VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY OF PAKISTAN

REGULATIONS RELATING TO STUDENTS

DISCIPLINE AND CONDUCT

 

 

1.      SHORT TITLE, COMMENCEMENT AND APPLICATION:

 

(1). These Regulations may be called the Virtual University of Pakistan, Student (Discipline and Conduct) Regulations, 2020

(2). These Regulations shall come into force with immediate effect.

(3). These Regulations shall apply to all on roll i.e. Active/ Freeze/ Pass out, students of the University.

(4). A student on the rolls of the University who violates these Regulations shall be guilty of indiscipline and misconduct and be liable to disciplinary action under these Regulations.

 

2.      DEFINITIONS:

(1).          Unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context the expressions used in these Regulations and defined or used in the Virtual University of Pakistan, Ordinance 2002, shall have the meanings assigned to them, respectively, hereunder or in the Ordinance.

(i)                 “Authority” means any of the Authorities of the University specified in section 17 of the Virtual University of Pakistan, Ordinance, 2002;

(ii)               “Campus Manager” means the ‘Operational In charge’ of a Virtual University Campus;

(iii)             “Campus Advisory Committee (CAC)” means the Campus Advisory Committee, as constituted by the University;

(iv)             “Chancellor” means the Chancellor of the University;

(v)               “Competent Authority” means an Officer or Authority of the University competent to take disciplinary action against a University student guilty of misconduct and indiscipline;

(vi)             “CPVC” means the Committee for Private Virtual Campuses, responsible for all matters relating to Private Virtual Campuses.

(vii)           “Dean” means the Dean of a Faculty of the University;

(viii)         “Director” means the Director of a Management Division of the University;

(ix)             “Disciplinary Advisory Committee (DAC)” means the Disciplinary Advisory Committee, as constituted by the University;

(x)               "Executive Council" means the Executive Council of the University;

(xi)             “Faculty” means a Faculty of the University;

(xii)           “Head” means Head of a Teaching Department of the University;

(xiii)         “Penalty” means a penalty which may be imposed under these Regulations;

(xiv)         “Rector” means the Rector of the Virtual University of Pakistan;

(xv)           “Registrar” means the Registrar of the University;

(xvi)          “Statutes”, “Regulations” and “Rules” means respectively, the Statutes, the Regulations and the Rules made or deemed to have been made under the Virtual University of Pakistan Ordinance, 2002;

(xvii)        “Teaching department” means a teaching department of the University;

(xviii)      “University” means the Virtual University of Pakistan, as reconstituted under Virtual University of Pakistan, Ordinance, 2002;

(xix)         “University Teacher” means Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors, Lecturers, Tutors and research staff engaged by the University for teaching undergraduate, postgraduate, honours classes or programs and includes such other persons as may be declared as Teachers by regulations;

(xx)            “Virtual Campus” means a campus, institute or study/facilitation center affiliated or owned/operated by the University where necessary infrastructure/facilities are provided to the students of the University to undertake academic or extra-curricular activities.

 

The terms which are explicitly defined in these ‘Student (Discipline and Conduct) Regulations, 2020’ shall bear an interpretation that may be determined by the “Competent Authority” of the University. All other terms and expressions shall have the same meaning as assigned to them under the Virtual University of Pakistan Ordinance 2002.

 

3.      STUDENTS CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE

 

Every student admitted to the Virtual University of Pakistan shall be required to give an undertaking/declaration on admission application form at the time of admission or an affidavit as may be required to abide by the rules and regulations of the University and to carry out such other orders and instructions as may be issued by the University authorities from time to time.

 

4.      ACT OF INDISCIPLINE AND MISCONDUCT

 

The following among other violations of the provision of the Code of Conduct shall constitute acts of indiscipline and misconduct for which action may be taken against the student (s) by the competent authorities for imposing appropriate penalties on the defaulters:

 

(i)                 Action which is defamatory or derogatory to Islam and Pakistan;

(ii)               Any student misbehaving with a teacher/and or staff of the University or any member of the management of a Virtual Campus.

