Student Code of Conduct used to enforce laws of education

By Douglas Sulenta
The Collegian

While cheating and plagiarism are not tolerated at California State University campuses, there is an explicit set of rules that dictate the action to be taken in such instances of dishonesty.

Aside from rules against academic infractions such as these, the CSU Student Code of Conduct outlines other infractions that are punishable by expulsion, suspension and probation by the school administration.

Among these infractions punishable by the school administration are violations for misrepresenting oneself or an organization, forgery of campus documents and obstruction of campus activity.

Outlined in this document are also issues punishable by law that overlap into campus business, such as unauthorized entry into campus property, possession of explosives or drugs and engaging in lewd activity on campus. In this situation, the administration has the ability to act separately from any civil proceedings.

The last word on campus discipline lies with the university president, the appointed coordinator of student discipline (who at Fresno State is Robert Hernandez) and the president-appointed hearing officers. With the advice of his appointed staff, the president has the final word in any discipline handed out on campus.

Outside of infractions punishable by law, the university has a series of steps it could take as punishment for given infractions that are judged in seriousness by the proper authorities.

Probation is the first and least severe of punishments that can be handed out by the university. This is, according to the student disciplinary procedures for the CSU, “A period of time during which the privilege of continuing in student status is conditional.” This could also include loss of privileges that the student would otherwise be entitled to.

The Code defines a suspension as the “Separation of the student from student status from the campus for a definite period of time, after which the student is eligible to return.”

The final recourse for the administration is expulsion, or a permanent separation of the student from student status from the campus. Any student deemed to have violated one of the conditions on the student code is subject to the sanctions of the university.

There is a proper protocol that is spelled out for the university administration to follow in such cases.

The first of these steps is an investigation. In this step of the proceedings a complaint would be admitted to the coordinator of student discipline, though a complaint is not necessary for the coordinator to initiate charges. The coordinator then must investigate each complaint that is filed.

In the next step of the process, the student is called to a meeting with the coordinator to determine the merit of charges filed against him or her. In this meeting the student has the opportunity to have an adviser present to witness the proceedings. Here, an agreement can be made by the student and the coordinator to appease the situation by doing a “work assignment, service to a campus, obtaining psychological counseling or compensation for loss, damage or injury.”

If the misconduct is not resolved by the meeting and it is deemed by the coordinator that the student requires disciplinary action, the student will then be served with a notice to appear at a hearing. At this hearing the student has the right to have an adviser present and can call witnesses to speak on his or her behalf.

When the hearing is completed, according to the CSU student disciplinary procedures, the hearing officer will determine “whether it is more likely than not that the student charged violated the Student Code.”

The hearing officer then is to present a written report to the president and a recommendation of discipline for the student.

The decision on discipline now lies in the hands of the president. The president could choose concur with the recommended sanctions of the hearing officer, reduce or impose a more severe action, or refer the issue of the case back to the hearing officer for further information.

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