REPORT OF THE STUDENT RIGHTS
AND RESPONSIBILITIES COMMITTEE
April 2005
As
approved by the Faculty Senate on May 9, 2005
I. The following 7 recommendations are primarily
editorial:
(Deleted language is indicated by strikethrough. New wording is
underlined.)
9.21.15 Administrative Hearings shall be conducted …… (3)
if
a student requests an administrative hearing; and (4) if in the
judgment
of the Office of Student Life, scheduling difficulties, time
pressures,
the seriousness of the case, and/or similar circumstances make an
administrative
hearing necessary and/or appropriate. it is necessary to
ensure
that a hearing occurs in a timely fashion, to insure the health and
safety
of any of the participants or to insure an unbiased hearing.
Rationale: Refines
description
of circumstances for administrative hearings.
5.74.20 Hearing Panels….. Panel members shall be appointed
from
the Judicial Board members by the Office of Student Life. Faculty or
staff
who have been Judicial Board members in the past and who are
conversant
with the current system may be asked to serve on individual hearing
panels
when a sufficient number of current Board members is not available.
Rationale: insures that
hearing
participants’ knowledge is up to date.
9.21.21 Presence of Accused, Oaths, Burden of Proof, and
Standards
of Evidence Proof. …… The charging official and the chair of
the panel
will work to eliminate prejudicial and irrelevant information. If
the
charged student feels that this has not been done, he/she can add a
written
complaint or correction to the materials that are given to the hearing
panel
or officer. The panel shall rule on the
admissibility
of evidence. Unduly repetitious or irrelevant evidence may be
excluded.
Rationale: Less legalistic; clearer responsibility for
hearing
content.
9.21.27 Continuance of Disciplinary Proceedings. ……If a
student
completing degree requirements is accused of an offense for which
suspension
or dismissal are appropriate penalties, his/her diploma may be withheld
pending resolution of the conduct proceedings or during a period of
suspension.
Rationale: Clarifies that diplomas may be withheld not
only
during conduct proceedings, but also during suspension.
9.21.28 Deferral of Proceedings. The staff of the
Office
of Student Life may defer conduct action at any stage of the process
for
a period not to exceed ninety calendar days when school is in
session.
….
Rationale: Clarifies timing of deferral.
9.21.31 Conduct Records. All conduct records, such as
complaint
letters, correspondence, charge letters, decision letters, and hearing
summaries,
shall be considered confidential, and be maintained by the Office of
Student
Life for five six years after the date of the
conduct
action. Records of unresolved incidents shall be reviewed
annually
starting with the 5-year 6-year anniversary.
……
Rationale: Federal guidelines have changed from 5 to 6
years.
9.22.11 No Further Action. When the student is
found
responsible for the violation(s), and the discussion with the haring
officer
or the hearing before the appropriate panel has been sufficient in and
of
itself, further action may not be deemed necessary. However, the
verdict
is still noted in the student’s record in the Office of Student Life.
In cases where the discussion with the administrative officer or
the
hearing before the appropriate student conduct board has been
sufficient,
the student will be notified that there is no further action necessary.
Rationale: Reflects current practice. Responsibility for
a
violation always carries a sanction, even if it is only a warning.
II. The second set of 2 recommendations has to do
with
academic integrity. Please note that the Academic Standards and
Calendar
Committee supported these proposed changes unanimously at its 3/31/05
meeting.
(New) 8.27.20 Students accused of academic dishonesty within
the
drop period may be denied the opportunity to drop the course.
This
requires permission from the instructor’s dean. If the accusation
is
not upheld in an appeal, the student will be given the same options
available
before the end of the drop period without penalty.
Rationale: Prevents students from dropping course to
evade
grade sanction for academic dishonesty.
8.27.20 8.27.21….The Dean of Students
shall
notify the student's dean of subsequent infractions and may
initiate conduct
action against the student.
Rationale: Encourages uniform handling of repeat
offenses
across colleges.across colleges.