The letter that your student has received states that he/she has been
alleged to have violated one or more of Texas A&M University’s Student Rules.
The letter states which rule may have been violated and a brief description
of how the rule 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 his/her student conduct conference.
The letter also states that your student can contact the SCRS office to set
up a student conduct conference information session with a staff member to discuss the SCRS process and
student conduct conference. The SCRS staff highly encourages students to attend a student conduct conference information session.
Also included is a bookmark that
lists the
rights that your student has in the SCRS process.
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You are the only person that can answer that question. We encourage
parents to allow their children to take responsibility for their actions, as
they are adults. Often a student just needs to know that their parent(s) will
support them regardless of the behavior they have engaged in. We also
encourage parents to instruct their student to become education about the
disciplinary process. Encourage them to view their case file and schedule a
student conduct conference information session.
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A student conduct conference information session, while not mandatory, is encouraged by the SCRS staff. This
meeting will give your student an opportunity to review his/her 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.
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 one of the
Student Rules.
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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 time to officially respond to the
charges and the evidence in your 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.
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 charge(s) against them, briefly
review their rights, the range of sanctions that could be imposed, and to
answer any questions that they may have.
Your student 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 your student about the incident documented.
Your student 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).
Your student may accept responsibility or deny responsibility for the
charges that have been assigned to their incident. If they deny
responsibility, they may be found in violation by the student conduct officer(s) for
the student rule(s) violation.
If your student accepts responsibility or is found responsible for the
charges assigned to them, then they will be issued an appropriate sanction
for their involvement.
Your student’s conduct officer(s) will then conclude the student conduct conference by
explaining that they will receive a follow up letter from the SCRS office
reviewing their incident, the finding(s) of the student conduct conference, their sanction(s)
(if any), and the appeals process.
The student conduct officer(s) will then answer any last questions that your
student may have before concluding the student conduct conference.
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Texas A&M University uses a standard of evidence called Preponderance of
Evidence to determine if a violation of the Student Rules has occurred.
Preponderance of Evidence means more likely then not. This is a different,
and less strict, standard of evidence, that is used in the criminal court
system. Our student conduct conferences at Texas A&M University are not criminal proceedings,
nor do they follow the same guidelines as a criminal proceeding.
Another way to think about Preponderance of Evidence is to ask yourself
the questions: Is it more then 50% likely that a Student Rule violation
occurred?
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There are several factors that are taken into consideration by the student conduct conference
officer(s) when deterring what an appropriate sanction for a student is. The
student conduct officer(s) will examine the following:
- The nature of the violation
- Previous conduct history
- Aggravating or mitigating circumstances surrounding the violation
- Their motivation for the behavior
- Similar sanctions that have assigned for similar cases
- The developmental and educational impact of the sanction
Please refer to the Student Rules, Section 27 for a complete list of
sanctions that may be imposed for a violation of the Student Rules.
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In rare instances, students are separated from the university. These
sanctions are suspension, dismissal, and expulsion. Examples of behaviors
that may warrant separation are sexual misconduct, physical abuse, hazing,
harassment, drug use and sales, repeat offenders, and possession and use of
weapons. Your student will learn if these sanctions are a possibility for
him/her during their student conduct conference information session.
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If your student is found not responsible for all of the charges, he/she
will not have a disciplinary file. If your student is found responsible for
any of the charges, the university will maintain their disciplinary file for
five years post graduation or separation from the institution. The university
maintains the right to keep disciplinary files involving separation from the
institution indefinitely.
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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 his/her 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. He/she may sign a FERPA waiver that will
allow us to speak with you.
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Your student must visit our office to obtain this form and sign it in the
presence of one of our staff members. Your student must specify who they
would like to release their records to and what type of information they
would like to release.
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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.
Students are also required to sign a release form that permits another
individual to be present during their student conduct conference.
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Attorneys may serve as advisors in our process; however, they CAN NOT
REPRESENT YOUR STUDENT. The student conduct officers will not speak with the attorney
or allow any representation. Ultimately it is your student’s decision about
whether or not he/she needs an attorney.
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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. The student conduct conference at the SCRS office
will only resolve conflicts with the Student Rules. For more information on
various legal proceedings, please visit our Student Legal Services
area.
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Unless a student allows their records to be released to a specific
individual(s), then the outcomes of student conduct proceedings are typically
not released.
There are however some exceptions to this rule:
In the Fall of 1999, Texas A&M University began notifying the
parents/guardians of students under the age of 21 that were involved in a
violation of Texas A&M University's Student Rules on alcohol. At the same
time, parents/guardians of students of all ages were notified of violations of
Texas A&M University's Student Rules on illegal and/or controlled
substances.
Parental notification letters are typically sent from the Dean of Student
Life approximately two weeks after the conclusion of the student conduct
proceedings. The specifics of the incident that your student has been involved
with are not included with the letter, but the letter does alert you that your
student has been involved in a violation of the alcohol and/or
illegal/controlled substances policy for Texas A&M University and
encourages you to contact your student to discuss the specifics of their
incident.
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Please visit our section on statistics
to see an overview of the number, type, and typical sanctions that are
assigned to violations of the Student Rules.
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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 his/her behavior. We view your
student as an adult and hold them to that standard.
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Please contact the SCRS Office at (979) 847-7272 or in person at tCain
Hall, Room C315. You may also contact us via email at scrs@tamu.edu.
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