Student Conduct
While on the campus or in the dorms of the Hebrew University, or during any university activity, students are expected to abide by the laws of the State of Israel and to follow the rules and regulations of the Hebrew University as well as directions given by its authorized staff. Failure to comply with such rules and regulations may result in immediate removal of the offending individual from the relevant activity and may lead to additional disciplinary proceedings.
Israeli law prohibits the importation, possession, traffic in and/or use of any type of illegal drugs or narcotics. Infraction of this law will result in immediate expulsion from the University and notification of the Israeli legal authorities.
Student Ombudsman
The Student Ombudsman examines petitions of students lodging legitimate complaints against academic or administrative staff members. Any student may appeal to the ombudsman. All cases are treated in strict confidence.
The Disciplinary Regulations Governing Students at the HU (Excerpts)
The binding version is the complete Hebrew version.
1. Authority of the Disciplinary Commissioner The Disciplinary Commissioner is authorized to deal with students and potential students as follows:
a. In relation to persons who are registered to study at the Hebrew University and have been accepted as students, from the time of registration and as long as they remain registered as students, including vacation periods.
b. In relation to persons who registered as students but whose candidacy was not accepted, from the time of registration until the time of receipt of notice of non-acceptance.
c. Persons who completed their studies but have not yet received their certificates.
d. Persons who were accepted as students in a certain year will be considered students for the purpose of these Regulations until the end of the academic year, even if they terminated their studies prior to the end of the year.
e. Persons who were students at the University or who registered for the University will remain subject to the disciplinary authority of the judicial bodies of the University even after they have completed or terminated their studies or after rejection of their candidacy, in connection with actions performed at the time that they were students or potential students.
f. Doctoral students are considered students within the meaning of the above sections.
15. A disciplinary offence is one of the following offences committed by the student:
a. Non-compliance with instructions of University authorities, teachers or administrative staff, issued by them in performance of their duties.
b. Transmission of false information to the University, its authorities, teachers or administrative staff, or performance of an act of fraud or deliberate concealment of information, for the purpose of obtaining rights at the University or in connection with studies at the University.
c. Perjury in proceedings before the disciplinary authorities.
d. Cheating in exams, assignments, seminar papers, extended research work, doctoral theses or other assignments required of the student in connection with his/her studies. Cheating in entrance examinations to an institute of higher education, whether with the aim of being accepted oneself as a student or with the aim of helping another person to gain acceptance as a student in an institute of higher education.
e. Non-compliance with instructions relating to an examination, homework, seminar paper, extended research work, doctoral thesis or other assignment in connection with a student’s studies, including non-compliance with instructions relating to conduct in the course of a written or oral examination.
f. Violation of regulations or instructions or agreements relating to use of University premises, including libraries, halls, laboratories, dormitories, club rooms, offices, open spaces, sports installations and parking lots.
g. Causing disturbance to teaching, research or work at the University, or to any other activity authorized by University authorities.
h. Causing damage deliberately or through negligence to University property or to other property being used for University purposes, careless conduct or violation of safety instructions in laboratories or other premises.
i. Inappropriate conduct towards patients or other people to whom the student should be attending, or revelation of a medical or professional confidence or conduct contrary to professional ethics.
j. Conduct which involves injury to the dignity, body or property of teachers, staff or students of the University, if done in the course of or in connection with their position as teacher, staff or students, or if done within University premises.
k. Sexual harassment, as defined in the Sexual Harassment Law 1998.
l. Conduct inappropriate for a student of the University, provided that it does not fall within the definition of any of the above-listed offences. m. Failure to appear to testify before University authorities.
16. A student who has been found guilty of a disciplinary offence is liable to one or more of the following punishments:
a. A caution, a reprimand or a severe reprimand.
b. Cancellation of a reduction in tuition fees or of a scholastic prize or scholarship or cancellation of the right to receive them for a specified period.
c. Withdrawal of the right to use University premises, including laboratories, libraries, student dormitories, sports facilities and parking lots, for a specified period.
d. Disqualification of an examination taken by the student, disqualification of an assignment, a seminar paper, an extended research paper, a doctoral thesis or any other piece of work required of the student in connection with his/her studies (disqualification of an examination is equivalent to receiving a grade of 0).
e. Prevention from sitting an examination at a certain session or sessions.
f. Cancellation of participation in a course/courses.
g. Withholding for a specified period of a certificate or certification attesting to the student’s studies or completion of studies.
h. Monetary fine in an amount not to exceed half the full tuition fees for a regular student.
i. Retroactive withdrawal of recognition of a semester of studies.
j. Retroactive withdrawal of recognition of studies of a year or more.
k. Expulsion from the University for a period of a year or more.
l. Permanent expulsion from the University.
m. Cancellation of rights or achievements in studies, including cancellation of the right to receive a certificate or certification attesting to such studies.
n. Imposing a requirement of public service, to be determined by the Commissioner.
o. Registering the conviction and the punishment in the Record of Studies.
