Related Policies and Processes

Articulation with Babson College, Wellesley College and Brandeis University student judicial systems

Olin College has agreed with Babson College and Brandeis University to enforce their respective conduct standards when their students participate in academic, Co-Curricular and extracurricular pursuits on the neighboring (host) campuses. The Olin College honor system will hear cases in which Olin students are reported of violating a host campus’s standards, using the host’s policies and definitions but Olin disciplinary procedures. Similarly, the Babson and Brandeis judicial systems will hear cases in which their students are reported of violating Olin standards, using Olin policies and definitions but their own judicial procedures.

When on each other’s campuses, Olin and Wellesley students will be subject to the host campus’s standards of conduct for academic integrity. The host campus’s disciplinary process will be used when an Olin or Wellesley student violates the host’s standards. The Student Affairs Office at Olin will work closely with the Dean of Students at Wellesley to determine the best procedures to follow for non-academic issues.

Olin students taking classes or participating in activities on other campuses should familiarize themselves with the host’s student disciplinary system and standards of conduct.

For more information:

The Wellesley Honor Code: https://www.wellesley.edu/studentlife/aboutus/honor

The Babson Community Standards: http://www.babson.edu/student-life/community-standards/Pages/home.aspx

Brandeis Student Rights and Community Standards: http://www.brandeis.edu/studentlife/srcs/index.html

Appeals process

Upon conclusion of an Honor Board hearing and delivery of the outcome to the parties involved, students may appeal a “finding of responsibility” or “sanctions” by writing via email to the Dean of the College within one business day following the delivery of the outcome of the hearing. The appeal letter must clearly state the grounds and rationale for the appeal. Once received, the Dean of the College will convene an Appeals Board. The members of the Appeals Board will be the faculty representative to the Honor Board, the staff representative to the Honor Board, and a student member of the Honor Board . None of the Appeals Board members will have been involved in the adjudication of the case being appealed. A student member of the Honor Board will sit in on all other appeals. The Dean may appoint new members to the panel in the event of a conflict or add members as needed. In the latter case, this may result in more than three voting members on the Appeals Board.

The purpose of the Appeals Board is to review all information available pertaining to hearings and proceedings that led to the appeal to ensure that these were conducted according to the established judicial procedures. The Appeals Board will not substitute its own judgment for a “finding of responsibility” or “sanctions”. Requests for appeal may be made to the Dean of the College on the following grounds:

  1. Procedural error;
  2. New evidence that was not reasonably available at the time of the hearing that could change the outcome of the hearing;
  3. Belief that the severity of the sanction is inappropriate given the details of the case.

Disagreement with the finding or sanctions is not, by itself, grounds for appeal.

The Appeals Board may rule in one of three ways:

  1. They may recommend a new hearing before a new hearing panel.
  2. They may recommend the case go back to the original hearing panel for further review for reasons such as new evidence that was not available during the original hearing.
  3. They may recommend that the appeal be denied.

If the appeal is denied, the sanctions will be imposed and the college will consider the case closed. The Appeals Board must inform the Dean of the College about the outcome of the appeal deliberations within 10 business days of the written appeal being received. The Dean of the College will notify the student(s) in writing of the outcome of the appeal within 2 business days of receiving the outcome from the Appeals Board.

Barring any extraordinary circumstances, if a request for appeal is filed sanctions resulting from the case will typically be put on hiatus and not implemented until after the appeal is resolved. If an emergency suspension or dismissal has been administered, the student must leave campus and remain off campus during the appeal process.