The Student Conduct system at Virginia Tech educates students about appropriate behavior and fosters a community in which academic success can occur.
The Student Conduct System is an educational tool with two main objectives:
- to hold students accountable for unacceptable behavior
- to modify those behaviors deemed unacceptable by the university
The university student conduct system strives to address unacceptable behavior in a manner that informs students and guides them toward a greater sense of personal responsibility and more mature and acceptable community standards.
Students have an integral role in the creation, review and the adjudication of rules of conduct. We encourage any interested student to contact the Office of Student Conduct if you are interested in becoming more involved.
The Office of Student Conduct utilizes student committees that represent a peer-review option to an otherwise administratively-run hearing. The boards are composed of undergraduate and graduate students who hear cases on a weekly basis. The student conduct committees (SCC) have the same scope of authority (meaning they can sanction someone for anything ranging from a formal warning to permanent dismissal) as any other hearing officer.
Risk ManagementAlcohol and Drugs
No chapter shall tolerate or condone any form of sexual abusive behavior on the part of its members, whether physical or emotional. This is to include any actions which are demeaning to women or men,including but not limited to rape, gang rape, or verbal harassment.
Sanctioning
Member fraternities found to be not in compliance with any of the IFC risk management bylaws will be brought before the IFC Student Conduct Committee and sanctioned appropriately.
Student Conduct helpful hints for organizations
An incident may be an organizational activity, for which the organization itself may be disciplined, if any two of the following characteristics are present:
a. The faculty advisor (if applicable), or any of the executive officers of the organization is aware of the incident sufficiently in advance of its occurance to prohibit its taking place, and takes no action to prohibit it.
b. The faculty advisor (if applicable), or any of the executive officers of the organization knows the identity of the members involved in the incident and refuses to divulge that information to the appropriate university authorities or the police.
c. The incident takes place in any public area within a chapter house or in any public place.
d. The incident involves the expenditure of any orgainzational funds.
e. The incident involves or is actively or passivly endorsed by a majority of the members of the organization.
f. The incident involves six or more members of the organization.
What are the rules that student organizations have to follow?
Student organizations must know and abide by all regulations and policies that govern their conduct as members of their national/international organization, the university community and the Commonwealth of Virginia. A list of applicable policies include: Virginia Commonwealth Statute and Blacksburg Town Code, University Policies for Student Life (UPSL), Student Activities Policies for Registered Student Organizations, and FIPG Risk Management Policies.
What can organizations do to prevent getting a CR?
Educating members of all applicable policies and abiding by all risk management procedures can limit your organization's exposure to policy violations. There is no sure way to prevent policy violations. If something happens at an organization function or your members find themselves in trouble, discuss ways to manage the situation with the university and/or law enforcement. The sooner you contact all of the aforementioned offices regarding an incident, the better we can help your organization manage it. In some instances, allowing the members responsible for the violation to be reported to the appropriate office/agency can remove organization responsiblity for the violation. This is not always the case and should nnot be used as a means to avoid organization responsibility.
What gives Virginia Tech the right to enforce university rules off campus?
Virginia Tech has always had the right to enforce rules off-campus. You represent Virginia Tech regardless of whether the alleged misconduct takes place on campus, across the street from the campus, or across town. Virginia Tech is highly concerned about high-risk drinking and drug abuse by students due to the threat behaviors pose to student health, safety, and academic success.
What happens at the pre-hearing? Can I contest the referral and present my case?
The pre-hearing is a meeting with a staff member in Student Conduct to make sure your organization understands the process now that your organization has been charged with an alleged violation of university policy. Your organizations representative will receive copies of the charge letter and conduct referral. Just because your organization has been charged with a violation does not mean it is responsible for the violation, it just means that a situation occurred that requires further inquiry through a formal hearing. The pre-hearing is for your organization to understand the process, not contest the referral. Your organization can opt not to have a pre-hearing converence if desired. Simply notify the Office of Student Conduct in writing.
Still have questions? Visit the Student Conduct Website: www.studentconduct.vt.edu or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .