King's College is a Catholic College that contains its Student Conduct Code within its Student Handbook . As a Catholic institution, King's College seeks to instill the core values of Spirituality, Respect, Integrity and Scholarship through the use of its Student Conduct Code. When a student violates the code, they will be subject to a review by the College Judicial System.The Judicial process begins with a complaint being filed against a student. Any member of the College can file a complaint against a student. After a complaint has been filed, the accused student will be notified and assigned a meeting with an Administrative Hearing Officer.
King's College Judicial System
Throughout the process of the College Judicial System, the person that initiated the complaint will be known as the "complainant" and the student who is the subject of the complaint will be known simply as the "accused student." The first step in the judicial process is a brief meeting with an Administrative Hearing Officer. At this meeting, the Administrative Hearing Officer will inform the accused student of their rights within the judicial system, and discuss the incident in question with the student. The Administrative Hearing Officer will either dismiss the case if there is not a sufficient amount of evidence to hold the student responsible, or offer the accused student a chance to accept responsibility and sanctions.
Informal Administrative Disposition
If the student is facing accusations of a lesser violation, an informal hearing will be used. The hearing is held and decided by an Administrative Hearing Officer. The Administrative Hearing Officer will give a description of the event and the potential violations. The accused student can provide any information and witness testimony to support their case. The Administrative Hearing Officer will make a decision after all information and testimony have been heard. The decision will be made using the standard of a preponderance of evidence.
College Student Conduct Panel
The College Student Conduct Panel is selected from a pool volunteer applicants. Panels selected for a hearing will be led by a non-voting chairperson, with the voting members consisting of 2 students and 3 faculty or staff members. At hearings, the complainant will begin by presenting violations to the panel including any witnesses. This will be followed by the accused student presenting their case, including any supporting witnesses. The hearing panel can question any witnesses during both parties' presentations. Following the witness questioning phase, both sides will make summary arguments. After this, the panel will question both parties before going into deliberations. The panel will make their determination of "responsible" or "not responsible" by a majority vote. Their determination will be sent to the Associate Vice President, who will make the final decision. It should be noted that students can also opt for an Administrative Hearing, which follows the same process as a panel hearing but with an Administrative Hearing Officer instead of a panel.
Hearings are typically limited to just the students, witnesses, and College personnel involved in the matter. However, students are entitled to an advisor who must usually be someone from the College community. While this advisor may seem like a helpful ally, the truth of the matter is that someone from the College community will not likely have the skills, experience, and dedication necessary to help a student bolster a strong defense. Attorneys are not typically allowed unless the matter being presented is tied to criminal charges. However, even from behind the scenes, counsel from an attorney can still be a great help to students. An attorney can provide a student with insight into courtroom techniques, such as evidence presentation and proper argument construction, that can strongly influence the outcome of a hearing.
King's College Appeals
In the event of an unfavorable outcome, students can make an appeal to a designated appeal administrator. Appeals must be made within 3 business days from the date on the letter of notification. Letters of appeal must be hard copy, and submitted in person to the appeal administrator. They must also contain the student's desired outcome and the grounds which the appeal stands on. Appeals must be on the grounds of a denial of due process, an error in the finding of responsibility, an overly harsh sanction, or new information.
If you or your student is currently facing disciplinary action from King's College, contact LLF Law Firm today.
