Student Conduct & Community Standards

Student Conduct Philosophy Statement

At Sacred Heart University, we believe that education extends beyond the walls of the classroom and into every aspect of student lives, including their intellectual, personal, social, and ethical development. Rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition and deepened by our mission to foster a deep respect for the dignity of every person, the Office of Community Standards supports a just and compassionate campus culture through education, accountability, and restorative practices.

We affirm that every student is capable of growth and transformation when provided with meaningful support and educational experiences that prepare them to thrive as citizens of the world. Through our conduct process, we engage students in reflective dialogue and values-based decision-making, helping them understand the impact of their actions on others and themselves. We promote a community of care and integrity, where personal responsibility and the common good are equally valued.

To this end, our conduct process exists to protect the entire community. In doing so, we commit to ensuring the rights and responsibilities of all students are granted when charged with an alleged violation of the Code of Student Conduct. Namely:

  • Students have the right to be treated with respect, dignity, and compassion
  • Students have the right to written or emailed notice of alleged violations
  • Students have the right to be informed of the student conduct procedures
  • Students have the right to know the nature of the information in an incident report
  • Students have the right to know their residence hall room will not be searched without proper authorization
  • Students have the right to present witness statements in a conducting meeting
  • Students have the right to be assisted in a hearing or appeal by (one) SHU administrator, faculty member, or student of their choice, provided they are not legal counselor or a family member. This person may not address the hearing officer and must leave if they begin to interfere with the hearing procedures
  • Students have the right to participate in their hearing or remain silent
  • Students have the right to have their responsibility determined based on the “preponderance of evidence” standard
  • Students have the right to appeal by contacting the director of community standards at mcbreairtys@sacredheart.edu or 203-416-3144 within twenty-four (24) hours of their outcome. The Request for Appeal Form must be submitted within seventy-two (72) hours after the date the sanction(s) are issued

Rights & Responsibilities

The following student rights and responsibilities are granted to all students who have been charged with an alleged violation of the Code of Student Conduct & Community Standards:

Students have the right to be treated with respect, dignity and compassion by University officials and by all persons involved in the disciplinary process.

Students have the right to be informed by written notice/electronically mailed of the alleged violation(s) placed against him or her that also indicates the date, time and place of a disciplinary student conduct hearing. Proper written notification shall be defined as delivery of mail to a student’s University mailing address, as reported by the student to the University Registrar or an email message to the student’s established University email account. Students who fail to attend their student conduct meeting after email notification will forfeit their right to request an appeal and the hearing will be heard in their absence. Students shall be held responsible for being cognizant of the contents of mail sent to reported addresses and of email messages sent to their University email account.

Students have the right to be informed orally and/or in writing/electronically of the student conduct procedures. The procedures of the student conduct process are provided in their entirety in the Code of Student Conduct found online under University Policies.

Students have the right to know the nature of the information, hear and respond to all information presented at the time of the conduct meeting and object to information being heard that is unrelated to the incident cited in the report.

Students have the right to know that no residence hall room will be searched during an incident without proper authorization. In the event that the professional staff member on duty deems it necessary to conduct the search immediately, they may do so based on their evaluation of the situation and subsequently notifying, the dean of students or designee within 24 hours of their actions explaining their reasons for this decision and of their findings. The object of information sought and the location to be searched will be documented with the student informed if they are present. If they are not present, a search can still take place as outlined previously.

Students have the right to present witness statements in a conduct meeting. Prior to the student’s conduct hearing, the student must notify the student conduct officer one business day in advance and submit the witness(s) written documentation.

Students have the right to be assisted in a student conduct hearing/appeal hearing by one, SHU administrator, faculty member or student of their choice provided that individual is not legal counsel/attorneys, parents/family members. This individual may not address the student conduct officer, but may consult freely with the student. (If at any time the adviser’s participation interferes with the stated hearing procedures, s/he will be dismissed from the hearing.)

Students have the right to participate in the conduct hearing or remain silent. If a student does remain silent, his/her case will be heard on the information available in order to make a decision on the level of responsibility.

Students have the right to have his/her level of responsibility determined based on the "preponderance of information" standard.

Students have the right to request an appeal on the finding(s) and/or sanction(s) issued. Any student wishing to appeal must contact the director of student conduct & community standards at voight-jauseb@sacredheart.edu or at 203-416-3420 within 24 hours, one business day after the student conduct meeting. Appeals must be submitted through the online form no later than seventy-two (72) hours after the date that sanction(s) are issued. Full details on the appeal process are outlined in the section titled "Appeals and Records Keeping" found in the Code of Student Conduct. The following link is used to submit a request for an appeal: Request for Appeal Form

University Policies