Conduct Resources for Parents
Student Conduct and Community Standards
at the University of Oregon: a Parent’s Guide
The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, a department of the Office of Student Life, created this guide to assist you in helping your student navigate the student conduct process at the University of Oregon. This guide can help students filing a complaint or students accused of violating the Student Conduct Code. The University’s philosophy of student conduct is threefold: (1) to be educational, (2) to prevent future violations, and (3) to repair any harm done to the community. Whenever possible, sanctions focus on helping students learn from their mistakes and being better citizens.
- What is the difference between student conduct violations and criminal violations? Sometimes violations can both violate the Student Conduct Code and local, state, and federal laws. However, filing a complaint with the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards does not constitute filing a criminal complaint (or vice versa).
- What support can a victim or affected party get? Students can seek assistance from numerous departments and organizations on campus. A good place to start is the Office of Student Life, located at 164 Oregon Hall, 541.346.3216. Administrators are available for drop-in cases from 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m. on business days. Student Life has a staff member specializing in victim advocacy and other staff members who can assist with safety planning. Moreover, an advocate from Student Life can usually attend a panel hearing (if the accused student selects this option) to support the student who is a victim of a crime of violence.
- What support can an accused student get? Accused students can get support from administrators, other faculty/staff, family, and friends. Specifically, the Office of Student Life, located at 164 Oregon Hall, 541.346.3216, can assist accused students. Of course, students can get support from parents. While the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards recognizes the parents’ goal is to provide support for their student, it asks you provide this unconditional support with encouragement to take responsibility for the student’s behaviors and to learn from the mistakes. Parents should know that there is a process in place to hear all the information regarding the incident, so parents should encourage the student to prepare for the process. Moreover, parents should ask questions that get the student to reflect on the student’s effect on the campus community.
- What else can parents do? Some parents’ first instinct is to solve the problem for the student. However, parents staying in the background could be an important developmental step for their student. The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards recommends waiting 24 hours before intervening on their behalf. Parents may find they do not need to do anything and instead allow their student to learn from their mistakes, which can be one of the most valuable lessons in higher education.
- What are the rules? The “rules,” which are UO’s community standards and procedures for student conduct hearings, are primarily the Student Conduct Code which can be found at http://conduct.uoregon.edu (click on Student Conduct Code). Students must also follow other University policies, such as class syllabi, departmental policies, Computing Center’s Acceptable Use Policy, and University Housing’s Residence Hall Contract. Violations can include: violations of applicable contracts and policies, alcohol or other drugs, unreasonable noise, academic misconduct (for example, cheating), physical contact, and sexual assault.
- How does the University find out about violations? Most commonly, the University officials in the Department of Public Safety and University Housing write reports when they witness violations of the Student Conduct Code. However, reports may also come from faculty/staff, greater Eugene/Springfield community members, the Eugene Police Department, and students.
- What does the University do next? University officials determine what, if any, violations may have occurred and then notify the student(s) of the suspected violations by e-mail. The University requires students to check their University e-mail accounts daily. The student then has 14 calendar days to schedule an appointment with a hearing officer to discuss their options regarding the alleged misconduct. A hearing officer or panel may decide the student’s responsibility without the student’s input after this 14-day time limit.
- What are the accused student’s choices? Students learn about their options when they meet with a hearing officer. They may choose to have their case heard in an administrative hearing (a one-on-one conference with a hearing officer) or a panel hearing (a group of faculty, staff, and students whom hear the case). In most cases, if the student selects an administrative hearing, the case is heard immediately afterward. Also, there may be additional options for students who live in or are a part of University Housing, Greek Life, and Club Sports. Moreover, if a hearing officer or panel feels it is appropriate, they may refer the student to a program known as restorative justice.
- What standard is applied in determining responsibility? The hearing officer or panel applies the standard known as the “preponderance of evidence” to the information presented to determine if a student has violated the Student Conduct Code. The standard is also known as “what is more likely than not” to have occurred. This is not the same standard used in criminal cases.
- If a student is found responsible, what are the possible sanctions? Sanctions can vary because many factors apply: type of offense, severity of offense, attitude of the responsible student, etc. Common sanctions can include substance abuse education courses, counseling assessments, reflection papers, educational projects, loss of privileges, and community service. Severe cases or cases in which the student violates a policy multiple times could result in eviction from the residence halls, suspension, expulsion, or negative notation on the transcript.
- What effect does a finding of responsibility have on a student? Students may need to explain these violations on study abroad, scholarship, employment, etc. applications, but evaluators of these applications are looking for what students have learned from their violations. Moreover, most students’ conduct records are destroyed (and therefore no longer reportable) five years after the incident date.
- Will the University tell parents about these violations or hearings? No, unless the student specifically waives privacy (granted by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) and designates a person(s) to receive such information. Moreover, even after a student waives privacy, it is up to the designee(s) to inquire about the student’s conduct record—the University will not automatically inform a designee(s) of future violations. Thus, it is best for interested parties, such as parents, to develop open communication and trust with the student, to keep up-to-date on a student’s conduct. Also, this is an opportunity to allow the student to take the responsibility of remedying the situation.
