Appeal Process

• Deferred Suspension: Deferred suspension is a formal warning that a minimum one semester suspension will result from another serious violation. Students may be placed on deferred suspension for 1 or 2 semesters. The student’s academic adviser will be notified of the deferred suspension status, as well as the student’s parent(s) if he/she is claimed on the parent’s tax return. • Suspension: The student is voluntarily separated from the University for a specified length of time. Absences from classes and chapels are not excused and academic work that is missed may not be made up. • Administrative Withdrawal: The student is required to withdraw from the University without the privilege of returning until a time specified by the SACC. • Expulsion: The student is permanently separated from the University with a notation of the reasons for the termination in his/her file.

When students are suspended, administratively withdrawn, or expelled for disciplinary reasons, there will be no refund of tuition or room/board charges for the semester and financial aid may be canceled. Students are subject to the credit and refund implications set by University policy in the Course Schedule.

If a student is removed from housing, they must completely vacate the residence halls within 48 hours of receiving the sanction.

In certain limited situations, the SACC may impose a sanction but suspend or postpone its actual implementation.

Sanctions for Student Organizations

Student groups and organizations may be charged with violations of these Community Standards. A student group or organization and its officers may be held collectively and/or individually responsible when violations of this code occur either during an event sponsored by the organization or by an individual representing or associated with that organization or group. The following sanctions may be imposed upon groups or organizations: deactivation, warning, reprimand, probation, fines, loss of privileges, restitution, and other educational sanctions. Deactivation includes loss of all privileges, including University recognition, for a specified period of time. Individual students are subject to other sanctions as described above.

Overdue Sanction Process

Sanction reminders: Students are notified by email when their Resolution Decision Letter has been sent. Four days before each sanction deadline, the student will be notified by email of the upcoming deadline.

One week after sanction deadline: Once a sanction becomes one week overdue, the Office of Residence Life will place a hold on the student’s account. The Office of Residence Life will notify the student of the hold on their account by email. The student will not be able to register for classes, and access to some services at VUSC may be limited. The hold will remain in place until the student has completed the sanctions and/or made satisfactory efforts to resolve the matter.

Two weeks after sanction deadline: Seven (7) calendar days after the hold has been placed on the student’s account, the student will receive a new charge of non-compliance and be subject to a new sanction, typically disciplinary probation. In circumstances where the student’s original sanction was disciplinary probation, the sanction may be escalated to housing removal, suspension, expulsion, etc. Disciplinary probation will remain in place for the duration of the current semester even after the sanction(s) have been completed.

Appeal Requests: Appeal requests for the student hold and the disciplinary probation will be automatically denied. Per the Student Life Handbook, appeal requests must be made within three (3) business days following the date the student’s Resolution Decision letter was sent.

When the sanctioned student disputes the outcome of a disciplinary procedure, that student may request, through the Vice President for Student Affairs, that an Appeal Committee review the decision. Sanctions may or may not be postponed or suspended pending the outcome of this appeal unless indicated in writing by of the Vice President for Student Affairs.

The appeal is not a re-hearing of the original conduct meeting and the role of the appeal officer is not to substitute his or her own judgment for the judgment of those who rendered the original decision. The role of the appeal officer is to determine whether a new decision is warranted due to a procedural error, the availability of new information or the imposition of excessive sanctions. Therefore, a student’s appeal must be based on one or more of the following grounds:

• A process or procedural error that was made that was significantly prejudicial to the outcome of the student conduct meeting as it affects the student appealing.

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