Alcohol Policy Process

The Initial Meeting

The initial meeting is intended to serve as an opportunity to gain the student or student leader’s perspective on the alleged violation(s) and determine whether there exists a reasonable basis to charge for a potential violation. During this meeting the student will also review the incident report and evidence received, review procedural alternatives available to the student in responding to any charge(s), and applicable procedural and appeals rights available to the student.

The Hearing

After the Hearing Officer determines there is a reasonable basis to charge, the case may be resolved in the following ways: 1) the student accepts responsibility for each of the applicable charges and the Initial Meeting immediately becomes an administrative hearing or 2) the student does not accept responsibility for each of the applicable charges and the administrative hearing is scheduled at least five (5) days after the issuance of the charge decision. Both options are available to all students.

If the administrative hearing is scheduled for a later date, the student will be notified in writing with the date and time of the hearing. The student can begin to gather evidence and identify relevant witnesses to accompany them to the hearing and be prepared to respond to the allegations and present evidence to the Hearing Officer at the hearing.

Judgment & Sanctioning

If the student did not accept responsibility, the Hearing Officer will render a judgment. If found responsible or if the student accepts responsibility, the accused student should be prepared to make sanction recommendations and the Hearing Officer will assign appropriate sanctions, based on the four factors to be considered. The student will receive a letter detailing the outcome, sanction expectations (including deadlines), and appeals process information.