Student Conduct Process
If a Housing & Residential Life professional staff member, after reviewing incident reports and/or police reports, determines that our Community Behavioral Standards have allegedly been violated, you will receive a notification letter describing the alleged violation(s). You will be asked to attend an Administrative Conference with the RD/ARD to attempt to informally resolve the matter. Should you wish to dispute the decision made during the informal resolution, you may request a subsequent formal hearing with a member of Residential Life’s Management Team.
For a more complete understanding of expectations and disciplinary procedures, review the Student Conduct Code. Copies are available from the Office for Community Standards.
Due Process
Whenever you are accused of violating Housing & Residential Life's Community Behavioral Standards, you have the following rights:
- Notification of exact nature of the complaint, time, date, and place of hearing
- Knowledge of complainant's identity
- Information about the range of possible outcomes
- Presumption of innocence unless responsibility can be established by a preponderance of evidence
- A timely hearing
- Option to have a procedural advisor during the formal hearing
- Opportunity to question adverse testimony during the formal hearing
- Opportunity to present your case, including the personal or written testimony of witnesses on your behalf
- Formal notification of the decision made and resulting sanctions, if applicable
- In a 'found responsible' decision, notification of the appeal procedure.
Administrative Conference
The administrative conference takes much less time and preparation than a formal hearing. Additionally, an administrative conference can feel less stressful and allow students to acknowledge mistakes they may have made with minimal negative attention. It allows for a candid, educational conversation with a professional staff member who can either dismiss the charges if inaccurate or help encourage the student to take responsibility for their actions and, when charges are accurate, learn how to better live within a community.
During an administrative conference, you will meet with the RD/ARD to review the incident reports and discuss the incident. You will be asked if you are responsible for the alleged violation and be given the opportunity to discuss your perspective on the incident. Based on the information presented, the RD/ARD will make a decision. If you are found responsible, an outcome(s) will be implemented. An administrative conference can be advantageous to students for several reasons.
In accepting the outcome of an administrative conference, a student is agreeing to informally resolve the allegation without going through the full disciplinary process. Because of its fair, non-threatening, and educational manner, the administrative conference is frequently used by students to resolve complaints. As this is an informal resolution process, the student has the option to accept or reject the decision. If a student chooses to decline the decision, that student must do so in writing within five business days of receiving a decision. If a student does not request a formal resolution within five business days, the administrative conference resolution becomes official. Should the student wish to have a formal hearing, the request form for a formal hearing appended to the student’s letter offering informal resolution must be completed and presented to the RD/ARD, who will forward the request to the Coordinator of Student Conduct.
Formal Hearing
A respondent may request a formal hearing at any time in the student conduct process. Generally, a student only requests a hearing when the student and RD/ARD cannot reach agreement about the facts or severity of an incident and, therefore, cannot informally resolve the incident. A hearing presided over by a member of the Residential Life Management Team must be conducted as part of the formal resolution. Residential Life managers strive to complete hearings within two weeks of the student’s request for a hearing (not including periods when the University is not in session).
In a formal hearing, a Residential Life Manager will resolve a complaint against a resident in a structured setting that permits the full presentation of evidence and witnesses. This educational and developmental process will permit discussion of the alleged prohibited behaviors and enable the hearing officer to arrive at a decision beneficial to the resident and the residential community.
Hearings are recorded to provide an accurate and complete record should an appeal be filed. The presenter for each case is usually the RD/ARD. The respondent has the opportunity to present evidence and witness(es). Both the presenter and the respondent, as well as the Residential Life Manager, will have the opportunity to question evidence and testimony of witnesses. All hearings are confidential, and all notes made during any meeting will be given to the Coordinator of Student Conduct.
The presiding Residential Life Manager will decide whether the resident is responsible or not responsible for the allegations based on a preponderance of the evidence. Any outcomes described in "Disciplinary Sanctions" may be imposed as a result of a responsible finding.
A procedural advisor/advocate for the respondent is permitted. The procedural advisor’s role is to provide support and advice during a formal hearing. Advisors/advocates for residents may present evidence for the resident, but the resident is expected to speak on their own behalf for any questions directed toward them. An attorney cannot serve as an advisor in formal hearings. At any time during the hearing, should either the presiding Manager or the advisor/advocate make a determination that the meeting is becoming too adversarial, and consequently not meeting the intended goals of an educational/developmental process, either party may adjourn the meeting and refer the complaint to the Coordinator of Student Conduct for resolution. If necessary, a language interpreter can assist the resident, and the resident can seek reasonable accommodations for a disability.
