Student Conduct FAQ

The email informs you that someone filed a report alleging that you violated the Standards for Student Conduct.

You need to set up a meeting as directed in the letter by the deadline stated in the letter.

If you are accused of academic dishonesty, you will have an opportunity to speak to your instructor about the allegation.  Under the University policy on academic honesty, the professor may assess an academic consequence such as a zero on the assignment or an F in the class. The instructor will also refer the matter to the Office of the Dean of Students and additional administrative sanctions may be imposed through the student conduct process.

A student conduct administrator will go over the report and information gathered from an investigation. You will have an opportunity to explain what happened from your perspective. A student conduct administrator will explain the Student Conduct process and outline possible next steps.

There will be a discussion as to whether the issue can be resolved informally through a resolution agreement or formally through a hearing.

The first meeting is usually attended by a student conduct administrator and the student. Both may have an advisor of their choosing present with them. Your advisor is there to support you; they may not speak on your behalf. Attorneys are generally prohibited from acting as advisors. The letter that you receive about the meeting will outline when/if attorneys may be present as advisors.

No.

You will receive notice that an enrollment hold will be placed, which will prevent you from adding, dropping or registering for classes. A hold will also be placed on your transcript, which will prevent you from obtaining your transcript. For seniors who are about to graduate, we can also put a hold on awarding your degree.

You may be directed to set up another meeting or you may be scheduled for a Formal Hearing. It is important for you to respond to letters from the Office of the Dean of Students Office regardless of your plans to continue enrollment at Cal State LA in the future.

Tell a student conduct administrator in the initial meeting and they will take it into consideration as part of their investigation.

If, based on the information that a student conduct administrator has gathered, they think that it is more likely than not that you violated the Standards for Student Conduct, you may be offered a resolution agreement. The resolution agreement outlines sanctions that you agree to fulfill if you sign the agreement. If you don’t agree with the sanctions, or you don’t agree that the preponderance of evidence points to you having violated the Standards for Student Conduct, you have the right to a formal hearing.

If you live on campus and are found in violation of the policies outlined in the Housing license agreement, you may also be in violation of the CSU Standards for Student Conduct. The Housing conduct process and the University conduct process are separate, so students may have to go through both depending on the severity of the incident.

The hearing is an opportunity for the University and for you to present evidence and witnesses in support of your positions. The hearing is controlled by a Hearing Officer who will decide, based on what they hear and see at the hearing, whether you violated the Standards for Student Conduct. If they decide that you did, they will also recommend sanctions. The Hearing Officer will prepare a report which is sent either to the President or to the President’s designee. The President, or their designee, makes the final decision as to responsibility and to sanctions.

The Office of Student Conduct schedules the hearing with your input, based on the days and times that work best for you.

If you don’t show up to the hearing and you don’t have good cause for the absence, it’s likely that the hearing will proceed, and a decision will be made, without your input.

Sanctions can range from restitution to expulsion and depend on the severity of the violation.

Learn more at Possible Sanctions.

Expulsion from all 23 campuses of the CSU is a possible sanction in cases involving severe behavior. See Possible Sanctions for more details

A suspension of a year or more and an expulsion will go on your transcript permanently. See Possible Sanctions for more details.

The signed resolution agreement and or a decision by the President or President’s designee’s is final.

Learn more about the confidentiality of disciplinary hearings in our Confidentiality webpage.

It depends whether they have a legitimate educational interest.

Otherwise, we’re bound to Confidentiality.

Yes, the violation may result in an investigation by both the University and the legal system. The processes are separate and may occur simultaneously.

If you have a hold, you have likely failed to fulfill obligations concerning a disciplinary case including not scheduling a disciplinary meeting or completing mandated sanctions. You will need to call the Office of the Dean of Students at 323-343-3103.