Juniata College governs its student body using its overarching Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct includes Standards of Conduct that ensure a safe and secure academic and living environment for students of the College. Actions that do not adhere to these Standards of Conduct are classified as "misconduct" or "violations." Misconduct is split into two categories: minor or major misconduct. Minor misconduct can typically be resolved informally, however major misconduct may result in a referral to the College's Judicial Board. Students held responsible for a violation will face sanctions from the College.
Students who are charged with felony criminal charges must take a leave of absence from the College until the criminal charges are resolved.
Juniata College Judicial Board Hearings
Judicial Board Hearings are to be used for major misconduct or events of repeated minor misconduct. The Judicial Board will be used to hear and decide upon cases of both Academic Dishonesty and student behavioral violations. Prior to a hearing, the student will be informed in writing of the charges they face. At the hearing, the Judicial Board will begin by reading the charges to student. After this, students will have the chance to make an opening statement. Following the opening statement, the phase for evidence presentation and witness testimony will begin. Witnesses will be presented from both sides to provide their testimony. Any witnesses will be questioned by the Judicial Board members. Students cannot directly question witnesses themselves. Instead, the questions must be suggested to the Judicial Board, and the Judicial Board will decide whether or not to ask the witnesses. After the presentation and testimony phase has concluded, the student has the opportunity to make a closing statement. The board will deliberate privately, and vote on whether a violation took place. Following this, the chairperson of the board will notify the student of the decision and any accompanying sanctions.
At hearings, students are entitled to the presence of an advisor. However, this advisor must be a member of the College community, meaning that this person must either be a student who may not have a lot of experience, or a faculty or staff member of the college, who may not hold the student's best interest at heart. It can be incredibly beneficial to have an attorney providing counsel to a student from behind the scenes. An attorney will have the experience and dedication necessary to help a student formulate a strong defense. Attorneys will be able to provide a student with keen insight into methods of evidence presentation, argument construction, and witness questioning that can only come from years of experience in a courtroom. Applying these methods to a college board hearing can greatly influence the outcome.
Juniata College Appeals
Should the hearing result in an unfavorable outcome, students have just 48 hours from the conclusion of the hearing to file an appeal. The appeal must be submitted to the chairperson of the Judicial Board that conducted the hearing. The chairperson will then submit this to the Dean of Students or the Provost, depending on whether or not the case is behavioral or academic, respectively. The Dean of Students makes the final decision on whether or not to grant the appeal. Appeals must be on the grounds of either new evidence that was not available at the original hearing, or a claim that the case was conducted with improper procedure.
If you or your student is currently facing disciplinary action from Juniata College, the LLF Law Team can help you at 888-535-3686.
