Student-Athlete Rights
Goshen College student-athletes are entitled to certain rights:
1. The right to be an individual, accepted as they are, with the personal qualities that make them both similar and different from others;
2. The right to dignity, free from intentional humiliation;
3. The right to equity, to be treated fairly as any other student-athlete;
4. The right to privacy, recognizing the need for personal time and the expectation that the security of personal belongings will be respected;
5. The right to respect, for culture and spiritual beliefs; and
6. The right to receive support for personal growth, academic work, and social life.
Student-Athlete Responsibilities
The privilege of rights comes with the acceptance of certain responsibilities:
1. The responsibility for growth, to work diligently for personal, college and team development;
2. The responsibility for loyalty to the team and its members, to the GC Department of Athletics, to the college and the ideals for which they stand;
3. The responsibility for appropriate conduct since personal actions reflect not only on that individual, but also on the team and coaches, on the entire GC athletics program, on the college, and on family and friends; and
4. The responsibility to respect the rights, convictions and privacy of others, and to work unceasingly to improve relations with all other GC student-athletes, students, faculty, the college, and with the general public.
Code of Conduct
Like all GC students, participants in intercollegiate athletics are bound by the GC Student Code of Conduct. In addition to that code of conduct, the GC Athletics Department expects student-athletes to conduct themselves, on-campus, off-campus and online in a manner that respectfully represents themselves, their family, their team, the Athletics Department and the college. Personal conduct is an important aspect of how the public, fellow students and college faculty and staff will interact with student-athletes. Student-athletes should do their best at all times to demonstrate good judgment and ethical behavior. It is important to remember that student-athletes are highly visible members of the college community.
Student-athletes penalized for violating laws are not exempt from additional penalties by the college and/or Athletics Department if their actions also violate institutional and/or Athletics Department rules.
Some areas of misconduct may directly affect a student’s status as a student-athlete.
Therefore, it is important that they be discussed further. This does not mean that the areas discussed below are more important, but simply that student-athletes have additional responsibilities in these areas.
Basic Expectations of Student-Athletes
1. Student-athletes will know and understand the ideals expressed in this handbook and will strive to incorporate them in daily life.
2. Student-athletes will strive for academic achievement and practice academic integrity.
3. Student-athletes will respect the dignity of all persons and therefore will not physically, mentally, psychologically, or sexually abuse any human being.
4. Student-athletes will respect their property and the property of others and therefore, will neither abuse nor tolerate the abuse of property, including altering official team uniforms and equipment.
5. Student-athletes will meet their financial obligations in a timely manner.
6. Student-athletes will neither use nor support the use of illegal drugs and will neither abuse nor support the abuse of alcohol.
7. Student-athletes will comply with all NAIA, CL, and GC rules and regulations.
8. Student-athletes will challenge each other to abide by these expectations.
Romantic Relationships
All GC student-athletes are prohibited from engaging in a romantic relationship with any current Athletics Department staff member, regardless of employment status (e.g. full-time, part-time, volunteer, graduate assistant). Such inappropriate relationships will result in suitable disciplinary action by the Athletics Department and/or the college.
