FAQ

The Conduct Review Notification informs a student that they may have violated the Code of Student Conduct or have information about a reported incident. The notification will give you a link to schedule a meeting and you only have three days to do so. If you believe the email is a mistake, a great time to talk about that is in the meeting. 

When the email says sent via Maxient, it means that the UMass Dartmouth staff member who has been assigned your case is sending you an email through our case management system. The name of the system is Maxient. 

In a Conduct Meeting, the Conduct Officer will review the Conduct Review Process, discuss the incident, any alleged violations, and potential outcomes. You will receive notification of the outcome via your UMass Dartmouth email account (via Maxient).  

The Conduct Officer will likely be a member of the Student Affairs team that is trained to manage student conduct related cases. Some examples of these people are the Director of Community Standards, the Assistant Director of Community Standards, an Area Coordinator, a Resident Director, or a Graduate Assistant. However, any University staff member or faculty member may be trained to serve as a Conduct Officer. 

Yes, based on guidelines in the Code of Student Conduct, the student may bring an advisor. An advisor can be anyone however, it is important to note that an advisor cannot speak or write for the student in anyway during the Conduct Review Process. You must also let your Conduct Officer know, in advance, of your advisors name and participation. 

After a Conduct Meeting, your Conduct Officer will review the information they have collected and make a decision on the case in regard to responsibility and sanction outcomes. You will get notice of this decision via your UMass Dartmouth Email account. 

The Director of Community Standards, or designee, will conduct the hearing. This hearing is to be educational in nature. The student may take responsibility for the alleged violations or not. The goal of the meeting is to make a decision about responsibility and discuss the impact of the behavior(s) on the student and the campus community. This type of hearing may be utilized for higher level cases and/or for a student whose conduct history is at a higher level or for cases that a possible outcome could be Suspension or Dismissal from the University. The hearing may be scripted and recorded as a matter of college record.

The student can present witness statement(s) in the meeting/hearings by giving prior notice to the Director of Community Standards one (1) business day in advance of the meeting/hearing for approval to be added to case information. Character witness statements will not be accepted.

Types of Outcomes:
Educational Outcome Students are expected to reflect upon their decisions and to be mindful of how their future choices and actions may impact themselves, others, and the campus community. Educational outcomes may include the following:

• Educational information provided to the student to review.
• Judicial Educator module – online module that relates to the violation of the incident.
• Participation or completion of a project, class, or other activity to build awareness or knowledge relevant to the nature of the offense or oneself, including research papers, personal reflections, workshops, organizing events, designing community education, or preparing an action plan.
• Mentorship with a specific person on campus.
• Requiremen to attend, present and/or participate in a program related to the violation. It may also be a requirement to sponsor or assist with a program for others on campus to aid them in learning about a specific topic or issue related to the violation for which the student was found responsible. Audience may be restricted.
• Restorative actions - Requiring a student to engage in actions to investigate the impact of a violation and repair the harm resulting from misconduct on other members of the community. These actions may include letters of apology, drafting and implementing a plan of resolution, engaging in community events that build positive community.
• Mental Health/Medical Assessment and/or Treatment -Requirement that a student seek a mental health, medical, substance use, or threat assessment from Counseling Center or Health Services, or other appropriate professional and follow through with the recommendations of the professional.
• Additional or alternate Educational Outcomes may be created and designed as deemed appropriate to the violation.

Possible disciplinary sanctions are listed below. Please see the Code of Student Conduct for definitions. This is not an exhaustive list. 
Letter of Reprimand
University Warning 
Campus Restriction
Housing Relocation
Financial Restitution
Student Account/Disciplinary Hold
Community Restitution Hours
Withdrawal of Recognition/Dissolution 
Administrative Fine 
Housing Probation 
Residential Housing Suspension/Removal from Housing 
University Probation 
Revocation of Admission or Degree 
University Suspension 
University Dismissal 

Any alleged student, who has participated in the process, may appeal within three (3) days of receiving a decision via email. The student must provide proof of the criteria below. 

The possible criteria for appeal are:

A.The original meeting/hearing was not conducted according to established procedures or had significant procedural errors or irregularities that denied the student(s) a fair meeting/hearing.

B.The student has new information that was not reasonably available prior to the original meeting/hearing and that information is likely to substantially change the outcome of the meeting/hearing.

Some minor residence life and housing violations may be handled by notifying students of the policy and warning them verbally or in writing. This is a letter of reprimand. 

The student affairs staff that have involvement in the student conduct process including RDs and senior housing staff, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Associate and Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Associate and Assistant Deans of Students, and Student Conduct staff. Clerical staff in each of those areas, and student workers also have limited access that is bound by confidentiality. Beyond those listed, University officials on a need to know basis or other exceptions as listed in FERPA, can access the records by requesting to view them. Students may view their own record, upon request, and if they want copies it is at 10 cents a page if it is a record that the office is able to release.

Case records shall be destroyed after seven (7) years after the date of the last incident in which the student was found responsible, but not before the student graduates from the University. In cases involving University Dismissal, University Suspension, or permanent Trespass from the University, the record becomes permanent.

In the Conduct Review Process, you are required to schedule a meeting with your Conduct Officer. If your availability changes, you have to reschedule the meeting PRIOR to the set date and time that you are unable to make it to. You have one opportunity to reschedule. After that, a decision may be made without your input. Failing to attend a set meeting without rescheduling means that the Conduct Officer will make a decision without your input. 

Contact will be made with parents/guardians of students each time the student has been found in violation of the Alcohol Policy and/or Drug Policy after the student conduct process is completely exhausted and they are under the age of 21. 

Anyone may file a complaint or incident report alleging an infraction of the Code of Student Conduct, Residence Hall regulations, laws, or such other regulations as may exist or be established.

Complaints may be filed online in the Campus Tools section of MyUMassD or at the Forms section of the Community Standards website. 

Conduct, occurring on or off campus, that violates generally accepted standards of good behavior and is adverse to the University's purpose or interests or presents a danger to the health and safety of the University community may be subject to discipline. The full Code of Student Conduct is found on the Community Standards Website.

Students found responsible for violation of University policy will be subject to the complete range of sanctions and penalties provided in the Student Conduct Policies and Procedures.