Jul 12, 2025  
2025-2026 Student Handbook 
  
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2025-2026 Student Handbook

Disciplinary Procedures

Note: Academic issues, such as grading and promotion issues, should be addressed by each school’s policies and procedures.

Nature of Proceedings

These proceedings are part of an educational process whereby the University applies its values to establishing the best possible learning environment for its students. These proceedings are not intended to follow, or be restricted by, courtroom or judicial procedures, including the rules of evidence. In addition, these proceedings are not intended for grading and promotions issues, which should be addressed under individual School policies.

Procedural Deviations

If the Student Conduct Board has not yet been appointed, or in the absence of the Chair of the Student Conduct Board, the parties and the Student Conduct Administrator may agree in advance and in writing to deviations from procedure. If a Student Conduct Board has been appointed, the parties and the Chair of the Student Conduct Board may mutually agree to procedural deviations, such as deadlines for submission of evidence and hearing dates and times.

NOTE: Any notices that are sent by mail will be considered to have been received on the third calendar day after the date of mailing, excluding any intervening Saturday, Sunday or holiday.

Filing A Complaint

  1. Any faculty, staff, or student of TTUHSC may file a Complaint against a student or a student organization for violation of the Student Code. A preliminary investigation/discussion with a supervisor (program director, chair, etc.) must be done prior to filing a Complaint. If a basis for the Complaint exists, a student grievance should be completed and submitted at https://www.ttuhsc.edu/student-affairs/grievances.aspx by the Complainant. A Complaint shall be submitted no later than twenty (20) business days from the date of the event or when the Complainant becomes aware of the event. Complaints filed more than twenty (20) business days after the event shall include a justification for the delay and will be accepted on a case-by-case basis as determined by the Student Conduct Administrator.
  2. When a Complaint is filed, the Student Conduct Administrator will provide the Accused with the Complaint of Misconduct filed by the Complainant and will notify the Accused in writing that he or she shall appear before the Student Conduct Administrator to discuss the Complaint within five (5) business days from the date of the letter.
  3. The Student Conduct Administrator may conduct an informal meeting to determine if the complaint may be disposed of prior to a formal hearing. Any informal disposition must be in writing and agreed to by all of the parties. Such disposition shall be final and there shall be no subsequent proceedings. The Student Conduct Administrator will send a written notification of the resolution to all parties involved.
  4. If the Complaint is not disposed of administratively under the Code, the Student Conduct Administrator will meet with the Accused to determine if the Accused admits or denies violating institutional rules.
    • If the Accused admits violating institutional rules, but does not agree to sanctions, a Student Conduct Board Hearing shall be conducted in accordance with the Code, but shall be limited to recommending the appropriate sanctions.
    • If the Accused denies violating University rules, the allegations shall be referred by the Student Conduct Administrator for a Hearing before the Student Conduct Board under the Code.
  5. A Student Conduct Board Hearing shall be scheduled within thirty (30) business days after the Accused has met with the Student Conduct Administrator under the Code. In cases in which an examination period intervenes between the time of the notice to the Accused and the Student Conduct Board Hearing date, such Hearing will be held during the first week in which classes are again in session. In the case of inclement weather, the chair of the Student Conduct Board will notify all parties of any cancellations or schedule changes.

Student Conduct Board Hearings

Closed Hearing

A Student Conduct Board Hearing will be conducted in closed session. Any request for an exception must be submitted in writing to the Chair of the Student Conduct Board, who shall render a final written decision.

Hearing Notice

At least fifteen (15) business days prior to the Student Conduct Board Hearing, the Chair of the Student Conduct Board will provide written notice to the parties of the following:

  1. Date, time and place for the hearing,
  2. Name of the members of the Student Conduct Board, and
  3. Summary statement of the charges, or a copy of the complaint.

Challenge

Both the Accused and Complainant may challenge in writing the impartiality of any member of the Student Conduct Board up to three (3) business days after receiving the Hearing Notice by submitting their reasons for the challenge to the Student Conduct Administrator. The challenging party shall with specificity, and clarity detail each reason for such challenge. The burden of proving the impartiality or inability of a Conduct Board member to serve lies solely upon the challenging party. If the challenging party establishes that the challenged members cannot serve with fairness and objectivity such member shall be removed and a substitute will be appointed by the Student Conduct Administrator. If such member is removed, the Student Conduct Administrator may choose to reschedule the hearing.

Evidence Submission

At least ten (10) business days prior to the date scheduled for the Student Conduct Board Hearing, the Complainant and the Accused must submit to the Chair of the Student Conduct Board the following information, if applicable. Requests for extensions to file information with the Student Conduct Board shall be submitted to the Chair.

  1. All pertinent records and exhibits;
  2. Written statements must be notarized (including Impact or Position Statements);
  3. A list of all witnesses, if any, who will be speaking on behalf of the Accused or Complainant;
  4. The name of the advisor, if any, who may be present in an advisory capacity at the hearing. 

Evidence Exchange

At least five (5) business days prior to the hearing, the Chair will provide each party with the information, if any, submitted by the other party.

Separate or Joint Hearings

A Student Conduct Board Hearing involving two or more Accused, may be conducted separately or jointly as determined by the Student Conduct Administrator. An accused may request in writing to the Student Conduct Administrator a separate hearing up to three (3) business days after receiving the notice of hearing. The Student Conduct Board Administrator shall notify the accused whether a separate hearing will be granted within three (3) business days.

Recordings

The University shall record - either digitally, through audiotape, or otherwise as deemed appropriate - all Student Conduct Board Hearings until such time that the Student Conduct Board begins discussion and deliberation and prepares its findings and recommendations. Deliberations shall not be recorded. The record is University property. Pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amended, the student will be allowed to review, but not to copy, the hearing record. 34 C.F.R. § 99.10 (2003). Neither the Complainant, the Accused nor any witnesses are permitted to make any independent record of the proceedings.

