Community Standards
General Information About the Boards and Procedures
All board members will serve as volunteers who are trained in FERPA, confidentiality, procedures, applicable policies and rules of the College and the philosophy of the Conduct Code at Union College.
The Judicial Hearing Board, Student Conduct Committee, and the Organizational Misconduct Board have been given the responsibility by the College Administration to adjudicate Conduct Code violations.
Hearings before these Boards need not conform to requirements of criminal or civil procedure and/or proof. The intent of the procedure is to provide the Accused with a fair hearing before their peers, to give them the opportunity to respond to any charges, and to give the Accused the opportunity to ask questions of the Complainant or witnesses in order to clarify statements presented during the hearing.
Within this framework, the Judicial Hearing Board, the Student Conduct Committee, and the Organizational Misconduct Board may conduct the hearing and make necessary adaptations to fit particular circumstances.
Quorum
- Judicial Hearing Board
- A Chair (faculty or staff), one (1) faculty member or one (1) staff member, and one (1) student member constitute a quorum for conducting a hearing. All three (3) members must be present to hear a case.
- Student Conduct Committee
- The Director of Community Standards, or designee (who does not have a vote and serves as an advisor only), and five (5) student members constitute a quorum for conducting a hearing.
- Organizational Misconduct Board
- The Director of Community Standards, or designee (who does not have a vote and serves as an advisor only), and five (5) student members shall constitute a quorum for conducting a hearing.
At the hearing, the chairperson will present the charges and call upon the person bringing the charges to offer information. The Accused is responsible for presenting their own case and may make a written or verbal statement. The Accused, the chairperson, and Complainant have the right to present witnesses (see definition of “witness”) from the campus community. The Accused, the Complainant, and any witnesses will be subject to questions from the Board. The Accused may question witnesses and the Complainant in order to clarify statements during the hearing. The Complainant may question witnesses and the Accused in order to clarify statements during the hearing.
Findings of fact and disposition of the charge(s) will be determined by a majority of Board members present at a hearing. A summary of the findings with the rationale will be submitted by the panel chairperson to the Dean of Students or designee. The designee will be responsible for determining sanctions.
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Organizational Misconduct Board
Composed of nine (9) students and the Director of Community Standards, or designee, who will be present throughout the hearing and deliberation process of the Organizational Misconduct Board but is not permitted to vote.
The students are selected from a pool of students who represent student clubs and organizations, Fraternity & Sorority Life, Athletics, Minervas, and Theme Houses and whose selection process has been approved by the Student Forum.
The chairperson, vice chairperson, and recording secretary will be elected annually by the members of the Organizational Misconduct Board. If the chairperson is unable to preside at a haring, the vice-chairperson will serve in their stead.
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Judicial Hearing Board
Composed of faculty, staff, students, and the chair, who will have a vote. The faculty and staff members will be appointed by the Vice President of Student Affairs, and the student members will be selected by a process approved by the Student Forum.
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Student Conduct Committee
Composed of nine (9) students and the Director of Community Standards, or designee, who will be present throughout the hearing and the deliberations of the Student Conduct Board, but who will not have a vote. The nine (9) student members of the Student Conduct Board will be selected by a process approved by the Student Forum.
The chairperson, the vice chairperson, and recording secretary will be elected annually by the members of the Student Conduct Board. If the chairperson is unable to preside at a hearing, the vice-chairperson will serve in their stead.
APPLYING TO SERVE
The Office of Community Standards has begun to search for students who are interested in serving on the Student Conduct Committee in the 2021-2022 Academic Year. We are looking for any and all students who want a voice in the Community Standards process. If this opportunity is of interest to you, please consider filling out this application.
Standard of Proof
In order to determine that the Accused student is responsible for a violation of the Student Conduct Code, a majority of the Student Conduct Committee or Organizational Misconduct Board members present at the hearing must conclude that by a preponderance of the evidence a violation has occurred.
A "preponderance of evidence" is a finding that it is more likely than not that a violation occurred.
The Chairperson of the Student Conduct Committee does not vote unless it is necessary to break a tie vote. In matters before the Judicial Board, the decision must be unanimous.