Students violating DIS regulations and policies will be subject to reviews and possible sanctions. DIS reserves the right to dismiss students from the program for failure to maintain appropriate academic or behavioral standards. A student dismissed due to a violation of the Code of Student Responsibility will not be eligible for a refund of tuition, tour costs, etc., and will be financially responsible for transportation home and all other related costs incurred. Information regarding violations of the DIS Code of Student Responsibility may be shared with your home institution

Studying at DIS comes with the responsibility and expectation that students will be active participants in sustaining a safe and enriching learning environment where they can reach their study abroad goals.

All students are responsible for knowing and following the Code of Student Responsibility throughout their enrollment at DIS. By accepting admission to DIS, students confirm that they understand and agree to abide by this Code of Student Responsibility and are expected to honorably represent both DIS and their home institution at all times.

C) Academic

Students will abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work and are held to the DIS Academic Regulations.

Due to the experiential nature of DIS, it is essential that you actively participate in each of your courses, including Field Studies, Study Tours, Seminar Nights, DIS festival, and other class relevant activities. As a DIS student, you are responsible for understanding the expectations outlined in your course syllabi and communicating any questions or challenges to faculty or DIS Academic Support. This includes communicating any difficulties in understanding course material, seeking clarification on assignments, deadlines, late policies, and discussing any personal circumstances, including approved accommodations, that might affect academic performance.

1. General Responsibilities

i. Course meeting times: Most DIS classes meet twice per week for 1 hour and 20 minutes each on either Mondays/Thursdays or Tuesdays/Fridays. Wednesdays are dedicated to mandatory course-integrated Field Studies. Most 3-credit courses meet 23 times per semester, with some exceptions, such as classes with double time blocks and Core Courses. Please check your Student Registration for your specific course meeting times. You are expected to be available to attend any courses scheduled within these designated days. Please note that faculty may schedule additional classes during the semester as needed.

ii. Departure dates: Do not schedule a flight or plan to leave Denmark/Sweden until after the last day of your program session (the last day of the semester or summer session). Even if your syllabus does not indicate an exam or presentation during the final week, faculty may schedule make-up classes, presentations, exams, etc., up until the final day of the session. If you depart before the last day, you do so with the understanding that it will likely impact your grades.

You are required to notify both your faculty and Academic Support of your intention to leave early. Final assessments, including exams and presentations, will not be rescheduled. If you do not complete these final assessments, you will receive 0 points for the assessments, and may, at the discretion of the faculty, fail the entire course.

iii. Study Tours: For all DIS Study Tours, you are – without exception – required to travel to the destination with your assigned class. You must depart for your Study Tour with your class. You cannot meet them at the location. Students are expected to actively participate in the entire Study Tour itinerary including scheduled travel during the Study Tour, academic visits, group activities and meals. Students who miss any component of a Study Tour itinerary may face sanctions, as per the Code of Student Responsibility.

Note that you cannot leave a Study Tour early for personal travel. You may travel independently after the Study Tour ends. If you choose to do so, you will need to purchase your own return ticket to Copenhagen or Stockholm, notify your faculty, and register your travel with DIS in advance.

2. Attendance and Participation

In addition to attending all scheduled classes and activities, active participation is required and will factor into final grades for each course.

Attendance is required for all scheduled classes, Field Studies, and Study Tours. Participation in the full orientation program is also mandatory for all students. Your faculty are required to take attendance and will report any consistent or repetitive absences to DIS Academic Support. Academic Support will follow up with students to check their wellbeing and offer additional avenues of support.

Academic attendance takes precedence over other scheduled appointments. If you encounter any scheduling conflicts, please reach out to Academic Support as soon as possible.

i. Excused absences: If you are unable to attend class due to illness, family bereavement, or use of a pre-approved accommodation, you must proactively communicate with faculty to receive consideration for an excused absence. If granted, you remain responsible for any material covered or assigned. You must coordinate with your faculty and other students to catch up. Note that due to the experiential nature of DIS, excused absences may still impact your overall grade..

ii. Zoom option: For a non-recurring sickness that causes you to miss class, you have the option to contact your faculty in advance (e.g., the same day of your class session and no later than 2 hours before your class begins) to request a Zoom link to attend the class virtually. You may only join class virtually one to two times during the semester at the discretion of your faculty. Note that the Zoom option, and decisions on grading participation for a Zoom session, are also made at the discretion of your faculty.

