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Harvard University Recreation

Grad IMs -COC

II. Code of Conduct

ALL PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTRAMURAL PROGRAM AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY ARE EXPECTED TO CONDUCT THEMSELVES IN A SPORTSPERSONLIKE MANNER AT ALL TIMES. VIOLATORS WILL BE SUBJECT TO DISCIPLINARY ACTION BY THE HARVARD UNIVERSITY GRADUATE INTRAMURAL COMMITTEE. 

In order to insure the spirit and intent of the Code, the Grad IM Commissioners will take the following steps:

  1. Depending on the severity of the incident, the first offense will merit a warning or, if deemed serious enough, suspension from all intramural play.

If a second incident occurs, the participant will be banned from all sports for the remainder of the season.

If a third offense occurs, the participant will be banned for 2 semesters.

In very grave incidents, the Committee will refer the matter to the Administrative Board for appropriate action.

Unsportspersonlike conduct includes:

  • Fighting
  • Fighting will result in automatic suspension from all intramural play.
  • Deliberately endangering another player or committing a flagrant foul.
  • Abusive language and/or actions.
  • Treating anyone with disrespect.

Any player who is ejected or disqualified from a game for unsportspersonlike conduct or safety violations will automatically be suspended and ineligible to play in the next scheduled game. The ejected player must speak to the Committee and Administration before they are eligible to play in any intramural contests. Approved Ruling: This automatic suspension applies to disqualification due to accumulated penalties, such as two yellow cards in soccer or two technical fouls in basketball. It does not apply to disqualification due to blood, illegal equipment, or similar circumstances.

III. Disciplinary

There are to be no alcoholic beverages or illegal substances of any kind at intramural events. Spectators are to be reminded that no alcoholic beverages or illegal substances are permitted in the Athletic Department buildings or facilities.

IV. Eligibility

All Harvard University Graduate Students are eligible to play so long as they have an HUID Card with a Harvard Recreation Membership. Please note that this card and membership are requirements to play, as beyond granting you access to the playing spaces, it serves as your waiver. 

V. Schedules

All schedules are prepared by the Committee. The schedules are subject to change during the season because of changes in the intracollegiate schedules affecting availability of facilities, bad weather or other unforeseen problems which may arise. 

VI. Team Captains

Team captains will take the place of Head Coaches in all sports that reference Head Coaches. The team captain is responsible for ensuring that all players have signed into the game. The team captain is responsible for the actions of their team, as well as any fans or spectators.

VII. Postponements and Rescheduling Contests

Postponements of games because of bad weather will be decided by the Committee at their discretion. The date of the make-up contest must be mutually agreed upon by both teams or according to facility availability constraints. During a game, captains may decide to postpone the game for safety purposes, and if so, the following shall occur:

  • If the game is still in the first half, it will be rescheduled and replayed from the beginning.
  • If the game is in the second half, the score as it stands will become the final score.
  • If the two teams are tied in a sport in which no ties are allowed, the contest will be picked up where it was left off at a later date.

Lightning Policy for Outdoor Events 

Flash to Bang Method

To use the Flash to Bang Method, count the seconds from the time lightning is sighted (flash) to when the clap of thunder is heard (bang). Divide this number by 5 to obtain how far away, in miles, the lightning is occurring.  (ex. 30 second count/5 = 6 mile distance)

A Flash to Bang of 30 seconds or less dictates the immediate suspension of practice/events and evacuation of all athletes and spectators to a safe area. This is the equivalence of 6 miles away or less. Participants must go to the nearest open building (Beren or the Murr Center) and wait 30 minutes. DO NOT stand under or near anything metal!  Once it has been decided to stop an athletic practice/event, it is strongly recommended that all persons involved wait at least 30 minutes after all lightning and thunder activity has ceased before resuming any athletic activity.

Rescheduling Policy

Regular season games will not be rescheduled on account of limited athletic facilities availability. Postseason games shall be rescheduled as needed.  

VIII. Multiple Leagues (One Sport)

An individual player may be a member of only one team. Players are allowed a one game grace period to determine the appropriate level of competition, which can only be taken after the first scheduled A-League and B-League game. After the first game, a player who has participated in an A-League game may not move to the B-League. An individual who played in the first scheduled A-League game can play in future B-League games up until that person plays in another A-League game. At that point, the player must remain in the A-League for the rest of the season.  However, during the regular season, B-team players may be switched to the A-team and remain there. In general, players may move up a level but never down, and there should be no movement once the playoffs begin.

