Judicial Affairs - FAQ Students

It most likely means that an incident report ("complaint") containing your name has been filed with the Judicial Affairs office. That report may contain information suggesting you might have violated the Student Code of Conduct. You should follow the instructions in the message and attend the hearing with the hearing officer assigned to your case as soon as possible. The communication should contain a specific date and time for a meeting and you are required to appear for that meeting or call our office to reschedule if you have a conflict. We might have contacted you because you are a complainant (the term we use to describe a potential victim or a reporting party) or a witness in a case we are investigating. Please follow the directions to set your appointment. Even if you do not want to pursue a complaint or participate as a witness, we encourage you to nonetheless schedule a meeting so that we can explain the student conduct process and answer any questions you might have. This allows you to make an informed decision on whether to participate. 

 

FERPA is The Family Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law that provides for the confidentiality of student education records. The Judicial Affairs office will not disclose information about any report or case to parties outside the college, nor permit inspection of their records without their permission. Students who want us to share information with another person or institution should complete the Authorization for Release of Information form and return it to their hearing officer.

FERPA provides certain exceptions that permit our office to disclose information without a student's permission. Your hearing officer can offer examples and explain this further.

 

The Student Code of Conduct applies to both on-campus conduct and off-campus conduct in certain circumstances. Please review WAC 132J-126-020 to better understand jurisdiction.

 

When a student who has allegedly violated the Student Code of Conduct fails to appear for a scheduled appointment, the Judicial Affairs office will place a hold on the student’s records and registration, and an additional violation of failure to comply could result.  If you fail to appear for a scheduled hearing or meeting after formal charges have been issued, a decision may be made in your absence without your involvement.  If you fail to comply with the terms of an assigned sanction, you can be charged with Failure to Comply and/or a hold may be placed on your records and registration. The results of such a charge will most likely be more severe than the original sanction. When a witness or complainant fails to set or keep an appointment, we will reach out again to the student to meet with us. We encourage all participants to meet with us to at least learn about the student conduct process before making on a decision not to pursue a complaint or participate as a witness.

 

Sanctions (WAC 132-126-130) are determined using a variety of factors including the nature and severity of the violation, related circumstances, impact on the campus/community, past history, precedent, and educational value of the sanction.

 

The student can file a report of an alleged Student Code of Conduct violation with the Campus Safety office for intake and investigation. Campus Safety Phone: (253) 833-9111 x3350

The only sanctions that will appear on transcripts would be dismissals. Suspension is noted as a “W” as the student is immediately withdrawn from all courses. Disciplinary probation, educational sanctions and other outcomes do not appear on academic transcripts. 

If the institution requests information about a student's disciplinary history Green River College will only release information after the student has completed an Authorization for Release of Information. Suspension or expulsion are sanctions that would reported; Disciplinary probation, educational sanctions and other outcomes are not reported. You may discuss your history with the admissions staff of the potential schools if you are concerned.

A student found to have violated the Student Code of Conduct has the right to appeal the decision. For more detailed information, see Appeals from disciplinary action (WAC 132J-126-150).

 

No. The student disciplinary process will continue, even if you withdraw from school. In addition, there may be a hold on your records and registration. Resolving allegations of misconduct through the student disciplinary process is an obligation you have as a student.

 

A student may be arrested and charged for a crime AND required to go through our process for the same alleged conduct. More often, though, a student proceeds solely through the conduct process. There are significant differences between the criminal justice system and the work we do with students. To find a violation, we use the "preponderance of evidence" standard, which is not as high as the standard used in criminal justice proceedings. When deciding what evidence to use to reach a decision, we do not follow rules of evidence that one would find in a civil or criminal court. Rather we ask only that the evidence be relevant to the allegations at issue. While students can have an attorney as an advisor, the student always represents themselves.  Overall, students should find our process to be less formal, more engaging and more individually tailored than the criminal justice system. In some cases, students risk separation from the college as a result of a student conduct investigation and hearing. Even though our process is not as formal as a criminal justice proceeding, students should nonetheless take it seriously and conduct themselves in a respectful and professional manner.