Policies & Procedures Student FAQs

You will receive an email from Housing & Residential Life or the Dean of Students Office to your UA email account. This email will inform you of a scheduled conduct hearing (date, time, location), list possible violations, and share a copy of the incident report that was written.

Please review the incident report for accuracy and attend your scheduled hearing to discuss the incident. 

You are notified of the date, time, and location of your hearing via email to your University of Arizona email account (@arizona.edu). Please add the domain 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.

As a student at the University of Arizona, it is your responsibility to review these messages in a timely manner and respond as instructed.

The purpose of the hearing is to allow you to share your account of the incident that occurred and determine your responsibility in the case.

Students have the right to bring an advisor (friend, parent, student, etc.) to a hearing. However, advisors may not participate in the hearing in any way, other than to privately advise the student and provide personal support.

Witnesses may also be presented to the hearing officer. Please be sure to inform your hearing officer in advance, if you will be bringing a witness. 

If you do not attend your hearing, please contact the hearing officer listed in your notification as soon as you are aware that you missed your hearing.

If you do not attend your hearing and do not contact the hearing officer in a timely manner, the officer will make a decision regarding your case in your absence. That decision will be based upon the incident report and any other evidence that has been provided. 

Preponderance of evidence is the burden of proof a hearing officer uses to make a decision of responsibility. It means that if a hearing officer believes it is “more likely than not” that a student violated the Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living or the Student Code of Conduct, they will find the student responsible for the violation and possibly issue educational interventions. Other burdens of proof that may be familiar include:

• Clear and convincing evidence 
• Beyond a reasonable doubt

To request to reschedule your hearing, please call (520) 626-6015.

You may appeal a conduct decision for which an educational intervention has been imposed by clicking on the link in your decision letter and answering the required questions. After submitting the appeal, your appeal will be reviewed by an Appeals Officer. Your appeal must be submitted within five (5) business days of your decision letter being sent. If you do not attend your hearing, you will be ineligible for appeal.

Cases will only be reopened if new information is identified and confirmed, and that information could have a material impact on the original decision. 

A student would be involved in a legal process or proceedings for a violation of the law in which a citation is issued or arrest made. The legal process exists separately from a University administrative process. When individuals become students at the University of Arizona, they agree to follow the Student Code of Conduct, and students in the dorms also agree to follow the Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living set forth by Housing & Residential Life.

When a student violates the Student Code of Conduct or the Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living, they are subject to a University administrative process in which responsibility for a violation of these rules is determined. A legal process and University administrative process can be concurrent if a student has violated the law, as well as the Student Code of Conduct or Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living.

The University of Arizona’s Off-Campus Housing office can offer assistance in locating available housing in the surrounding Tucson community. 

You can report an incident directly to a Housing & Residential Life staff member (Community Director, Resident Assistant, desk staff) or you can report an incident online through the Dean of Students Office. Most Housing & Residential Life-related incidents will be referred back to Housing & Residential Life staff for review and action. All reported incidents that occur outside of the residence hall will be reviewed by the Dean of Students Office staff. You may also file a police report with UAPD. The non-emergency contact number is (520) 621-UAPD (8273). For emergencies, please call 911. 

No, unfortunately you cannot report an incident anonymously. The source of all incident reports will need to be verified. There is also the possibility that staff investigating the report will need additional information from the reporting party.

If you are present and/or realize a violation is occurring, you must leave the room and/or area immediately and report the violations to hall staff such as your RA or Community Director.

Not necessarily. You may be included in an incident report as a witness, or you could be found “not responsible” for a violation, based upon the evidence and investigation by the hearing officer. You are still eligible to apply for an RA position.If you are found responsible for a violation and placed on Deferred License Agreement Cancellation, you are not eligible to apply to be an RA until you are no longer on Deferred License Agreement Cancellation. Deferred License Agreement Cancellation status lasts from the date it was assigned by the hearing officer through the end of the academic year.If you are found responsible for a violation and evicted from the residence hall, you are not eligible to be an RA at the University of Arizona. 

A citation from UAPD results in two processes:

• Court Process: There is a date and time on the bottom of your citation. You must appear in court to discuss this case in front of a judge. Should you decide not to appear for this hearing, a warrant will be issued for your arrest. 
• Dean of Students Office Process: You will receive an email from the Dean of Students Office to your UA email account. Please review the notification carefully and respond as necessary.

You may file a police report with UAPD. The non-emergency contact number is (520) 621-UAPD (8273).

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a set of federal regulations governing the rights of students and institutional responsibilities with respect to student records (educational records). It is also known as the Buckley Amendment. All of your students’ education records, including housing records, are protected by FERPA. 

Please submit the signed Confidentiality Waiver to the original hearing officer, who can share additional information regarding this incident with your permission. Download a copy here.

Ultimately, a student’s conduct (and academic) record belongs to the student, regardless of who may be paying for a student’s education. The University adheres to the strict policies regarding the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which governs the rights of students and institutional responsibilities with respect to student records (educational records). Find the confidentiality waiver here.

The Housing & Residential Life Conduct System is educational in nature. Its primary purpose is to help students learn from the choices they make and to become a positive contributor to the residence hall community. Consequences, or "educational interventions," are assigned when a student is found responsible for violating the Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living, contractual obligation, or law. Educational interventions are intended to help students learn how their behavior affected the residential community. The educational interventions assigned for any subsequent violation build upon those assigned previously. Examples of possible educational interventions can be found on the Educational Interventions and Definitions page.

Health Promotions within the Campus Health Services provides a six-hour educational risk-reduction class for students who are in violation of alcohol and other drug policies at the University of Arizona. There are two classes; one for alcohol and one for cannabis. There is a $50 fee for both programs. You must register in advance online or by calling (520) 621-5700. 

Community service hours can be completed at any recognized non-profit organization. It is your responsibility to make contact with an agency, schedule hours and complete the assigned amount of community service hours by the given deadline. All hours should be documented on agency letterhead, which you will then submit to your original hearing officer as verification of completion. Community service hours will be verified with the agency.

The University works with Sun Tran (Tucson’s regional public transportation system) to provide the U-Tran pass to students (paying up to 50% of your bus pass to eligible students, faculty and staff). For more information, please visit the Sun Tran website.  

A hold will be placed on your student account. If after one week of the hold being placed, the educational interventions are still incomplete, a non-refundable overdue educational intervention fee of up to $75 will be assessed to your bursar account. Regardless of whether or not the overdue fee is assessed, it is expected that you complete your educational interventions in a timely manner.

A student’s conduct record is independent from their academic record, unless a finding of responsibility results in suspension or expulsion from the University.

Students are also held to a high standard regarding academic integrity. A violation of this code could result in disciplinary action. More information regarding the Code of Academic Integrity can be found on the Dean of Students Office website. 

A monetary sanction is assessed as part of the conduct process only where a student is found responsible for violating Housing & Residential Life's Policies & Procedures for Dorm Living. The monetary sanction is utilized to offer on-going training to staff, additional community programming to residents and assist with maintenance of Housing & Residential Life's conduct database.