FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON CONDUCT ISSUES

You should call the Student Conduct and Community Standards and ask to speak to the conduct officer. That person will explain your options of an informal administrative hearing or a formal panel hearing.

Your disciplinary record is considered private. However, information concerning your disciplinary record may be available to appropriate University officials, faculty and/or staff who have a legitimate interest in such information. In addition, information regarding your disciplinary record may be released to other individuals or entities upon your written request or in accordance with state and federal law. Requests to disclose information about students are always handled with caution and addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Students are always welcome to bring up to three advisors, who may or may not be attorneys. Students are never required to bring an attorney or other advisors. Other advisors sometimes include family, friends, or other trusted individuals.  You also have the right to involve your advisors/attorneys as much as you’d like. They may speak for you in a hearing or simply be present to serve as a sounding board. You have the right to change your advisors’ involvement at any point.

SCCS does not provide attorneys to students, with the exception of students engaged in a formal Title IX hearing. Upon request, SCCS will provide an emotional support advisor for your hearing. This person can help you process your feelings, answer questions you have, or reflect upon your experiences during the hearing. You are welcome to meet with them before and after the hearing. Emotional support advisors do not prepare arguments or question witnesses on your behalf.

When selecting a resolution pathway, SCCS staff tries to defer to student preferences if possible. Sometimes students request a formal, binding resolution that, by law or university policy, is not appropriate for the situation at hand. We aren’t able to engage in formal, binding resolutions without a likely university policy violation. If the incident did not violate the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, our staff will work with students to select an appropriate informal resolution option. SCCS understands this can be a stressful experience. Our goal is to identify the best path forward for all parties and focus on the potential for learning from this situation. We are happy to discuss alternative resolution strategies with you.

This may occur for a variety of reasons. We try to defer to the student’s preferences if possible. If the situation is a possible violation of the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, we typically resolve the concern through a formal or informal hearing. While we support all student concerns and want to help resolve conflicts as informally as possible, occasionally student accountability and/or harm to the community results in a formalized resolution process. We are happy to discuss your specific case and the appropriate resolution pathway in greater detail.

Contact the SCCS staff member who sent the letter. We’ll work with you to arrange an alternative date within an appropriate time frame.

A student or organization has up to 14 calendar days (10 business days) to respond to a written notification except in matters of interim suspension. Failure of the student or organization to respond within this timeframe will be considered as the student's or organization's decision not to contest the charges and to accept whatever sanctions are determined.

A hearing may be held even if the student charged fails to appear. If a Respondent, with notice of the hearing, does not appear at the hearing, the Panel may reach a decision by taking into consideration the totality of the information related to the charges available at the time of the hearing.

Hearings are scheduled when there is a possible violation of the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. This includes violations of KU Student Housing and other University policies. Hearings are meant to hold students accountable for their behavior while supporting the wellbeing of the Jayhawk community. SCCS does not have the power to subpoena or compel anyone to participate in a student conduct hearing. Our processes are voluntary, and all students have the right to not participate and/or not answer particular questions during the process. If you choose not to participate, this decision is not considered an acceptance of responsibility. It simply means we may not have your perspective on the situation.

Absolutely. We believe physical or emotional harm is never your fault, and we have a number of resources to support your wellbeing. This includes campus, community, and law enforcement resources. If you or someone you know is being harmed, please know we want to help. You can report the concern online, email, call, or stop by Strong Hall 134. We’ll work with you to learn more and identify a path forward. Our first priority is your wellbeing. We’ll also address options for holding the other student accountable.



Please note SCCS staff are mandatory reporters. This means we may have to disclose details of your situation to our Title IX coordinator, who supports nondiscrimination and accountability for the KU community. We value your privacy and would only disclose the situation if someone is discriminating against you, including sexual misconduct or physical gender-based discrimination. If this occurs, the Title IX coordinator will contact you to share more information, resources, and options for next steps. You always have the right to not engage with the Title IX coordinator. You won’t be forced to engage in any university process, and your information won’t be shared beyond the Title IX coordinator and SCCS staff member.



 

You will be notified in writing of the sanctions, if any, usually within ten business days of the hearing. However, it can take longer. For formal hearings, you will hearing within 14 calendar days (10 business days) from the date of the hearing.

