Are you a college student who’s been accused of breaking school rules or regulations? If so, it’s important that you take the allegations against you seriously. Though the Rollings College code of conduct doesn’t carry with it the force of law, it can subject students in violation of its guidelines to various sanctions such as suspension, expulsion, and restitution. Breaking the terms outlined in the Rollins College code of conduct could threaten your academic standing and future opportunities.
After a violation, your years of effort and dedication—not to mention your tuition dollars—are suddenly at risk. A professional attorney can help guide you through the often complex, frustrating, and frightening process. Having an expert on your side who knows the ins and outs of code of conduct defense will help you get the best possible result. Being extremely well prepared for your hearing is the key to a successful defense.
The goal of the Rollins College student code of conduct, according to its website, is the following:
“The Office of Community Standards & Responsibility strives for a fair and just community by promoting student responsibility, accountability, and ethical decision making. We seek to facilitate individual awareness and assist students in actively engaging as responsible members of their various communities…The Code of Community Standards is a document that explains Rollins College policy and procedure. It is meant to educate, inform, and assist students as they approach good decision-making.”
The document outlines the school honor code, the role and authority of the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, expectations for behavior, community standards, the conduct process, sanctions, and the appeals process.
Colleges implement student codes of conduct to reflect the ethics and values of the community as well as to promote a healthy and safe environment that encourages the academic, social, and emotional development of all students. At Rollins College, just like most universities, the code of conduct is intended to enable the development of self-discipline. Both positive and negative consequences are recognized as necessary to encourage appropriate behavior and discourage inappropriate conduct that would interfere with the goals and mission of the school.
The code of conduct specifies that the college can impose discipline for violating any school policies or campus regulations. This includes:
Other rule violations include stalking, falsification, solicitation, theft, inappropriate use of fireworks or explosives, and illegal substances. In total, the Rollins College student code of conduct lists 32 grounds for discipline. You can read about the specifics of each violation on the school website.
Rollins College has a goal of ensuring that students have the opportunity to understand how they may have violated college policy as well as the chance to explain their involvement, if any, at the event.
The student conduct process is meant to be educational and embrace the nature of student development. Nevertheless, a severe violation could still result in suspension, expulsion, or restitution. Despite the handbook’s specification that the student conduct process differs from the legal process, you will still want to have an attorney on your side who can help you avoid any penalty that may threaten your academic standing and future opportunities.
These are the steps involved in the Rollins College student conduct process:
After a complaint is filed against the alleged offender, the Office of Community Standards & Responsibility will determine if the student may have violated the Code of Community Standards. If so, the educational conference and hearing process will be introduced when a “charge letter” is sent to the student, which includes information about the alleged violation.
This consultation is informal and serves to determine if any rules were broken and if discipline is necessary. An educational conference is reserved for cases where the misconduct was minor. It presents an opportunity for students to take accountability for their actions, correct course if they’re engaging in any high-risk behaviors, and discuss ways in which they can improve their decision-making.
Depending on the severity of the misconduct, a conduct educator may determine that a student has “action items” to complete, which could include joining education or training groups, warnings, educational research, community service, a letter of apology, or minor disciplinary action.
A hearing is more formal and usually indicates a more serious violation. Though the result of a hearing may also involve an action item that’s educational in nature, it’s more often punitive.
The proceedings will be conducted in private. The alleged offender has the right to be accompanied by an advisor and present witnesses and evidence. If a student is found responsible, the sanctions could prevent a student’s ability to study abroad, obtain an internship, or hold a student leadership position. Likewise, it could result in a suspension or dismissal from the school.
After the completion of an educational conference or hearing, the conduct educator will consider the presented evidence and arguments from both the complainant and respondent. Once the conduct educator has come to a conclusion, this information will be communicated to the student in a written outcome letter.
If found in violation of the code of conduct, there are 50 different kinds of punitive and educational sanctions that a student could face. Below are a few examples. The rest can be found on the school website.
Failure to successfully complete the imposed sanction by the date specified, whether by refusal, neglect, or any other reason, could result in additional sanctions, a hold on the student’s account, suspension, or dismissal from the college.
If students are dissatisfied with the outcome of their hearing, they have the opportunity to submit an appeal if there was procedural misconduct during the student conduct process or if the sanctions imposed are inappropriate for the violation. The appeal must be done in writing and submitted to the Department of Community Standards & Responsibility for consideration by the deadline stated in the outcome letter. The conduct educator may, at this point, deny the appeal outright, amend it, completely overturn it, or recommend a rehearing.
If you’re a college student facing a conduct or academic violation hearing, reach out to the experts at The Umansky Law Firm. The earlier you retain counsel, the greater your chances will be at successfully defending against your allegations. Our expert legal team will be by your side throughout the investigation and student conduct process and will construct a concrete defense against your accusations. The code of conduct defense lawyers at The Umansky Law Firm will work with you to help ensure that you receive all the rights afforded to you.
With over 100 years of combined legal experience, our team is here to fight for your rights. We’ll do everything in our power to make sure the best possible outcome is achieved for your situation. To speak with a code of conduct defense lawyer, give us a call or complete our online contact form today.
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