Disciplinary Sanctions
Housing & Residential Life’s sanctions are official actions at the University. Failure to comply with sanctions that are imposed by the Housing & Residential Life conduct system, or with specific conditions related to the safety and security of any person or property while a case is pending may result in immediate removal from the residential community.
The following sanctions, or any combination of them, may be applied to any individual resident or group of residents, for violations of Housing & Residential Life’s Community Behavioral Standards.
1. Reprimand
This status is a statement to the resident that their status within the residential community is no longer in good standing. Further violations may result in a transfer to a different building, contract termination, and/or indefinite trespass from one or all University residential and/or dining facilities. Reprimand is for a period of no less than one academic semester.
2. Housing Probation
Probation is an elevated disciplinary status within the residential community and communicates that the resident continues to no longer be in good standing within a broader context. A status of Probation may interfere with a resident’s eligibility for leadership opportunities within and outside of Housing & Residential Life. Further violations will result in deferred removal, contract termination, and/or indefinite trespass from one or all University residential and/or dining facilities. Probation is for a period of no less than one academic year.
3. Required Compliance
The resident must carry out an agreement or conditions for there to be no further disciplinary action on the matter. These conditions are often educational in nature.
4. Restriction of Privileges
The conduct officer or board can restrict the use of facilities within a residential community or immediate grounds. They can also restrict the resident’s use of personal facilities. For example, if the offense was a noise infraction (such as the stereo), the adjudicative body can restrict the hours at which the stereo may be played or if information desk policy is violated, equipment check out privileges can be revoked.
5. Confiscation
Confiscation of goods used or possessed in violation of HRL’s Community Behavioral Standards or University regulations.
6. Community Service
The conduct officer or board may require the resident to perform community service for the hall, or for a nonprofit organization/community agency outside of the hall community.
7. Educational Sanctions
The conduct officer or board may design sanctions that are specific to an individual case when it is determined that educational value may result and the interest of the University community is maintained. Examples of educational sanctions include, but are not limited to: reflective essays, research papers, workshops, programs, meetings with University faculty and staff, etc.
8. Restorative Justice Community Conferences
For students who take responsibility for their actions and want to make amends to their community, RJCCs bring community members and the student together to work to restore the harm created. The community and the student work together to find an appropriate resolution and build a respectful contract to repair any harm.
9. Deferred Removal
This status indicates that the resident’s status in University housing is now in jeopardy. Deferred Removal results in a decision by the RD/ARD in consultation with Coordinator of Student Conduct or a designee to reassign a resident’s living unit within housing to another residence hall assignment and usually prohibits the resident from returning to the residential area associated with the former assignment. Any additional violation will result in the termination of the student’s housing contract. This status may be extended for a specific period of time, until the completion of a specific condition, or permanently.
10. Trespass
This status indicates a resident is not eligible to live in or visit some or all of the residential and/or dining facilities. This restriction is enforced both by residential staff and University police. This status may be extended for a specific period of time, until the completion of a condition or indefinitely, and may be limited to a specific facility or all facilities owned and operated by Housing & Residential Life.
11. Contract Termination
Notification that the student’s contract within Housing & Residential Life has been terminated. This status may be extended for a specific period of time, until the completion of a specific condition, or permanently. Residents terminated from University housing will be held financially responsible for 30% of the remainder of the room and meal plan contract. In addition, contract terminated students are trespassed from all University housing and placed on University Probation.
12. Restitution
Accompanies any combination of the above-mentioned sanctions. A resident will be responsible for paying the cost for damages incurred.
13. Referral
Accompanies any combination of the above-mentioned sanctions. The student may be referred to Boynton Health Services or a University or community resource for additional intervention.
14. University Probation
Students whose behavior in the residence hall is egregious or who repeatedly violate our Community Behavioral Standards may be placed on University Probation by the Coordinator of Student Conduct or designee. The student’s file will be forwarded to the Office for Community Standards. This type of probation status impacts a student’s University status. Further violations of the Student Conduct Code may result in suspension or termination of studentship at the University.