All hearing outcome letters include instructions for how to appeal the decision. Generally, housing-related charges and decisions must be appealed within five business days. Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities charges and decisions must be appealed in writing within 30 calendar days of receiving the outcome letter. Students must follow the appeal instructions in order to appeal the hearing officer’s decision. This includes submitting the appeal in writing to the appropriate office within the designated time period. Please not failure to participate in the hearing process and/or open your outcome letter are not valid grounds for appeal.

If you have new information not available at the time of the hearing and you are within the appropriate appeal window, you are welcome to submit an appeal. Please refer to the instructions contained in your outcome letter. Generally, housing-related charges and decisions must be appealed within five business days. Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities charges and decisions must be appealed in writing within 30 calendar days of receiving the outcome letter. If the appeal deadline has passed, there are no further university options for overturning the case.

A potential code violation may be heard even if the criminal case is not completed or if the criminal charges are dropped. The KU conduct process is distinct and separate from a court's process. Students may be held responsible for violating the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, whether or not there are also criminal charges filed or findings under public laws.

Sanctions are determined by considering the nature of the violation, the student's awareness of his/her role in the incident, the impact of the student's behavior on others, the student's individual needs, the student's prior disciplinary history and any extenuating circumstances. Intent or lack of intent for the student's action or in its effect on others or on the University may be considered in determining the sanctions.

A registration hold will be placed on your KU account which will prevent you from enrolling in courses.

Probation is written notice to you that should any further violation of the Code or of the conditions of probation be committed during the probationary period, you will be subject to further disciplinary action, with a likely result of suspension or expulsion. Probation lasts for a specific period of time, up to two years. As part of probation, you may be required to participate in ongoing meetings with a hearing officer or university office.

Warning is written notice that you have violated KU's standards of behavior and that any further violation may result in probation, suspension or expulsion.

Our team is trained in a range of conflict resolution strategies and eager to support KU students. You can file a report online, email us, call, or stop by Strong Hall 134. We’re happy to share more about resolution options, our approach, and your situation. SCCS offers resolution options from no conflict resolution through formal adjudication. Often cases are resolved through individual conflict coaching or small group facilitated dialogue. We help students resolve concerns within the community, which may include violations of the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities or other university policy concerns. Students engage with our office as individuals in need of conflict support, students charged with violating university policies, respondents or complainants in cases involving harm, harassment, and discrimination, and witnesses to conflicts. Regardless of your situation, the SCCS team will use inclusive conflict excellence principles to resolve concerns and support your learning experience.

Absolutely. We have a number of resources to help students engage in meaningful dialogue and resolve conflicts independently. We also offer conflict coaching. Conflict coaching involves sharing your concern with an SCCS staff member. SCCS will then introduce conflict resolution strategies and possible pathways for you to resolve the conflict independently.

We are happy to provide resources for engaging in meaningful dialogue, as well as conflict coaching for KU students who need assistance resolving concerns with someone who is not affiliated with the university. However, we cannot engage in resolution pathways beyond conflict coaching if the other party is not affiliated with KU.

Possibly. We’re happy to engage in conflict coaching to help students resolve concerns with a faculty or staff member. However, we cannot engage faculty or staff in any accountability or binding resolution options. For further support addressing faculty/staff concerns, we suggest working with KU’s Ombuds office. If the concern involves discrimination or harassment, you should report the incident to the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access.

SCCS supports student organizations in the same way we support individual students. The Spectrum of Resolution Options pathways apply to student organizations. We are happy to engage student organizations in conflict coaching, facilitated dialogue, mediation, or other solutions. Student organizations responsible for violating the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities or other university policies are subject to informal or formal adjudication.

Take a look at the charts on our website, give us a call, email, or stop by Strong Hall 134. We’re happy to explore options and help identify a path forward. Generally speaking, resolution options depend on whether you would like staff involvement, whether there was a university policy violation, and whether someone was physically harmed.

Of course. We are always happy to explore alternatives or re-engage in the conflict resolution process. Depending on where things are in the conflict resolution process, we can often easily redirect the process into a different pathway. Similarly, if you tried one resolution strategy and the conflict persists, we can usually try a different, elevated strategy for future attempts at resolving the situation.

