Student Conduct Process

1. Who can submit a disciplinary report?
   Reports are submitted to the Office of Community Standards by Public Safety, faculty, staff, and occasionally, via the Behavioral Intervention Team. Reports may also be submitted by individuals not directly affiliated with QCC. For example, Public Safety, faculty, staff, and students from other colleges or universities or by law enforcement.
   
   Once a report is received, the staff in the Office of Community Standards will review the information to determine if there is a policy violation. If so, the staff will begin the student conduct process and an investigation.
   
   
2. Who oversees the student conduct process?
   The Dean of Students oversees the student conduct process along with the staff in the Office of Community Standards. The staff is responsible for gathering facts and relevant information as part of their investigation into every incident that is reported. At the conclusion of this investigation, the student will meet with the Dean of Students and/or their designee to review the student conduct process and discuss the incident. If a student is found responsible for violating a policy, the process will result in a sanction that will be outlined in what is known as a Student Mediation Agreement. In cases where a student is found responsible but does not agree with the finding or in cases of egregious student misconduct, the staff will coordinate a Faculty Student Disciplinary Committee (FSDC) hearing. FSDC hearings provide the student with an opportunity to share their version of events with a panel of faculty, staff, and students. The committee will be responsible for listening to the student and the College representative and making a decision as to whether or not the student is responsible for the violation. If a student is found responsible, the FSDC committee will also provide a sanction.
   
   Please note, parties directly or indirectly involved with the matter, known as witnesses, may be contacted during the investigation process, as needed.
   
   
3. What rights do students have in the student conduct process?
   Student rights and responsibilities are outlined in Article XV of the CUNY Board of Trustees Bylaws and include:
   • the right to receive formal notification of the charges against you
   • the right to have an investigation and mediation or hearing take place within reasonable amount of time
   • the right to present your side of the story
   • the right to present witnesses and evidence on your behalf
   • the right to remain silent without assumption of guilt
   • the right to be represented by legal counsel or an advisor at the student’s expense
     
     
4. What happens when a student is found responsible?
   At the conclusion of a meeting with the Dean of Students and/or their designee or after participating in an FSDC hearing, a student will be notified either verbally during the meeting or afterwards in writing, whether or not they were found responsible. A student found responsible for violating a policy will receive a sanction.
   
   A list of possible sanctions, as outlined in Article XV of the CUNY Board of Trustees Bylaws, include:
   
   
   1. Admonition: An oral statement to the offender that he/she/they/them has violated university rules.
      
      
   2. Warning: Notice to the offender, orally or in writing, that continuation or repetition of the wrongful conduct, within a period of time stated in the warning, may be cause for more severe disciplinary action.
      
      
   3. Censure: A written reprimand for violation of specified regulation, including the possibly of more severe disciplinary sanction in the event of conviction for the violation of any university regulation within a period stated in the letter of reprimand.
      
      
   4. Disciplinary Probation: Exclusion form participation in privileges or extracurricular university activities as set forth in the notice of disciplinary probation for a specified period.
      
      
   5. Restitution: The reimbursement for damage to or misappropriation of property.  Reimbursement may take the form of appropriate service to repair or otherwise compensate for damages.
      
      
   6. Suspension: Exclusion from classes and other privileges as set forth in the note of suspension for a definite period time.
      
      
   7. Expulsion: The termination of student status for an indefinite period.   The conditions of readmission, if any is permitted, shall be stated in the order of expulsion.
      
      
   8. Complaints to Civil Authorities.
      
      
   9. Ejection: A true copy of resolution adopted by the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York on June 23, 1969, as amended on October 27, 1980, May 22, 1989, and June 25, 1990.
   
   In addition, students may receive an educational sanction that can include but is not limited to, an action plan completed with the Office of Community Standards, a reflection paper, and/or a research paper.
   
   
5. Will this go on my “record”?
   At the conclusion of a meeting with the Dean of Students and/or their designee or an FSDC hearing, students will receive documentation outlining the charges and the sanctions. The Office of Community Standards is responsible for maintaining copies of all documentation gathered over the course of an investigation and those provided to students at the conclusion of a case. Upon request, for example, employers or graduate schools may ask QCC to disclose whether a student has a disciplinary record and the college must respond. It is important for you to know that these documents are protected under The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and are only released according to the guidelines provided in the law.
   
   Some disciplinary sanctions are also recorded on a student’s academic transcript. The details of this will be specifically outlined on the documentation you receive at the conclusion of a meeting with the Dean of Students and/or their designee or an FSDC hearing.
   
   
6. Do the NYPD or non-affiliated agencies have a role in the student conduct process?
   There are times when information provided by the NYPD or other non-affiliated agencies may be used in the student conduct process. Additionally, depending on the nature of a case, the college may refer an incident as a formal complaint to the NYPD and/or other authorities. Occasionally, QCC officials may be asked to provide information and/or assist with an investigation of an external incident involving QCC students. This will be done within legal obligation and guidelines.

For questions about the student conduct process, please contact the Office of Community Standards, Library Building room 418, (718) 631-6314, or communitystandards@qcc.cuny.edu.