Q. What is the best way to contact the Office of Student Conduct?
Q. To whom does the Code of Conduct apply and when does it apply?
Q. I received a letter saying that I may have been involved or have knowledge about an incident and I have to come in to the conduct office for a meeting. What's going to happen in the meeting?
Q . What happens if I do not show up for the meeting?
Q. What if I have a hold on my registration?
Q. Am I going to have to go before a board?
Q. Am I going to get kicked out of housing?
Q. Am I going to be suspended from school?
Q. What if I am found responsible for violating the rules?
Q. What if I disagree with the decision?
Q. Are my parents going to find out?
Q: If I am a parent, how can I help my student navigate the process and what I can find out?
Q. Is this going to be on my transcript?
Q. Can I get in trouble for breaking the Carolinian Creed?
Q. What happens if I am accused of violating the Honor Code (for cheating or plagiarism)?

Q. What is the best way to contact the Office of Student Conduct?

A. The Office of Student Conduct may be reached by calling (803) 777-4333 or you may visit us in the James F. Byrnes Building, Suite 201. We are directly across from the Horseshoe on the corner of College and Sumter Streets. There is metered parking available on College Street.

Q. To whom does the Code of Conduct apply and when does it apply?

A. The Student Code of Conduct applies to all students enrolled in the University. This includes all undergraduate and graduate, part-time and full-time, on-campus and off-campus students. The Code of Conduct outlines expectations for student behavior regardless of the location of the alleged offense. People with an educational interest in the institution (have applied to the institution) or who are between semesters (on co-op, taking a semester leave, etc) are also under the provisions of the Code of Conduct.

Q. I received a letter saying that I may have been involved or have knowledge about an incident and I have to come in to the judicial office for a meeting. What’s going to happen in the meeting?

A. The meeting is an information-gathering meeting. Your name most likely appeared on a police report; incident report from the residence halls; or it was forwarded to us from a faculty member, staff member, or another student. In the meeting, you and a conduct administrator will discuss what happened (or did not happen).during the incident and why it occurred. At that point, it will be decided whether there is enough information or evidence to determine if a University policy was violated (See Student Code of Conduct for and Housing Regulations for a listing of policies). Outcomes from this discussion include the following:
• If it is determined that there has been no violation, you will be found Not Responsible and the case will be closed.
• If responsibility cannot be determined because there is a conflict between the report and the evidence you present, the Carolina Judicial Council will be scheduled to convene. At this point, you will present your evidence and a University representative from OSC or housing will present the evidence from the report. The Council will decide on responsibility, and if you are found responsible, the Council will decide on appropriate sanctions. OR
• If responsibility cannot be determined because there is a conflict between the report and the evidence you present, your conduct administrator may call in other people present during the incident to get more information.
• If you know that you are responsible and admit responsibility (as most alleged students do), you can decide to make the meeting into your Informal Administrative Hearing in which you may be found responsible and sanctioned based on an educational philosophy. Choosing to make the meeting into your hearing benefits you by allowing your case to be resolved that day.

Q . What happens if I do not show up for the meeting?

A. If you fail to attend your first scheduled meeting, a registration hold will be placed on your records and you will be unable to register for classes or make changes to your schedule. A new meeting will automatically be scheduled for you, and you will again be notified by e-mail. Further, you will be charged with "Failure to Comply with an Official Request". If you again do not attend, a determination on your responsibility for the alleged violation(s) will be rendered based on the information available and without the benefit of your participation. A letter outlining the decision and, if you're found responsible, a listing of your sanctions will be e-mailed to you. Again, conduct administrators would prefer to be able to talk to you about the incident and have your input in the process.

Q. What if I have a hold on my registration?

A. If you have a hold on your registration, it is most likely for one of the following reasons:

• Failure to attend a scheduled meeting with your conduct administrator/hearing officer
  
• Failure to complete the sanctions assigned to you

You will have to attend a meeting or complete the sanction(s) before the hold is removed.

Q. Am I going to have to go before a board?

A. The Carolina Judicial Council is a judicial hearing board consisting of students, faculty, and staff members that convenes for cases in which the alleged students decide that they would prefer a board hearing. Any case involving a discrepancy of fact or evidence between the incident/police report and the accused will go before the Carolina Judicial Council for a hearing. You will never be involved in a board hearing on your first meeting. You will receive ample advanced notice and will typically be part of that decision.

NOTE: Hearings involving allegations of sexual assault are subject to special rules. See the Carolina Community Sexual Assault Policy for a complete listing.

Q. Am I going to get kicked out of housing?

A. There are many violations for which, if you are found responsible, permanent removal from University Housing is a possible outcome. These include but are not limited to:

• Violation of any University Policy while already on Conduct Probation
  
• Violation of the Drug Policy
  
• Violation of the Sexual Assault Policy
  
• Violation of the Sexual Harassment Policy
  
• Possession of firearm or other weapon
  
• Harm to Persons
  
• Breaking the plane (including but not limited to objects or liquids being thrown off or from balconies and windows.)
  
• Housing Probation Violation
  
• Disorderly Conduct
  
• Repeated Alcohol Violations
  
• Damage to Property
  
• Creating a Fire Hazard
  
• Tampering with Fire Equipment

If you are removed from University Housing you are still bound by your housing contract and must pay the balance of what you agreed to pay in your housing contract.

While the examples above are some of the most serious, and thus the most likely to result in permanent removal from University Housing, any violation (depending on severity, number of repeat offenses, etc.) can result in permanent removal from University Housing. Additionally, you may only receive between 48 hours and 5 days to vacate your room, depending on the circumstances.
Additional information can be found in the section regarding University Housing Policies and Regulations in the Carolina Community.

