The conduct review process is initiated when the College receives information regarding an alleged violation of College policy, including the Student Code of Conduct Alleged violations of the College’s Student Code of Conduct (including certain conduct that may also violate the College’s Academic Honesty policy), will be addressed through this conduct review process.
Reports of misconduct covered by this Conduct Review Process are referred to the Office of Community Standards, where the incident is reviewed for alleged violations of College policy. Pertinent details are collected and statements of fact are recorded to the extent practicable and necessary in an effort to deal objectively with the issue. Conduct review process cases are adjudicated by Hearing Officers, who are professional staff members specifically trained and appointed by the College for this role.
Champlain College utilizes preponderance of evidence for its standard of evidence. A student is found responsible for violating the Student Code of Conduct or other College policies only if the information gathered shows that it is more likely than not that a policy violation occurred.
All incidents and sanctions are documented and will remain in a student’s conduct file. All files will be maintained in accordance with the College’s record retention policy.
A student who has been charged with an alleged violation of College policy is entitled to the following rights:
This Conduct Review Process does not apply to misconduct that is covered by the College’s Sexual Misconduct Policy, or to misconduct that would otherwise fall within the general scope of the Conduct Review Process but which reportedly occurred in connection with and/or in the context of an incident or incidents of sexual misconduct, intimate partner violence, or stalking. Such misconduct will be investigated and adjudicated as outlined in the Sexual Misconduct Policy and its related processes.
This Conduct Review Process does not apply to misconduct that is covered by the College’s Discrimination and Harassment Policy, or to misconduct that would otherwise fall within the general scope of the Conduct Review Process but which reportedly occurred in connection with and/or in the context of an incident or incidents of discrimination or harassment. Such misconduct will be investigated and adjudicated as outlined in the Discrimination and Harassment Policy and its related processes.
The College also maintains a separate Bias Response Process. Bias-related behaviors that are not criminal offenses and which fall outside of the Sexual Misconduct Policy, the Discrimination and Harassment Policy, the Student Code of Conduct, and other comparable policies, are treated as bias incidents and will be addressed through the Bias Education & Response Team process. However, bias-related behavior will be deemed an aggravating circumstance to any violation of College policy.
A student or student organization found responsible for violating the Student Code of Conduct will be sanctioned based on the specific violation(s), the severity of the violation(s), and the cumulative conduct history of the student(s) or student organization(s).
The following list identifies the range of possible sanctions that may be imposed on a student(s) or student organization(s), either individually or in combination. This list is not all-inclusive and provides a sample of the types of sanctions that may be issued:
Sanctions that may be imposed for cases involving student organizations, student clubs, and varsity sports include, but are not limited to, the following:
Educational sanctions provide student organizations the opportunity to review community standards expectations, understand how behavior can contribute to a positive and beneficial College experience, and learn of campus resources which support academic and co-curricular success. This may include, but is not limited to, the following:
Students have the right to appeal findings of responsibility made by their Hearing Officer. All appeals must be made in writing, written and submitted by the involved student, and must specify upon which grounds (herein) they are submitting their appeal. An appeal must be received within three (3) business days after the student has been informed of the decision.
The role of the Appeal Officer is limited. Appeals are not intended to be a full rehearing of the reported conduct. Appeals are confined to a review of the record on the grounds stated in the appeal. The student appealing carries the burden of proof to demonstrate that either the alleged procedural error, or the proposed new evidence, would significantly and materially affect the outcome of the proceeding, or there was a conflict of interest or actual bias for or against one of the involved parties that materially affected the outcome.
Students may appeal on the grounds that:
All requests for appeal must be submitted within (3) business days after the student has been informed of the decision using the Student Code of Conduct Appeal form. A link to this form is also included in the student’s outcome letter. This information is also available on the Office of Community Standards website. Once the appeal process concludes, the case is closed.
Unless otherwise expressly stated, all references in this procedure to “days” are business days, excluding holidays when the College is closed. Any deadline that falls on a weekend or other day when the College is closed shall be extended to the next business day.