Administrative Action
The actions listed below are administrative decisions that are afforded to Housing & Residential Life as a function of each resident’s contract with University housing. As a result of these actions being contractual agreements, they are not subject to disciplinary appeal.
1. Non-Disciplinary Warning
In instances of less serious deviations from Housing & Residential Life's Community Behavioral Standards, a non-disciplinary warning is issued to inform the student of the policy at hand and formally warn about the consequences of continuing such behavior in violation of HRL's community standards.
2. Sanction Review
Sanction Reviews are done monthly by conduct officers to evaluate a student’s completion of assigned sanctions. If a student has failed to complete the assigned sanctions by the due date, additional sanctions are assigned, which may include relocation or contract termination if deemed appropriate. Sanction Reviews cannot be appealed.
3. Reassignment (Administrative Move)
Housing & Residential Life Staff has the authority to reassign a student when deemed necessary. Housing & Residential Life reserves the right to reassign a student to a different room/apartment based on, but not limited to, change in room designation, safety and security concerns, or consolidation.
4. Interim Suspension
Notification to the student that their contract has been suspended until a decision can be made by a judicial authority such as the Coordinator of Student Conduct, the Assistant Director of Residential Life, or the Office for Community Standards.
Appeal and Referrals
If a resident is not satisfied with the process or outcome of a formal hearing, an appeal may be filed. To appeal a disciplinary decision, a student found to have violated Housing & Residential Life’s Community Behavioral Standards must submit a notice of appeal to the Provost’s Appeal Secretary within five (5) weekdays of receipt of the original disciplinary decision. [Address: Provost's Appeal Secretary, 234 Morrill Hall, 100 Church Street, SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455.] The student would then be provided with an additional five (5) weekdays for submission to the Provost’s Appeal Secretary of a written statement specifically identifying the ground(s) for the appeal, explaining why the ground(s) for appeal are met, and providing any supporting documentation.
Some complaints of an extremely serious manner are forwarded to the Office for Community Standards (OCS) for adjudication rather than going through process outlined above. These cases will be forwarded to OCS at 211 Appleby Hall, 128 Pleasant St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455; (office: 612-624-6073) (fax: 612-626-2298). If such a referral is made, you can expect to receive a communication from OCS to notify you that alleged violation(s) of the Student Conduct Code are pending. You should read that communication carefully and comply with all instructions therein.
An Incident Report (IR) is written any time Housing & Residential Life (HRL) staff become aware of behaviors or actions that may violate our Community Behavioral Standards. If you are involved in a situation where Community Advisors (CAs) ask for your ID to be included in an IR, you are being documented and you will receive follow-up from HRL’s professional staff.
Conduct Hearing Officers - Residence Hall Directors and Assistant Residence Hall Directors, along with authorized HRL Managers.
It is the duty of the Community Advisor who documented the incident to keep all the information private. The Informal Conduct Conference/Case Hearing is also confidential
and all the information remains discreet between the Residence Hall Director/Assistant Residence Hall Director and involved student parties.
By virtue of the agreement with Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA), student athletes have granted Housing & Residential Life permission to share any disciplinary information pertaining to them with ICA staff. If you’re a student athlete and you’ve been documented, you should expect your coaching staff to be made aware of the incident within 1-2 business days.
All the residents/guests/involved parties that are present in/around the location of the incident are documented. Once an Incident Report (IR) is submitted, Housing & Residential Life’s Coordinator of Student Conduct works with other staff members to determine which of the listed individuals may have violated the Community Behavioral Standards. Those individuals will receive emails to notify them of any alleged violations stemming from the incident.
If your guests are present at the incident, they will be documented and considered for the Informal Conduct Conference process.
Guests who are also residents of University housing will be contacted by the Conduct Hearing Officers (Resident Hall Directors and Assistant Resident Hall Directors) to schedule a date and time for an Administrative Conference, which is part of our Informal Conduct Resolution process.
Guests who are not residents or students won’t receive direct follow-up from Housing & Residential Life. However, residents will be held accountable for the behavior of their guests.
If your roommate is not present at the time the incident occurs, then they will not be included in the documentation.
If Community Advisors (CAs) knock on your door to address a potential policy violation and the door goes unanswered, all students assigned to the space will be documented for follow up.