SCCS tries to pursue the student’s preferred resolution whenever possible. However, there are a number of reasons why we may need to use a different resolution pathway. Usually this depends on whether there is a violation of university policy, including cases involving physical harm. If there is not a likely violation of university policy, we cannot pursue the most formal resolution options. If there is a likely university policy violation (including physical harm), we need to consider student accountability and the wellbeing of the KU community. SCCS will explain these details to you when discussing resolution options. If you still have questions about an identified resolution pathway, give us a call or stop by. We’re happy to discuss your concerns and seek alternatives, if possible.

 

SCCS staff will review your concerns and seek additional information if needed. We’ll then share more about appropriate resolution strategies and schedule time to engage in an extended conversation. Our staff is happy to meet in person or remotely.

 

You don’t have to share more than you feel comfortable sharing. Students always have the right to not participate in a process or to not answer questions during a process. If you aren’t ready to share details, know SCCS staff will be available if and when you feel more comfortable. We’re also happy to connect you with KU’s confidential resources. Since SCCS staff are mandatory reporters, some students feel more comfortable sharing information with a confidential source. We can make connections for you and address the concern if and when you are ready.

Of course. We suggest you review our resources for engaging in meaningful dialogue and conflict resolution. We’ll be here if you need help in the future.

If you tried one resolution strategy and the conflict persists, we can usually try a different, elevated strategy for future attempts at resolving the situation. For example, if you engaged in conflict coaching and didn’t achieve the desired results, we can engage in facilitated dialogue with the other parties. Resolutions may be elevated as needed depending on the situation and willingness of others to engage in conflict resolution. If the conflict was resolved through binding resolution options but continues to occur, there may be additional violations of university policy or assigned sanctions. Our office will review the concerns and address additional accountability measures as appropriate.

 

SCCS maintains conduct records for incidents where students are found responsible for violating university policies. This occurs as a result of informal or formal adjudication (hearings) and occasionally through shuttle diplomacy, depending on the terms negotiated between all parties. While we keep copies of all information shared with SCCS, students are only considered to have a disciplinary record if they have been found responsible for violating KU policies. SCCS keeps non-suspension and expulsion records for seven years. We keep suspension and expulsion records indefinitely. If your incident was resolved through informal pathways, you were a victim or witness in a case, or you were found not responsible, you will not have a disciplinary record.

Expulsions and suspensions are the only sanctions that could be recorded on transcripts. Disciplinary warnings or probation, and other educational sanctions do not appear on the transcript.

Give us a call, email, or stop by Strong Hall 134. We are happy to share details about your disciplinary record, including what if anything would be reported to a third party. SCCS only reports information to third parties if you’ve asked us to do so for graduate school, employment, or other purposes you specify.

Conduct records are part of your educational record and are protected by FERPA student privacy laws. We only disclose your conduct record with your permission, typically for admission to another institution, employment needs, or other situations you ask us to share the information. If you need a disciplinary records clearance for one of these purposes, keep in mind the following details. Unless you’ve been suspended or expelled from KU, we only keep records for seven years. If you were involved in an incident more than seven years ago, we won’t have a record. Additionally, we reported limited information and not the full case file. We’ll share the policies you were found responsible for violating, any assigned sanctions, and whether you completed the assigned sanctions. If you completed sanctions, you are considered in good standing with KU. We do not share the full case file with third parties.



SCCS is occasionally required by law to share student conduct records. This occurs when we receive a subpoena or Kansas Open Records Act request. In either situation, we work with KU’s Office of General Counsel to produce only what is requested. We also redact all personally identifiable information when producing documents for subpoenas or KORA requests. If you’re concerned about this, give us a call. We're happy to discuss the details of your situation.

Conduct records are considered private like all other education records. In matters that involve a victim of violent crime or a non-forcible sex offense, KU must disclose to the victim of the crime the results of a conduct proceeding. The results of a disciplinary hearing where the student is the perpetrator of a crime of violence or a non-forcible sex offense may be released to others, including the media. No information on the victim or witnesses may be released.

A student's disciplinary record is considered private. The University encourages students to inform their parents of their total experience at KU. Likewise, the University encourages parents to help the student accept responsibility for their actions when supporting the student.