IX. Forfeit Policies

Each sport has a minimum number of players necessary to avoid a forfeit (See: Participation and Gender Rules). At the scheduled time of the game, the captains will meet to discuss the commencement of the game. Games will then start promptly, regardless of the number of players present. 

If, after 15 minutes of play (e.g. 7:15 for a 7pm game), one team does not have the minimum number of players defined by the rulebook, that team forfeits and the game is over. If both teams have failed to field the minimum number of players after 5 minutes of play time, the game is not declared a loss for either team, but will function as a scrimmage that does not impact the team's record.

If at any time after the game begins, a team falls below the requested number of players (listed below), that team will forfeit and the game will end.  All declared forfeits are final. If a team should fall below the minimum number of players due to an injury, the game is not a forfeit at that point.

A team that forfeits (including advanced forfeits) its first two games will be dropped from the league. 

X. Games Becoming Scrimmages

After at least half of a game is completed (or one set in the case of volleyball) one of the team captains can ask the other captain to declare the game a loss at that point and to mix teams to scrimmage for the remainder of the game (or one more set in volleyball). All of the parties involved must clearly agree to the terms. If a scrimmage is taking place, both teams are expected to maintain the minimum number of players required to avoid a forfeit for the duration of the game. For example, even if teams agree to scrimmage in volleyball after the first set, both teams are expected to have at least three of their players present for the scrimmaging set such that neither side falls below the minimum number of required players. 

XI. Officiating

Regular season games will require teams to self-referee. Various dispute resolution systems have worked for countless leagues over many years, and students are encouraged to lean on such tried and true methods as rock paper scissors, every other one, ball never lies, and other similar techniques. 

XII. Overtime

Regular season games will not go into overtime unless noted under the specific sport (e.g. Basketball). If a playoff game ends in a tie, the game must go into overtime as specified by the rules for the specific sport. 

XIII. Playoffs

A team that fails to complete at least two (2) scheduled regular season contests is ineligible for playoffs no matter what their final record is. Whenever there are an even number of teams for a given sports league and sufficient time and space for games, the regular season will consist of at least six (6) games per team. In the case of a six game regular season, playoffs will consist of an eight (8) team bracket based on regular season record (adopted Fall 2022). Should there not be enough time or field space, the playoff bracket can be limited to fewer than 8 teams to allow the greatest number of eligible teams to participate. Playoff seeding will be determined in an intuitive manner, with overall record being most important and head to head record always serving as the first tiebreaker.

XIV. Sport Champions

When a playoff tournament is held after competition of a round robin schedule, the tournament winner is designated “Sport Champion” whether or not the team finished first in the final standings. When there is no playoff, the team that finished first in the final standings earns the title of “Sport Champion”.

XV. Anti-Hazing Policy

Hazing Prohibited.  Hazing is incompatible with the values of our community and our educational mission and is strictly prohibited at each Harvard School, as a matter of policy and in accordance with applicable law.

Compliance with Law.  Each Harvard School's anti-hazing policy is intended to comply with the requirements of all applicable federal and state anti-hazing laws, and thus incorporates the definitions included in those laws, as set forth below.  However, the examples of the types of hazing activities provided in this policy are non-exhaustive. A determination as to whether activities reported as hazing violate this policy will be based on the relevant facts of the situation, including but not limited to the circumstances giving rise to the reported activities and the risks of injury and harm created by the reported activities. Activities may violate each Harvard School's anti-hazing policy (or other conduct policies), even if they would not necessarily violate the federal or state anti-hazing laws.

Reporting; Investigation Process; Disciplinary Action. Each Harvard School will consider all reports of hazing in the normal course of its oversight and investigation processes and will take disciplinary action in appropriate situations. Reports of incidents of hazing can be made to each School's disciplinary body and/or to the Harvard University Police Department.  Harvard will inform appropriate law enforcement officials and regulatory agencies of hazing incidents and will disclose hazing incidents in community notifications as required by applicable law.

Hazing Prevention and Awareness Programs. Harvard has developed research-informed campus prevention and awareness programs related to hazing.  For more information on these programs, see Prevention & Education.

