Appointment of SACC for original jurisdiction over conduct The Director of Residence Life will determine if a community violation should be referred to SACC. If a hearing is required, a written summons will be given to the student at least two days prior to the hearing. The student will be required to appear before SACC for a hearing to determine if a community standards violation has occurred and, if so, the extent of the violation. SACC will arrive at a decision within 10 working days. For students found in violation of community standards, a Resolution Decision Letter with sanctions will be created and a written copy will be given to the student. Conduct Process When a violation of community standards is reported to the Student Affairs Staff, the Student Services Coordinator under the direction of the Director of Residence Life will initiate the disciplinary process. The disciplinary process is divided into four sections: 1) 2) 3) 4)
Documentation Hearings Sanctions Appeal Process
Written Documentation Incident Report: Often disciplinary situations begin with an “Incident Report,” which requires as much information as possible. Any community member may complete this document. Typically, RAs who observe possible violations of University behavioral standards will complete an Incident Report which is sent to the Residence Life staff. Athletic Administration is notified any time an incident report is filed involving a student athlete. Action in Writing: At times an incident will not require a formal meeting but will simply require a letter of warning, etc., which will be placed in the student’s disciplinary file and sent to the student via email. A student is able to appeal this action by turning in the appropriate appeal request within 3 business days. Summons: A member of the Residence Life staff will contact the student(s) involved to inform them of an alleged violation and schedule an appointment for a meeting or hearing if necessary. This contact may take the place of the written email summons. The summons is a written document that includes a description of the infraction, and a notice of action to take, i.e. meeting with hearing officer or SACC. Only Student Affairs staff may issue a summons and this process will be conducted in a manner that promotes confidentiality. Each student involved in an incident should be advised of the date, time and place of any hearings, as well as the general nature of the charges against him or her. Please note that our official mode of communication is to the student’s Vanguard email address and it is the student’s responsibility to regularly check their email. Behavioral Contract: At times, the Residence Life staff, or a member of the Student Care Team, may choose to communicate an action plan for student care outside of the conduct process. Behavioral Contracts will either be developed by a Residence Life staff member or Care Team member with the student or at the sole discretion of the Residence Life staff or Care Team. The purpose of the Behavioral Contract is to identify areas of student growth based on particular behaviors and to recommend action items for students to make progress towards the desired areas of development. Failure to comply with a recommended Behavioral Contract may result in the student being summoned to attend a conduct hearing or other consequences as outlined in the original contract. Resolution Decision Letter: When the hearing officer or Student Affairs Conduct Committee (SACC) conducts a hearing and makes a conduct decision; a student will receive a Resolution Decision Letter that will be distributed to: a) the student involved; and b) placed in the student’s file to be viewed by Residence Life staff as needed. If students found in violation of community standards are involved in leadership programs, athletics, and/or clubs and organizations within the University community, the student can expect that their faculty or staff advisors will be notified of a disciplinary decision as well.
Hearings It is expected that all persons appearing for a hearing will present information that is both true and correct. Behaviors, active or passive, intended to impede the conduct process, including failure to appear, the misrepresentation of information, attempts to influence the testimony of another, failure to comply with a sanction, etc., may result in serious disciplinary action. Hearings may be audio recorded by the hearing officer or SACC for the purpose of documentation of the hearing proceedings and will be the sole property of the university. The hearing officer and Student Affairs Conduct Committee will honor a student’s class schedule when scheduling a hearing. Anything outside of scheduled classes will not be considered a conflict and the student is expected to comply with the assigned time. If the student, with notice, does not appear for their scheduled hearing, the information in support of the charges shall be presented and considered even if the student is not present (in absentia).
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