College Judicial System

Responsible behavior is expected of all Piedmont students at all times. Violations of the Student Behavior Code may result in varying degrees of consequences. The College is not designed nor equipped to rehabilitate persons who pose a substantial threat to the campus community or disrupt the learning environment. It may be necessary, therefore, to separate those individuals from the campus and end their relationship with the College.

When a student is observed violating a campus policy, a campus official (e.g., residence hall director, resident assistant, faculty/staff member, Campus Police officer) will complete an incident report, available from the Office of Student Affairs. Students who witness a violation of campus policy should contact a campus official for assistance. An incident report form should be completed as soon as possible and signed by all parties involved.

Judicial Process

Student disciplinary matters are to be reported to the Dean of Student Engagement. The Dean of Student Engagement, Director of Student Life and the Director of Residential Education are the primary campus officials who address policy violations. It is the goal of the college to deal with all disciplinary matters in a timely manner and include a meeting with the student.

The Dean of Student Engagement is also authorized to refer cases to the Piedmont College Judicial Council and to override the Council’s recommendation when deemed necessary.

Judicial Council

The Piedmont College Judicial Council is comprised of 3-5 members of faculty, staff and students (where appropriate). The members of the council shall be appointed each year by the Dean of Student Engagement to serve for one year and will be led by a Judicial Council Chairperson.

The council will evaluate the facts in each hearing and will act on a preponderance of evidence. The hearing will not be conducted as a court proceeding. It will be an opportunity for the council to question everyone involved, determine what happened, decide if a policy was violated, and impose the appropriate sanction(s).

Judicial Council Hearings

The hearing is an official proceeding of the Piedmont College Student Discipline system. It is an informal hearing with the mission to determine:

1. what occurred
2. if what occurred is a violation of College regulations, and
3. to impose an appropriate sanction if a violation has occurred.

This is the order of the process:

1. presentation of College case
2. response by the referred student
3. questions from the Judicial Council
4. witnesses of behalf of the College
5. witnesses on behalf of the student
6. deliberation by the Council

The Hearing is not a Court of Law where allegations must be proven “beyond a reasonable doubt”. In Judicial Council proceedings, the allegations must be proven based upon “a preponderance of evidence.”  While all referred students are encouraged to participate in the hearing process, the Judicial Council members will adjudicate all cases and render a decision regardless of referred student participation.

Students have the right to appeal the outcome of the Judicial Council decision to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. This appeal must be requested in writing within five calendar days of the date on the sanction letter.

Disciplinary Measures

The following are possible disciplinary measures which may be for an infraction of the Code of Conduct. This list is not exhaustive and may be enlarged or modified to meet the particular circumstances of any given case.

1. Expulsion- Permanent severance of the student's relationship with the College. This severance includes being barred from campus.
2. Disciplinary Suspension- Temporary severance of the student's relationship with the College for a specified period of time.
3. Limited Suspension- A student may be denied certain privileges for a specified period of time. These privileges may include, but are not limited to, class attendance, housing, parking on campus, participation in extracurricular activities, ID card privileges, access to institutional facilities, and access to the campus.
4. Immediate Suspension- The student may be required to leave the campus immediately if, in the opinion of the Dean of Student Engagement, the student's presence on campus would be detrimental to the institution. Suspension without a hearing shall continue until the disciplinary process is completed. Best efforts will be made to schedule and complete the disciplinary process as promptly as possible.
5. Disciplinary Probation- Notice to the student that any further, major disciplinary violation may result in suspension. Disciplinary probation might also include one or more of the following: the setting of restrictions, the issuing of a reprimand, or restitution.
6. Reprimand (either oral or written.)
7. Counseling- The committee may request that a student meet a specified number of counseling sessions with the campus counselor for issues including, but not limited to, anger management, substance abuse, and extenuating personal circumstances.
8. Restitution- Reimbursement for damage to or misappropriation of property. This may take the form of appropriate service or other compensation.
9. Community Service- A specified number of hours of work to be performed by the student. The work will be determined and supervised by the Dean of Student Engagement or a designee.
10. Assignments of Community Service hours will be emailed following sanctioning. They may include:
    1. Student Affairs/Housing/Student Center
    2. Maintenance/Daniel Hall
    3. Off Campus entities pre-approved by the Dean of Student Engagement.
11. Fines- A specific financial penalty charged to the student found to be responsible.