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Behavioral Misconduct Process

Behavioral Misconduct Procedures

The Director of Student Advocacy and Accountability is designated to promote and administer the standards of conduct as reflected in the UIW Student Handbook and other University policies and guidelines. In order to assist students in understanding the behavioral misconduct process, these documents have been created to provide information about student rights and expectations in the conduct process, as well as details about the steps in the conduct process.

Your Rights as a UIW Student

As University of the Incarnate Word students, you are entitled to certain rights as part of any case with the Office of Student Advocacy and Accountability.

  • The ability to review the Student Handbook, Student Code of Conduct, Behavioral Misconduct Procedures and the Residence Life Handbook;
  • The ability to ask questions and have them answered by a member of the Student Advocacy and Accountability (OSAA) staff;
  • Expect confidentiality to the extent permitted by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and to waive that confidentiality in writing if you choose. (Please be advised that pursuant to FERPA exceptions, some confidential information may be disclosed without consent);
  • Have an advisor present during a case before a Hearing Panel. The role of the advisor is to provide advice and support during the behavioral misconduct process. An advisor may not speak for you, or address any other participant in the process;
  • You may decline to answer questions or provide a statement during any meeting or hearing. Any statements you make may become part of your case file;
  • You also understand that any information you provide could be subject to subpoena if you have a pending criminal case resulting from the same incident; however, the likelihood of this information being subpoenaed is extremely low;
  • You may review the contents of your case file by scheduling an appointment with an OSAA staff member;
  • You may request an appeal of the decision one time within the established university process.

Our Expectations

The Office of Student Advocacy and Accountability has certain expectations that all members of the university community should be aware of:

  • Decisions are made using the preponderance of the evidence standard. If it is “more likely than not” that a violation occurred, a student will be held responsible for violating the policy.
  • Participants are expected to comply with all timelines as laid out in the Behavioral Misconduct Procedures.
  • All communication will primarily be through UIW email. It is the responsibility of students to check their email on a regular basis (not checking email is not an excuse for missing a deadline or meeting).
  • If participants fail to appear for a scheduled hearing, the hearing may be conducted without the participant(s), and a decision made based on the information that is available at the time of the hearing.
  • All participants are expected to provide truthful and complete information to Hearing Officers and Hearing Panel members. Knowingly providing false or misleading information may result in additional violations of the Student Code of Conduct.