Students living in the residence halls at Texas State University are responsible for knowing and following the student rights, responsibilities, and policies outlined in the Living on Campus Handbook and Housing Contract, as well as the Texas State Student Handbook. If a student is accused of violating any of these policies or expectations, the student will be given an opportunity to share their perspective of the incident. This process is known as the conduct process and is overseen by the Dean of Students Office- Student Conduct and Community Standards. The Dean of Students Office gives Housing and Residential Life authority to engage in the conduct process for incidents that occur in the residence halls.
Reporting Incidents
Students witnessing a violation of policy must notify hall staff. An incident report will be submitted and will be utilized to determine any alleged violations of the Living on Campus Handbook and/or the Code of Student Conduct. Should alleged violations be present within the incident report, the report will then be turned into a conduct case. Upon creation, the case will be routed to a university administrator, typically the building’s Residence Director, for review.
Administrative Review
The Administrative Review Process is the process through which hearing officers, traditionally Residence Directors, gain more information about alleged violations of the Living on Campus Handbook and/or the Student Code of Conduct. Anyone alleged to have violated the Living on Campus Handbook and/or Code of Student Conduct will be notified of a date and time to review the incident with the conduct officer. Those alleged to have violated the Living on Campus Handbook and/or the Code of Student Conduct should provide any information about the incident to the conduct officer, prior to the scheduled meeting. While this process does investigate potential violations, the Administrative Review process is educational in nature and intends to provide students the opportunity to share their perspective of the situation, provide additional information, and have a reflective conversation about the alleged violations that may have occurred. The conduct officer will determine if the student is responsible or not responsible for violating policy utilizing the information from the initial incident report, information shared within the Administrative Review Meeting, and any additional pertinent information provided by the student and other students involved within the situation. If applicable, the Housing and Residential Life conduct officer will assign appropriate sanction(s) the student must complete.
In the event that a student fails to attend the Administrative Review Meeting and does not attempt to reschedule within the timeframe provided to them, the case may be heard in their absence based on the information available.
In all cases, students who have potentially violated a policy are afforded due process, which includes the right to accept or decline the findings of the Housing and Residential Life conduct officer. If a student chooses to decline the finding of the Housing and Residential Life conduct officer, the case will be sent to the Dean of Students Office- Student Conduct and Community Standards, where a formal hearing panel will review the case.
Assigned Sanctions
Sanctions are intended to be educational in nature or may be financial restitution to compensate for costs incurred by the university as a result of the actions taken.
Sanctions may include but are not limited to written essays, educational activities, community service, damage reimbursement, and other educationally focused assignments. Some sanctions may result in the suspension of rights and privileges for a specific period of time. This can include but is not limited to: access to electronic network facilities and participation in athletic, extracurricular, or other student activities, and reassignment within the residential facilities.
If the student charged with a potential violation of the Living on Campus Handbook is believed to have taken actions that threaten the safety of themselves or someone else, the student may be required to move from their current room to another room on-campus, or they may be temporarily or permanently removed from on-campus housing. If the student is required to move off-campus due to the alleged actions, all costs incurred will be the responsibility of the student. Refunds will not be distributed for the paid residence facilities costs, and the student will be responsible for payment of the remainder of the housing contract for the full academic year.
If the student fails to complete the assigned sanctions, a hold will be placed on their student account until the sanctions are completed. This may mean the student is unable to register, receive transcripts, or receive a diploma.