(iii)             Any kind of Commercial activity within the University / Campus premises without prior approval from the competent authority of the University;

(iv)             Any act, conduct, disorder or neglect which is considered prejudicial to good order or discipline or unbecoming of a student by the competent authority, and including any act on the part of a University student to bring or attempt to bring political or other outside influence directly or indirectly to bear on the Chancellor, the Rector, or any Staff, or any Authority or Teacher of the University;

(v)               Anything committing contrary to the rules, regulations and policies of the University.

(vi)             Breach of any rule of public morals, such as:

1.      Use of indecent or filthy language in classrooms, discussion board, e-mail message, playgrounds at Virtual Campus or in the area allocated by or in collaboration with the University;

2.      Use of immodest, improper and provocative dress; 

3.      Use of undesirable remarks or gestures;

4.      Disorderly behavior, such as shouting, abusing, quarrelling, fighting and insolence;

5.      Use or attempt or threat to use force;

(vii)          Cyber bullying which include text messages or emails, rumors sent through email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles through any kind of misusing of student VU ID etc;

(viii)         Defiance of authority;

(ix)             Misuse of VU Email account through Email Spoofing that is sending an email to someone else in such a way that it appears that email was sent by someone else;

(x)               Fake Profile, i.e., creating any University relevant fake accounts on Facebook and any Social or other media(s) account(s);

(xi)             Impersonation, forgery, giving false information, willful suppression of information, cheating, deceiving and stealing;

(xii)           Inciting or staging a walk out, a strike or an unauthorized procession, provoking the other students to demonstration or boycott of academic or extra-curricular activities; inside or outside the Virtual Campus; and at other educational institutions;

(xiii)         Keeping or bringing licensed or unlicensed fire arms/or entering the University or a Virtual Campus with fire arms;

(xiv)         Loss or damage to University property movable, immovable or electronic including the University’s Web Site or any component of the University’s Learning Management System (LMS) & Examination/Assessment System etc;

(xv)           Identity Theft which is fraud or cheating of another person’s identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person’s identity, typically to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person’s name;

(xvi)         Participating in any Immoral act(s);

(xvii)       Participating in any criminal act(s);

(xviii)     Phishing/ Password Hacking which is the attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money) by disguising itself as a trustworthy entity through use of Social and other medias;

(xix)         Restrictive physical intervention to a teacher/and or staff of the University or any member of the management of a Campus

(xx)           Shouting of slogans derogatory to the prestige of the University or the reputation of its teachers and staff;

(xxi)         Smoking within the University / Campus premises;

(xxii)       The misuse of camera or any such device within the University / Campus premises without prior approval of the authority;

(xxiii)     Use of intoxicants and narcotics;

(xxiv)     Visiting places which are restricted/ declared out of bound for the students or without any entry pass/permission which are restricted/ declared out of bound for the students, not to be visited without a pass/permission;

(xxv)        Copying the University material including Question banks etc. and using it outside the University through linking the online forums and websites.

 

5.      COMPETENT AUTHORITIES TO TAKE DISCIPLINARY ACTION:

 

The Rector is the competent authority to send the disciplinary case of student(s) of Virtual University of Pakistan, found involved in an act of Indiscipline and Misconduct to the Disciplinary Advisory Committee. However, the Registrar, Controller of Examinations, Dean(s) of Faculty(ies), Director(s) and Campus Manager(s) of Virtual Campus(es) can forward the disciplinary case of student(s) of Virtual University of Pakistan, involved in an act of Indiscipline and Misconduct to the Rector along with a report for the breach or violation of the provisions of the act of indiscipline and misconduct (as mentioned in Para 4 of these Regulations).

