This policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in departmental practices and/or required mandates. The revised date will be updated and a notice will be placed on the site notifying you of such modification.
(Last Revised by the UNC Greensboro Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, December 21, 2022)
Members of the University community embrace fundamental principles to ensure a campus environment conducive to peaceful and productive living and study. These principles include five values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Members of the community who adopt these principles will seldom have need of the Student Code of Conduct (the Code). When members of the University community fail to observe these principles, the Code is used to affirm these values through adjudication of allegations involving violations of these values. Allegations made against individual students or student groups/organizations include reference to the general principle that is at risk as well as the specific conduct alleged to be a violation of the Code.
The University embraces and strives to uphold the freedoms of expression and speech guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the North Carolina Constitution. The University has the right under appropriate circumstances to regulate the time, place, and manner of exercising these and other constitutionally protected rights.
All students are responsible for conducting themselves in a manner that helps enhance an environment of learning in which the rights, dignity, worth, and freedom of each member of the academic community are respected.
Violations of University policies, rules or regulations, or federal state, or local law may result in a violation of the Code and imposition of student discipline.
Section 502 D(3) of The Code of the University of North Carolina provides:
“Subject to any policies or regulations of the Board of Governors or of the Board of Trustees, it shall be the duty of the Chancellor to exercise full authority in the regulation of student affairs and student conduct and discipline. In the discharge of this duty, delegation of such authority may be made by the Chancellor to faculty committees and to administrative or other officers of the institution or to agencies of student government, in such manner and to such extent as made by the Chancellor be deemed necessary and expedient. In the discharge of the Chancellor’s duty with respect to matters of student discipline, it shall be the duty of the Chancellor to secure to every student the right to due process.”
The Chancellor has delegated this authority through the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs to the Dean of Students Office or designee (usually the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities) to administer, regulate, interpret, and revise the Code.
Jurisdiction under the Code applies to behavior from a student’s acceptance to the University through the date of graduation. This includes, but is not limited to new students at orientation, persons not currently enrolled but who are still seeking a degree from UNCG, and any other person enrolled in a credit-earning course offered by UNCG. For purposes of exercising jurisdiction for University discipline, it also includes any person who has graduated from UNCG if the University determines that his/her graduation or receipt of credit may have involved misconduct while the person was working toward a degree. Additionally, students with pending conduct cases will not officially graduate until their case is resolved.
The procedures provided in this Code are not intended to be equivalent to the process of federal, state, or local laws and do not determine whether criminal conduct has occurred. Criminal procedures do not address the educational mission of the University. University disciplinary proceedings may be initiated against a student charged with a violation of law that is also a violation of this Code. The University reserves the right to proceed under this Code prior to, concurrent with, or subsequent to civil litigation, criminal arrest, or criminal prosecution. The University cooperates fully with law enforcement agencies to the extent permitted by law.
Instances of prohibited conduct may be subject to the Code whether or not they occur on University Premises. The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities or designee shall determine whether an incident off campus affects University interests and thus falls within the scope of the Code. Off-campus instances of prohibited conduct that may be addressed include, but are not limited to, acts of harm, repeated or high-risk alcohol and/or drug misuse, sexual misconduct, interpersonal violence, felony charges, and any federal, state or local laws or University policies or protocols related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Procedures, except when the violation is an allegation of academic dishonesty, as governed by the Academic Integrity Policy.
The purpose of affording medical amnesty is to remove barriers to seeking needed treatment or making a report to law enforcement or University officials for fear of being subject to disciplinary action. Thus, this protocol ensures that a student’s safety and health come first in cases of underage possession and/or consumption of alcohol and/or use of controlled substances.
The Offices of Student Rights and Responsibilities and Housing and Residence Life will not pursue conduct action if: (1) the intoxicated or other student(s) involved reports the incident, (2) the intoxicated or other student(s) involved is actively seeking medical and/or health assistance from a University official or medical provider, (3) the intoxicated student is the victim of a sexual or interpersonal violence or other violent crime, or (4) a Student Organization/Group hosting an event in which one or more members seek medical assistance on behalf of another student from a University official or medical provider and remains on the scene to provide support.
Medical amnesty represents a policy choice to withhold disciplinary action for students when they seek emergency medical treatment due to the underage possession and/or consumption of alcohol and/or use of controlled substances or in situations where the student may have experienced some form of sexual or interpersonal violence, or otherwise have been the victim of a crime.
