We improve the quality of student life by addressing students’ needs and we work to maintain student safety.
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The Dean of Students Office seeks to foster student development and help improve the quality of student life by addressing the varied needs and issues facing students.
The Dean of Students Office serves as a liaison between students, parents and campus partners to: assist with crisis situations; navigate campus procedures; serve as an advocate for students, when needed; and assist with identifying the appropriate resources available to them. In an effort to meet the individual needs of our students, the Center for Health and Wellness (Counseling, Health Services and Health Promotions), the Office of Student Life, Learning for Life, Residential Life and Housing, Disability Services Center, Institutional Equity and Campus Police join with the Dean of Students Office to provide comprehensive support that emphasizes student safety and wellness. These departments work in partnership with the Dean of Students Office by responding pro-actively to crisis, safety, wellness and access matters.
Rhode Island College, Dean of Students Office is the central campus resource for addressing (non-academic) student complaints and inquiries. The Dean of Students Office partnership with the Office of Institutional Equity and the Title IX Coordinator regarding discrimination complaints by and/or against students.
Staff members are available to discuss both general and specific questions, as well as any concerns about college life, policies, procedures and college services to include: support with academic, personal, or social issues and concerns; assisting with adjustments to college life; and support in the event of any personal, medical or family emergency.
Contact Us by calling (401) 456-8391 or visiting Roberts Hall.
The Dean of Students Office works to support students, faced with an unforeseen circumstance and may need to take time away from the College. Please review the options below to get started. To receive consideration, students are asked to provide documentation to verify the nature of their request via the Request for Assistance form.
Students should attend all class meetings and are responsible for all class work and assignments. At the beginning of each semester instructors will distribute a syllabus which may include attendance and/or class participation as a component of the course grade. Students who incur absences must take the initiative in determining from the instructor what work can be made up.
All students who incur an extended absence (five consecutive days or more) should submit a request for assistance form to the Dean of Students Office so that a notice (not an excuse) can be sent to instructors.
As outlined in the academic policies and procedures manual, students missing classes, exams, or coursework due to an observance of religious holidays must be allowed to make up the outstanding work without academic penalty. Students are required to inform their instructors of their plans to observe a religious holiday in advance, so that the instructor and the student have sufficient time to plan for any necessary alternative arrangements.
To log in you may be asked to enter your RIC credentials. To get started, please enter your RIC username (ex. RICusername_1234) and password. Do not include @email.ric.edu).
For more information about course withdrawal or college withdrawal, please refer to the FAQs from the Records Office.
Students in distress can call 401-456-4673 (HOPE) to confidentially speak with licensed clinician. This service is available to students 24 hours a day/7 days a week.
Rhode Island College students possess and retain the inalienable rights granted to them by the United States Constitution. Attendance at Rhode Island College does not revoke any of these rights. This academic and social institution does not deny those rights to any student. The Rhode Island College Bill of Rights contains 13 articles that outline these rights as well as student responsibilities.
The Council of Rhode Island College created the Student Conduct Board, comprised of students, faculty and administration. It has authority to establish, publish and implement procedures for adjudicating alleged misconduct by students.
The student handbook, published by the Office of Student Life, is an important guide to academic facilities and services, student organizations, academic policies and procedures, and rules of student conduct.
The Rhode Island College, Helping Others Pursue Excellence (H.O.P.E.) Team engages in proactive and collaborative approaches to provide early identification, review, and management for students of concern and in need of support.
Academic Integrity Report Form
Academic integrity is the foundation of there academic community. Academic integrity ensures that students obtain the highest benefit from their educational experience and their pursuit of knowledge. Violating the principle of academic integrity damages the reputation of the College and undermines its educational mission.
COVID-19 Violation Report Form
We encourage members of our community to utilize the COVID-19 Violation Report form to keep our Rhode Island College campus a healthy and safe environment.
The Medical Amnesty policy seeks to encourage students to immediately seek life-saving assistance for themselves or others when dangerously intoxicated or impaired, without fear of sanctions. A bystander acting in good faith, or a reporting individual acting in good faith, will not be subject to Rhode Island College’s code of conduct action for violations of alcohol and/or drug use policies occurring at or near the time of the commission of the incident of violation.
