Conduct Hearing Process

Housing & Residential Life strives to provide a transparent conduct process that informs residents of potential violations of the Housing & Residential Life policies and procedures and the appropriate education interventions. Through the conduct process, residents are encouraged to reflect on their decisions, realize the impact of those actions on themselves and those around them, and evaluate how their future success may be affected. Our process is designed to promote change, encourage accountability, and bring awareness to residents about their role in their communities.

behavioral education conduct process flow chart

Educational Interventions & Definitions
Conduct Hearing Process Statuses
Conduct Hearing Processes

Educational Interventions & Definitions

Consequences, or “educational interventions,” are assigned when you are found responsible for violating a policy, contractual obligation, or law. Educational interventions are assigned based on your behavior and the related circumstances and are intended to help you learn how your behavior affected the residential community. The educational interventions assigned for any subsequent violation build upon those assigned previously. 

Failure to complete any educational intervention(s) by the designated deadline date(s) will result in a hold being placed on your student account. Failure to complete any educational intervention(s) within one week of the hold being placed on your student account will result in a non-refundable overdue educational intervention fine of $75 being assessed to your Bursar account. The hold will be removed only after you have completed all overdue educational interventions.

Conduct Process Statuses

Serves as a notice from Housing & Residential Life regarding a potential violation of a policy that may have taken place. This notice is sent to inform students more directly of our policies and to encourage them to avoid participating the documented behavior above in the future. Further violations of Housing & Residential Life's Policies and Procedures may initiate our conduct hearing process, which involves attending an administrative meeting to discuss the incident and specific consequences related to the violation if you are found responsible. Please make sure you are aware of all Housing & Residential Life and University policies. 

Serves as a formal warning from Housing & Residential Life against violating the policies and procedures. The warning status continues through the end of the ACADEMIC year. Please make sure you are aware of all Housing & Residential Life and University policies. If you are found responsible for future policy violation(s), the details of this incident will be considered in any future educational interventions for the duration of your time living on campus. If you have questions about any policy, please ask your RA or your Community Director.

License Agreement Probation means that Housing & Residential Life is giving you formal notice that your involvement in this incident is not acceptable. License Agreement Probationary status continues through the end of the ACADEMIC year. However, Housing & Residential Life reserves the right to extend the period of your probation. If you are found responsible for violating other policies in the future, it could lead to your license agreement termination. If you have questions about any policy, please ask your RA or your Community Director.

Being placed on Deferred License Agreement Termination status means if you are found responsible for ANY future Housing & Residential policy violation your License Agreement will be terminated and you will be required to move out of the residence halls. Deferred License Agreement Termination status continues through the end of the ACADEMIC year. This constitutes your last chance to remain living in the residence halls. As a reminder, if you are removed from housing for conduct reasons you will be charged rent based on the dates of your occupancy (pro-rated rent), plus you will be charged 65% of the remaining academic year rent or $2,500, whichever is less. If you have questions about any policy, please ask your RA or your Community Director.

The University may terminate your Housing License Agreement if you do not abide by the Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living or University rules. If your License Agreement is terminated, you will be required to move out of the residence hall within a given time after being notified of your License Agreement Termination. Should you be involved in any other policy violation(s) or be disruptive in any way prior to your leaving the building, you will be required to move out immediately.

If your License Agreement is terminated for conduct reasons, you will be charged rent based on the dates of your occupancy (pro-rated rent), plus you will be charged 65% of the remaining academic year rent or $2,500, whichever is less. This applies regardless of whether or not you continue enrollment at the University.

As your License Agreement has been terminated for conduct reasons, you will not be eligible to live in or visit any residence halls owned and/or managed by the University of Arizona at any point in the future. You may be cited for trespassing by the University of Arizona Police Department.

Conduct Hearing Processes

A conduct meeting is a hearing scheduled within Housing & Residential Life. It is scheduled for you and is in reference to a conduct situation that occurred for which you were documented. This meeting is an opportunity for you to explain your side of the situation before a decision is made, whether you are responsible for violating the Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living within our residence halls or if you are not responsible.

We expect you to be honest and without prejudice in reporting violations and/or when participating in conduct proceedings or investigations. One of the principle goals of the University of Arizona is to provide students with a quality education. This involves "providing an atmosphere conducive to the student’s intellectual development integrated with that of other facets of his/her personality–religious, moral, emotional, aesthetic, physical, social." With the help of the Community Director and the staff, individual students must assume the responsibility for establishing and maintaining an academic atmosphere beneficial to all.

