Any member or entity of the university community, including Student Conduct and Academic Integrity (SCAI) based on information provided to the university, or others outside of the university may report a student or Registered Student Organization (RSO) for violation of this policy. Any report should be submitted as soon as possible after the discovery of the alleged violation. Absent extraordinary circumstances, a written report must be filed within six months of the discovery of the offense. Though anonymous reports are permitted, the university’s ability to investigate and respond to an anonymous report may be limited. A report shall be prepared in writing and directed to SCAI or other designated offices. Once the report has been submitted, the Director of SCAI or designee will review the report, determine the charges that apply to any alleged conduct prohibited by this policy, and appoint a Student Conduct Administrator to complete an investigation.
SCAI will send a Notification Letter to the VCU email address of the respondent citing the specific alleged violation, including a general summary of the complaint, instructions to contact the Student Conduct Administrator to schedule a meeting to discuss the charges, and notice that the respondent will have five business days from the date of the Notification Letter to contact the Student Conduct Administrator. If the respondent fails to respond to the Notification Letter or does not attend the scheduled meeting, the university may proceed with adjudication of the charges without the respondent’s input.
For an RSO respondent, the Notification Letter and other correspondence related to this policy will be transmitted to the email address of the RSO representative. RSO representatives are responsible for all communication delivered to their university email address. In addition, the university may notify the RSO adviser and/or any inter/national governing body associated with the RSO of the reported prohibited conduct and the initiation of the conduct process. However, neither an RSO adviser nor inter/national governing body may serve as the representative for a respondent RSO in this process.
The Student Conduct Administrator will complete an investigation of the charges in the Notification Letter. The Student Conduct Administrator will offer to meet with the respondent to discuss the charges and to hear the respondent’s version of the events giving rise to the allegations. The Student Conduct Administrator may meet with the reporting party as well as with any witnesses identified by the respondent or other individuals and examine additional information. Based upon all the examined information and witness statements, the Student Conduct Administrator will make a determination of responsibility using the preponderance of the evidence standard.
*Generally alleged infractions that occur in a university residence will be adjudicated by the Residence Life and Housing staff.