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FAQs for Parents/Guardians
My student has received a letter from Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. What does it mean?
The letter that your student has received states that they have been alleged to have violated one or more of Purdue University’s regulations in the Student Code of Conduct. The letter states which policy may have been violated and provides a brief description of how the policy may have been violated. The letter also indicates the time, date, and location of your student’s conduct conference. It is imperative that your student attend their student conduct conference.
If your student has an administrative conduct conference scheduled, the letter also states that your student can contact OSRR to set up a student conduct conference information session with a staff member to discuss the student conduct process. The OSRR staff highly encourages students to attend a student conduct conference information session. Students who have a Community Standards Board Conference are required to attend an information session. The time, date and location of the required information session is included in your student's letter.
How can I help my student?
You are the only person that can answer that question. We encourage parents/guardians to allow their children to take responsibility and ownership in the student conduct process, as they are adults. Often a student just needs to know that they will be supported regardless of the behavior they have engaged in. We also encourage parents/guardians to instruct their student to become educated about the student conduct process. Encourage them to review their case file, schedule a student conduct conference information session, and ask questions about aspects of the process that they are unclear about.
What is a student conduct information session?
A student conduct conference information session, while not mandatory for all students, is encouraged by the OSRR staff. This meeting will give your student an opportunity to review their conduct file, meet with a staff member to discuss their rights, to talk about the student conduct conference process, to discuss the range of sanctions that may be imposed, and to have their questions answered. Students who have been scheduled for a Community Standards Board Conference are required to attend an information session. The time, date and location of the information session is included in your student's letter.
A student conduct conference information session is not the time for your student to explain their involvement in the situation, nor will a determination be made of whether or not they are responsible for violating the Student Code of Conduct.
What will happen during my student's conduct conference?
The student conduct conference is a time for your student to tell their side of the story. In order for the student conduct officers to make the best decision possible, they need a full picture of what happened. This is your student’s time to officially respond to the allegation(s) and the information in their case file. When they arrive for their student conduct conference, they will have the opportunity to review their conduct file if they have not viewed it prior to the student conduct conference.
Preliminary Information
If they did not have a student conduct conference information session, the staff member(s) who are adjudicating their case will meet with them to review the allegation(s) against them, briefly review their rights, the range of sanctions that could be imposed, and to answer any questions that they may have.
Acknowledgment of Responsibility
They will also be asked whether or not they accept responsibility for the allegation(s). They may accept responsibility or not accept responsibility for the allegations that have been assigned to their incident. If they choose to not accept responsibility, they may be found responsible by the student conduct officer(s) for the student regulation(s) violation.
If they accept responsibility or are found responsible for the charge(s) assigned to them, then they will be issued an appropriate sanction(s) based on their involvement, which will be detailed in their outcome letter. If they are found not responsible for the charge(s), this will also be detailed in their outcome letter.
Response to the Allegation(s)
They will then have an opportunity to explain their perspective on the incident that has been documented. They will have a chance to explain what they agree with, what they disagree with, and to explain their involvement with the documented incident. The student conduct officer(s) will then have some questions for them about the incident documented.
Presentation of Witness(es)
They will also have the opportunity to present any witnesses or additional supporting information that they have pertaining to the incident. (See witness FAQ for additional information).
Next Steps
Their student conduct officer(s) will then conclude the student conduct conference by explaining that they will receive a follow up letter from the OSRR reviewing their incident, the finding(s) of the student conduct conference, their sanction(s) (if any), and the appeals process where applicable.
The student conduct officer(s) will then answer any last questions that they may have before concluding the student conduct conference.
How do you decide if my student violated the Student Code of Conduct?
Purdue University uses a standard of proof called Preponderance of Information to determine if a violation of the Student Policy has occurred.
Preponderance of Information means more likely than not. This is a different, and less strict, standard of information that is used in the criminal court system. Our student conduct conferences at Purdue University are not criminal proceedings, nor do they follow the same guidelines as a criminal proceeding.
Another way to think about Preponderance of Information is to ask yourself the question: Is it more than 50% likely that a violation occurred?
