Steps in the Student Conduct Process

Step 1: Incident Report

Any department or member of the university community including students, faculty, or staff can submit an Incident Report alleging student misconduct. To file a report go to Report An Incident.

Step 2: Notice of Student Conduct Charges

Upon review and if warranted, a student will be sent a charge letter via their official Kutztown University email account informing them of an allegation of student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct and their responsibility to set up a meeting known as a preliminary briefing with their assigned case officer.

Step 3: Preliminary Briefing

The preliminary briefing is a meeting designed to:

inform the student of their rights in the student conduct process;
to provide the student with specific details regarding the nature of the allegation;
to provide the student an opportunity to ask questions about the process; and
for the student to officially respond to the charge of misconduct.

Students who fail to respond to their notice of charges or attend their preliminary briefing will be sent a subsequent notice informing them of a specific date and time for a hearing to review their case.

In lieu of a preliminary briefing, students also have the option to submit a Waiver of Hearing form to waive their right to participate in a hearing.

Step 4: Student Response

At the preliminary briefing, a student may respond to the allegation(s) of misconduct by either accepting OR denying responsibility for the violation(s) in question*. Students may decide to mutually resolve the matter with the university by accepting responsibility for the violation(s) and waiving their right to a hearing. When this occurs the case officer will engage the student in discussion before determining sanctions. If a student denies responsibility for the violation, the case officer will refer the incident to the appropriate hearing authority for a student conduct hearing to resolve the allegation.

*Student Conduct Incident Response Form

Step 5: Sanctioning (as applicable)

Students who accept responsibility or are found responsible through the student conduct process will be sanctioned accordingly. Sanctions are primarily based on key factors including the type and severity of the violation and previous violations of record. The discussion between the student and case officer may also be factored into the final sanctioning decision.

Step 6: Hearing (as applicable)

Hearings provide the parties to an incident the opportunity to present evidence, testimony, and witnesses to a hearing authority when a case cannot be mutually resolved. Consistent with the Student Code of Conduct, cases that may result in the possibility of a disciplinary suspension or dismissal will be held as formal hearings by a University Conduct Board; with few exceptions, all other cases shall be heard informally as an Administrative Hearing.

University Conduct Board (UCB): Formal UCB hearings are structured and recorded proceedings where both parties to a case may enter testimony and question witnesses appearing at the hearing. Typically, a UCB consists of three members who may be any combination of trained faculty, staff, and students.

Administrative Hearing: Hearings are informal in nature and not recorded. A single Hearing Officer facilitates a review of the evidence and makes the decisions.

After all the evidence has been presented, the hearing authority will determine if a preponderance of evidence exists to find a student responsible for a particular violation.

Step 7: Appeal (as applicable)

A student respondent has the right to request an appeal and may petition an Appeal Board if either party believes an error occurred with how their case was handled. Appellants must submit their request for an appeal, in writing, within five (5) business days from the date of being notified of the hearing outcome by completing the following form: Request for Appeal Form.

Appeal Policy and Procedures