17. The disciplinary authorities are competent to order that the punishment under secs. 16(c), (i) and (l) above, in part or in their entirety, will be suspended, on condition that the student does not commit another offence or offences, to be specified by the disciplinary authorities, within a defined period. Students who have received a suspended sentence will not serve their sentence except where, during the specified period, they commit [at least] one of the offences specified and are convicted for such an offence during the period of the condition or thereafter. The period of the suspension will commence from the day of the decision, unless specified otherwise.
17A. A student who is convicted of an offence under section 15(d) of the Regulations in respect of one of the actions specified below, will be expelled from the University for a minimum of one year, in addition to any other punishment imposed upon him/her:
a. Conscious possession of prohibited material in such a manner as to make use thereof possible, or conscious use thereof in the course of an examination.
b. Conscious receiving or passing on of prohibited material, or use thereof, in the course of an examination.
c. The making of any addition, erasure or change, with intent to cheat, to an examination or an assignment, other than in the normal course of the writing thereof.
d. Delegating another person to sit an examination instead of oneself, or participating in an examination in the place of another student.
e. Any other act of severe cheating in an examination or an assignment.In this Regulation, “prohibited material” is any form of information on the subject of the examination the possession, receipt, passing on or use of which are prohibited.
17B. (a) Notwithstanding the aforesaid in sec. 17A, the Commissioner is authorized, in exceptional cases and for reasons which shall be recorded, to impose upon the defendant who has been convicted of only one of the offences specified in that section, another punishment (hereinafter: “special punishment”). The provisions of this section will not be invoked more than once with respect to the same student. (b) Students who have committed any of the offences under sec. 15(b) or sec. 15(d), after having been sentenced to the special punishment, will be expelled from the University for a period of at least three years, and their expulsion and the circumstances thereof will be registered in the student’s record of studies.
18. Where a student has been found guilty of a disciplinary offence, and as a result of the act constituting the offence, material damage has been caused to the University, the Commissioner is authorized to obligate him/her, in addition to or instead of any punishment that has been imposed, to pay the University monetary compensation in an amount that will not exceed the damage that has been caused as a result of the offence.
19. A fine or compensation that was imposed as a punishment on the student and was not paid will be deemed to be a debt of the student to the University.
20. A complaint concerning a disciplinary offence will be filed by a member of academic staff directly to the Academic Secretary or through the Dean of the Faculty in which the student against whom the complaint is filed is registered. The Dean of Students, as well as the Director of the National and University Library and the Director of the Central Library for the Humanities and Social Sciences, may also file complaints directly with the Academic Secretary, and will send a copy to the Dean of the Faculty in which the student is registered. A student’s complaint will be filed by the Dean of Students.
The Disciplinary Regulations also relate to a series of offences which fall into the category of “Optional Fine Offences;” when charged with a disciplinary offence under one of the categories below, the student will be offered the option of paying a fine without undergoing disciplinary proceedings. These offences include: o Smoking in violation of the provisions of the Restriction of Smoking in Public Places Law, or in violation of regulations issued by the University. o Use of cellular phones in libraries, classrooms or other places in which such use has been prohibited under University regulations. o Posting of notices in prohibited places.
Course Regulations
General Information
- In general, courses are held according to the information provided in the faculty catalogs and on the Hebrew University/RIS websites. Changes are posted on bulletin boards and on the Hebrew University/RIS websites.
- At the beginning of the course, the teacher will provide the students with written information explaining the course requirements and their relative weight in determining final grades for the course.
Mandatory Course Participation
Students are required to participate in lessons, exercises, seminars, laboratory sessions, etc. Students who do not consistently attend classes may forfeit their right to take the final examination. Students who are absent from class for valid reasons (reserve service, illness, mourning, birth) must complete the missing course work.
Course Quotas
- Minimum Quota: The Faculty/RIS will determine the minimum quota of required and elective courses for each degree, in each department, and in each year of studies. This quota will also contain courses considered “supplementary” studies (as well as preparatory studies in Hebrew and English).
