Student Conduct and Community Standards FAQ's

Welcome to the Student Conduct Frequently Asked Questions page. Here you will find the most frequently asked questions regarding student conduct and related processes, student records and health and safety checks. If you do not find the answer to your question, please do not hesitate to contact the office at conduct@ithaca.edu or 607-274-3375.

General Questions

A: If you are documented by a member of the Ithaca College community, the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards will receive that report. The report will be reviewed for potential violations of the Student Conduct Code, Residential Life Rules and Regulations, or other campus policy. A hearing officer will schedule a meeting with you based on your class schedule to discuss the incident with you. In that meeting, the hearing officer will ask you for information about the incident to determine your involvement in and responsibility for the violation(s). If you are found responsible for violating any section of the Student Conduct Code or Residential Life Rules and Regulations, you will be given sanctions that you will be required to complete.

A. When a student is found responsible for violating the Student Conduct Code or Residential Life Rules and Regulations, one or more sanctions may be imposed. For a list of possible sanctions, please review the Student Conduct Code section 7.1.2.8 Sanctions (VIII). In determining the appropriate sanction(s), the hearing officer will consider the severity of the offense, the student’s conduct history, and any other mitigating factors. For incidents involving drugs or alcohol, please review the AOD Brochure for a list of possible outcomes.

A: If you miss a meeting with your hearing officer, they may make a decision on your case without the benefit of your input. If you know you will not be able to attend a meeting, please contact your hearing officer as soon as possible to reschedule. If you miss a meeting, your hearing officer will send you a sanction letter with the outcome of your incident and any sanctions you will need to complete. You are expected to complete any assigned sanctions if you were not at your meeting.

A: In your meeting with your hearing officer, they will discuss with you your sanctions and the deadline by which you need to complete them. After you meet with your hearing officer, you will be sent a letter via email that summarizes your meeting. This letter will include whether or not you were found responsible for any violations and specific information on your sanctions, including deadlines and any other information you will need to complete them (video links, paper specifications, community service paper work, etc.). It is your responsibility to complete your sanctions by the given deadline, if you are unable to access your outcome letter, please contact your hearing officer or Student Conduct and Community Standards office at conduct@ithaca.edu to retrieve that information. Failure to complete your sanctions as outlined in your letter will result in further action or a hold being placed on your student account.

A: If you were sanctioned for violations of the Student Conduct Code or received sanctions of residence hall reassignment, residence hall restriction, termination of the student's housing contract, deferred suspension, suspension, and/or expulsion for a violation of the Residence Hall Rules and Regulations, you are eligible to request a Conduct Review Board hearing. Cases heard before a conduct review board are not considered an appeal of your  original decision, but are an entirely new hearing process. If you received any other sanctions for violations of the Residential Life Rules and Regulations, the decision of your hearing officer is final.

A: A Conduct Review Board hearing (CRB) is a formal conduct hearing. In the event that a student is eligible to have their case heard before a conduct review board and chooses to do so, the decision rendered in their meeting with a hearing officer becomes null and void, and the student continues without sanction until the conduct review board hearing process is completed. Hearing officers for CRB hearings are called Conduct Review board members. Three student, staff and faculty board members will serve on the Board. Board members are not informed of the outcome of the original hearing and will review the case objectively. During the CRB, the student will have the opportunity to present witnesses and evidence regarding the alleged incident, following which the Board will determine an outcome. For more information regarding procedures for a Conduct Review Board, please see the Student Conduct Code section 7.1.2.4.2 Conduct Review Board Process.

A: All completed sanctions should be submitted to the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards via e-mail at conduct@ithaca.edu. If you have questions about your sanction deadlines or requirements, please contact your hearing officer or the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards.

A: Failure to complete an assigned sanction may result in additional action from the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards. A registration hold may be placed on your student account, which will prevent you from registering for classes. In more serious cases, you may be re-charged for failure to comply, which can result in additional sanctions. If you think you are going to have trouble completing your sanctions by your assigned deadline, please contact your hearing officer as soon as possible to discuss the situation.

A: Disciplinary Probation is a formal written notice that a student is not in good standing with the College. Students who are on or have been on Probation may receive greater sanctions if they have further violations of the Student Conduct Code or the Residential Life Rules and Regulations. Disciplinary Probation could also result in a loss of privileges within the College community, including consideration of eligibility for an Ithaca College study abroad program or Communications Program in Los Angeles. In addition, Disciplinary Probation may affect your eligibility to hold leadership roles in various organizations (Student Government/Senior Class/Residence Life).

