STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT

Specifically, unless the accused elects to have his/her case heard by a Judicial Hearing Officer, Level I and II violations and some Level III violations shall be heard by the Residence Hall Director of the residence hall in which the student resides or where the violation occurred and if the accused enters a plea of “responsible”.  If a responsible plea is not entered, a Judicial Officer and/or Judicial Council shall hear the case.

Level III and Level IV violations shall be heard by a Judicial Officer unless the hearing officer believes the case is severe enough to warrant suspension or dismissal or if the Hearing Officer feels the case is better resolved at Judicial Council. The accused student(s) may also elect to have a hearing by Judicial Council.

The Judicial Council hears level IV and V violations or cases in which the accused student(s) elects to have a hearing by Judicial Council.

Repeated offenses may result in a higher-level violation, for example: two level III violations, within one year, becomes a Level IV violation.

The Judicial Council shall have original jurisdiction to deal with the more severe offenses set forth in the Campus Life Handbook and with all offenses posing the potential of suspension or dismissal, except those within the jurisdiction of other bodies as specified in the Bylaws.

The Judicial Council shall determine the facts and prepare a written judgment substantiating its decision in each case it hears. The Judicial Council shall inform the accused and accuser of the appeal procedure. If the accused or the accuser makes an appeal, penalties shall be suspended until the Appeals Council has taken final action. Any appeal from a decision of the Judicial Council must be made in writing, including supporting reasons, to the Appeals Council within the next 48 hours after notification of the decision.

C. Records - A record of all violations will be maintained in the Student Affairs Office as well as a statement of the action taken by the hearing officers, Judicial Council, or counseling provided by the Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs.

If a Residence Hall Director or a judicial hearing officer hears the matter, he/she shall determine the facts and prepare a written judgment substantiating his decision. Additionally, the accused and accuser shall be informed of the appeal procedure. Either the accused or accuser may appeal the decision of the residence hall director or the judicial hearing officer to the Appeals Council. Any penalty shall be suspended until the Appeals Council has taken final action. Any appeal to the Appeals Council must be made in writing, including supporting reasons, within 48 hours after notification of the decision.
D. Record - A record of all actions taken by the residence hall director, judicial hearing officer, Judicial and Appeals Councils, or Greek councils shall be maintained in the Student Affairs Office.

B. Functions - The Appeals Council shall have final judicial authority to deal with infractions of the College regulations, except those within the jurisdiction of the Personnel Committee, to hear appeals of individuals against whom action has taken by a Residence Hall Director, Judicial Hearing Officer, the Judicial Council, the Traffic Council (for major violations only) the United Greek Governing Board or the Academic Council. After examining the record, the council may decide to hear the appeal in its entirety or to limit the scope of its hearing. In all cases the Appeals Council will determine the facts and prepare a written statement. When Traffic Council has acted as an
appellate body for a major violation, its decision may be further appealed to Appeals Council, but the council may decline to hear the case.

C. Rules concerning judicial records shall be promulgated by the Appeals Council.

D. The Appeals Council, when considering that pending matters merit the attention of the Academic Council, shall inform the Academic Council accordingly.

E. Any student who is convinced that his academic performance has been evaluated on other than an academic basis or in a prejudiced or capricious manner has the right to appeal such a grade. To appeal a grade, the student must consult with the instructor (or the department chairperson when the instructor is away from campus) no later than the following applicable deadline: for Autumn and Winter grades, the end of week three of the following quarter; for Spring and Summer, the end of week three of Autumn quarter.  Resolution and submission of the revised grade to the Registrar’s Office must occur by the end of the 10th week of those respective quarters. Signatures of both the instructor and the instructor’s department chairperson are required to change a grade.

When a grading issue cannot be resolved through discussions with the instructor or department chairperson, the student may present evidence in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs or his/her designee, indicating an error, the prejudicial basis, or the capricious manner used in evaluating his or her performance.   In all cases, this step must be taken no later than five business days beyond the applicable 10th week deadline indicated in the previous paragraph. The Vice President for Academic Affairs, or his/her designee, shall consult with the student and the instructor after which the appeal may be passed on to the Appeals Council for its consultation and judgment.  The actual grade change if deemed in order by the Appeals Council shall be determined by the Vice President for Academic Affairs in consultation with the student and the professor involved in the appeal, or, if the professor is unavailable, with the appropriate Department Chair. 

F. The Judicial Bodies will structure their procedures in accordance with the spirit of the Statement on the Rights and Freedoms of Students adopted by the faculty, May, 1969. 

G. No record of the decision made by a Residence Hall Director, Judicial Hearing Officer, the Judicial Council, the Traffic Council, or the Appeals Council shall be released to the public unless requested by the individuals involved, or required by law.

A student dismissed from the College for disciplinary reasons may apply to the Admissions Office for readmission after one quarter unless a different period time was specified at the time of dismissal. A recommendation of the Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs may be requested before such a student is readmitted.

Acting under the legal authority of the Board of Trustees, the President can in extraordinary cases or in an emergency situation veto or alter decisions of the judicial bodies but may not reinstate charges against a person when judicial action fails to confirm the original complaint. In all such instances, the President shall state his/her reasons in writing, with one copy going to the council from which the vetoed or altered decision came, and one copy going as a report to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees. This latter body shall review the action no later than its next regularly scheduled meeting.

Suspensions - In extraordinary circumstances the Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs, in consultation with the President, has the right to suspend a student temporarily pending decision of the judicial bodies.

2. The appeal should include:

a) the specific request being made by the student
b) the rationale or reason for the request
c) Any written supporting documentation from faculty, staff, students, or health care professionals relevant to any extenuating circumstances being cited and;
d) The Student Acknowledgement Form must be signed and dated.

3. Students are strongly encouraged to appear before Academic Council to present their case and answer questions.

4. Students will be given written confirmation of Academic Council’s decision within three working days of the hearing. If the request is denied, the rationale/reason will be contained in the written confirmation, and any further appeal must be filed in writing with Appeals Council within two working days. The Student Affairs Office oversees Appeals Council. Call the Student Affairs Office at (614) 823-1250 to request an appeal form and a hearing date and time.

5. Pending action of the Appeals Council, a students status shall not be altered, nor their right to be present on campus and attend classes suspended, except for reasons relating to their physical or emotional safety and the well being of students, faculty/staff, or College property.

Fraternity or sorority misconduct does not need to be officially sanctioned by the entire membership in order to be considered grounds for possible disciplinary action against the chapter. There is not a minimum number of fraternity or sorority members who must be involved in an incident before disciplinary action may be taken against a chapter. In some instances, misconduct by a single member may provide sufficient grounds for action against the entire chapter.

All complaints involving a fraternity or sorority shall be referred to the Coordinator of Greek Life for review and further investigation.

If the UGGB is not operational, infractions involving college policies will be referred to the Judicial Coordinator for disposition and adjudication.

B. Functions -
1. The Traffic Council shall have original jurisdiction to deal with the major violations of the College motor vehicle rules as determined by the Senate and printed in the Campus Life Handbook. The Traffic Council shall determine the facts, assess a penalty upon a verdict of “responsible”, and prepare a written judgment substantiating its decision. Immediately following each meeting, the individual will be notified in writing of the Traffic Council’s decision. Those who receive penalties shall be informed of the appeal procedure and, if an appeal is made, penalties shall be suspended until the Appeals Council has taken final action. Any appeal from a decision of the Traffic Council for a major violation must be made in writing, including supporting reasons, to the Appeals Council within 48 hours after notification.
2. The Traffic Council is the final court of appeal for minor violations.