More about the federal law

Under the federal law known as the Stop Campus Hazing Act (the “SCHA”), hazing  means: any intentional, knowing, or reckless act committed by a person (whether individually or in concert with other persons) against another person or persons regardless of the willingness of such other person or persons to participate, that (a) is committed in the course of an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, a student organization; and (b) causes or creates a risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the institution of higher education or the organization (such as the physical preparation necessary for participation in an athletic team), of physical or psychological injury including —

  1. whipping, beating, striking, electronic shocking, placing of a harmful substance on someone’s body, or similar activity;
  2. causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing sleep deprivation, exposure to the elements, confinement in a small space, extreme calisthenics, or other similar activity;
  3. causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to consume food, liquid, alcohol, drugs, or other substances;
  4. causing, coercing, or otherwise inducing another person to perform sexual acts;
  5. any activity that places another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words or conduct;
  6. any activity against another person that includes a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal, or Federal law; and
  7. any activity that induces, causes, or requires another person to perform a duty or task that involves a criminal violation of local, State, Tribal, or Federal law.

Under the SCHA, the term “student organizations” means an organization at an institution of higher education (such as a club, society, association, varsity or junior varsity athletic team, club sports team, fraternity, sorority, band, or student government) in which two or more of the members are students enrolled at the institution of higher education, whether or not the organization is established or recognized by the institution.

See Federal Anti-Hazing Law: Stop Campus Hazing Act for more information.

More about the Massachusetts Anti-Hazing Law

Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 269, sections 16, 17 and 18 state as follows:


Section 17. Hazing; organizing or participating; hazing defined. Whoever is a principal organizer or participant in the crime of hazing, as defined herein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than three thousand dollars or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than one year, or both such fine and imprisonment.

The term “hazing” as used in this section and in sections eighteen and nineteen (reproduced below), shall mean any conduct or method of initiation into any student organization, whether on public or private property, which willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or other person. Such conduct shall include whipping, beating, branding, forced calisthenics, exposure to the weather, forced consumption of any food, liquor, beverage, drug or other substance, or any other brutal treatment or forced physical activity which is likely to adversely affect the physical health or safety or any such student or other person, or which subjects such student or other person to extreme mental stress, including extended deprivation of sleep or rest or extended isolation.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section to the contrary, consent shall not be available as a defense to any prosecution under this action.

Section 18. Failure to report hazing. Whoever knows that another person is the victim of hazing as defined in section seventeen (above) and is at the scene of such crime shall, to the extent that such person can do so without danger or peril to himself or others, report such crime to an appropriate law enforcement official as soon as reasonably practicable. Whoever fails to report such crime shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars.

Section 19. Copy of Secs. 17 to 19; issuance to students and student groups, teams and organizations; report Each institution of secondary education and each public and private institution of post-secondary education shall issue to every student group, student team, or student organization which is part of such institution or is recognized by the institution or permitted by the institution to use its name or facilities or is known by the institution to exist as an unaffiliated student group, student team or student organization, a copy of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen (above); provided, however, that an institution’s compliance with this section’s requirements that an institution issue copies of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen to unaffiliated student groups, teams or organizations shall not constitute evidence of the institution’s recognition or endorsement of said unaffiliated student groups, teams or organizations.

Each such group, team or organization shall distribute a copy of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen to each of its members, plebes, pledges or applicants for membership. It shall be the duty of each such group, team or organization, acting through its designated officer, to deliver annually to the institution an attested acknowledgment stating that such group, team, or organization has received a copy of this section and said sections seventeen and eighteen, that each of its members, plebes, pledges, or applicants has received a copy of sections seventeen and eighteen, and that such group, team, or organization understands and agrees to comply with the provision of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen.

Each institution of secondary education and each public or private institution of post-secondary education shall, at least annually, before or at the start of enrollment, deliver to each person who enrolls as a full-time student in such institution a copy of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen.

Each institution of secondary education and each public or private institution of post-secondary education shall file, at least annually, a report with the board of higher education and in the case of secondary institutions, the board of education, certifying that such institution has complied with its responsibility to inform student groups, teams or organizations and to notify each full-time student enrolled by it of the provisions of this section and sections seventeen and eighteen, and also certifying that said institution has adopted a disciplinary policy with regard to the organizers and participants of hazing, and that such policy has been set forth with appropriate emphasis in the student handbook or similar means of communicating the institution’s policies to its students. The board of higher education and, in the case of secondary institutions, the board of education, shall promulgate regulations governing the content and frequency of such reports, and shall forthwith report to the attorney general any such institution which fails to make such report.