16-76.2-2: The health and safety of every student at the Rhode Island College is of utmost importance. Rhode Island College recognizes that students who have been drinking and/or using drugs (whether such use is voluntary or involuntary) at the time that an incident of violence occurs, including, but not limited to, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, or sexual assault may be hesitant to report such incidents due to fear of potential consequences for their own conduct. Rhode Island College strongly encourages students to report incidents of violence to institution officials. A bystander acting in good faith, or a reporting individual acting in good faith, who discloses any incident of violence to Rhode Island College’s officials or law enforcement will not be subject to Rhode Island College’s code of conduct action for violations of alcohol- and/or drug-use policies occurring at or near the time of the commission of the incident of violence.
Rhode Island College prioritizes the health and safety of the campus community. The College recognizes that in situations where students or their guests on campus face potentially dangerous medical emergencies due to alcohol consumption or drug use, fear of sanctions under the Alcohol and Drug Policies outlined in the Student Conduct Code may deter them from seeking necessary, life-saving medical attention. The Medical Amnesty policy seeks to encourage students to immediately seek assistance for themselves or others when dangerously intoxicated or impaired by shielding them from sanctions for violating the Alcohol and Drug Policies under the following conditions:
Seeking Assistance for Themselves
Students who seek assistance for themselves may be exempted from sanctions for violating the Alcohol and/or Drug polices provided that they actively contact Residential Life & Housing Staff or the RIC Campus Police to request medical attention
Students granted Medical Amnesty will be required to meet with the Dean of Students and agree to a plan of action (education, counseling, etc.). Failure to comply with that plan will result in revocation of amnesty
Medical Amnesty only exempts students from sanctions related to alcohol and drug use. It does not protect students from facing sanctions for other violations of the Student Conduct Code committed while intoxicated or impaired, including (but not limited to) destruction of property, physical assault, or sexual assault
Medical Amnesty only extends to sanctions for violation of the Rhode Island College Student Conduct Code. It does not shield students from prosecution for violation of state or federal law related to alcohol and/or drug possession or use
Seeking Assistance for Others
Students who notice that another RIC student or guest is dangerously intoxicated or impaired are encouraged to intervene immediately to ensure their health and safety. This includes confiscating keys and calling for a cab, or contacting Campus Police, to prevent individuals from driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as well as calling for medical attention for individuals suspected of suffering from alcohol poisoning, overdose, or other medical emergencies related to alcohol or drug use
Medical Amnesty will only be granted to students who actively intervene in such situations. Bystanders who are present, but do not take active steps to seek assistance, will not be eligible for amnesty
Taking active steps to intervene means (a) immediately contacting appropriate Residential Life & Housing representatives or RIC Campus Police to request medical or other assistance; (b) remaining with the intoxicated or impaired individual until help arrives; and (c) remaining after help arrives to assist emergency responders and/or RIC Campus Police in assessing the situation and reporting it
Medical Amnesty only exempts bystanders who actively intervene to assist intoxicated or impaired students or guests from sanctions related to alcohol and drug use. It does not protect them from facing sanctions for other violations of the Student Conduct Code, including (but not limited to) destruction of property, physical assault, or sexual assault
Student Organizations
RIC Student Organizations are expected to comply with the Student Conduct Code at all times. This includes neither facilitating nor sanctioning the use of either alcohol or drugs at events sponsored by the organization. RIC Student Organizations are not eligible for Medical Amnesty. However, Student Organizations and their members are expected to actively intervene to seek medical assistance for students or guests who become dangerously intoxicated or impaired at organization-sponsored events. Providing assistance to such individuals will be taken into consideration when determining sanctions for Student Organizations that violate the Alcohol and Drug policies outlined in the Student Conduct Code. Failure to actively seek assistance for students or guests who become dangerously intoxicated or impaired at organization-sponsored events will result in more severe sanctions.
It is the policy of Rhode Island College to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual assault and other forms of sexual harassment, in any education program or activity pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN: If this is an emergency that involves an imminent risk of harm to yourself or others, please contact campus police at 401-456-8888 or by dialing 911 prior to filling out this complaint form.
The Dean of Students Office at Rhode Island College administers the Student Conduct Code, which identifies behavioral expectations for all RIC students. If you have knowledge of a potential violation, you are encouraged to notify our office of the incident. Once a complaint has been received, staff will conduct an initial assessment. Should the reported information be governed under the Student Conduct Code a staff member will meet with the student(s) to address the alleged misconduct.
COVID19 Initial Notification Form