Student Life
Philip Ritchey, Dean of Students
Blue Mountain College respects the integrity and maturity of each student. Rules and regulations are adopted to facilitate group living and are not intended to inhibit individual growth and development. As students bring to the College certain expectations concerning college life, the College expects of its students a level of conduct in keeping with the Christian mission of the institution. All policies regarding student life may be found on the BMC Web site at www.bmc.edu.
Students possess the privileges, responsibilities, and rights of several citizenships, including those of state, federal, and municipal governments. Membership in the Blue Mountain College community of citizens presents privileges beyond those available to all citizens at the partial expense of the Mississippi Baptist Convention. With these additional privileges come additional responsibilities.
Blue Mountain College seeks three sources of authority, in light of the College mission, for the behavioral expectations it places on students:
- Scripture (what does the Bible have to say about behavioral expectations?)
- Legal authority (local, state, and federal laws)
- Baptist life and Christian heritage (the life-style issues, roots, and values of evangelical Christians who find their authority in God’s Word and have stressed the need for a personal, redemptive faith in Jesus Christ.)
The behavioral standards of Blue Mountain College are based on these three sources. As is the case with all communities, reasonable expectations (rules and regulations) are identified which contribute to the common good of the community. Being a contributing member of a community requires that selfish individualism must give way to what is best for a caring, just, and orderly community. As a community, we are committed to the Christian values on which the College was founded.
All students are required to abide by the laws of the local, state, national, and international governments and are subject to disciplinary action at the hands of the College and/or law enforcement agencies if those laws are broken.
The Dean of Students issues disciplinary action in matters dealing with general College policy, rules, and regulations to all students. Any student has the right to appeal the decision of any disciplinary action if the student believes the treatment was unjust, not all the facts in the situation were taken into consideration, or the action was too severe for the behavior involved.