 

The Rector, on receipt of the case along with a report from the Registrar, Controller of Examinations, Dean of the Faculties, Director(s) or Campus Manager(s) of Virtual Campus(es) or any other source for the breach or violation of the provisions of the act of Indiscipline and Misconduct (as mentioned in Para 4 of these Regulations), shall call the same to be considered by the Disciplinary Advisory Committee.

 

 

 

6.      MINOR AND MAJOR PENALTIES:

 

For the purpose of these Regulations, the disciplinary action may take one of the following forms i.e. minor or major penalties, depending on the nature of Indiscipline or misconduct:

 

a)      Minor Penalties:

(i)                 Censure and warning for future;

(ii)               Withdrawal of financial concessions for one semester;

(iii)             Imposition of fines;

(iv)             Recovery of loss or breakage of movable and immovable University property;

(v)               Placing a student on probation at University;

(vi)             Suspension from the rolls, and or ban on entry in the premises of the University including Campus(es);

 

b)     Major Penalties:

 

(i)                 Withdrawal of financial concessions for more than one semester;

(ii)               Rustication; and

(iii)             Expulsion.

 

7.      PENALTIES FOR ACT OF INDISCIPLINE AND MISCONDUCT:

The penalties for Act of Indiscipline and Misconduct are attached at Annexure-I as Category-I, II & III which are subject to change from time to time as and when required by the University.

However, following notes will be kept in consideration while imposing a penalty.

 

Notes:

 

  1. The penalties at Annexure-I as prescribed against each act of Indiscipline and Misconduct is only for the guidelines of the DAC. However, the committee is fully authorized to increase, decrease or as it may deem fit may apply these penalties according to the situation and nature/impact according to the action performed by the student(s).

 

  1. In case, a nature of the offence falls under the category covered under “The Protection Against Harassment of Women at The Workplace Act 2010”; the case may be referred to the respective committee of the University.

 

  1. In case, if any campus (VU Own or Private) is found involved in the act of Indiscipline and Misconduct along with the student(s); the case against the concerned campus may be forwarded to the “Committee for Private Virtual Campuses” (CPVC).

 

  1. In case, if any VU staff member is found involved in an act of Indiscipline and Misconduct along with the student (s), the case will be referred to the Rector.

 

8.      CAMPUS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CAC) FOR INVESTIGATION OF CASES OF INDISCIPLINE AND MISCONDUCT:

 

At the level of a Campus; the case(s) of indiscipline and misconduct involving student(s) of the relevant campus, shall be investigated by the Campus Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising of the Campus Manager as “Convener” and Campus Network Administrator as member.

 

The Campus Advisory Committee may impose the following penalties to student(s) of their Campus for acts of indiscipline and misconduct committed in the campus:

 

(i)                 Censure and warning for future;

(ii)               Imposition of fine up to Rs.5, 000/- (Rupees five thousand only);

(iii)             Recovery of loss to the property of Campus;

(iv)             Placing a student on probation at respective Campus;

(v)               Banning from the respective Campus;

(vi)             In case, the nature of the offence warrants a major penalty, the Campus Advisory Committee shall send the case to the Rector along with its recommendations, who shall then forward the case to Disciplinary Advisory Committee (as mentioned in para 9 of these Regulations) for further investigation and appropriate recommendations/decisions.

 

9.      DISCIPLINARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (DAC) FOR INVESTIGATION OF CASES OF INDISCIPLINE AND MISCONDUCT:

 

The case(s) of indiscipline and misconduct involving student(s) of the University shall be investigated by the Disciplinary Advisory Committee (DAC) constituted by the Rector by giving representation to the Faculties and Legal advisor of the University, if any. However, a separate Campus Advisory Committee (CAC) for Virtual University Campus shall continue to function as usual.

 

In case, the University student(s) is (are) involved in the act of Indiscipline and Misconduct with some outsider(s) and the name of the University is being used; the Disciplinary Advisory Committee, after careful consideration and with the prior approval of the Rector, may refer such case to the Police or other relevant agency(ies) for an investigation and appropriate action.