- Maximum Quota: In some faculties there is a limit to the number of courses that students are entitled to include in their program of studies.
Surplus Courses
Surplus Courses are courses taken above and beyond the degree requirements.
- Students are entitled to take an examination in all courses approved on their program of studies, and their grades will be recorded on their transcripts.
- The final grade for the degree will be determined by taking into account all the courses required to complete the degree, as stipulated in the program of studies of the department and Rothberg International School/faculty, and only in accordance with these courses. Any course taken beyond the requirements of study for the degree will be seen as a “surplus” course.
- Students who completed more than the maximum number of elective courses needed to meet their degree requirements and fulfill personal requirements are entitled to choose, in the process of finalizing their degree, which of these electives will be considered “surplus” courses.
- This regulation will take effect for all degree recipients as of the graduation ceremony of 2008 and thereafter.
- Students will notify the department secretary, in writing, as to which elective courses they wish to classify as “surplus” courses.
- These courses will appear in the final transcript separately, and their grades will not be calculated into the student’s average for the degree.
- After receiving authorization for the degree, the list of surplus courses cannot be changed.
Deposited Courses
During undergraduate studies, a student may request to take courses for his/her master’s degree or certificate studies. These courses will be seen as “deposited,” and the grades attained will not be included in the student’s grade average for his/her bachelor’s degree. Should the faculty approve the inclusion of these courses as part of the student’s master’s or certificate studies, these grades will be included in the student’s grade average for the degree.
Courses with Limited Participation
Courses that are only able to accept a limited number of students will be listed as such in advance in the course catalog.
Examination Regulations
Components of the Course Grade
At the beginning of a course, the teacher will make known to the students the course requirements and their significance in determining each student’s final grade. The relative weight of each section of the final exam will be indicated on the test questionnaire. If it is not listed, then the weight of each question will be equal.
Periods of Exams
All courses in Modern Hebrew and English Language, have final examinations only during Moed Aleph. All other Mechina courses have final examinations which also may be taken during Moed Bet date. The grade received for an examination taken during Moed Bet, however, will be the final grade, even if it is lower than the grade achieved on the earlier exam. Whenever possible, students will be allowed to write exams and papers in their native language. A student may not retake an exam after the close of the program and the exam period.
Conditions for Taking the Final Examination
A student will be permitted to take the final exam provided that s/he meets the following conditions:
- The course is listed in the student’s program of studies.
- The student has completed the academic requirements of the course.
- The student presents his/her identity card at the entrance to the exam room.
Administration of the Final Examination
- Students should arrive at the entrance to the exam room 15 minutes in advance.
- Students who are more than 30 minutes late for an exam will not be permitted to take the test.
- Students will be seated according to the proctors’ instructions. A proctor is entitled, at his/her discretion, to move a student to another seat, at any time.
- Students are not permitted to use notebooks, textbooks and the like during the exam. All possessions will be placed in a specific area of the test room, according to the proctors’ instructions, unless stated otherwise on the exam questionnaire.
- Prior to the exam date, the teacher will let the students know which study aids may be used during the test, and these aids will be listed on the exam questionnaire. Permission will be granted to use these materials as long as they do not contain handwritten notes and the like.
- No student may leave the exam room for any reason whatsoever, until at least 30 minutes have passed since the distribution of the questionnaires. Should a student leave during this time period, s/he must submit his/her questionnaire and answer booklet to the proctor, and will be regarded as having taken the exam.
- As a rule, students may not go to a restroom (lavatory) during a final examination.
- During a final exam, students are forbidden to talk to one another or to pass any item to another.
- Answers must be neatly and clearly written in ink, on one side of each page. There should be no writing in the margins. Drafts must be written on the opposite side of the page and deleted in an obvious way prior to submitting the exam. “Draft” should be clearly written at the top of these pages.
- It is forbidden to remove pages from the exam booklet.
- In the case of violation of rules and regulations, the proctor will file a complaint with the conduct committee.
- Upon completion of the exam, the student must submit the exam booklet (as well as the questionnaire if requested) to the proctor and quietly leave the exam room.
- The teacher will be present in the exam room(s) as long as necessary to make sure the exam questions are clear, and will remain on call nearby, in order to promptly answer the students’ questions throughout the exam. Should the teacher be unable to do so, s/he must assign an appropriate substitute and notify the department secretariat.
- No exam will last longer than three hours. The length of the exam will be specified on the exam questionnaire.
Evaluation of Examinations
- The exam booklets will be evaluated without knowledge of the student’s name.
