Judicial Process

The Code of Student Conduct

The Code of Student Conduct is intended to provide guidelines and to outline community expectations as our means of enforcing our commitment to those goals and values outlined in the University Mission Statement.

The Code of Student Conduct outlines the standards of behavior that students are expected to follow at St. Mary's University.

Incident Reviews: The Judicial Advisor/Officer reviews all reports and information received from University departments, staff, officials or community members to determine if there is sufficient information to indicate the Code of Student Conduct has been violated. If the Judicial Advisor/Officer concludes that this standard has been met, the student will then receive a notice from the Office of Judicial Affairs containing the uiniversity rules that are alleged to have been violated during thedocumented incident.

The Charge Letter: The charge letter outlines the alleged violations in a brief narrative and behavioral description of the incident and summons the student to a meeting with the Judicial Advisor or Judicial Officer.

Types of Conduct Meetings: There are two types of conduct meetings available to the student to resolve judicial matters:

Informal Meetings

• For students who choose to accept responsibility for alleged charge(s)
• Not recorded or transcripted
• Written decision serves as the official record of the informal meeting and will be sent to the student within 15 days from the conclusion of the Judicial Officer's deliberation

Formal Student Conduct Meetings

• For students who choose not to accept responsibility for alleged charge(s)
• Witnesses may be called and questioned by the charged student
• Charged student is notified within 5 business days but not more than 15 days in advance of the hearing
• Charged student can request an advisor
• Tape-recorded, which serves as the verbatim record of the conduct meeting
• Heard by a University Judicial Board comprised of faculty, staff and students
• Formal decision letter from the Dean of Students will be sent to the student within 15 days from the conclusion of the Judicial Board's deliberation

Conduct Meeting Forums

Students and student organizations (including fraternities and sororities, student-athletes, and other leadership organizations) charged through the Office of Judicial Affairs may choose from the following conduct review forums:

Information Session

The Information Session is informal and is conducted by the Judicial Advisor or the Judicial Officer. This session is an opportunity for the Judicial Advisor and/or the Judicial Officer to meet with the student to discuss the incident as a means of gathering the student perspective on information contained in the incident report.

Administrative Conduct Meeting

This informal meeting is conducted by the Judicial Advisor or Judicial Officer. The student accepts responsibility for his/her actions and is notified of their sanctions during this meeting.

University Student Judicial Board

This is a formal conduct meeting held in front of a University Student Judicial Board panel composed of faculty, staff and students who have been trained to review student conduct issues. The Board examines all available information about the specific conduct incident and them provides their finding of responsibility and recommended sanctions to the Dean of Students for review and enforcement.

Conduct Meeting Procedures

If the student or organization rejects an informal conduct meeting and disputes the investigative findings that any violations have been committed, the incident shall be reviewed through the University Student Judicial Board. A complete guide to the Judicila Board review procedures can be found in the Student Handbook, Article V: Judicial Charges and Hearings on our Web site: www.stmarytx.edu/handbook.

Sanctions

If a student or organization is found to be responsible through either informal or formal conduct meeting forums, educational sanctions may be imposed for violations of the Code of Student Conduct (non-academic). These sanctions may include reprimands, service work hours, educational activities, counseling and behavioral assessments, residence hall restrictions, restitution, fines, loss of privileges, suspension, and/or expulsion. (Note: Expulsion is the only sanction noted on the student's academic transcript).

Appeal Process

The accused student may request an appeal of the decision(s) reached by the University Student Judicial Board or of the sanctions imposed by the Judicial Advisor within five (5) business days of the receipt of the decision. Such request for an appeal shall be in writing and shall be delivered to the Judicial Advisor or his or her designee. A complete guide to the Appeal Process can be found in the Student Handbook, Article VII: Sanctioning Procedures on our Web site: www.stmarytx.edu/handbook.

Conduct Records and Files: All disciplinary cases are maintained in the Student Life Office. The release of student disciplinary records will be governed by the applicable federal and state laws regarding privacy of educational records. Students can arrange to review their conduct file by contacting the Student Life Office.