 

In case the University student as an individual or in form of a social media group is involved in any kind of cybercrime; the Disciplinary Advisory Committee, after careful consideration and with prior approval of the Rector, may refer such case to the FIA Cyber Crimes Wing for investigation and further appropriate action as per the rules of FIA Cyber Crimes Wing.

 

10.  PROCEDURE FOR INVESTIGATIONS AND DECISION BY DISCIPLINARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (DAC):

 

(1). The Rector, on receipt of a report from the Registrar, Controller of Examinations, Dean of the Faculties, Director(s) or Campus Manager(s) of Virtual Campus(es) (VU Own or Private) or any other source for the breach or violation of the provisions of the act of Indiscipline and Misconduct (as mentioned in Para 4 of these Regulations), shall call the same to be considered by the Disciplinary Advisory Committee.

 

(2). The Disciplinary Advisory Committee shall:

 

(i)                 Frame charge(s) and issue a Show Cause Notice to the student(s) simultaneously communicating/contacting him/her through his/her LMS electronically or official communication at his/her mailing address (as furnished by him/her in his/her admission application form) via courier/Pakistan Post and (or) via VU E-mail as may deem fit together with a statement of allegation(s) explaining the charge(s)

(ii)               Require the student within a reasonable time which shall not be more than seven (7) days from the date of issuance of notice to put in a written as well as oral defense;

(iii)             Enquire into the charges and examine such oral or documentary evidence in support of the charges, or in defense of the student, as may be considered necessary;

(iv)             Determine on the basis of evidence and proceedings of enquiry as early as possible whether the act (s) of indiscipline or misconduct warrants a minor or a major penalty;

(v)               Invariably serve final Show Cause Notice indicating penalty to be imposed upon the accused and providing an opportunity of being heard in-person.

(vi)             In case, the student fails to respond to the final Show Cause Notice issued to him/her under para 9 (V) above, ex-parte decision shall be taken against him/her provided that the student under legal detention or hospitalized may respond to the said notice within seven (7) days after the release;

(vii)           The Committee, in case of minor penalties shall forward its decision to the Rector for information purpose;

(viii)         The Committee, in case of major penalties shall send its recommendations to the Rector for further necessary orders. The orders of the Rector shall be final.

 

Note: The Committee may finally call the parents of the student(s) through a Special Notice for meeting indicating the charges framed upon the accused.

 

 

11.  PROCEEDINGS FOR SERIOUS ACTS OF INDISCIPLINE:

 

(1). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in Regulation 10, a student accused of a serious act of indiscipline, such as:

 

(i)                 Inciting or staging a walk out, a strike or an unauthorized procession, provoking the other students to demonstration or boycott of classes; inside or outside the Virtual Campus; and other educational institutions;

(ii)               keeping or bringing licensed or unlicensed fire arms/or entering the University or a Virtual Campus with fire arms; or

(iii)             participating in any criminal act(s);

(iv)             participating in any immoral act(s);

(v)               offence related to electronic/ cybercrime;

(vi)             restrictive physical intervention or misbehaving with a teacher/and or official of the University or any member of the management of a Campus

 

shall be proceeded against immediately by the Disciplinary Advisory Committee and the proceedings shall be concluded within 48 hours of the commission of the offence and act of indiscipline.

 

The accused shall be given an opportunity of being personally heard and in case of absence or non-appearance the notice of the proceedings shall be given to the parents/guardian/spouse, if available, for ensuring the attendance. The ex-parte action shall be taken against those who may not be available.

 

However, before taking ex-parte action, a notice shall be pasted on the Notice Board or at a prominent part of the buildings at the Campus and an e-mail message to the same effect shall be sent to the student’s Virtual University e-mail account.

 

In case allegations leveled against the accused are proved, the penalty of expulsion shall be imposed upon him.

 

(2). The matter shall also be reported to the Police about the commission of offence having been committed as and when required.