Q. Am I going to be suspended from school?

A. There are many violations for which, if you are found responsible, suspension from the University is a possible outcome. These include:

• Violation of any university policy while already on conduct probation
  
• Violation of the Drug Policy
  
• violation of the Sexual Assault Policy
  
• Possession of firearm or other weapon
  
• Harm to Persons

While the examples above are some of the most serious and thus the most likely to result in suspension from the University, any violation (depending on severity, number of repeat offenses, etc.) can result in suspension.

Q. What if I am found responsible for violating the rules?

A. If you are found “Responsible” for violating the rules, you will be assigned sanctions, which could include educational activities (including classes, reflection or research papers, interviews), restitution, restrictions, community service, probation, suspension, etc. For a complete list of possible sanctions and further information, please see Section 6 of the Student Code of Conduct.
Sanctions range depending on:

• The nature of the violation (what you did)
  
• Prior violations/previous disciplinary history (what have you done before)
  
• Mitigating circumstances surrounding the violation (unusual circumstances)
  
• Your motivation for the behavior (why you chose to do what you did)
  
• Sanctions involved in cases involving similar violations (precedent)
  
• The developmental and educational impact (how is this going to affect you)

Q. What if I disagree with the decision?

A. If you disagree with the decision in an Informal Administrative Hearing, you can elect to have your case reheard by the Carolina Judicial Council. The CJC is comprised of three students and two faculty/staff members that hear the case. Students can also elect to have a case heard by the CJC simply because he/she feels it is more fair to have students or a panel decide his/her case. There are two options if you go to a CJC Hearing:

1. Sanctions only hearing – occurs when the student agrees with the finding of “Responsible” but disagrees with the sanctions.
   
2. Full hearing – occurs when the student would like the entire case heard from start to finish because he/she disagrees with both the findings and the sanctions, or because there is a significant question of fact.

CJC decisions are the final and highest level of case resolution, and as such, a student who then disagrees with his/her CJC decision cannot again appeal based on the difference of opinion. If there has been a procedural error or if there is new evidence that could not have been available at the time of the hearing, a student may appeal based on those prongs to the Vice President of Student Affairs. Follow this link to the Appeals Process

Q. Are my parents going to find out?

A. Federal laws (FERPA) protect your educational records (which include disciplinary records) from being accessed by others without your permission. However, there are occasions in which the federal act allows the Office of Student Conduct to notify parents of the outcome of a student’s disciplinary case. OSC may notify parents of an offense of a student under 21 years of age:
• following a violation of university policy regarding alcohol or other drugs that places the student on housing or conduct probation (official notice that any additional offense may affect the student's ability to live on campus or attend the university), or that results in removal from University Housing or the institution (e.g. housing removal/relocation, suspension, or expulsion).
• following the second violation of university policy regarding alcohol.
• following any incident in which the use of alcohol has resulted in hospitalization. Notification will come from the Behavioral Intervention Team Chair or designee.

Because not all offenses result in this level of sanctioning, parents will not automatically be notified when their student becomes involved in the disciplinary process. However, if parents would like information regarding their student’s disciplinary history or status at the University from the OSC, they can request that their son/daughter sign a waiver of confidentiality allowing the OSC to release that information. In most cases, The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects students’ judicial records as confidential educational records.

Q: If I am a parent, how can I help my student navigate the process and what I can find out?

A: Parents can read about the judicial process on this website or by accessing the Carolina Community Student Handbook online. For a broad overview of the judicial process and what you can find out, please read this Guide for Parents to the Student Conduct Process, written by the AAssociation for Student Conduct Administrations. You may also contact our office directly by calling 803-777-4333 or by emailing us at osjp@sc.edu.

Q. Is this going to be on my transcript?

A. If you are suspended from the University, a notation will appear on your transcript for the length of the term of your suspension. If you are expelled, it will be a permanent notation.
There are other situations, however, in which your disciplinary records may (with your permission) be given to other institutions. Other universities frequently make specific requests for disciplinary records when a student applies for graduate school or decides to transfer. In these situations, you will sign a waiver in the admissions process allowing the Office of Student Conduct to release your records.
The records of cases that have been resolved with a sanction less than suspension or expulsion will be maintained in the OSC for a period of six years from the end of the academic year in which the offense occurred. Records in which the discipline sanction was suspension or expulsion will be maintained indefinitely.

Q. Can I get in trouble for breaking the Carolinian Creed?

A. No, as the Carolinian Creed states, "Choosing to join the community obligates each member to a code of civilized behavior". This is a moral obligation of integrity where you must judge your own actions to decide whether or not you have broken the Creed of the University. The Carolinian Creed is a set of ideas, not a policy, and therefore you cannot be charged with a violation of the Carolinian Creed. Additional information on the Carolina Creed can be found at http://http://www.sa.sc.edu/creed

Q. What happens if I am accused of violating the Honor Code (for cheating or plagiarism)?

A. If you are accused of violating the Honor Code, there are several possible outcomes. You may meet with your professor to discuss the issue and they can issue an academic penalty (the grade). You will also be referred to the Office of Academic Integrity who will investigate and determine if you did violate the Honor Code and if so, what non-academic penalty you may receive. To read the full Honor Code and the process, please go to http://http://www.sc.edu/academicintegrity.
For further information on academic dishonesty outcomes and the process, please go to The Carolina Community section on Academic Responsibility.