Conduct or behavior that appears to violate the Code will result in a written report from the University Police Department, Residence Life, or any member of the Campus Community, including fellow students.
GATHERING INFORMATION
Cases dealing with non-academic violations of College policies or the Student Code of Conduct are brought to the attention of the Student Conduct and Community Standards Office. Preliminary information is collected from people who have knowledge of the incident, evidence or other information pertinent to the situation.
The victim of and alleged violation and/or staff member reporting an incident must file a written complaint to obtain a Student Conduct review of the alleged violation. After a complainant form is received, a charge letter is sent to the accused student. The charge letter indicates what charges are being brought against the accused student (s). An appointment can also be scheduled for the accused. At this meeting the following information will be addressed:
An explanation of the charges
An explanation of the Student Conduct and Community Standards process
The student will be informed of their right to a Student Conduct advocate*.
*An advocate can only advise a student regarding how to prepare for a hearing and how one should respond during the hearing. The advocates cannot speak to any other person during a hearing, including the other students, witnesses, hearing board members, or other advocates. Advocates may be removed from a hearing for failing to follow these instructions.*
ADMINISTRATIVE RESOLUTION MEETINGS
Accused student (s) will receive email notifications for have scheduled meetings with conduct officers, prior to the scheduled meeting , they have the opportunity to request to be seen by a Conduct Board. If this request is not submitted in advance of the meeting with the conduct officers, the student is expected to attend the scheduled meeting or have the case heard in their absence and subsequent sanctions imposed, if applicable.
STUDENT CONDUCT HEARING
The Student Conduct hearing board consists of 5-7 members including faculty, staff, and students. The Chair of the board will conduct the Hearing and all participants will be required to follow their instructions.
The accused student (s) will appear before the Student Conduct Board to discuss the case and answer questions. If several students are involved in a situation, the individuals will each provide their own account of what occurred before the Student Conduct Board. All Student Conduct hearings are recorded as an official college record. The Student Conduct Board will use a more likely than not standard to determine the responsibility of the accused. All matters discussed in a Student Conduct hearing are confidential.
The accused student (s) have the right to a Student Conduct Advocate during their Student Conduct Hearing. The Student Conduct Advocate is a member of college faculty or staff, who will advise the accused student (s) of their rights and responsibilities, resources that are available to them, and college Student Conduct procedures preparatory to informal resolution of a Student Conduct hearing.
The accused student (s) has the right to legal counsel, however this will not be provided for them and will be at their own expense. Legal counsel is bound by the same rules and procedures as a college appointed advocate.
As part of the accused student’s right to due process, the accused student (s) has the right to appeal in writing the Student Conduct Board’s or Conduct Officer's finding of a violation or the Board's designated sanctions.
The following will be considered grounds for appeal:
A procedural error or irregularity which substantively affected the outcome of the Student Conduct process
New evidence that was not available at the time of the hearing and which could have substantial impact on the outcome of the Student Conduct process
Bias on the part of a Student Conduct board member or Conduct Officer which substantively affected the outcome of the Student Conduct process
Belief that the sanction imposed is not commensurate with the findings of fact established during the hearing process.
The appeal must be made in writing within three (3) days of the accused student's receipt of the Student Conduct letter stating the hearing decision.
After receiving an appeal and reviewing all available information, the Appeals Board may elect to: affirm the finding and the sanction originally determined, affirm the finding and change the sanction, or dismiss the case.
Pending a hearing or appeal, the student involved may continue to have the same rights and privileges afforded to other students. However, grades, transcripts, or diplomas shall be withheld pending final determination of charges that could result in suspension or expulsion. In certain circumstances, the College may temporarily limit or suspend a student’s rights and privileges.
Student Conduct and Community Standards
Some content on this page is saved in PDF format. To view these files, download Adobe Acrobat Reader free. If you are having trouble reading a document, request an accessible copy of the PDF or Word Document.