Certain forms of behavior which disturb or offend others and/or violate the rights of others living and working on campus, or which run counter to a major goal of the University, may result in a disciplinary procedure/action. For this reason, and to protect the rights of the community, Housing & Residential Life staff has the responsibility and the authority to document, to correct, to counsel and to administer educational interventions when necessary.

Housing & Residential Life will communicate with you via your UArizona email account (<username>@arizona.edu).

Please add the domain email.arizona.edu to your address book so that University mail does not go into your spam folder. This is the official method for University communications and the primary method by which Housing & Residential Life delivers conduct-related information. A conduct-related email message will contain a tracking link which you must follow to authenticate your identity and to access detailed information regarding incidents in which you were involved. You must access this information immediately. Students are expected to check their email on a frequent and consistent basis in order to stay current with University-related communications. Students have the responsibility to recognize that certain communications may be time-critical. "I didn't check my email," error in forwarding mail, or email returned to the University with "Mailbox Full" or "User Unknown" are not acceptable excuses for missing official University communications via email.

If you have participated in, have knowledge of and/or witnessed a violation of the Housing License Agreement, Policies & Procedures, AUP, or General Procedures, you may be asked to appear at a conduct hearing. As a member of this community, you are obligated to help uphold the Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living and you are strongly encouraged to participate in conduct proceedings when you have information relevant to one or more violations.

You may be referred to the Dean of Students Office for alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct, violations of the Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living. For more information on the Student Code of Conduct, contact the Dean of Students Office at (520) 621-7057.

The University reserves the right to temporarily or permanently move or remove a student from Housing based on violations of the Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living, the Student Code of Conduct, other applicable Board of Regents or University policies, procedures, or codes, violations of federal, state or other applicable law or for any other administrative reason with its sole discretion.

Behaviors that can impact your living status

As a member of this community, you have rights as a resident and as a student. Please recognize that other members of this community have these same rights and responsibilities, and that your rights and responsibilities should not infringe upon those of another. It is important to learn to compromise with others in order to maintain an environment in which all members of the community may grow as individuals and pursue learning as a cornerstone of the campus residential experience.

Your Rights

As a Student:

  • You have the right to be treated with dignity and respect at all times.
  • You have the right to inspect, request amendments, and control disclosure of your education records as provided under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Related to a Conduct Hearing:

  • You have the right to a fair and impartial hearing.
  • You have the right to receive notice of your hearing and review the Incident Report that includes the charges against you.
  • You have the right to reschedule a hearing up to 24 hours prior to the hearing if the scheduled hearing interferes with class or a commitment beyond your control. If you miss your hearing, you have 48 hours to reschedule with the hearing officer.
  • You have the right to bring an advisor (friend, parent, student, other) to a hearing. However, advisors may not participate in the hearing in any way other than to privately advise you and provide personal support.
  • You have the right to present evidence, information, and witnesses relevant to the incident. You may also question and refute other testimonies and witnesses. 
    • Witnesses are excluded from the hearing until called and must leave when excused. Witnesses will be interviewed separately.
    • Witness testimony (written or verbal) will not be considered unless the witness is willing to be identified to all relevant parties including the staff members and the accused student(s).
    • Verbal testimony of a witness is preferred, but written statements may be presented when witnesses are unavailable to participate in a hearing. Written statements may be accorded less credibility than verbal testimony because the author is unavailable for questioning or clarification.
    • Character witnesses will not be permitted.
    • Irrelevant or redundant testimony or evidence may be excluded by the Hearing and/or Appeal Officer.
  • You have the right to not implicate yourself. 
  • You have the right to request reasonable disability accommodation in any Housing & Residential Life proceeding through the Disability Resource Center. 

 

Related to Conduct Educational Interventions:

  • You have the right to receive notification of the decision. The decision notification will include a rationale for the decision, the explanation of the educational interventions assigned to you, and the consequences for incomplete educational interventions.
  • You have the right, if you attend your conduct hearing, to appeal a conduct decision for which an educational intervention is imposed.

Your Responsibilities

As a Student:

  • It is your responsibility to be knowledgeable of, and abide by, Housing & Residential Life policies, University of Arizona policies, and Arizona state law at all times. All students are responsible for knowing and adhering to these standards.
  • It is your responsibility to be aware of any official University communication. 

 

Related to a Conduct Hearing:

  • It is your responsibility to appear at your own conduct hearing.

