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Dean of Students Office
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Outcomes and Sanctions

The Dean of Students Office (DOS) utilizes a Progressive Sanctioning approach to address student incidents. This means a student's behavior will be addressed through outcomes and sanctions directly related to the incident; however, a student with numerous violations will move on to more serious outcomes and sanctions with repeated violations. A student can enter the pyramid below at any stage and generally will only move up from there.

Students who have been sanctioned as a result of the Student Conduct process are encouraged to reach out to the DOS with any concerns or questions they have about their sanctions. A (non-exhaustive) list of sanctions can be found in the Student Code of Conduct, Section I.

A Disciplinary Hold will be placed on a student's account if they do not complete sanctions by their assigned deadline date. This Disciplinary Hold will prevent students from withdrawing from courses, future registration, and transcript requests.

Please also view our Sanction FAQ page for our most commonly asked questions regarding sanctions. 

Progressive Sanction Pyramid

Prevention & Outreach

The Dean of Students Office assists with the development of University prevention education to ensure the Office and Code of Conduct are aligned with UNF community values and behavioral expectations.

Informed Ospreys

Informed Ospreys is a series of online training modules designed to help students understand, identify, and comply with policies and procedures at the University of North Florida. More information about the training modules can be found on our website.

MODULE 1: (Total Duration: 2.5 hours)

  1. Sexual Assault Prevention
  2. Bystander Intervention
  3. Alcohol & Other Drugs

MODULE 2: (Total Duration: 1.25 hours)

  1. Diversity Awareness
  2. Creating a Respectful Campus for LGBTQ+
  3. Sensitivity Awareness

MODULE 3: (Total Duration: 21 minutes)

  1. Mental Health Awareness

Spotlight Series

The Spotlight Series is a blog-format focused on learning and reflection directly related to concerning behaviors or high-risk impact decision-making. The information is available for all members of the UNF community to learn about different topics related to student accountability, conduct, resolution, as well as other higher education-based issues.

The Spotlight Series is featured on our website and can be found under the Engagement menu.

Talking Series

The Talking Series events discuss difficult topics and current events. The goal for the Talking Series is to provide the University community with opportunities to learn about important topics or address situations that are often seen coming through the Office.

The Talking Series is featured on our website and can be found under the Engagement menu.

Warning

Behaviors referred to the Dean of Students Office that do not rise to the level of a conduct violation may be referred to another University office, receive a formal warning, or recommended to be addressed through the Alternative Dispute Resolution program.

Referral

An incident report may include information about policy violations but are better suited to be addressed by a specific University department or organization. In these cases, the Dean of Students Office will document the incident report but submit a referral to the appropriate area of campus to address the behavior.

Formal Warning

The Dean of Students Office can review referrals and determine pursuing formal charges is not necessary. A Warning is intended to bring attention to the situation that was not in accordance with the University mission, vision, and/or values, but doesn't rise to the level of a Code of Conduct violation.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Alternative Dispute Resolution services are available through the Dean of Students Office to help students manage and resolve disputes. Services are free, private, voluntary and include conflict coaching, facilitated dialogue, and mediation.

Educational

Safe Colleges

Assigned through Osprey Ascend, these are online learning modules to address the various elements of behavior observed through misconduct. The online modules address topics of alcohol and substance use/abuse, bystander intervention, fire safety and consent.

Reflection Paper

Reflection papers are assigned to promote critical thinking and decision-making in students who have found themselves responsible for violations of the Student Code of Conduct. The topics include general reflection, fire safety, intent vs. impact and how to advocate for yourself. Specific instructions will be attached to a student's Decision Letter.

Guided Analysis

Resource Review 

A Resource Review consists of one-on-one meetings with the Resolution & Engagement Team to engage the student in a review of the applicable resources/policy on campus and guide the creation of either an educational social media flyer or a blog post, explaining the resource/policy for their peers. A Resource Review may also involve connecting the student to on-campus resources and assisting them with personal development. 

Reflective Learning 

Students will meet one-on-one with a member of the Resolution & Engagement Team to talk through and review the incident, assess the responsible findings, and ensure the student understands their assigned sanctions. Additionally, while assessing the responsible findings from the Decision Letter, the student begins the reflective process needed in order to complete their Reflective Learning exercise and to learn how impactful their actions can be to themselves and individuals around them.