A student who is seeking Medical Amnesty for themselves may be required to comply with recommendations of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibility in order to be granted the amnesty. Recommendations may consist of, but not be limited to, the following:
Medical Amnesty will not be granted to students needing medical assistance who refuse to cooperate with medical providers, law enforcement, and/or University personnel at the time medical assistance is being sought.
If a student or a Student Organization/Group received Medical Amnesty for a prior incident or has prior alcohol misuse sanctions, the availability of amnesty is at the discretion of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Additionally, Medical Amnesty applies only to alcohol and other drug violations under the Student Code of Conduct and does not exempt students or Student Organizations/Groups from the possibility of being charged with criminal offenses or that other charges being issued by the University to address other prohibited conduct such as assault, property damage, or distribution of illegal or illicit substances. If you seek help on behalf of a drug overdose victim, you and the victim may be exempt from certain criminal drug charges.
Students are guaranteed the following elements of fundamental fairness throughout the student conduct process:
A respondent who is not a student at the time of the conduct proceeding may be subject to a Hold on their records which prevents further registration at the University pending resolution of outstanding conduct allegations. The University may adjudicate the charges against the respondent regardless of whether the respondent is currently a student. In addition, the Hold can be extended to prevent release of transcripts and/or diplomas. The conduct records of students attempting to transfer to another institution are subject to disclosure to the transfer institution.
When a respondent no-shows or misses an SCC, the conduct officer will hold a conduct review of the allegations. The respondent will receive written notice of the conduct review, which will be held no sooner than five (5) calendar days after the SCC. At any time prior to the conduct review, the respondent has the opportunity to review any written evidence and obtain a list of witnesses. If the respondent does not attend the conduct review, the conduct officer may conduct the conduct review in their absence and make a determination of responsibility based on the information available and assign appropriate sanctions. Written notification of the decision and sanctions will be sent to the appropriate University parties (including the complainant when applicable) and to the respondent by email to the respondent’s UNCG email address. Written notification shall include a description of the respondent’s appeal rights, if any, and a deadline for exercising those rights.
At the conclusion of the conduct process, the conduct officer will provide verbal and written notification of the decision and sanctions to the respondent and, if applicable the complainant in cases involving sexual misconduct or interpersonal violence. The written notification shall include a description of the appeal rights, if any. In all cases, written notification of the decision and sanctions will be sent to the respondent’s UNCG email account.
The Office of Housing and Residence Life has designated conduct officers who may hear cases which will not result in separation or interim suspension from the University. Reviews of allegations in which the respondent pleads Responsible may be conducted in accordance with procedures described in this Code.
The primary purpose of sanctions in the University setting is to provide incentive and opportunity for education and reflection of the student as well as due consideration of the needs of the larger University community. Sanctions define a student or student organization’s disciplinary standing with the University following a finding of “Responsible” for a violation.
Compelling factors that affect the severity of the sanction(s) may include, but are not limited to, the present demeanor and past conduct record of the student; the nature of the incident; the severity of any damage, injury, or harm resulting from the incident; and whether the incident was motivated by bias based upon a person’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, age, national origin, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.
Any one of the following sanctions or their combinations, or others, as appropriate, may be imposed at the discretion of the conduct officer/hearing panel:
In cases where a hearing panel or conduct officer believes additional information is needed prior to decision or sanction, the respondent may be referred for assessment or evaluation by internal or external agencies for psychological or substance abuse concerns. In such cases, the hearing shall be deferred until such time as the requested assessment, evaluation and/or treatment is completed.
A respondent who is found responsible for a violation(s) of the Code, but who graduates from the University before imposition of a sanction, is subject to (a) revocation of any degree awarded; (b) temporary or permanent withholding of the transcript for any degree earned, regardless of whether the degree has been awarded; and/or (c) having sanction(s) imposed as a condition of re-enrollment at the University.
Degree Withdrawal or Revocation – A degree may be withdrawn or revoked when a student has graduated and an incident occurred before graduation in the following circumstances:
Revocation of Admission and/or Degree – Admission to the University or a degree awarded from the University may be revoked for fraud, misrepresentation, or other violation of University policy or for other serious viola