Housing and Residence Life Regulations and Conduct Procedures

The Housing and Residence Life Conduct System includes policies published in the Housing Contract, Terms and Conditions, Resident Handbook, Student Handbook and other official University publications.

Procedural Due Process

1. The charged resident shall receive notification of the charge(s), date, time and place of hearing at least 48 hours prior to the hearing. Notifications will be sent the resident's UNF Email.
2. Whether a resident is in violation of the standards shall be based on information shared during the hearing, in addition to any incident reports.
3. Should the charged resident receive proper notice and fail to appear at the hearing, the hearing administrator may proceed with the hearing and decide on the case based on the information available, and/or forward the case to the University Dean of Students Office, and/or place a hold on the student's account.
4. If, in the course of the hearing, it is determined that the charged resident is responsible for violations connected with the same incident other than those cited in the original charges, the hearing administrator may issue an additional charge letter to the student and allow the student 72-hour notice prior to discussing the additional charges. These charges may then be discussed in a separate scheduled hearing.
5. The charged resident will be given the opportunity to respond to the information during the hearing.
6. The charged resident shall receive written notification via their UNF Email of the decision of the hearing within two weeks.
7. The charged resident has the right to an Advisor throughout the conduct process. The respondent, complainant, and any witnesses may be accompanied during the conduct process by an advisor of their choice.

   1. It is the respective party's responsibility to make appropriate arrangements for their advisor to attend the hearing, which shall not be delayed due to scheduling conflicts of the chosen advisor.

   2. Respondents, complainants, and witnesses are required to address the hearing administrator in person, on their own behalf, although they may consult with their advisor during the hearing. This consultation must take place in a manner that does not disrupt the proceedings. The advisor shall not speak on behalf of their party unless expressly authorized to do so by the hearing administrator.

   3. The respondent, complainant, and any witnesses shall provide the advisor's name in writing to the Hearing Administrator two class days prior to the hearing. If an advisor is an attorney, the respective party must notify the Hearing Administrator assigned to the case of an attorney's name and address at least two class days prior to the hearing. In the Hearing Administrator's sole discretion, an advisor may be removed from the hearing if it is determined that their presence is disruptive. The advisor may not serve as a witness. Deviations from these procedures shall not necessarily invalidate a hearing or the decisions of a hearing.

    

Infraction Notice/Initial Meeting Letter

The charged resident shall receive notification of their Initial Review Meeting. This meeting will allow the student to meet with their Hearing Officer and review the Residential Conduct Process, Student Rights, Hearing Options, Charges and Case Documentation.

During the initial meeting, a student can elect to have an immediate hearing or a scheduled administrative hearing. 

Hearings

All Housing and Residence Life hearings will follow established procedures for the Department of Housing & Residence Life. Failure to complete with a Residential Conduct process may lead to escalated disciplinary action being taken, and/or immediate referral to the University Dean of Students Office.

Reprimand Letter

When Housing & Residence Life is in receipt of a report concerning a student’s involvement in actions that constitute violation of the Resident Handbook, a hearing officer may send an HRL Reprimand Letter.  This letter allows the student to accept responsibility for violating the policy/policies and are not required to attend a meeting with a hearing officer if they choose. 

Conduct Records

Housing and Residence Life Conduct Records are retained by the Department of Housing and Residence Life and will be shared with University Officials as needed. The Housing and Residence Life staff reserves the right to forward any individual and/or conduct incident to the Dean of Students Office. Housing and Residence Life abides by confidentiality as required by FERPA.

Sanctions

In considering the facts and circumstances of each case, the following sanctions, or combination of sanctions (with or without appropriate modifications) may be imposed upon any individual resident and/or groups or organizations found to have violated the Housing and Residence Life Rules and Policies:

• Written warning
• Community service hours - assignment to complete tasks under the supervision of a University department or outside agency
• Educational activities - attendance at educational programs, preparation of bulletin boards, reflective papers, interviews with appropriate officials, planning and implementation of educational programs or other educational activities
• Counseling assessment - In certain circumstances in which a student may be a threat to the safety of self or others, the student may be referred for assessment (at the student's expense) to a licensed mental health professional or counseling center for general mental health or other counseling issues. Students found responsible for alcohol and/or drug violations will normally be referred to the UNF Office of the Dean of Students for alcohol and/or drug education and assessment, but may be referred to an outside agency or counselor based on the seriousness of the violation. Students must comply with all recommendations established as a result of any assessment.
• Visitation restrictions - limit or loss of visitation privileges
• Restitution
• Fees
• Probation - A period of time during which a resident is expected to demonstrate appropriate changes in behavior. Any further violations of the Rules and Conduct Procedures may result in more serious sanctions being imposed. Some of the restrictions that may be placed on the student during the probation period include, but are not limited to: participation in student activities, participation in leadership positions (RA/RHA), entrance into residence halls or other areas of campus, or contact with another specified person(s)
• Change in residence hall/apartment assignment
• Exclusion (either temporary or permanent) from University residence halls/apartments. If a resident's Housing Contract is terminated as the result of disciplinary action, the resident will remain fully responsible for all rent due for all signed Housing Contracts.

This is not a complete list of possible sanctions.

NOTE: If a resident's Housing Contract is terminated as the result of disciplinary action, the resident will remain fully responsible for rent due for signed Housing Contracts.

Appeals

Residents electing to appeal a Housing and Residence Life Conduct decision must submit an Appeal Request Form appeal within five (5) class days of the date noted on the Decision Letter. Students have the right to appeal the outcome of their Residential Conduct case based on the following:

1. Errors in the hearing proceedings that substantially affected the outcome of the hearing.
2. The sanction(s) is (are) extraordinarily disproportionate to the violation committed.
3. Presentation of new information that was not available at the time of the original hearing, which may substantially affect the outcome of the hearing.

Failure to Complete a Sanction

Failure to complete a Housing & Residence Life Conduct sanction(s) may result in an escalated disciplinary action, and/or immediate referral to the University Dean of Students Office. Please review the University's Student Code of Conduct for additional information regarding University Conduct Procedures.

NOTE: As a result of a case referral to the University Dean of Students Office, failure to complete with a sanction may result in a Disciplinary Hold being issued to the student's account. Holds will not be lifted to accommodate schedule changes, registration, transcript requests, etc. until the student has successfully completed required sanctions.