- The teacher will submit the grades to the secretariat within two weeks of the test date.
Posting of Test and Paper Grades
- Grades will be posted without specifying names on the bulletin board of the department secretariat.
- A student who took an exam without being entitled to do so will not receive a grade for the exam.
Appealing Grades of Tests and Papers
- A student may request a reevaluation of his/her exam grade. The new grade will then become the student’s final exam grade, even if it is lower than the original grade.
- A student who is contemplating making an appeal is entitled to see his/her test booklet in the department secretariat and, if possible, to receive from the teacher a written or oral explanation (comments in the body of the exam are considered the same as a written explanation).
- Appeals must be submitted in writing, within one week following the posting of the grades, on a form that is available from the secretariat. On this form, the student will specify the reasons for his/her appeal.
- The teacher’s justified decision will be submitted to the student on a copy of the appeal form within two weeks from the day the grades were posted.
- A student who feels s/he was discriminated against for personal reasons is permitted to make an appeal directly to the director of the department. In this appeal, the student will explain in detail the reasons why s/he is appealing directly to the director.
Additional Types of Exams
- Oral exams, as a rule, are held in the presence of at least two examiners.
- The above rules and regulations also apply to midterm examinations comprising 25% or more of the final grade.
Saving and Returning Examinations
With the teacher’s consent, students may obtain their test booklets within three months following the period reserved for appeals. After this time, the booklets will be destroyed. A test based on multiple-choice questions will be returned only with the teacher’s consent.
Loss of Test Booklets
After it has been absolutely determined that a student’s test booklet has been lost, the student will be advised to choose one of the following possibilities:
- to take a make-up exam
- to receive the (verbal) grade “Pass”
- to receive a grade based on the average of his/her grades throughout the course, if there were any, provided that the teacher/director of the department agrees to this option.
Submitting Seminar Papers
- Papers for all seminars must be submitted within one month of the end of the course.
- Papers for courses should be submitted within one month following the end of the course, and with the teacher’s consent, no later than September 30 of the same year. In special cases, the teaching committee or a person authorized by the faculty is entitled to approve postponement until December 31 of the same year.
- Papers will be submitted to and returned by the department secretariat. Upon submission of a paper, appropriate confirmation will be given.
- Students must submit papers in legible handwriting or typed. A paper considered illegible by a teacher will be returned to the student, who will have to submit it again in legible handwriting or typed. Instructors are not allowed to require students to submit typed papers.
- A teacher will submit a grade for a seminar paper grade within one month from the day the paper was due to be submitted.
- Students who do not receive their grade on time will be entitled to ask the faculty secretariat to handle the problem in a way that preserves their anonymity.
- A student should save a copy of any paper submitted, and will submit the copy for evaluation in cases where the original paper was lost.
- Papers will be returned to students through the department secretariat. Papers that have not been picked up by students will be saved for no longer than three months following the posting of the grade. After that time they will be destroyed.
- It is absolutely forbidden to submit the same paper for two different courses.
- Grades on papers can be appealed in the same manner as appeals for reevaluation of final exams are made.
Learning Disabilities
Guidelines for Students with Learning Disabilities
A student will be classified as learning disabled and be entitled to special testing regulations if he or she suffers from one of the following disorders:
a. Dyslexia, dysgraphia or any other language disorder
b. Attention and listening disorders
c. Difficulties related to working memory capacity
d. Auditory and visual impairments or disabilities
Note: Students who suffer from test anxiety or other emotional difficulties that are primarily non-cognitive will not be included in this classification, but will be referred to the Student Counseling Services for treatment.
Students should contact the academic department in writing, attaching the evaluation report of a neurologist, neuropsychologist, learning-disabilities evaluator, expert psychologist, psychiatrist, or other professional certified to evaluate learning disabilities. The report, which should be less than five-years old, should be submitted along with the application for the program. The evaluation report will be reviewed by the Rothberg International School psychologist and the student will be informed of the decision via e-mail.
The following exam accommodations may be available to students with learning disabilities:
a. Extended exam time
b. Oral examination if possible
c. Large print on exam
d. Other assistance depending on the specific case, according to the decision of the school psychologist (e.g. overlooking spelling mistakes, test environment with minimal distractions, use of computer for test)
The University reserves the right to completely or partially reject the recommendations in the evaluation report, and to request an additional evaluation from the student.The authorization granting students exam accommodations will be valid for the entire period of their studies, albeit no longer than five years from the date of the original request.