iii. Unexcused absences: Absences that are considered unexcused may impact your grade, and you may face sanctions, as per the Code of Student Responsibility. Sanctions may include dismissal from individual courses (resulting in an “F”), or dismissal from the DIS program. Absences will be unexcused in the following circumstances:

a. Repeated or consistent absences: In case you miss/need to miss several class sessions due to a recurring illness and Academic Support and/or Care Team are unaware of your situation.

b. Personal/individual travel: Personal travel is not permitted during the semester on days scheduled for class instruction, Field Study sessions, or Study Tours. Personal travel may only be scheduled during announced breaks or before or after the semester. Travel, including travel delays, is not a legitimate reason to miss class, field studies, Study Tours, deadlines or scheduled assessments. Absences caused by personal travel, including delayed or canceled flights, will be considered unexcused and missed assignments, quizzes, and exams will receive 0 (zero) points for any missed assessment components.

c. Lack of proactive communication: If you miss class for reasons that would result in an excused absence (see above) and you do not proactively inform your faculty, your absence may be considered unexcused.

3. Assignments and Assessments

i. Students are responsible for completing and handing in all coursework (assignments and assessments) on time, as outlined in your course Canvas pages and syllabi. Assignments handed in after the due date may earn 0 points or a downgraded percentage, according to the instructor’s own guidelines. All required course work must be completed, and students must participate in all required activities to earn a passing grade.

ii. Assessments (i.e. papers, presentations, discussions and exams) can take place during any scheduled class or during any published, concluding events of the semester (including the DIS festival). DIS Academic Expectations state that faculty can move tests, deadlines, and class sessions within the semester. Thus, if you plan to miss a class day you are also taking the risk that you may miss an assessment, exam, or other graded activity.

iii. You are responsible for arriving on time for all assessments. You will not be given additional time if you arrive late for an assessment.

iv. You will not be permitted to retake any missed assessment, except in cases of a proactively communicated, excused absence. You will receive 0 points for any missed assessment which has not been proactively excused (e.g. if your flight is delayed/canceled, you overslept, or you were sick but did not reach out to your faculty before the scheduled assessment). If you were proactively excused and missed an assessment, you are responsible for arranging a make-up with your faculty.

v. Electronic submissions: If you are submitting work electronically, it is your responsibility to ensure that the file is readable and not corrupted. An assignment that arrives in an unreadable state will not be considered submitted and subsequent submissions will earn 0 points, or, downgraded percentage, according to the instructor’s own guidelines and syllabus.

4. Accommodations

i. Academic accommodations: To utilize your approved academic accommodations at DIS, please refer to your DIS-issued accommodations letter and our Disability Accommodations page.

ii. Religious accommodations: To utilize your approved academic accommodations at DIS, please refer to your DIS-issued accommodations letter and Religious and disability accommodations page. You are responsible for communicating with your faculty, receiving the content of the missed class(es), making up any missed work, and turning in any work due in that class period in advance. Please note that this accommodation only applies to the holiday and does not include days of travel that may come before or after the holiday.

5. Honor Code

All members of the academic community are expected to behave with respect toward each other and abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty and integrity in all academic work. As a student at DIS, you pledge to:

i. Do your own work at all times, without using unauthorized material or resources

ii. Refrain from allowing others (including Chat GPT or other AI) to write any part of our papers or assessments unless explicitly authorized by your faculty/syllabi

iii. Not submit or present words or ideas that are fabricated

iv. Credit all work or ideas from others using standard forms of citation

v. Not share details about an assessment (tests, exams etc.) with others who have not yet taken the assessment

vi. Not submit duplicate work, even if it’s your own work

vii. Not violate the intention or spirit of the DIS Academic Honor Code in any way

viii. Clarify any questions with faculty in advance as it is our own responsibility to understand what constitute academic honesty

6. Privacy and Copyright

i. If you create content for an academic assignment that will be posted online (videos, photos, papers, social media posts, etc.), please respect the privacy of any interviewees/subjects. You should either have written permission (email is acceptable, but must be retained), and/or refrain from using real names.

ii. If an academic project requires the use of the DIS name or brand in a website, social media post, hashtag, blog, or in printed material, permission must be explicitly granted by DIS Marketing and Communications prior to project implementation. For information about the disciplinary process and possible sanctions for violating the DIS Academic Honor Code and Academic Regulations, please see the Code of Student Responsibility.

E) Property, facilities, and services

Students will respect DIS property and facilities including, but not limited to, buildings, housing, equipment, technology (computers, networks, software), data, and transportation. Theft, vandalism, and unauthorized use are prohibited. Students may not provide to another person the means of unauthorized access, including but not limited to using or providing keys, access cards, passwords, or access codes without authorization from DIS. Additionally, students may not allow others to impersonate them when contacting staff and faculty including but not limited to sending emails on the student’s behalf, or accessing the student’s DIS technology (e.g. Navigate, Registration, Canvas or other accounts.)

