Information about the Code of Conduct Conference Process
Q: Who is the Code of Conduct Committee?A: The Code of Conduct Committee consists of deans of the colleges, faculty, and University department heads.
Q: What is the purpose of the Code of Conduct Committee?A: The Code of Conduct Committee's purpose is to review alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct and Academic Standards to determine if a violation has occurred, and if so, determine whether a University-level sanction should occur as a result.
Q: When can I speak to the Code of Conduct Committee?A: If you have received an official notification, you have three opportunities to be present in the committee conference.
Q: What are the three ways I can participate in the Committee Conference?A: You can submit a written statement to the email address listed on the bottom of your official notification letter.
A: You can request an in-person conference with the committee by contacting the Office of Academic Compliance via the email address listed on the bottom of your official notification letter.
A: You can request a telephone conference with the committee by contacting the Office of Academic Compliance via the email address listed on the bottom of your official notification letter.
Q: How can I waive my due process rights?A: You may choose not to respond to the official notification, thereby waiving your due process rights.
A: You may contact the Office of Academic Compliance via the contact information listed at the bottom of your official letter and opt out of participating in the committee conference.
A: Per the University Policy Handbook, students have seven days to respond to the official notification letter.
Q: How long is my committee conference?A: To be respectful of the time of all parties involved, student conferences are 15 minutes long.
Q:What information do I provide in my conference?A: By participating in the conference, you may provide any documentation or information that may provide insight to the issue. Please note that if you would like documentation to be reviewed at the conference, it is required to be received in our office 72 hours before your scheduled time.
Q: Will I be notified of the conference date and time?A: Yes, students are notified of the conference date and time. Please note that punctuality is important and time is deducted when the student is tardy (e.g. if the student is late by 5 minutes, the 15-minute conference is deducted by the 5 minutes and the student now gets only 10 minutes to discuss the issue with the committee).
Q: What type of forum is the committee conference?A: The committee conference is not a question and answer forum. The conference provides the opportunity for the student to provide their perspective on the alleged policy violation. The Code of Conduct Committee's purpose is to review information provided through the investigation and make a decision.
Q: Can I bring another person with me to the committee conference?A: No, third parties are not permitted to attend the conference with a student.
Is the committee conference a legal proceeding?
A: No, the committee conference is a formal academic process and is based solely on University policy.
Q: When will I be notified of the committee's decision?A: Once the Vice President of Academic Compliance, or designee, reviews and approves the decision, students are then notified.
Q: What University penalties can the committee apply?A: The typical University penalties that can be awarded by the committee include, but are not limited to:
- Official academic warning applied to your GCU record
- Academic suspension - separation from GCU for a 16-week period
- Academic expulsion - separation from GCU for a 2-year period
- Failure of course grades - conversion of an applied grade to "F"
- Failure of assignment grades - conversion of points earned on individual assignments to "F"
- Course removal - removal from enrolled section of course; student may or may not be placed in a different section
- Revocation of degree - removing academic credit so that a degree is no longer conferred
Q: Who reports Code of Conduct violations to the University?A: Students, faculty and staff report violations of Student Code of Conduct and Academic Standards policies. Adherence to the policies upholds the academic integrity of the University and adds value to your degree.
Q: What should I do if...? My teacher told me that they were reporting me to the UniversityA: All incidences of academic dishonesty and student conduct violations must be reported to the Office of Academic Compliance per the University Policy Handbook
A: All reported incidents are investigated by the Office of Academic Compliance, in conjunction with the college where the infraction(s) occurred
A: Once the incident has been thoroughly investigated, the issue will be addressed with the student
I have an academic compliance hold A: You were reported to the University for an alleged academic dishonesty or student conduct violation. Once the University completes the investigation, you will be notified of the decision.
I received a letter from the Office of Academic Compliance or Code of Conduct CommitteeA: Unsubstantiated Incident Report
- You were reported to the University for allegedly violating the Student Code of Conduct and Academic Standards. During the investigation, it was found that no infraction occurred.
A: Non-Disciplinary Letter of Warning
- A reported violation of the Student Code of Conduct and Academic Standards was found to be valid. No university-level penalty will be applied for this specific issue. However, please utilize the many available resources to avoid issues in the future, as additional violations will result in application of university-level penalties.
A: Official Notification
- A reported violation of the Student Code of Conduct and Academic Standards was validated by the college in which the infraction(s) occurred. The issue will be reviewed by the Code of Conduct Committee, and students are notified of their right to participate in the conference. Students are required to respond to their official notification letter no later than 7 days after the date of the letter, if they wish to participate. If the student does not respond within this allotted timeframe, he/she will waive his/her right to participate in the committee conference.
A: Official Academic Warning Letter**
- As a result of the Code of Conduct Committee conference, an academic warning was applied to the student's GCU record. This may be issued in conjunction with additional penalties.
A: Academic Suspension Letter**
- An academic suspension was applied to the student's GCU record per the directive of the Code of Conduct Committee. The decision was reviewed and approved by the Vice President of Academic Compliance and Regulation, or designee. The student is suspended for a period of 16 academic weeks. After observing the academic suspension period, the student must apply for reinstatement. However, reinstatement into the University is not guaranteed. This may be issued in conjunction with additional penalties.
A: Academic Expulsion Letter**
- The Code of Conduct Committee recommended that the student is academically expelled. The Vice President of Academic Compliance and Regulation, or designee, reviewed and approved the decision. Academic expulsion is a 2-year period where the student is administratively withdrawn from the University. Upon conclusion of their academic expulsion, the student may apply for reinstatement. The University does not guarantee reinstatement in the student's program. The academic expulsion may be issued in conjunction with additional penalties.
** University penalties are not limited to an academic warning, academic suspension, and academic expulsion.
Q: Who should I contact if I have questions about....?
Academic status, grades, instructors, or enrollment
A: Contact your academic team
The Code of Conduct process
A: Contact the Office of Academic Compliance
Tutoring services
A: Contact the Center for Learning and Advancement
Technical issues
A: Contact Technical Support
