Student Rights

Stony Brook University is committed to the creation of an environment wholly supportive of students’ academic and personal achievements. Beyond providing requisite academic resources and support services, the University seeks to sustain an environment in which the diverse cultural traditions and ideals represented in both the campus community and the nation at large are valued, nurtured, and promoted. In so doing, the University fulfills its mandate to prepare students to participate actively and productively in our larger society. The following student rights reflect this mandate within the context of the campus community and will be viewed in the larger context of federal and state mandates.

1. The right to participate in all aspects of the University experience, both in and outside the classroom, without harassment or discrimination on the basis of religion, age, gender, disability, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.
   
   
2. The right to participate in a free exchange of ideas and dissent from views on all matters of interest to the student body, both in and outside the classroom.
   
   
3. The right to organize and demonstrate peacefully, which includes expressions or actions that capture attention and attempt to persuade, so long as access to buildings and University community activities are not hampered.
   
   
4. The right to free inquiry and expression by student media in accordance with professional journalistic standards.
   
   
5. The right to personal privacy, confidentiality of records, and individual self-determination.
   
   
6. The right to file a grievance in the event of an alleged breach of one’s rights.

With the freedom that these rights afford comes the responsibility to conduct oneself with civility and respect toward the rights of others. It is also the responsibility of all those given these rights to protect and preserve them for others, so that with vigilance we may move closer to the ideals that these rights promise.

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