A: The College reserves the right to notify parents of student conduct incidents and sanctions in accordance with the Family Educational Rights to Privacy Act. (FERPA). Parents will typically be notified if a student's ability to remain in housing or at the college is in jeopardy, if there is a concern for the student's health and safety, or the student’s behavior is impacting the larger community. The College uses parental notification as a helpful tool for creating partnerships and opportunities for success for our students.

A: If you are a member of an athletic team your coach will be notified if you have been found responsible for any violation of the Student Conduct Code or the Residential Life Rules and Regulations. Students are encouraged to notify their coach as soon as an incident has occurred or immediately following a finding of responsibility.

A: Many factors impact how sanctions are determined for individual students, including their level of involvement in an incident and their previous conduct history.

A. Students are allowed to have an advisor in attendance at their conduct meeting.  Advisors must be selected from the current faculty, administration and staff, or students at Ithaca College. Students can provide a release of information form which will allow their hearing officer to discuss the case with a parent/guardian, however parent(s) and guardian(s) and other non-Ithaca persons will not be permitted to attend the conduct meeting. Authorization for Release of Information forms are available through the Office of Student Conduct at conduct@ithaca.edu. Eligible advisors are meant to help the student prepare for the meeting and provide support during the meeting, however, may not speak or answer questions on behalf of the student.

A. The Student Conduct Code applies to all Ithaca College students and may include behavior that occurs on campus, off campus, online, or in the classroom. The Residential Life Rules and Regulations applies to all Ithaca College students, however, is specific to behavior that occurs in or around the Residence Halls or Apartments

A. Students can make a report to any Residence Life staff member including their Resident Advisor or Resident Director, Residential Life Staff Directory. Students can also make a report directly to the Office of Public Safety. For questions on whether a situation may rise to the level of a conduct violation, students are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards at conduct@ithaca.edu or at (607) 274-3375. 

Student Conduct Record FAQ's

A. Student conduct records are kept until you graduate or for three years after your separation from the College. The files of students who receive sanctions of suspension or expulsion are the only exception. Those files are maintained permanently.

A. Our office is not authorized to release conduct records without the students signature. All requests for student conduct records must be submitted in writing via email to conduct@ithaca.edu. 

Health and Safety FAQ's

A. You, as a student, are responsible for knowing what is or is not a violation. Each student signs a housing agreement, part of which states:

“…I also acknowledge my responsibility to read and comply with all College Policies and procedures set forth in publications and on-line resources including the Undergraduate Catalogue, Student Handbook, and Residential Life Guide…”

In addition, the college takes these steps to educate students:
• Health and Safety information, including a list of illegal appliances, is posted in each residence hall
• RAs cover the information at floor meetings
• The information is posted on www.ithaca.edu/reslife/csindex.htm
• In the beginning of the year, each student is given a brochure detailing everything about health and safety checks, including when and how they are conducted, what is illegal, and the fine structure.

Once you have been documented for a Health and Safety violation, the fine will not be reversed.

A. We do checks in September that are designed to be educational in nature. During that time, if you are found with Health and Safety Violations and come into compliance by the specified date, you will not be fined or referred to the conduct office. You will be automatically charged for violations at all other checks during the academic year. RAs explain this in September, and this information is included in the Health and Safety brochure each student receives. It’s great that you removed the violation – that’s exactly the right thing to do- but it does not change the fact that there was a violation in the first place.

A. If your violation has been there all year, then it must have been missed during previous checks. It is unfortunate, but it does happen, and it does not exempt you from being fined.

A. RAs are supposed to document policy violations, but they do not always catch them. In the end, you and you alone are responsible for knowing and following Residential Life Rules and Regulations.

A. There are two people living in your room. Both of you are responsible for everything that happens in your room. Both of you had the ability to address the fact that there was a violation. Therefore you are both held accountable for it.

A. If you confront your roommate about a violation and they do not remove it, you need to seek help from an RA or an RD. You must do this in order to make it clear that you knew there was a violation and tried to work with your roommate to correct it. Otherwise you are still held accountable for the violation.

A. There is no such thing as “college-approved”. If the appliance is on the list of illegal appliances, then it is illegal. Any exceptions would have been noted on the list.

A. The Office of Facilities sets the fee for room trash. Environmental Health and Safety sets the fine amount for Health and Safety violations. Room trash is considered the same as room damage, which is why the cost is divided among all residents of a room or apartment. Health and Safety fines are assessed to all individuals in a room, and are not divided.