Frequently Asked Questions about the Student Conduct Code for Parents and Guardians
Will I be notified if my student gets in trouble: i.e., if the student is charged with violating the Student Conduct Code?
We will notify parents if their student has been transported or placed in protective custody due to alcohol or drug use. For other alcohol/drug violations that do not result in a medical transport or protective custody, we encourage students to speak with their parents as must abide by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, which governs the release of educational records. As adults, students should be responsible for initiating a conversation with their parents.
What happens if my student is charged with violating the Student Conduct Code?
The student will receive an email from the hearing officer assigned to their case with the alleged violations of the Student Conduct Code, along with the date and time to meet. This meeting will be scheduled based on your student's class schedule. The email, sent to their salemstate.edu email account, will require them to click on a link and authenticate who they are in order to view the email. A hearing officer can be any of the following individuals: associate dean, director, associate director, assistant director, area coordinator, or graduate resident director. Following the hearing, the hearing officer will review the case information and make a decision of responsible or not responsible for each of the violations listed in the initial email to your student. If your student chooses not to participate in the process, the hearing officer will use the information available to make a determination. If your student is found responsible for violating the Student Conduct Code, they will be assigned sanctions to help them learn from the experience as well as to hold them accountable for their actions.
What is my role in the student conduct process? How can I help my student?
You can help to guide the student through the process and be supportive while holding the student accountable to your expectations and the university's. You can help identify and provide necessary interventions, such as alcohol and drug evaluations or anger management, so your student can succeed at Salem State. Allow and expect the student to set appointments, attend meetings and fulfill sanctions. It is usually not helpful to the educational development of the student, or resolution of the matter, for you to attempt to handle the situation for them.
Can I be in a disciplinary meeting or conference with my student?
The student may choose to have an advisor present, who may be a parent. The role of the advisor is to support and advise the student but not to speak for or represent the student.
Do I need to hire an attorney to represent my student?
Students may choose to have an attorney serve as an advisor but may not be represented by counsel. Students most often hire attorneys when there are criminal charges that relate to an incident.
How are sanctions decided?
Sanctions are determined by considering the following factors: the nature of the violation, the student's role in the incident, the effect of the incident on others and on the student, the student's developmental and educational needs, and the student's prior disciplinary record. Mitigating and aggravating circumstances are considered. Please refer to the Student Conduct Code for information about what each possible disciplinary sanction means.
Can my student appeal a disciplinary decision?
Any recommendation of a hearing body that affirms the charges against a student may be appealed one time only to a hearing officer one professional level up from the person who rendered the original decision. An appeal must be made in writing or electronically within five (5) business days of the notification of the outcome of the case to the parties involved in the original decision and should include the grounds for the appeal and all relevant information. For the three grounds for appeal, please refer to Section 9 of the Student Conduct Code.
If my student's case is appealed, what happens to the sanctions while the appeal is being decided?
Unless the welfare of a person or the community is threatened, all of the sanctions imposed in a case that may be appealed will not go into effect until the appeal is decided.
Does the outcome go on my student's record?
All records of disciplinary action are maintained confidentially in the Community Standards office. In cases that involve suspension or expulsion, the academic departments are notified, and the action is also recorded in the student's academic transcript permanently.
Will a disciplinary record keep my student from getting into law school, graduate school, etc.?
A disciplinary record does not automatically exclude a student from further study, jobs, etc. That usually depends on the type or severity of misconduct in which a student is involved. A disciplinary record may lead an admissions office to scrutinize the student's application more closely. We will only release information about a student's disciplinary record to another school or potential employer as allowed by the records policy or with the student's permission.
Why is a particular rule or policy in place?
Policies are designed to support the university's educational mission. They are meant to support a safe environment where people can work, study and live without undue interference. They are also designed to build and support the academic and social community, teach students responsibility and interdependence, as well as promote moral and ethical development.
My student was charged criminally. Why go through the student conduct process, too?
The criminal justice system and the Salem State University student conduct process are not mutually exclusive. By being a student, your student is held responsible for upholding the standards of behavior in the Student Conduct Code and public laws. A conduct code violation may be heard if the criminal case is not completed or if the criminal charges are dropped.
This incident happened off campus. Why is the university involved?
The university is interested in maintaining a safe community and appropriate standards of conduct for its students. This includes both on-campus and off-campus behavior, which can have an impact on the university community and the university mission.
I know my student could not have done this; I didn't raise my student that way. So why is my student being charged?
Developmentally, this is a period of exploration, experimentation, and testing for students. They may be in a period of transition from late adolescence to adulthood. They may also be away from home and the daily influence of their parents for the first time. As students test the beliefs and values they learned at home; they may make choices that are inconsistent with these values. Such testing is part of the developmental process and is normal. However, students must also learn that the choices they make may not be healthy and may have consequences.