FAQs for Family Members

The Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards receives reports regarding alleged misconduct of our students. When we receive a report, our first step is typically to meet with the students involved in the report. Our goal in meeting with the students is to gather information and to give the students involved the opportunity to ask questions and provide any information they may have regarding the incident.

The University of Nebraska Student Code of Conduct provides students with the following rights:

• Receive advanced notice of the alleged violation(s) of the Code that will be discussed at the meeting.
• Not required to discuss the alleged violation(s) with the Conduct Officer.
• Right to be accompanied by an advisor when the student meets with the Conduct Officer, and the advisor may be anyone, including an attorney.
• Advisors may provide guidance to the student but may not otherwise directly participate in the conduct process. The conduct process shall not be unduly delayed based on the availability of the student's advisor.

The Conduct Officer assigned to the case will share the information we received in the report and provide your student with the opportunity to discuss the information or to provide additional details that were not included in the report. If the information in the report is inaccurate, the student may share those details at the time of their meeting. They may also submit a written statement along with additional documentation related to their case prior to, during, or after their informal meeting.

Yes, a student may choose anyone that is not involved as a witness or participant in the incident to serve as an advisor. For more information about the advisor role, please see the Advisor FAQ.

The decision to hire an attorney is a personal one for the student or their support system. In the Student Conduct process, an attorney has the same abilities as an advisor. The purpose of the advisor is to provide the student/student organization with support, guidance, and advice. As an advisor, an attorney would be able to attend meetings and be present during a hearing. However, whether the advisor is an attorney, a parent, a faculty member, or a friend, they are only able to speak to the student throughout the process and may provide guidance and support, but they cannot speak on behalf of the student.

If your student believes they need legal counsel, they can speak to Student Legal Services to receive advice and potential options for referrals. Student Legal Services cannot represent a student in the Student Conduct process, but they can provide legal support to students that have a citation or other non-University related legal issues.

No. The Conduct Officer wants to hear the student's perspective. Upon hearing the student's viewpoint, they will make a decision on whether or not there is enough information to determine that a policy was violated, and if so, what the appropriate outcomes/sanctions should be based on relevant factors.

If a student does not attend the initial appointment, the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards will continue to gather information regarding the case. The student will receive information from the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards about rescheduling the appointment. The Conduct Officer assigned to their case may do one of the following:

• Determine that there is not enough information to determine a violation of the Student Code of Conduct,
• Offer an Administrative Resolution, which the student will have five (5) University days to review and respond to, or
• Refer the case to a hearing.

In cases where a student does not attend a hearing, a decision will be reached without their input.

An Administrative Resolution is an agreement between the University, through the Conduct Officer, and the student. When signing an Administrative Resolution, a student has the following options:

• Admit to the violation of the University of Nebraska Student Code of Conduct and accept the proposed Administrative Resolution and the responses listed in the Administrative Resolution.
• Do not admit the violation of the University of Nebraska Student Code of Conduct and accept the proposed Administrative Resolution and the responses listed in the Administrative Resolution.
• Do not accept the proposed Administrative Resolution and acknowledge that this case may be forwarded to a Hearing Officer or University Conduct Board.

If a student does not respond to an Administrative Resolution, the Administrative Resolution will be considered as accepted, unless the outcome includes suspension or expulsion. In cases where a student does not respond to an Administrative Resolution that recommends suspension or expulsion, the case will be forwarded to a University Conduct Board for a Hearing.

A conduct case does create an educational record with our office, but it is held separately from other educational records such as attendance and grades. For information to be released regarding a conduct record, your student must sign a Release of Information to grant someone access to the record and the release must specify that conduct, judicial, or disciplinary records can be released.

A student's transcript will be marked in instances of suspension or expulsion. The notation is removed after the suspension period ends. A notation for expulsion is a permanent record and is not removed.

The Student Conduct process at the University of Nebraska uses a greater weight of evidence as the standard of proof used in determining outcomes for student/student organization cases. The Conduct Officer assigned to the student's case will review all the available information related to the case and using this standard will make a decision regarding whether the student/student organization violated the Student Code of Conduct or not, and what, if any, sanctions/outcomes would be appropriate. The greater weight of evidence means evidence sufficient to make the alleged violation(s) more likely true than not. If the evidence is evenly balanced, or if it weighs in favor of the student, then the student is found not in violation of the alleged violation(s).

The student will have the opportunity to discuss the allegation with the Conduct Officer assigned to their case. During the meeting, the student should share any information regarding the incident with the Conduct Officer. If they have proof that they were not involved in the incident, they should provide that information to the Conduct Officer. If a student receives an Administrative Resolution that outlines they were “in violation” of a University policy your student believes they did not violate, the student has the opportunity to reject the Administrative Resolution. An Administrative Resolution is an agreement between the University, through the Conduct Officer, and the student. When signing an Administrative Resolution, a student has the following options:

• Admit to the violation of the University of Nebraska Student Code of Conduct and accept the proposed Administrative Resolution and the responses listed in the Administrative Resolution.
• Do not admit the violation of the University of Nebraska Student Code of Conduct and accept the proposed Administrative Resolution and the responses listed in the Administrative Resolution.
• Do not accept the proposed Administrative Resolution and acknowledge that this case may be forwarded to a Hearing Officer or University Conduct Board.

If the student rejects the Administrative Resolution, it will be forwarded to a University Conduct Board. If the student does not respond to an Administrative Resolution within five (5) University days, the Administrative Resolution will be considered as accepted, unless the outcome includes suspension or expulsion. In cases where a student does not respond to an Administrative Resolution that recommends suspension or expulsion, the case will be forwarded to a University Conduct Board for a Hearing.

Student Conduct & Community Standards (SCCS) believes that support is an essential part of helping students to be successful at the University. While we cannot disclose details about a student's conduct record without their permission, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act allow us to contact families in the event of repeated drug or alcohol emergencies. SCCS notifies student's parents or guardians of drug and alcohol violations if the student has been involved in multiple alcohol or drug related incidents in the academic year. By reaching out to you, our hope is that you will use this opportunity to talk with your student about expectations for alcohol and drug use and the impact it may have on their academic success.

A hold may be placed on your students' account due to overdue sanctions. If your student is not sure why there is a hold, we recommend that the student call or email our office at (402) 472-2021 or studentconduct@unl.edu to get additional information. Your student can also check their Husker email account for an overdue sanction notification.