Student Conduct Process

As members of a University community, we all share a responsibility to uphold our shared standards. Anyone who directly observes a violation, or has personal knowledge of one beyond hearsay, is encouraged and expected to report the behavior. Reporting helps protect the integrity of our community, fosters accountability, and ensures that every individual is treated with dignity and fairness. The conduct process follows a clear and consistent structure:

Student Conduct Process

1. Incident Report

Our office receives a report of a potential policy violation or issue in the community, typically from a resident success assistant (RSA), residential hall director (RHD), public safety, students, or faculty/staff. Once we review the report, we determine if there were any possible violations. If there were, we proceed.

2. Notice of Allegations

After determining that possible violations may have occurred, we send out a Notice of Allegations via Sacred Heart University email. This email is sent through our Maxient conduct system and will require you to click a secure link to retrieve your letter. This is completely safe. The letter will outline the alleged violation(s), the date, time, and location of the hearing, and student’s rights in the conduct process. You may also receive this notification as a text, which is completely normal.

3. Meeting

This is a student’s opportunity to tell their side of the situation. The conduct officer (typically an RHD) will explain the report and alleged violations. A determination will then be made as to whether the student is responsible or not responsible for a violation of policy. If not responsible, the case is closed with no further action required. If the student is found responsible, they will be assigned sanctions if applicable. Depending on the nature of the incident, a student may receive their outcome during the meeting, but this is not always possible. An outcome letter will be sent via SHU email with the findings of responsibility, sanction(s), and further information for the student including any deadlines.

4. Appeal Process

Students can request an appeal within 72 hours of their outcome letter being sent. For an appeal to be heard, it must meet at least one (1) of the following grounds for appeal: severity of sanctions, new information, or procedural error. More information is available on the Request for Appeal Form. The appeal officer will outreach via SHU email to deny your appeal or to request an appeal meeting. Students will be notified of the outcome of their appeal via SHU email. All appeal decisions are final.

Criminal Process vs. Student Conduct Process

There are significant differences between the campus conduct process and the criminal justice procedures. The processes are not mutually exclusive. A student may be arrested and charged in the criminal justice system as well as under the Code of Student Conduct & Community Standards (Code). Alternatively, charges can occur for alleged violations of the Code, which may not be violations of the law.
The student conduct process is not comparable to a trial. Rather a university hearing is educational in nature. Students and their adviser should expect a supportive and non-adversarial environment during the hearing process.
Students are entitled to one adviser throughout the process, which may be a 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 conduct hearing Officer, but may consult freely with the student. Students are expected to speak for themselves at all times during the process. Any advisers disregarding these rules will be asked to leave any meeting or hearing.
The standard of evidence in determining whether a student is in violation is not as high as that of the criminal process. At Sacred Heart University, we use a standard of “preponderance of evidence,” as opposed to “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Legal rules of evidence do not apply in campus conduct cases. The hearing officers will gather and utilize any information that is relevant, including hearsay or third party testimony.
Student conduct cases are confidential, in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law. Conversely, criminal records are public records, and information may be shared with the community at large. Findings of “responsible” in the campus conduct process will not result in any criminal record. Additionally, findings of “guilty” or “not guilty” in the criminal system often have no bearing on the outcome of student conduct proceedings.
The student conduct process is intended to be educational, not punitive. Our goal is to help the student to better understand the impact of his or her actions and to help him or her take steps towards repairing the harm done to the university community. Sanctions are not predetermined, but rather are developed with consideration given to the individual circumstances of the case and any previous disciplinary history. Overall, the student conduct process is much less formal than criminal proceedings.

Student Conduct Process