 

Related to Conduct Educational Interventions:

  • It is your responsibility, if assigned any educational interventions, to complete all of them by the designated deadline date(s).
  • It is your responsibility, if needed, to submit a request to the hearing officer for any modifications or extensions to any assigned educational intervention deadline(s) within 48 hours of the educational intervention deadline date(s). Any request is subject to approval by the hearing officer.

Educational Interventions

The Wildcat Way to Community Living is a one-time, 90-minute course facilitated by Housing & Residential Life staff that offers you an opportunity to understand your decision-making process and the implications and impact your decisions have not only for yourself but also for your community. Learning from your past decisions can help you make decisions in the future that better serve you and those around you.

A limited number of spaces are available for each course. You must reserve your space ahead of time by emailing the Administrative Associate for Student Behavioral Education at HSG-conduct@arizona.edu.

Classes will be in person or via Zoom. The course is tentatively scheduled to take place from 4:00pm to 5:30pm, with in-person classes occurring in the El Portal building. The Administrative Associate will inform you of available course dates, times, and locations after you contact them.

There is a $50.00 fee for this course. The fee is applied to your UAccess account whether you do or do not attend the course. 

Create a flyer or poster that can be posted in the residence halls educating residents on specific clarifying points regarding the policy that you violated.

The flyer should minimally highlight key points of the policy, potential impact for violating it and should be appropriate while visually attractive. It also needs to be reproducible for display around the community.

Monetary Sanctions/Community Service

A monetary sanction of up to $75 will be assessed if you are found responsible for violating the Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living or University policy. One monetary sanction will be assessed per incident. When you meet with the Hearing Officer, you will be given the choice between a Monetary Sanction or completing Community Service hours. If you choose to do Community Service hours, the hours must be completed with a non-profit organization and cannot be completed as part of a student or community organization with which you are already required to complete community service. A list of approved non-profit organizations in Tucson and specific community service requirements will be provided to you.

You will be asked to write a reflection paper on a given topic assigned by your Hearing Officer. The purpose of this educational intervention is to explore the experience, reflect on the positive and negative aspects of it and to formulate goals to improve the experience or results of the behavior that occurred.

If you intentionally or unintentionally damage or steal personal or University property, you may be required to compensate the owner or the University.

If you are under 21, the University may disclose to your parent or legal guardian information about a violation of any federal, state or local law, or any rule or policy of the institution governing the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance. Your parent or legal guardian will be notified if it has been determined that you have committed a disciplinary violation with respect to such use or possession.

If you are found responsible for a warning level violation, a policies quiz will be assigned. It is highly advised that you complete this on a laptop or desktop computer, with a wired connection, if possible. You will need to obtain a 90% or better to complete this educational intervention. If you do not know the answers to questions, please refer to our Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living. As long as you see a score at the end of the quiz, your results have been submitted. If you have any additional questions or concerns email HSG-conduct@arizona.edu.

SHADE (Student Health Alcohol and Drug Education) Courses:

Heath Promotions and Preventive Services, within the Campus Health Service, provides educational risk-reduction courses for students who are in violation of alcohol and other drug policies at the University of Arizona. There are two separate courses; one for alcohol (6 hours) and one for cannabis (4 hours). There is a $50 fee for this course. You must register in advance: register online. Call the SHADE office at 520-621-5700 if you have any problems registering.

SHADE Basics:

You will have two (2), one-on-one sessions with a counselor; each session is 45 to 50 minutes long. The counselor will use the BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students) model for the sessions. There is a $50 fee for this program. To schedule your appointment for BASICS, it is required that you first meet with the Student Assistance Team. Please call 520-626-6015 to schedule an appointment.

You will be asked to view a short video discussing the positive effects of mindfulness and then write a one page respond on specific reflection points.

Interim Hall Transfer and Eviction 

Interim Hall Transfer or Eviction from a residence hall or all residence halls may be imposed if there is reasonable cause to believe that your continued presence may pose an immediate threat to the educational environment, the physical or emotional health, safety or well being to yourself, other residents or staff, and/or to University property.

Room/Hall Transfer

You may be transferred to another room or residence hall as an educational intervention when found in violation of the Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living, or for other behavioral factors.

Visitation Restriction

Visitation restriction means that you are forbidden to be present in a specific dorm or dorms. In cases of eviction, you may not be present in any University-operated residence hall indefinitely. You need prior written permission from the Director of Residence Life or designee to enter these locations. In cases of hall transfers, you are barred from being in your current hall indefinitely, unless you receive prior written permission from the Executive Director of Housing & Residential Life, or designee. You may be cited for trespassing by UAPD for violating this restriction.