If it’s revealed during the Informal Conduct Conference/Case Hearing meetings with involved parties that your roommate was in fact present or played a role in the incident, then they will be added to the case and will receive notice from a Housing & Residential Life Conduct Hearing Officer about the need to resolve any alleged violations of our Community Behavioral Standards.
Questions About Next Steps
You can expect an email from a Conduct Hearing Officer within 5-7 business days from the date of the incident. The email will come from an online system called Maxient and will contain a link you must click on to view the communication meant for you. You will need to enter your University network ID and password before accessing the confidential letter.
Your letter will list the Community Behavioral Standards we believe you may have violated during the incident and provide you with a scheduled date and time for an informal administrative conference to resolve the matter. This will be a meeting between you and a Conduct Hearing Officer where you will be able to discuss the incident.
Based on the information presented by all the involved parties, the hearing officer will decide on your responsibility for the policy violation(s). If you are found responsible, sanction(s) will be imposed.
You can expect an email within about 5-7 business days after the incident. It will come from a web-based software system called Maxient.
You can reach the Residence Director or Assistant Residence Director (if applicable) of your building at the hall email address. They will be able to answer any question you may have about the conduct process.
The Informal Administrative Conference is your opportunity to share your perspective on the incident and your role in what happened.
Your Conduct Hearing Officer will consider your testimony alongside all other information collected about the incident before deciding whether you are responsible for violating any policies.
Questions About Who Gets Notified
It depends on what you mean by “record.” You have many kinds of records at the University. Academic records and transcripts, for instance, are largely separate from disciplinary records.
Housing & Residential Life will not place any markers on your academic records, but all findings of responsibility that result in sanctions will show up on a check of your disciplinary records. Warnings provided by Housing & Residential Life (abbreviated in our files as NDC-W) are non-disciplinary and will not show up in a records check.
Keep in mind that no one can access your disciplinary records without you giving them written permission to do so.
Student information, including your housing conduct record, is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This means your conduct officer will not and cannot share information about the documentation or process without your consent.
However, if you were transported to a hospital for detox due to alcohol consumption, Housing & Residential Life will work with the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) to begin a family notification process. You will receive a separate email through Maxient with instructions about how to schedule an appointment with someone from OSA’s Care Program to complete this process.
Yes, your coach will be notified of your involvement in a conduct case. We encourage you to be in prompt communication with your coach about any incidents you are involved in.
Disciplinary actions taken by Housing & Residential Life will not affect your visa status.
If you have been criminally charged due to your actions or behaviors in University housing, there is a possibility your visa status could be affected if you are convicted.
It is recommended you check with the Office of Financial Aid. While most financial aid won’t be affected, certain scholarships may have provisions about your disciplinary status.
Questions About Potential Consequences
Housing & Residential Life will only confiscate prohibited items that pose an immediate health or safety threat. Examples include but are not limited to blow torches, other open flame items, or weapons.
Other prohibited items (candles, incense, and alcohol found in prohibited areas such as substance-free halls and underage rooms) will be disposed of and not returned. Controlled substances such as cannabis will also be disposed of, and in cases where a large amount of a controlled substance is found, University police may be called.
You should remove those items from University housing as soon as possible. The conduct hearing officer for your case will set expectations around a timeline for you to provide evidence that you have removed the item(s).
Housing & Residential Life staff must review your specific case and any prior policy violations to answer this question.
Contract Termination (removal from University housing) is a sanction imposed after a pattern of prohibited behavior has been established. It is extremely rare that a resident’s contract is terminated after a first or second violation. An example of an incident that might result in Contract Termination for a first or second violation is an incident that involves physical violence, weapons, or other actions that put the fundamental safety of the residential community in peril.
After meeting with your Conduct Hearing Officer, you will receive a “decision letter” from them that offers an informal resolution to your case. It is within your rights to reject this offer of informal resolution and request a formal hearing with a Residential Life Manager.
Your decision letter will include a Formal Hearing Request Form that you can complete if you wish to proceed with this option. A formal hearing must be requested within five (5) business days of the date your decision letter was issued. Once you’ve requested a formal hearing, any findings and/or sanctions imposed by your Conduct Hearing Officer via the informal resolution process are paused until the formal hearing is complete.