Parents of students under the age of 21 are made aware of certain drug and alcohol violations. For more information please review the KU Alcohol and Drug Policies.

When students are found responsible for violating the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, they are assigned accountability and educational sanctions designed to support their future success at KU. Each sanction comes with a deadline, and students receive a reminder before the sanction is due. If sanctions are not completed by the assigned deadline, students receive an enrollment hold to prevent future enrollment. This is labeled as a VPSA hold in Enroll and Pay.



SCCS is generally willing to grant students a temporary hold removal in order to facilitate their enrollment in the following semester’s courses. This is a one-time courtesy and should not be considered a default option. When requesting a temporary hold removal, students must articulate their plan to complete outstanding sanctions. Students may request a temporary hold removal online and should expect this process will take at least two business days.

Hazing is never tolerated at KU, and we depend on all members of the KU community to help us end hazing at KU. If you know about hazing, please consider sharing the information with us. You can do this by reporting online, emailing, calling, or visiting Strong Hall 134. When reporting hazing, we urge to you provide as many details as possible. This may include names, dates, screen shots, photos, etc. The more information we have, the more effectively we can intervene and end hazing behaviors. A report indicating a particular group is hazing people without providing any additional information is extremely difficult to act upon, while one with more information about the hazing behaviors supports accountability throughout the process.



After we receive a hazing report, we review the information and work to learn more about the situation. This may include reviewing previous related reports, talking with colleagues across campus, or other methods. We’ll then contact the chapter advisor and president. Sometimes we launch a formal investigation, and in other situations we have enough information to schedule a hearing. We work hard to protect the reporting party’s identity through this process, though our most effective hearings do involve participation from the harmed and/or reporting parties. We will keep you informed throughout the process and present you with numerous options for how you participate, all of which is voluntary.

Hazing is never tolerated at KU, and we depend on all members of the KU community to help us end hazing at KU. Hazing is never your fault, and you should never be physically or emotionally harmed in order to gain acceptance in a group. Similarly, your willingness to participate in hazing behaviors or earn membership based upon completing certain tasks does not excuse hazing. Regardless of the participant’s willingness, hazing is never okay.

If you are experiencing hazing, please consider sharing the information with us. You can do this by reporting online, emailing, calling, or visiting Strong Hall 134. When reporting hazing, we urge to you provide as many details as possible. This may include names, dates, screen shots, photos, etc. The more information we have, the more effectively we can intervene and end hazing behaviors. A report indicating a particular group is hazing people without providing any additional information is extremely difficult to act upon, while one with more information about the hazing behaviors supports accountability throughout the process.



After we receive a hazing report, we review the information and work to learn more about the situation. This may include reviewing previous related reports, talking with colleagues across campus, or other methods. We’ll then contact the chapter advisor and president. Sometimes we launch a formal investigation, and in other situations we have enough information to schedule a hearing. We work hard to protect the reporting party’s identity through this process, though our most effective hearings do involve participation from the harmed and/or reporting parties. We will keep you informed throughout the process and present you with numerous options for how you participate, all of which is voluntary.

SCCS accepts anonymous reports through our online reporting form. You are welcome to report your concern and share any available information. Anonymous reports can be tricky for our team. We always want to act on the information you provide, and we often have additional questions or need clarification. When a report is shared anonymously, it’s hard for us to complete the information and determine the best path forward. We strongly prefer to know who is sharing the information, and we do our best to protect your privacy through any investigation and resolution process. If you have questions or want to discuss how your identity will be protected, give us a call. We are happy to discuss further and identify the best path forward.

SCCS staff work to be as responsive and supportive as possible. We do our best to follow up on all reports and concerns shared with our team. Occasionally, we receive anonymous reports that do not include enough details to identify the reporting party, accused party, or incident details. For this reason, we prefer reporting parties provide their information when filing a report. We’ll work to protect your privacy, but knowing your identity helps us hold the responsible student accountable in a more meaningful way.



If you provided your information and details about the situation, we’ll follow up to learn more. An SCCS team member will work with you to identify the best resolution strategy. While we can’t force anyone to participate in any conflict resolution pathway, we hope to support all parties and reach a resolution to every concern shared with our staff.