Northwest College

Policies and Procedures

General Code of Student Conduct Process and Procedures

Student Conduct Procedural Review

The purpose of a procedural review is to determine whether a student has failed to follow the Code of Conduct. Procedural review components include:

• reading complaint reports and determining whether, or to what extent, students were involved in the reported misconduct
• assisting students toward responsible conduct
• determining appropriate sanctions when necessary
• enforcing the sanctions imposed

1. Disciplinary action may be initiated by a written complaint filed by any member of the college community within 48 hours of the alleged violation of the General Code of Student Conduct (excluding weekends, holidays, and extenuating circumstances). Complaint forms are available in the Vice President for Student Services Office, the Residence and Campus Life Office, or from Residence Hall staff members. The complaint must be filed with Vice President for Student Services (or Designee) or the Residence and Campus Life Director (or Designee) (if the issue occurred in campus housing or where campus housing policies are involved). The written complaint shall contain a concise statement of the offense including dates, places, witnesses and others involved.
2. The Vice President for Student Services (or Designee) or Residence and Campus Life Director (or Designee) will inform the student(s) that his/her name appears on a complaint form and schedule a procedural review with those involved in the incident to determine the facts. The Vice President (or Designee) or Director (or Designee), upon reviewing the complaint, will determine the type of review meeting(s) which is most appropriate to the situation. The intent is to handle the review using discussion, counseling, mediation, and other informal techniques. The Vice President (or Designee) or Director (or Designee) may ask questions to determine what occurred, why it occurred, how it may be perceived by others, and whether the behavior fits within the college’s standards.
3. During the review meeting(s) the student will be informed of the charges and the evidence against him/her, and have the opportunity to offer verbal and written information on his/her behalf.
4. The student may request witnesses to speak on his/her behalf at a review meeting. The Vice President (or Designee) or Director (or Designee) may invite as witnesses, persons who submitted the complaint report or other persons whose names appear on the complaint report. The student subject to discipline may request the Vice President (or Designee) or Director to require the attendance of witnesses including the person filing the report and may question any witness present at a review meeting.
5. When more than one student is named on a complaint report, the Vice President for Students Affairs (or Designee) or Residence and Campus Life Director (or Designee) may consider each student’s involvement separately and exclude the other students from the meeting for a period of time. If new information is shared during this time, the other students shall hear all information shared concerning their misconduct, and have an opportunity to respond to that information before the hearing officer makes a final decision.
6. A Student Conduct Procedural Review is an institutional process, therefore, legal counsel is not permitted at review meetings.
7. The Vice President for Student Services (or Designee) will be empowered to impose any of the sanctions for misconduct, and the Residence and Campus Life Director (or Designee) will be empowered to impose any of the sanctions for misconduct listed in the campus housing handbook. Decisions will be made by the Vice President (or Designee) or Director (or Designee) and confirmed in writing to the student(s) subject to discipline within 48 hours, excluding weekends, holidays and extenuating circumstances, following the final review meeting.
8. Appeals for Student Conduct Cases –Decisions made by the Residence and Campus Life Director may be appealed to the Vice President for Student Services (or Designee). Any decision rendered by the Vice President for Student Services may be appealed to the Student Appeals Board. These appeals must be made within two (2) working days of receiving the decision from the Vice President for Student Services.
   1. A student conduct appeal is not a rehearing. New information concerning the incident itself is not considered. If new information becomes available after the original review, the original hearing officer shall reconsider the incident in light of the additional information.
   2. Grounds for student conduct appeal are limited to two categories:
      1. Lack of a fair review.
      2. Severity of sanction.
         The appeal process may only be initiated by a student who has been found in violation of a policy, rule, or regulation. The sanction imposed shall be deferred while a student is involved in the appeal process (with the exception of violent or threatening behavior, disciplinary suspension or expulsion). If the original sanction is upheld, it shall be effective as of the date set at the original review meeting. If the appeal process reverses or changes the sanction in any way, the new finding will be effective as determined by the appellate officer or body.
   3. Levels of Appeal
      1. Decisions rendered by Resident Directors (See campus housing handbook for an explanation of the procedures involving decisions by Resident Directors.) are appealed to the Director of Residence and Campus Life (or Designee).
      2. Decisions rendered by the Residence and Campus Life Director (or Designee) and the Campus Security Coordinator (or Designee) are appealed to the Vice President for Student Services (or Designee).
      3. Decisions rendered by the Vice President for Student Services (or Designee) are appealed to the Student Appeals Board, which represents the final disciplinary authority for Northwest College.

See Student Appeals Board Process and Procedures.

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• General Code of Student Conduct Process and Procedures