Hearing Attendance

The Complainant, Accused, and their respective advisor, if any, shall be allowed to attend the portion of the Student Conduct Board Hearing at which information is received, excluding deliberations.

Advisors

The advisor must be a faculty, staff, or student of TTUHSC. However, if an Accused is also the subject of a pending criminal investigation, indictment or charge arising out of the same circumstances, he or she may be allowed to have an attorney serve as their advisor, at their own expense, to participate only in the same manner as any other advisor. If an advisor for the Accused is an attorney, an attorney from the Office of General Counsel may attend the Student Conduct Board Hearing on behalf of the University. An attorney from the Office of General Counsel shall be provided for the Student Conduct Board as the Student Conduct Board Chair deems necessary.

The Complainant and the Accused are responsible for presenting their own information, and therefore, advisors are not permitted to speak or to participate directly or indirectly in any Student Conduct Board Hearing before a Student Conduct Board. A student should select as an advisor a person whose schedule allows attendance at the scheduled date and time for the Student Conduct Board Hearing, as delays will not be allowed due to the scheduling conflicts of an advisor.

Witnesses

Questioning of witnesses will first be conducted by members of the Student Conduct Board, followed by the parties. Questioning by the Complainant and the Accused may be limited by the Chair of the Student Conduct Board for such issues as preserving the civility of the hearing, avoiding redundant and irrelevant questioning, and providing for the efficient administration of the Hearing. Witnesses are permitted to attend the Student Conduct Board Hearing only while they are providing testimony, they are being questioned by the Complainant, the Accused, or the Conduct Board unless the Student Conduct Board Chair determines otherwise.

Party Witnesses

The Complainant and the Accused may arrange for witnesses to present pertinent information to the Student Conduct Board. The Complainant and the Accused are solely responsible for arranging for the voluntary attendance of their own witnesses. The hearing will not be rescheduled to accommodate party witnesses.

Board Witnesses

The Student Conduct Board may call other witnesses not identified by the Accused or the Complainant. If, prior to the hearing, the Student Conduct Board wishes to call witnesses, the Board shall notify the Chair of the Student Conduct. The Chair will then arrange for the voluntary attendance of the witnesses identified by the Student Conduct Board. The Chair shall notify the Accused and the Complainant of the additional witnesses. If any witness called by the Student Conduct Board intends to present written information to the Board, the Chair is responsible for forwarding such information to the Complainant, the Accused, and the Student Conduct Board prior to the Hearing. Throughout this process, Board members shall have no communication with any witnesses, except in the Hearing with the Accused and Complainant present.

Procedural Questions

All procedural questions are subject to the final decision of the Chair of the Student Conduct Board. If a Student Conduct Board has not been appointed, the Student Conduct Administrator will issue a final decision in response to procedural questions.

Deliberations

Once the Student Conduct Board receives all information, the Student Conduct Board shall adjourn the Hearing to discuss, deliberate and prepare findings and recommendations. The Student Conduct Board will determine by a simple majority (more than half of the votes cast) of members present at a duly called meeting and then vote whether the Accused has violated any section of the Student Code which the student is charged with violating. If the Student Conduct Board finds violations of the Student Code, the Student Conduct Board may also recommend all or any of the sanctions identified in the Code.

Failure to Appear

The Accused is expected to attend and participate in the Student Conduct Board Hearing. If the Accused or the Complainant elects not to attend a hearing after appropriate written notice pursuant to “Hearing Notice” section above, the charges will be reviewed as scheduled on the basis of the information available, and a recommendation will be made by the Board. No inference may be drawn against the Accused for failing to attend a hearing or remaining silent. The hearing will proceed and the conclusion will be based on the evidence presented. No decision shall be based solely on the failure of the Accused to attend the hearing or answer the charges.

Findings and Recommendations

The Chair is responsible for preparing the Student Conduct Board’s Findings and Recommendations in writing. If the Findings and Recommendations are not unanimous, opinions may be written by those who differ with the majority’s findings and recommendations. The Chair will forward the findings and recommendations, including differing opinions, within ten (10) business days to the Dean, the Student Conduct Administrator, the Accused and the Complainant.

Dean’s Review

The Dean will review the Findings and Recommendations from the Student Conduct Hearing along with the audio recording and supporting documents, and transmit their decision in writing within ten (10) business days from receipt to the Accused, the Complainant, the Student Conduct Administrator, and the Chair of the Student Conduct Board. Actions of the Dean are not limited to sanctions recommended by members of the Student Conduct Board.

Appeal 

Within five (5) business days of receipt of the decision of the Dean, if either party believes that their due process procedures have been violated or that new information has become available, an appeal may be made in writing to the Provost of the University. The Provost or their designee will review the case and notify all parties of their decision within five (5) business days. If a written appeal is not submitted within five (5) business days following receipt of the Dean’s letter, the right to appeal is waived and the Dean’s decision will be finalized.
The Accused or Complainant may only raise, and the Provost or their designee shall only consider, the following on appeal:

Whether a procedural deviation occurred that substantially affected the outcome of the case;

Whether there is new information sufficient to alter the findings or other relevant facts not available or mentioned in the original hearing because such information or facts were not known to the person appealing at the time of the original Student Conduct Board Hearing.

Provost’s Review

The Provost or their designee will review the findings and recommendations and, at their discretion, the record from the Student Conduct Hearing and supporting documents, and transmit their decision in writing to the Accused, the Complainant, the Student Conduct Administrator, the Chair of the Student Conduct Board, and the Dean. The Provost or their designee’s decision shall be final.