 

(3). In case of an Electronic/ Cyber Crimes; the matter shall also be reported to the FIA Cyber Crimes Wing about the commission of offence having been committed as and when required.

 

Nothing provided in Regulations 9 and 10 (1) shall restrict the powers of the Rector to pass any immediate orders without referring the case to the Advisory Committees and without following the specified procedure, if situation so warrants.

 

12.  PAYMENT OF FINE:

(i)           Notwithstanding the fact that the appeal (s) are filed or not, the fine imposed shall be paid within ten (10) days from the issuance of its notification, failing which the name of the defaulter shall be struck-off the University rolls.

(ii)         In case, the competent authority, on the appeal of a student reduces or remits the fine, the reduced amount of paid fine may be refunded to the student concerned.

 

13.  NOTIFICATION FOR RUSTICATION OR EXPULSION:

The name (s) of the rusticated or expelled student (s) communicated by the Competent Authority shall be notified by the Registrar, with the approval of the Rector, and name (s) of such student (s) shall be struck off the rolls of the University. Such notification would be displayed on VU website as well as on the notice board of the concerned Virtual Campus. The University shall not issue a migration certificate to rusticated or expelled student (s).

 

14.  INFORMATION OF PENALTIES FOR ACT OF INDISCIPLINE AND MISCONDUCT TO PARENTS/GUARDIAN OF STUDENTS:

Acts of indiscipline and misconduct committed by University student (s) and penalties imposed under these Regulations shall invariably be intimated to the parents/guardian of the student (s) concerned.

 

15.  RE-ADMISSION OF RUSTICATED STUDENT:

It shall be obligatory on the part of the Faculty/University Campus concerned to make recommendation to Registrar to re-admit the rusticated student, if he/she wishes to re-join the University in the beginning of the next academic year or on the lapse of two semesters.

 

16.  SPECIAL PERMISSION FOR RE-ADMISSION OF EXPELLED STUDENT: 

An expelled student shall not be re-admitted to the University, except with the special permission of the University Executive Council after the explicit undertaking given by the student, countersigned by his/her parents/guardian, or member of disciplinary committee as the case may be, to abide by the rules of conduct of the University and not to repeat any act of misconduct and indiscipline.

 

17.  APPEAL AGAINST THE PENALTY:

(1). A student on whom any major/minor or both penalties has/have been imposed in a similar case on the recommendations of the Disciplinary Advisory Committee/Advisory Committee of VU Campus, may, within thirty (30) days from the date of announcement of the order, appeal against that order to the Rector.

 

(2). The Rector, may, after obtaining recommendations of the Disciplinary Advisory Committee as constituted by the University, dismiss the appeal or acquit the appellant, or order a fresh enquiry, or reduce or enhance the penalty or suspend the punishment to be re-imposed immediately on evidence of his/her involvement in acts of indiscipline.

           

(3). A student on whom only minor penalty is imposed by the Disciplinary Advisory Committee, Advisory Committee of VU Campus, may, within fifteen (15) days from the announcement of the orders, appeal to the Executive Council of the University, who shall be the competent authority to pass such order as may deem fit.

 

(4). Provided that: -

(i)                 no recommendations/decision under this regulation shall be made, unless an affected student is afforded an opportunity of being heard in-person.

(ii)               where the appellate authority decides to enhance the penalty, it shall: -

                                                                      (a)   by an order, in writing, inform the accused of the action proposed to be taken and the grounds of such enhanced punishment.

                                                                     (b)   given him/her a reasonable opportunity to show cause against that action.

 

18.   REVIEW AGAINST THE ORDER ON APPEAL:

 

(1). The punished student(s), may, apply for review of the orders passed on his/her appeal to the authority passing these orders, within a period of fifteen (15) days from the announcement of the orders.

 

(2). If a student, whose penalty is suspended under Regulation 17(2), is again found involved in act(s) of indiscipline and misconduct and is awarded fresh penalty along with the re-imposition of previously suspended penalty. He/she may appeal against the fresh penalty only, to the competent authority within the prescribed period of thirty (30) days. He/she may also request for review of the orders passed by the competent authority on his appeal as provided under Regulation 18(1).

