The Community Standards Violation Process Flow
How does an incident become a community standards violation matter?
The community standards violation process begins when a complaint is filed. A complaint may be filed in one of three ways; with the Dean of Student Affairs, with the Student Life Office, or by filing a report with the University Police. The university regulation or policy which the complainant believes has been violated must be detailed and supported by information which substantiates the facts and circumstances. Such a memorandum may be filed by a student, faculty or staff member when the alleged violator of university policy is a registered student of Carnegie Mellon.
What if an incident occurred off-campus?
Many incidents that occur off-campus are normally dealt with first through the University Police or other law enforcement agency, magistrate or the public legal system. The university may, however, still choose to review the conduct of the student in these cases (usually by referring the case to a hearing board). Carnegie Mellon is a private university but also a part of the larger community and students are expected to abide by not only university policy but also state laws. At times it is important to address the student's behavior and determine if his/her presence at the university may put the Carnegie Mellon community at risk.
What happens once a complaint has been filed?
When a violation of community standards occurs, the student alleged to have violated community standards (the RESPONDENT) will be asked to meet with a university adjudicator. An adjudicator is a university official authorized to mediate agreements or recommend sanctions for students who are alleged to have violated community standards. This person is usually a housefellow or college liaison, but the Dean of Student Affairs may also serve in this capacity.
Normally within 48 hours of the time that the Student Life Office is notified of an alleged violation of community standards, a Housefellow will get in touch with a student (normally via e-mail) and ask him/her to schedule a mediation meeting.
What is mediation?
The goals of mediation are:
- to resolve conflicts
- to encourage responsible behavior and actions
- to allow students to explore ethics, values, and perspectives
- to empower students with lifelong skills for resolving conflicts
- to encourage community ownership of community standards and involvement in the community standards violation process
During mediation, the two parties (the student and the adjudicator acting on behalf of the university) will determine whether or not a violation of community standards occurred, and discuss ways in which they can repair any damage that may have occurred between the student and the university community. The mediation process considers the student as an active participant in this exchange and allows him/her to share in the generation of possible outcomes--that means each party sharing ideas, and together working toward a successful resolution. Mediation can also occur when there are disputes between students (when community standards have been violated). The adjudicator will help the students work toward resolution by using the same process.
Once an agreement has been made, the decision is forwarded to the Mediation Review Board (MRB) for approval. The MRB is made up of the Dean of Student Affairs, the Director of Student Life and the Coordinator for Community Standards. The role of the MRB is to ensure that there is consistency between resolutions, since they view all of the agreements. Once the MRB approves the recommendation, the student will receive notification in writing confirming the terms of the agreement (normally within a week). If agreement on the appropriate resolution cannot be reached the student may request that an appropriate hearing board review the case.
