Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine runs a two-track system for academic misconduct. Most cases go through the Honor Code Committee — a student-led body that hears the allegation and makes a recommendation to the Dean. More serious cases bypass that committee entirely and go straight to the Student Performance Committee. The track your case lands on affects who is in the room, what role an attorney can play, and how quickly things move.
Either way, what happens before you ever enter a hearing room is what determines the outcome. Do not respond to anything yet — call the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team at 888.535.3686 or contact us online as soon as an allegation surfaces.
What RVUCOM Defines as Academic Misconduct
The Academic Integrity policy and Honor Code cover the full scope of what RVUCOM treats as a violation.
The Academic Integrity policy names specific acts: cheating on exams, distributing protected test questions, fabricating data or citations, plagiarism, facilitating another student’s dishonesty, misrepresentation, bribery, forging documents, and abusing a position for personal gain. It also includes a catch-all — any behavior that does not meet the standards of the university or the healthcare profession.
The Honor Code adds its own layer. Every RVUCOM student commits to not bringing shame or discredit upon themselves, the school, or the profession. That language is broad. It does not define where the line is. It leaves that determination to whoever is reviewing the conduct.
There is also a reporting obligation. A student who knows about a violation and says nothing is treated the same as a student who committed one. Silence is itself a breach.
How RVUCOM Investigates — Two Paths
When a misconduct concern is raised, the Honor Code Committee typically handles it first. The committee is made up of elected student representatives from the OMS-1, OMS-2, and clinical years, along with students from the MSBS and PA programs. The Associate/Assistant Dean of Student Affairs chairs it.
Appearance before the Honor Code Committee is not optional. The student must attend. Before the hearing, the names of all witnesses must be provided to the Associate/Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. Witnesses are called individually. The student is not in the room during witness testimony. The student then gets the chance to make a statement and answer questions from the committee.
The committee makes a recommendation — not a final decision. The Dean or Program Director reviews that recommendation and can accept, reject, or modify it. The student receives written notification within ten business days of the Dean’s decision.
For more serious allegations, the case goes to the Student Performance Committee instead. The SPC is a faculty body with broader authority and the ability to impose suspension or dismissal directly.
The Attorney Question at RVUCOM
This is where RVUCOM’s process stands out. An attorney is generally not permitted to participate in Honor Code Committee proceedings. The policy carves out a narrow exception: in cases involving egregious alleged actions, the Chair may allow legal counsel to be present — but only at the Chair’s sole discretion. Even then, what the attorney can do is tightly limited. Counsel may pass written notes to their client. That is all. No statements. No questions.
Meanwhile, the university reserves the right to have its own legal counsel in the room.
That imbalance makes what happens before the hearing more important than what happens during it. How the student’s statement is framed, whether the allegation is examined critically before the student responds to anything, whether the witness list raises any procedural concerns, and whether the charge itself holds up — all of that has to be worked through before the hearing date. An attorney who understands how student misconduct processes work can do that analysis in advance. Once the hearing has happened, the record is set.
The Appeal — Five Days, Escalating Chain
If the outcome of a hearing goes against the student, the Appeals Process for Code of Conduct gives five business days from receipt of the decision to file a written appeal. Where the appeal goes depends on who made the original decision.
If the Associate/Assistant Dean of Student Affairs decides, the appeal goes to the Dean. If the Dean decides, it goes to the Provost. If the Honor Code Committee’s recommendation led to the decision, the appeal also goes to the Provost. If the Provost decides, the appeal goes to the President.
The appeal must be grounded in one of five bases: a significant error of fact, demonstrated prejudice by the decision maker, new material information that was not available at the time, a sanction disproportionate to the offense, or a procedural error that materially affected the outcome.
Appeal decisions are made within ten business days. Once an appeal is decided, the outcome is final. No further appeals are available — even if the decision is changed or modified on review.
What Is at Stake at RVUCOM
A misconduct finding does not stay inside the Englewood campus. It enters the permanent academic record. It shapes how faculty write about the student, and the MSPE that goes to every residency program on the application list reflects that. Programs across Colorado, the Mountain West, and the country read that document before deciding who to interview.
State licensing boards ask about misconduct findings. Hospital credentialing committees do the same. A finding from the Colorado campus follows every application, every licensure process, and every background review for the rest of a student’s career.
RVUCOM is a private school. The financial commitment to get here — tuition, fees, and Denver metro living costs — is significant. Whatever was borrowed to fund that, through federal programs, private lenders, or both, does not disappear if enrollment ends before the degree does. A finding that leads to dismissal starts repayment before the physician’s income, the plan was built around, ever arrives.
Getting Ahead Before the Record Is Written
At RVUCOM, an allegation moves fast. Early statements to faculty, to administrators, or to committee members become fixed in the file. The Honor Code Committee process is student-led, which means the people deciding your case are your peers — but they are still running a formal proceeding, and the record they create is real. The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team can step in before the process builds a record the student has to fight against — reviewing the allegation, checking whether every procedural step was taken correctly, and helping shape the student’s position before it becomes fixed in the file. Call the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team at 888.535.3686 or contact us online before anything is on the record.