline by the institution. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary will not be bound to or limited by civil authority actions.

In the attempt to make this a truly responsible and redemptive community, it is expected that students, faculty, administration, and staff jointly accept the responsibility of reporting such actions that are unacceptable, unethical, or detrimental to the Christian academic community or to the ministries that they serve. All apparent violations of the ethical conduct policies are to be reported to the Dean of Students for timely investigation.