Housing

Student Conduct

University Housing Services Student Conduct

This page is a resource for those who would like to learn more about the conduct process, as well as educate those who are currently going through it.

Conduct Process

As a resident of University Housing Services (UHS) at Cal Poly Pomona University, you are expected to respect the rights of others and abide by the UHS Policies and Regulations and the Title V California Code of Regulations. 

University housing services utilizes the following process to hold students accountable for violating the license agreement: 

  • Incident Report 
  • Incident Review Meeting 
  • Sanctions 
  • Appeals 

In the event that a resident is suspected of violating one or more of the UHS Policies and Regulations, an Incident Report will be filed with the Area Coordinator/Residence Life Intern of the building in which the alleged violation(s) took place. The Area Coordinator/Residence Life Intern will send a Notice of Incident Review Meeting to the resident’s Cal Poly Pomona email address within three business days from the date of the incident and schedule an Incident Review Meeting. This meeting is scheduled based on a resident’s academic schedule.  Please note that Cal Poly Pomona has established email as an official method of communication to students.  Students are responsible for all communications sent to their email account and errors in forwarding email or communications returned due to relocation or undeliverable address will not excuse the student from missing any university communication. 

The Incident Review Meeting is intended to accomplish the following purposes: 

  • Provide an opportunity to discuss the incident in question 
  • Give the Area Coordinator/Residence Life Intern an understanding of the circumstances within which the incident occurred 
  • Provide an opportunity to discuss the effect the alleged actions may have had on the community 
  • Allow the resident an opportunity to respond to the alleged policy violations or complaint 

Incident Review Meetings have a standard of proof that is applied which is based on “preponderance of the evidence.” Evidence is not restricted to only that which is admissible under strict rules of evidence of a court of law. The Area Coordinator/Residence Life Intern will look at all the information provided during the Incident Review Meeting and make a decision whether it is “more likely than not” that the student violated policy. Within five working days after the conclusion of all Incident Review Meetings associated with an Incident Report, the Area Coordinator/Residence Life Intern will either schedule a follow-up meeting or send a copy of the Notice of Decision to the resident’s Cal Poly Pomona email address advising them: 

  • Whether the student is found responsible or not responsible for violating one or more UHS Policies and Regulations 
  • Of any sanction(s) the student must fulfill, and any applicable deadlines, if found responsible 

Attendance at the Incident Review Meeting is essential. An open discussion of the situation will demonstrate the resident’s commitment to resolve the issue. If the resident does not appear at the Incident Review Meeting, the Area Coordinator/Residence Life Intern will make a note in the resident’s conduct file, and the Area Coordinator/Residence Life Intern will make a decision based on the information available to them, without the resident’s input. It is in the resident’s best interest to attend – even if the resident feels they were not involved or responsible for the alleged violations. The resident has 24 hours before the scheduled appointment to reschedule the Incident Review Meeting if needed; rescheduling will only be accepted for academic purposes (This attendance policy applies to all levels of the conduct system including Eviction Meetings and Appeals). 

In an attempt to further the educational mission of the University and simultaneously hold community members accountable for their actions, UHS has developed a system of sanctioning. If a student is found responsible for violating any UHS Policies and Regulations, a sanction will be imposed. Sanctions will be outlined in a Notice of Decision.  Sanctions serve several purposes: 

  • Provide a framework for behavioral change to assist the resident in learning other ways of conducting himself/herself without violating policies 
  • Reinforce to the resident the impropriety of violating Policies and Regulations 

Help build a stronger community by raising a resident’s awareness of the effect his/her behavior has on others 

Eviction Process Overview

University housing services utilizes the following process to hold students accountable for evictable violations the license agreement: 

  • Sanction: Recommend for Eviction 
  • Meeting with Lead Conduct Officer 

Sanction: Recommend for Eviction

Violations of several policies in the license agreement may result in eviction from UHS property on the first offense. When a student is found responsible for an evictable policy violation or has been found responsible in numerous incidents, the sanction that they will receive from their Area Coordinator is a Recommendation for Eviction.

Meeting with Lead Conduct Officer

Following receipt of their sanction, the student then meets with the Lead Conduct Officer to go over the eviction process, review their license agreement and to evaluate their status as a student in University Housing Services. All residents who, by virtue of their behavior toward themselves or other residents, show an inability to live in a group setting under the policies listed in the license agreement will be asked to leave University Housing Services. They will receive a Notice to Quit, a legal document which bans them from residing in University Housing Services for a prescribed amount of time.  All residents whose behavioral choices result in eviction are referred to Student Conduct and Integrity. 

Appeals Process

Residents have the right to appeal a decision resulting from an Incident Review and/or Eviction Meeting. In order to appeal this decision, the following steps must be followed: 

  • Appeal request 
  • Appeal request review 
  • Appeal decision 

Appeals can be submitted by clicking here.

Appeal Process Overivew

Appeals must be made as an emailed request within three (3) business days of the date of this of the date of their Notice of Decision. Approval for an appeal meeting is based on the emailed request and this emailed request should address one or more of the following: 

  • Presentation of new or relevant information that was unavailable at the time of the original Incident Review Meeting 
  • The decision about the behavior is unsupported by preponderance of the evidence 
  • The Coordinator who conducted the incident Review Meeting was influenced by personal bias 
  • The sanction was not appropriate to the offense 
  • The Coordinator who conducted the Incident Review Meeting did not follow written procedures as outlined in the conduct process material 

Appeals can be submitted by clicking here. 

Upon reviewing an appeal case, the Lead Conduct Officer or his/her designee can make a decision based on the emailed request or they may choose to meet with the resident to obtain additional information. 

Should the Lead Conduct Officer or his/her designee choose to meet with the resident, a decision will be made following the appeal meeting. Appeal decisions consist of three options: 

  • Uphold the original sanction or decision 
  • Eliminate or decrease the original sanction or decision 
  • Change or increase the original sanction or decision 

In cases resulting in eviction, residents may be relocated or removed from the halls prior to the completion of the Appeals Process under certain circumstances and at the discretion of the department. Failure to make the appeal within the allotted time period will result in the forfeiture of the right to appeal. 

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding the conduct process, please contact: 

Araceli Guzmán

Senior Coordinator, Residential Education and Leadership
University Housing Services