F) Alcohol and drug safety

1. Expectations: DIS aims to provide an environment that facilitates the achievement of educational goals and supports student development and autonomy. However, autonomy and freedom of choice exist with the expectation that you respect the intellectual, physical, and emotional health of yourself and others. Students are held to the DIS Alcohol and Drug Safety Policy as part of this Code.

2. DIS Alcohol Policy

i. DIS prohibits alcohol in DIS classrooms and administrative buildings unless it is provided by DIS at a sponsored social event. You may consume alcoholic beverages in a responsible manner in housing if in accordance with specific housing rules. Being under the influence of alcohol during class, Study Tours, Field Studies, and other DIS official time is prohibited. Extreme or repeated intoxication at any time is prohibited.

ii. If you choose to consume alcohol, do so with the knowledge that you are always responsible for your actions. Alcohol misuse is prohibited and does not constitute an excuse for irresponsible behavior or misconduct. Disorderly conduct, property destruction, intimidation, or other infringements on the rights of others as a result of alcohol are prohibited. DIS will notify your home university if you violate the DIS Code of Student Responsibility. Past students have been dismissed from DIS for serious alcohol-related infringements.

3. DIS Drug Policy

i. Students will not possess, use, purchase, or distribute any drugs considered to be illicit, illegal, or controlled substances in Denmark, Sweden, and any country they visit while enrolled with DIS.

ii. Students will not use drugs legally prescribed to another person or inappropriately/illegally use otherwise legal drugs. Illegal drugs, including cannabis (marijuana), heroin, cocaine, LSD, ecstasy, and other forms of non-prescribed mind-altering substances, constitutes a violation of the DIS Code of Student Responsibility and Danish and Swedish Law and will be treated as a serious criminal offense.

iii. Danish and Swedish Police have the right to arrest you if you are caught buying, using, or selling drugs, and you may be expelled from the country. If you break local laws in Denmark, Sweden or any other country, having a foreign passport will not help you avoid arrest or prosecution. Assistance from DIS and the U.S. Embassy will be limited. Read more about the consequences of an arrest.

G) Support and Service Animals

1. Expectations

Animals, in general, are not allowed in DIS buildings or DIS housing. Support and service animals may be approved based on required documentation and dependent on the availability of designated housing. Students who wish to live with a pet that is not a support or service animal must do so in independent housing. DIS students may not bring said animals to DIS-sponsored events, administrative offices, classes, or Study Tours.

Students with animals are held to the Support and service animal policy as part of this Code. In addition, all students living in DIS housing where support and/or service animals are present must follow this policy when interacting with them.

2. Definitions

i. Pet

Any animal kept for ordinary use and companionship.

ii. Service animal

An animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the person’s disability.

Under Danish law, a service animal includes guide dogs and service dogs specially trained to perform one or more utility function for a person with a permanent physical or mental disability or a blind or visually impaired person who is dependent on the animal.

Under Swedish law, there is a distinction between a guide dog and service animal, which has a broader scope of assignments related to impairments, mental illness, seizure disorders, mobility impairments, diabetes, etc.

iii. Support animal

An animal that provides emotional or other support that ameliorates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. Unlike service animals, support animals are not required to be trained for personal work or tasks.

A support animal, under U.S. law, is permitted to live in housing facilities, that otherwise do not allow pets, as a reasonable accommodation for an individual who requires the animal. There is no similar law in either Denmark or Sweden.

3. Support and Service Animals

DIS endeavors to provide reasonable accommodations to students with a documented disability. DIS requires documentation from the student’s U.S. college or university verifying the student receives (or would be eligible to receive) the same accommodation on the campus. DIS may not be able to accommodate all requests for a given term based on capacity, so accommodation of a support or service animal is not guaranteed.

i. Established history with the animal: DIS requires that the student who brings an animal to DIS has a pre-existing relationship with the animal. DIS will not accept requests for animals where the student and animal have not worked and lived together for at least the previous semester.

ii. Conflicting disabilities: People may have a disability that is affected by the presence of animals. In this case, DIS will consider the documented needs of both persons in meeting its efforts to reasonably accommodate disabilities and resolve any conflicts as efficiently and expeditiously as possible. Students requesting accommodations should provide timely documentation to DIS from their university or campus disability services office.

