Introduction and Purpose
The University of Montevallo is committed to the holistic development of its students. Part of this commitment is encouraging academic excellence, accountability, integrity, moral courage, respect, and good decision-making. The purpose of the Student Code of Conduct is to set clear expectations and community standards for students. The University strives to provide education, foster personal growth, and assist students in building individual character. As a community of educators and scholars, students are expected to maintain behavior that permits everyone the opportunity to freely and safely pursue their educational, co-curricular, and extracurricular goals and activities in an environment founded on respect for the rights of others.
Definitions
Advisor: The person chosen by a party or appointed by the university to accompany the party to meetings related to Title IX or sexual misconduct resolution processes, to advise the party on that process, and to conduct cross-examination for the party at the hearing, if any.
Business Day: The days the university is officially open and functioning. This does not include weekends, days the University is officially closed or official University holidays.
Complainant: The individual or group affected by the alleged incident or who reported the incident..
Conduct Educator: A staff member trained in the student conduct process to resolve cases and has the authority and responsibility to assign sanctions and pathway projects in an efficient, consistent, fair, and educationally meaningful manner. The Conduct Educator reserves the right to assign the most appropriate pathway project.
Conduct Status: A behavioral standing given to a student or student organization after being found responsible for a policy violation. The available statuses are informal warning, formal warning, conduct probation, deferred suspension, suspension, and expulsion.
Faculty: Any person hired by the University to conduct classroom and teaching activities or otherwise considered to be a member of its faculty.
Pathway Project: An educational activity that students choose to complete if they are found responsible for a policy violation. Conduct Educators can also assign pathway projects to students found responsible and do not accept responsibility.
Preponderance of the evidence: The standard of confirmation needed to determine if it is more likely than not a violation of the Student Code of Conduct occurred.
Respondent: The individual or group reported for allegedly violating policy during an incident.
Support Person: A person chosen by the Complainant or Respondent to join them during their meeting or hearing but cannot contribute to the conversation.
Staff: Any person hired by the University to work professionally outside of teaching classes or leading academic activities.
Student: An individual who is admitted, enrolled or registered for study at the University of Montevallo for any academic period, including time periods between academic sessions. A person shall also be considered a student during any period while the student is under suspension from the institution or when the person is attending or participating in any activity preparatory to the beginning of school including, but not limited to, fraternity or sorority recruitment, orientation, placement testing, and residence hall check-in.
Student Conduct Record: The official record of student’s policy violations. A student conduct record is not the same thing as a permanent record and no disciplinary actions are noted on a student’s transcript.
Student Organization: An organization which has been fully approved by the Campus Life Advisory Committee and has registered with the Student Life Office by September 30th of the current academic year. More information about student organizations can be found at www.montevallo.edu/student-organizations.
University: The University of Montevallo.
University Conduct Council: A hearing body made up of trained faculty, staff, and students that have the authority to investigate and adjudicate alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct and to impose sanctions for violations of the Code.
University Official: Any person employed by the University or performing assigned duties and responsibilities (e.g., student workers, resident assistants, hall directors, etc.). Faculty and staff members are University officials.