Understanding the Conduct Process
The mission of Saint Louis University is to help students become men and women for others. Consistent with the philosophy of a Jesuit education and this mission, the SLU Office of Student Responsibility and Community Standards is committed to developing and nurturing a community that embraces responsibility and prioritizes individual growth and development.
The goal of our office is to work collaboratively with you even if your words and actions conflict with the ideals of the University. To this end, we support an educational disciplinary process that assists you in understanding the consequences of your actions and helps to improve your decision-making skills.
The Conduct Process
If you are documented for being involved in a potential policy violation, you will be contacted by email and asked to attend an individual hearing about your conduct. During the 2023-2024 academic year, individual hearings will occur in person or via Zoom. During this individual hearing, you will have the opportunity to discuss the incident with a University hearing officer, a professional staff member who investigates and determines responsibility for any violations.
Failure to attend this meeting will result in the case being decided in your absence and a failure-to-comply violation, an additional Community Standards violation on your record that may result in a registration hold being placed on your account.
You will receive outcomes if you accept responsibility or are found responsible for the charges. These are outcomes designed to educate you about how your actions impact both you and others. A list of possible sanctions can be found in the student handbook in section 2.0: Community Standards. The hearing officer will use the preponderance of evidence standard when deciding a case, which means that the determination is that it is more likely than not that a violation was committed.
Appeals
If there was an error in procedural due process that would significantly impact the outcome of the case, or if new or relevant facts became available after the hearing that would significantly impact the outcome of your hearing, you may submit an appeal.
You will have three days to appeal. If your case was heard under the non-suspendable hearing procedures, the appeal will be sent to the Student Appeal Board, which consists of undergraduate students. You will receive a notification from our office when your appeal has been submitted. The Community Standards Appeal Board will have the final say, and their determination is final.
If your case was heard under the suspendable hearing procedures, your appeal will be forwarded to the University Appeal Board, which is a panel of faculty and administrators. You will receive a notification from our office when your appeal has been submitted. The University Appeal Board will have the final say, and their determination is final.
Please note that your outcome, as determined by your hearing officer, consists of:
- Charges (e.g. Alcohol-Underage Drinking/Possession, Drugs, Theft)
- A finding (e.g. Found Responsible, Accepted Responsibility, Not Responsible)
- An Outcome (e.g. Disciplinary Warning, Reflection Paper, Community Service).
In your appeal, it is important to note whether you are appealing the charges, the finding or the outcomes.
Opening the Individual Hearing Email
Our system will send the meeting letters through a secure email system called Maxient. This email will contain a link to a login screen where you must enter your student ID (including the three zeros) to retrieve a letter that includes the time, location and hearing officer you will meet with.
Parent and Family Notification
The Family Educational Rights to Privacy Act (FERPA) restricts parents/families from being contacted directly regarding a policy violation concerning their child. However, parents/families will be contacted regarding more serious violations. The Office of Student Responsibility and Community Standards will notify parents if their students are found responsible for alcohol and/or drug violations and they are under the age of 21. Parents will be notified via their permanent address on file and only when the determination is final. Determinations are considered final once the date for appeal has passed with no appeal submitted or if an appellate board upholds the findings and sanctions issued by the hearing officer. In accordance with FERPA, the University will contact family when there is:
- Concern for the welfare of a student;
- The student's behavior may jeopardize the welfare of others;
- The student is involved in violations of federal, state, local, or University policies related to the possession, use, or distribution of alcohol or controlled substances and is under the age of 21.
To allow SLU personnel to discuss any issues outside of alcohol and drug violations with your parents, you must grant permission by completing the form.
Differences From a Legal Process
Saint Louis University's conduct process is designed to teach our students to accept responsibility for their actions, to help them realize the impact of their decisions and to foster positive community values.
For any of these goals to be attained, students must represent themselves in our conduct process. Therefore, attorneys are not permitted to be part of conduct hearings as they would be in a civil or criminal court. Decisions about responsibility are made with a preponderance of the evidence, or the "more likely than not," standard.
Consequences of Misconduct
Outcomes are assigned based on the violation and the frequency of the violation. They can include:
- Disciplinary warning
- University censure
- Disciplinary probation
- Attendance at a workshop or class
- Restorative justice
- Community service
- Counseling referrals
- Loss of privileges (e.g. revocation of housing contracts, Simon Rec or library privileges...etc.)
- Fines or restitution
- Research and/or reflection papers
For more severe policy violations, such as sexual assault or repeated violations (numerous alcohol or drug violations), students can face suspension or expulsion.
Impact of Misconduct after SLU
- Numerous employers, graduate and professional schools require students to release their conduct history before being considered for hire or admittance.
- Government agencies such as the FBI and all military branches perform conduct checks on applicants.
- Conduct checks are also conducted on students wishing to participate in study abroad programs or gain admission to licensing agencies such as The Missouri Bar.
- Several on-campus leadership programs also perform conduct checks on student applicants.
Your conduct record is cumulative during your time as a student at SLU. The conduct record will remain on file for seven years after your last semester attended.
For other policy questions, please refer to the or contact us at conduct@slu.edu.