iii. Excluding or removing animals: DIS may exclude any animal from DIS housing or academic building if it poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others, would cause substantial physical damage to the property of others, would pose an undue financial and administrative burden, or results in a fundamental alteration of DIS programs. A service or support animal can be asked to leave or not allowed participation at DIS if, for example, the animal:

a. is found to be out of control or disruptive and the animal’s owner does not take immediate and effective action to control it

b. is not housebroken or kept in a cage where waste can be managed effectively

c. is found to be neglected or mistreated and prompt corrective action is not taken

d. is physically ill

e. is unreasonably dirty

f. attempts to enter a place at DIS where the presence of the animal is forbidden

g. causes danger to the safety of others

h. attempts to enter any place at DIS where the animal’s safety is compromised

The removal of the animal will, in most cases, be immediate or within 24 hours and any interim costs for housing the animal will be at the student’s expense.

Any service or support animal who misbehaves or any owners (or others) who mistreat their service or support animals should be reported to DIS.

iv. Emergency response

The DIS Emergency Response Group, housing staff/management and DIS facilities staff will be notified of the presence of an animal approved under this policy at DIS. Every effort will be made to keep the animal with the student, however, in any emergency, the first effort will be in protecting human life and wellbeing; this may necessitate leaving the animal behind in certain situations.

4. Service Animal Policy

Service animals will be permitted to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of DIS facilities and will be accommodated in DIS housing upon timely request and to the extent possible under existing DIS housing constraints and inventory.

Though in the U.S. a service animal may be either a dog or a miniature horse, the latter is not recognized under Danish or Swedish law and therefore will not be accommodated in the Danish or Swedish context. Service dogs in training are not afforded the same rights under Danish or Swedish law as full-service dogs and students requesting attendance at DIS with a dog in training, will not be accommodated at DIS.

i. Responsibilities of the student: Along with the disability accommodation request, submit documentation from their campus disability services office and a copy of the agreement from their campus housing, where they have lived with the animal for at least one term.

a. If the accommodation request is approved, review and sign the DIS Support Animal Agreement.

b. Follow all rules related to the restriction of animals from building at DIS other than their own residence.

c. Carry documentation that the animal is specially trained according to the Assistance Dogs International (ADI) standards. This includes a vest and/or harness for the dog and a card for the owner.

d. Maintain responsibility for the cost, care, and supervision of their animal including

1. Compliance with any laws pertaining to animal import, licensing, vaccination and owner identification
2. Keeping the animal under control and taking effective action when necessary; and
3. Feeding and walking the animal and disposing of its waste.

e. Comply with the same DIS and housing rules including those regarding noise, safety, disruption, and cleanliness as people without disabilities.

f. Assure the animal stays outside of any restricted locations at DIS including those where there are health and safety restrictions, such as food preparation areas or facilities service rooms.

g. Assure that the animal is not left unattended for an unreasonable length of time

h. Assure that the animal leaves DIS housing with the student anytime the student leaves overnight and/or during DIS study breaks.

ii. Responsibilities of members of the DIS community

Follow basic etiquette around service animals and their owners:

a. Allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities at DIS.

b. Do not pet, touch or otherwise distract a service animal when it is working. Doing so may interfere with its ability to perform its duties.

c. Do not feed a service animal. Their work depends on a regular and consistent feeding regimen that the owner is responsible to maintain.

d. Do not attempt to separate the owner from the service animal.

e. Do not harass or deliberately startle a service animal.

f. Avoid initiating conversations about the student’s disability. Some people do not wish to discuss their disability.

5. Support Animal Policy

Support animals are not allowed to accompany persons with disabilities at DIS, but a support animal may reside in DIS housing upon timely request and to the extent possible and reasonable under existing DIS housing constraints and inventory

i. Responsibilities of the student

Along with the disability accommodation request, submit documentation from their campus disability services office and a copy of the agreement from their campus housing, where they have lived with the animal for at least one term.

a. If the accommodation request is approved, review and sign the DIS Support Animal Agreement.

b. Follow all rules related to the restriction of animals from building at DIS other than their own residence.

c. Comply with the same DIS and housing rules including those regarding noise, safety, disruption, and cleanliness as people without disabilities.

d. Maintain responsibility for the cost, care, and supervision of their animal including

1. Compliance with any laws pertaining to animal import, licensing, vaccination and owner identification
2. Keeping the animal under control and taking effective action when necessary; and
3. Feeding and walking the animal and disposing of its waste.

e. Assure that the animal is not left unattended for an unreasonable length of time

f. Assure that the animal leaves DIS housing with the student anytime the student leaves overnight and/or during DIS study breaks.