Hearing Panels and Honor Councils Information (PDF)

Hearing Panel Script (PDF)

The UCSD is comprised of faculty and students that represent the University community. Faculty members are appointed to the committee by their respective Academic Dean in consultation with the Dean of Students and the Faculty Senate. Student members of the committee are appointed by the Dean of Students in consultation with the Academic Deans. There are student representatives from each academic class on the committee. Prior to being appointed students must complete an application and interview process.

The UCSD consists of three subcommittees; the Honor Council, the Hearing Panel, and Honor Council/Hearing Panel. Additionally, special provision are made for allegations of sexual misconduct and allegations occurring where school is on winter or summer break (to include all summer classes).
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An Honor Council is convened to hear allegations of Honor System violations that are independent of Student Code of Conduct violations. The final decision of this council must be unanimous.

A Hearing Panel is convened to hear allegations of Student Code of Conduct violations. The final decision of this panel is determined by a majority vote.

An Honor Council/Hearing Panel is convened when an alleged violation of the Student Code of Conduct and an Honor system violation occur during the same incident. On this committee the final decisions are determined separately. The Honor system violation will be determined by a unanimous consensus, while the Student Code of Conduct violation will be decided by a majority vote.
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Composition of these subcommittees is usually no less than five members drawn from the UCSD pool, to include a combination of faculty and students on each panel. Sexually misconduct panels and special panels have different compositions.

For more information about a hearing panel or honor council please see the student handbook at www.cnu.edu/studentlife .
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4) When would the Hearing Panel become involved in the adjudication process?

Once an Initial Conference has occurred the Judicial Officer will decide if the student is responsible for the alleged violation and in turn impose an appropriate sanction. If that sanction may be suspension or dismissal from the University, an Honor Council or Hearing Panel may be convened in two ways:

•  By the request of the Judicial Officer, or
•  By the accused student as an appeal to a decision made during the Initial Conference. Appeal requests must be submitted in writing to the Director of the CHECS Standards within 5 days of receiving the decision letter.
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5) How can I work with the CHECS besides dealing with potential violations?

The Judicial Officer will notify the student in writing of the complaint and allegations that have been filed, in addition to the panel members that will hear the case. All parties will receive notification of the date, time, and place of the hearing.

The student has the opportunity to remove one member of the panel due to a proven bias. If the student elects to dismiss a panel member they must do so in writing.

The student may elect to have an advisor present at the Hearing Panel. The advisor may NOT address the panel, they may only advise the student.

Witnesses will be called to the hearing to testify to the events of the incident in question. The list of witnesses will be given the date, time, and location of the hearing.
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6) What should I expect at a Hearing and/or Honor Council?

The following order of present is recommended for us in a hearing panel/honor council. The hearing body may change the order if necessary.

An opening statement will be made by one of the committee members. The process of the hearing will be explained and the student may ask any questions they have regarding that process.

Both the accused student and the CHECS representative will then have the opportunity to make an opening statement.

Any parties involved may call witnesses. Both parties and the UCSD committee members have the right to examine/cross examine witnesses as necessary.

Both the accused student and the CHECS representative have the opportunity to make a closing statement.

The hearing will be recorded and filed with the Dean of Students.

At the close of the hearing the UCSD will decide responsibility for this specific incident.

Once a determination has been made the UCSD will decide on an appropriate sanction if needed.
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The findings for the charges and if applicable, the sanctions will be forwarded as a recommendation to the Director of CHECS, who will make the final decision.

The student will receive notice in writing of the decision within 10 business days of the proceedings.
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A student should be prepared to make an opening and closing statement, question any witnesses, and answer questions from the panel and the judicial officer. A student should also decide if they would like to have an advisor. A student is allowed one advisor, who may advise the student during the hearing. The advisor may NOT address the panel or anyone else participating in the hearing process, they can only advise the student.
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Yes. Individuals who wish to appeal the decision must submit a written request to the Dean of Students within five business days of the decision notification.

You may ONLY request an appeal on the grounds that due process was violated or introduce new evidence that was not available at the time of the hearing.
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