 


 

(Annexure-I)

 

7.      PENALTIES FOR ACT OF INDISCIPLINE AND MISCONDUCT:

 

The acts of indiscipline and misconduct and penalties are categorized as Category I, Category II & Category III for which the detail is mentioned as below:

 

Acts of Indiscipline and Misconduct (Category-I):

 

  1. Action defamatory or derogatory to Islam and Pakistan;
  2. Attempt/ threat to use force;
  3. Keeping or bringing licensed or unlicensed fire arms/or entering the University or a Virtual Campus with fire arms;
  4. Participating in any Criminal act (s).
  5. Restrictive physical intervention to a teacher/and or official of the University or any member of the management of a Campus;
  6. Use of intoxicants and narcotics.

 

Acts of Indiscipline and Misconduct (Category-II):

 

  1. Any student misbehaving with a teacher/and or official of the University or any member of the management of a Virtual Campus;
  2. Any act, conduct, disorder or neglect which is considered prejudicial to good order or discipline or unbecoming of a student by the competent authority, and including any act on the part of a University student to bring or attempt to bring political or other outside influence directly or indirectly to bear on the Chancellor, the Rector, or any Officer, or any Authority or Teacher of the University;
  3. Anything committing contrary to the rules, regulations and policies of the University;
  4. Use of indecent or filthy language in classrooms, discussion board, e-mail message, playgrounds at Virtual Campus or in the area allocated by or in collaboration with the University;
  5. Disorderly behavior, such as shouting, abusing, quarrelling, fighting and insolence;
  6. Cyber bullying which include text messages or emails, rumors sent through email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles through any kind of misusing of student VU ID;
  7. Defiance of authority;
  8. Fake Profile that is creating the University relevant fake accounts on Facebook and any Social or other media(s) account(s);
  9. Impersonation, forgery, giving false information, willful suppression of information, cheating, deceiving and stealing;
  10. Inciting or staging a walk out, a strike or an unauthorized procession, provoking the other students to demonstration or boycott of classes; inside or outside the Virtual Campus; and other educational institutions;
  11. Loss or damage to University property movable, immovable or electronic including the University Web Site or any component of the University’s Learning Management System (LMS);
  12. Identity Theft which is fraud or cheating of another person’s identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person’s identity, typically to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person’s name;
  13. Participating in any Immoral act (s).
  14. Phishing/ Password Hacking which is the attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money) by disguising itself as a trustworthy entity through use of Social and other medias;
  15. Shouting of slogans derogatory to the prestige of the University or the reputation of its teachers and Officers;
  16. The misuse of camera or any such device within the University / Campus premises without permission;
  17. Visiting places out of bounds for students or without an entry pass which are not to be visited without an entry pass.

 

Acts of Indiscipline and Misconduct (Category-III):

 

  1. Any kind of Commercial activity within the University / Campus premises without prior approval from the competent authority of the University;
  2. Use of immodest, improper and provocative dress; 
  3. Use of undesirable remarks or gestures;
  4. Misuse of VU Email account through Email Spoofing that is sending an email to someone else in such a way that it appears that email was sent by someone else;
  5. Smoking within the University / Campus premises.

 

TABLE OF PENALITIES:

 

The below mentioned penalties may be imposed while deciding a case which fall under the above categories I, II&III:

 

Category

Penalties

 

Category-I

Rs.20,000/- for Local Students OR

USD 200/- for Overseas Students, AND/OR

Rustication AND/OR

Expulsion

 

Category-II

Rs.10,000/- for Local Students OR

USD 100/- for Overseas Students, AND/OR

Suspension AND/OR

Censure & Warning for future

 

Category-III

Rs.5,000/- for Local Students OR

USD 50/- for Overseas Students, AND/OR

Suspension AND/OR

On probation