Bystander Intervention

A Bystander Intervention consists of one-on-one meetings with the Resolution & Engagement Team to engage the student in a review of bystander intervention and guide the creation of a written assignment reflecting on the role that bystander participation plays in the outcome of a situation.

Values Assessment

A Values Assessment consists of one-on-one meetings between the student and the Resolution & Engagement Team guiding the student to help them understand how their personal values and their actions can align to help the student advocate for themselves. The outcome of these meetings will be a written exercise reassessing the core values of the student, tying those values to those of the University, and reflecting on their connection to the incident.

Communication Development

Communication Development consists of multiple one-on-one sessions between the student and a member of the Resolution & Engagement Team meant to engage the student to think about their communication style and their incident or conflict. The student will also be asked to articulate their behaviors that were found to be in violation of the Code of Conduct and explain why it was a violation.

Action Plan

Students will meet on multiple occasions with a member of the Resolution & Engagement Team to engage in a critical thinking exercise and reflect on the decisions made during the course of the incident, or leading up to the incident, which resulted in the violating behavior(s). The outcome of these meetings will be a typed action plan created by the student by using SMART goals. The student will need to achieve their action plan prior to their 3-month check in meeting.

Behavioral Contract

The Behavioral Contract consists of multiple meetings between the student and a member of the Resolution & Engagement Team where they will review the incident and take a deeper dive into the behavior that got the student to that incident. The outcome of these Behavioral Contract meetings will be a written or typed document created by the student with the assistance of the DOS staff member, that they must both sign in agreement of expectations regarding future behavior from the student. The student will need to attend a 3-month check in meeting to review their completed behavioral contract.

Intervention & Restrictions

PERCH

Osprey PERCH provides necessary community mental health continuum components to support students. If a student presents with continued or serious substance use or behavioral interactions, the Dean of Students Office may require a student to undergo an assessment meeting with PERCH and address the specific behaviors from their case. PERCH will document compliance and determine when the student achieved successful completion of the assigned meeting type.

Trespass

A trespass from the Dean of Students Office is not a criminal trespass but can be enforced by UPD and turn into a criminal trespass. Students may be restricted from selective areas of campus, like Housing & Residence Life or the Recreation & Wellness complex or restricted from UNF's campus entirely.

Contract Review

The Dean of Students Office may assign a Contract Review meeting, or other required meetings with key University leadership, to ensure student are accountable to their obligations on campus. If students have continued to be found Responsible within on-campus housing, they may be required to review their Housing Contract with Housing & Residence Life staff and assess their ability to remain on-campus. If students have violated a behavioral contract, they may be required to review their actions with the Dean of Students or other appropriate staff.

Suspension

Semester

Students are suspended on a semester by semester basis, determined by the severity of the incident. A semester means the student is no longer allowed to attend classes during the duration of the stated suspension. Students are also restricted from visiting the UNF campus during their suspension term, and if they need to be on-campus, they must arrange for an escort through the University Police Department. If a suspension occurs mid-way through a semester, the Dean of Students Office may consider a delayed suspension rather than administratively withdrawing a student from their courses. Suspensions are notated on a student's transcript for the duration of the suspension term.

Enrollment Impacts

The University of North Florida defines continuous enrollment as being enrolled in classes at UNF without a break of three or more consecutive semesters, including summer terms. If a student is suspended for any semester(s), an evaluation of the potential enrollment impact is conducted. A student wishing to return from suspension after a break in continuous enrollment will be required to reapply to the University. If a student wishes to attend classes at another institution during their suspension from UNF, they will need to complete a temporary hold lift request with the Dean of Students Office.

Expulsion

Permanent Removal

An expulsion from the University of North Florida is a permanent separation from the University of North Florida without possibility of re-admission. Expulsions are effective immediately and will restrict the individual from visiting the UNF campus. If an individual needs to be on-campus, they must contact the University Police Department to arrange for an escort.

Transcript Notation

Transcript notations are included on a student's academic record, or transcript, for the duration of a suspension period or indefinitely after an individual has been expelled.