Student Life 

What Happens Before the Hearing?
Upon receiving notice of an alleged violation, the appropriate Hearing Officer or Moderator shall notify the respondent of the alleged violations via the University email account. The process of the hearing will be outlined in the notice. In addition, in the case of a CSB hearing, a pre-hearing meeting will be scheduled.

In order to schedule a hearing, class schedules are reviewed to find a common available time. Students are expected to attend their hearings or to forfeit the opportunity to provide information orally. The respondent’s failure to attend the hearing does not limit the Hearing Officer, PRB, or CSB from making a decision based upon available information before it. If a student misses a hearing due to an emergency, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office of Community Standards within 24 hours after the scheduled hearing. No student may be found to have violated the Community Standards solely because the student failed to appear. 

What are the Hearing Procedures?
The disciplinary process is designed to encourage open discussion among the participants that promotes the understanding of the facts, the individuals involved, the circumstances under which the incident occurred, and the nature of the conduct. However, during the hearing, accommodations such as providing separate facilities, to ensure the personal safety and well-being of the complainant, respondent, and/or other witnesses, may be employed. Hearings shall be private.

Community Standards proceedings are not criminal or civil proceedings, they are internal administrative determinations of violation(s) of institutional policy. Civil or criminal rules of procedure and evidence do not apply. The VPSL or designee shall make the final determination on the appropriateness of non-institutional information (i.e. polygraph test results, drug test results). Information, including hearsay, may be considered if material to the issue, not unduly repetitious, and the sort of information on which responsible persons are accustomed to rely in the conduct of serious affairs.

After receiving information at the hearing, the Hearing Officer, Peer Review Board, or Community Standards Board shall determine, as to each respondent and as to each potential violation of the Community Standards, whether the respondent(s) is responsible for violating the Community Standards. The Hearing Officer, PRB, or CSB evaluates the information received and considers credibility of information and witnesses when determining if the Community Standards were violated. This determination shall be based upon the facts of the conduct alleged, and whether it is more likely than not that the student is responsible for the alleged violation(s). Subsequent reviewers shall not determine anew whether there was a Community Standards violation.

The rights of an accused student include:

• the right to be present throughout the hearing but not during the deliberation of the Board or Student Life Administrator.
• the right not to speak. The accused student must realize however, that if he/she does not speak, the case will be determined on the evidence presented.
• the right to ask for the replacement of members of the PRB or Student Life Administrator because of possible conflicts of interest or bias. Objections should be made in writing at least forty-eight (48) hours before the hearing. The Moderator shall rule on all objections and replace disqualified members.
• the right to hear testimony presented at the hearing and to ask questions of PRB members, the Student Life Administrator or witnesses. Questions for a witness may be suggested by the student to the Chair of the PRB, and the Chair will question the witness as appropriate.
• the right to present pertinent evidence and the testimony of witnesses to substantiate his/her case.
• the right to comment upon and respond to the charges.
• the right to an advisor from the University community who may advise the accused student during the hearing but may not speak or ask questions for the accused student.*

In all situations, the Peer Review Board will recommend its findings and sanctions to the Community Standards Officer for review, approval and implementation.


*List of Community Standards Advisors