For more information, please contact:
The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards
164 Oregon Hall, http://conduct.uoregon.edu, 541.346.1141
Conduct Resources for Parents
Student Conduct and Community Standards
at the University of Oregon: a Parent’s Guide
The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, a department of the Office of Student Life, created this guide to assist you in helping your student navigate the student conduct process at the University of Oregon. This guide can help students filing a complaint or students accused of violating the Student Conduct Code. The University’s philosophy of student conduct is threefold: (1) to be educational, (2) to prevent future violations, and (3) to repair any harm done to the community. Whenever possible, sanctions focus on helping students learn from their mistakes and being better citizens.
- What is the difference between student conduct violations and criminal violations? Sometimes violations can both violate the Student Conduct Code and local, state, and federal laws. However, filing a complaint with the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards does not constitute filing a criminal complaint (or vice versa).
- What support can a victim or affected party get? Students can seek assistance from numerous departments and organizations on campus. A good place to start is the Office of Student Life, located at 164 Oregon Hall, 541.346.3216. Administrators are available for drop-in cases from 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m. on business days. Student Life has a staff member specializing in victim advocacy and other staff members who can assist with safety planning. Moreover, an advocate from Student Life can usually attend a panel hearing (if the accused student selects this option) to support the student who is a victim of a crime of violence.
- What support can an accused student get? Accused students can get support from administrators, other faculty/staff, family, and friends. Specifically, the Office of Student Life, located at 164 Oregon Hall, 541.346.3216, can assist accused students. Of course, students can get support from parents. While the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards recognizes the parents’ goal is to provide support for their student, it asks you provide this unconditional support with encouragement to take responsibility for the student’s behaviors and to learn from the mistakes. Parents should know that there is a process in place to hear all the information regarding the incident, so parents should encourage the student to prepare for the process. Moreover, parents should ask questions that get the student to reflect on the student’s effect on the campus community.
- What else can parents do? Some parents’ first instinct is to solve the problem for the student. However, parents staying in the background could be an important developmental step for their student. The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards recommends waiting 24 hours before intervening on their behalf. Parents may find they do not need to do anything and instead allow their student to learn from their mistakes, which can be one of the most valuable lessons in higher education.
- What are the rules? The “rules,” which are UO’s community standards and procedures for student conduct hearings, are primarily the Student Conduct Code which can be found at http://conduct.uoregon.edu (click on Student Conduct Code). Students must also follow other University policies, such as class syllabi, departmental policies, Computing Center’s Acceptable Use Policy, and University Housing’s Residence Hall Contract. Violations can include: violations of applicable contracts and policies, alcohol or other drugs, unreasonable noise, academic misconduct (for example, cheating), physical contact, and sexual assault.
- How does the University find out about violations? Most commonly, the University officials in the Department of Public Safety and University Housing write reports when they witness violations of the Student Conduct Code. However, reports may also come from faculty/staff, greater Eugene/Springfield community members, the Eugene Police Department, and students.
- What does the University do next? University officials determine what, if any, violations may have occurred and then notify the student(s) of the suspected violations by e-mail. The University requires students to check their University e-mail accounts daily. The student then has 14 calendar days to schedule an appointment with a hearing officer to discuss their options regarding the alleged misconduct. A hearing officer or panel may decide the student’s responsibility without the student’s input after this 14-day time limit.
- What are the accused student’s choices? Students learn about their options when they meet with a hearing officer. They may choose to have their case heard in an administrative hearing (a one-on-one conference with a hearing officer) or a panel hearing (a group of faculty, staff, and students whom hear the case). In most cases, if the student selects an administrative hearing, the case is heard immediately afterward. Also, there may be additional options for students who live in or are a part of University Housing, Greek Life, and Club Sports. Moreover, if a hearing officer or panel feels it is appropriate, they may refer the student to a program known as restorative justice.
- What standard is applied in determining responsibility? The hearing officer or panel applies the standard known as the “preponderance of evidence” to the information presented to determine if a student has violated the Student Conduct Code. The standard is also known as “what is more likely than not” to have occurred. This is not the same standard used in criminal cases.
- If a student is found responsible, what are the possible sanctions? Sanctions can vary because many factors apply: type of offense, severity of offense, attitude of the responsible student, etc. Common sanctions can include substance abuse education courses, counseling assessments, reflection papers, educational projects, loss of privileges, and community service. Severe cases or cases in which the student violates a policy multiple times could result in eviction from the residence halls, suspension, expulsion, or negative notation on the transcript.
- What effect does a finding of responsibility have on a student? Students may need to explain these violations on study abroad, scholarship, employment, etc. applications, but evaluators of these applications are looking for what students have learned from their violations. Moreover, most students’ conduct records are destroyed (and therefore no longer reportable) five years after the incident date.
- Will the University tell parents about these violations or hearings? No, unless the student specifically waives privacy (granted by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) and designates a person(s) to receive such information. Moreover, even after a student waives privacy, it is up to the designee(s) to inquire about the student’s conduct record—the University will not automatically inform a designee(s) of future violations. Thus, it is best for interested parties, such as parents, to develop open communication and trust with the student, to keep up-to-date on a student’s conduct. Also, this is an opportunity to allow the student to take the responsibility of remedying the situation.
For more information, please contact:
The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards
164 Oregon Hall, http://conduct.uoregon.edu, 541.346.1141