If my student did violate one or more policies in the Student Code of Conduct, how will they be held accountable?
There are several factors that are taken into consideration by the student conduct conference administrator when determining an appropriate sanction. The student conduct administrator will examine the following:
- Nature of the violation
- Previous conduct history
- Aggravating, mitigating, or relevant circumstances surrounding the violation
- The motivation for the behavior
- Impact of the conduct on the university, community, and/or impacted parties
- Developmental and educational impact of the sanction
Is my student going to be suspended or expelled?
In some instances, students are separated from the University through the Community Standards Board process. These sanctions are suspension and expulsion. Examples of behaviors that may warrant separation are violations associated with egregious academic dishonesty, physical abuse and endangerment, hazing, drug use and sales, theft, possession and use of weapons and those students who continue to commit violations after being given the opportunity to modify their behavior. Students are made aware of the range of sanctions that are possible when they receive their notice of allegations letter from OSRR. Students scheduled to resolve their case through an Administrative Conduct Conference are not eligible for separation from the University.
How long will my student have a disciplinary record with the University?
If your student is found not responsible for all of the alleged violations, they will not have a disciplinary file. If your student is found responsible for any of the alleged violation(s), the University will maintain their disciplinary file for a period of seven years. The university also retains the right to maintain a disciplinary record for a longer period of time or indefinitely.
Can the University tell me the specifics of the incident my student was involved with?
Your student is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99)
FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Your student may discuss their case with anyone of their choosing. The university is restricted to discussing the case with your student, those your student designates that we can communicate with, and those with an educational need to know such as University administrators. If you want to speak with us concerning specifics of your student’s case, please have a conversation with your student. They may sign a FERPA waiver that will allow us to speak with you.
Where do they get this FERPA waiver?
Your student must contact OSRR at osrr@purdue.edu to obtain the FERPA waiver. Your student must specify who they would like to release their records to and what type of information they would like to release.
The release also specifies an expiration date, with the maximum amount of time being one year.
Can I accompany my student to their student conduct conference?
Students are permitted to have one advisor present with them during their student conduct conference. This advisor may be anyone of the students choosing (friend, faculty member, parent, attorney, clergy). However, this advisor is not permitted to represent or speak for the student during the student conduct conference. They may provide advice to the student, but under no circumstances will they be permitted to speak for the student during the student conduct conference.
If a student elects to utilize an advisor, it is expected that the advisor be available at the time of the scheduled proceeding. Students will not be permitted to postpone or delay their proceeding based upon the availability of an advisor.
Students are also required to sign a release form that permits another individual to be present during their student conduct conference.
Do I need to hire an attorney?
Attorneys may serve as advisors in our process, however, they cannot represent your student. Your student is responsible for presenting their own information, answering questions from the student conduct administrator, chairperson, and/or panel members. The student conduct administrators will not speak with the attorney or allow any representation. Ultimately, it is your student’s decision about whether or not they need an attorney.
What happens if my student has a pending student conduct conference and a pending criminal citation?
Your student will need to resolve both issues separately. Students have a separate relationship to the University that is different from their responsibilities as citizens in the larger community. The student conduct conference at OSRR will only resolve conflicts with Purdue University policies. For more information on various legal proceedings, please visit our Student Legal Services area.
Will I be notified that my student has been involved in a Student Code of Conduct Policy violation?
For OSRR proceedings, unless a student allows their records to be released to a specific individual(s), then the specific details of their student conduct proceedings are typically not released. If you would like to speak with an OSRR staff member about your student's incident, please have them complete a FERPA release form and submit it to OSRR.
I know my student would not misbehave, why can’t you see that?
Students often display different behaviors when they are away from home, especially for the first time. Your student is experiencing many changes including independence and exploration of identity. We encourage you to have a candid conversation with your child about their behavior. We view your student as an adult and hold them to that standard.
Who can I contact if I have more questions?
Please contact OSRR at 765-494-1250 or in person at Helen B. Schleman Hall, Suite 216. You may also contact us via email at osrr@purdue.edu.
