Sanctions

General Guidelines to Sanctioning

The aims of sanctioning are to protect the university community, deter future misconduct, promote individual accountability, and enhance ethical development. Reasonable efforts are made to educate and support students in reaching their academic and personal goals while fostering a climate of accountability and responsibility for one’s actions.

Sanctions issued are commensurate with the violations found to have occurred. In determining the sanction(s) to be imposed, the decision-making body will take into account any mitigating circumstances and any aggravating factors including, but not limited to, any provocation by the subject of the conduct that constituted the violation, any failure to comply fully with previously assigned sanctions, the actual and potential harm caused by the violation, and the severity and pervasiveness of the prohibited conduct.

Ordinarily, the penalties for subsequent or repeated violations, whenever such violation(s) occur, will progress in severity. Further, certain types of violations are so fundamentally inconsistent with the University’s educational mission that, absent unusual mitigating factors, will be considered for higher modes of discipline. Where appropriate, the sanction shall include the period of duration, any conditions to be observed during that period, and the conditions for termination of the sanction.

When a pending allegation or a finding of responsibility for a Code of Conduct or policy violation occurs towards the end of an academic semester or term, during final examinations, or just before graduation, the Director may work with the academic college and with the Registrar’s Office to withhold or delay program certification or degree conferral until the resolution process concludes or the matter is fully and finally resolved.

In some circumstances, an eligible student may be permitted to participate in commencement exercises; however, the University may permanently withhold awarding of a degree or withhold the award of a degree pending the completion of the resolution process, including the completion of all university responses imposed.

The following are authorized disciplinary sanctions and can be issued individually or in combination:

Formal Warning – An official written notification indicating that a student’s behavior is inconsistent with established behavioral expectations for members of the university community. Unless otherwise specified, a University Warning will remain in effect for one academic year and would serve as a basis for progressive sanctioning should subsequent misconduct occur.

University Housing Probation – A status imposed for a specified period of time when behavior in any university housing facility indicates an unwillingness or inability to accommodate community living standards or when personal conduct is incompatible with the regular demands of living in a residential community. Additional residentially based violations while on a probationary status may result in a loss of privileges or University Housing Removal.

Administrative Room or Building Reassignment – An action where a student is assigned to either another room in the same community, a room in another community, or relocated to another building. Administrative reassignment may carry specific restrictions concerning the previous community and invoked without notice.

University Housing Suspension – Removal from university housing for a definite period of time. Suspension from university housing occurs when conduct clearly demonstrates unwillingness or inability to function appropriately in the residential living and learning environment. A student who loses residency in university housing may be considered for future housing accommodations once the period of debarment is concluded and as space permits.

University Housing Removal – Permanent loss of residency from university housing that terminates the student’s ability to be around, live in, or visit any residence hall or apartment complex for an indefinite period of time.

University Disciplinary Probation – A specified period of time for observation and review during which continued relationship with the University is conditional and dependent upon demonstrated and sustained compliance with university policy, and the development of a plan for modified behavior. Probationary status denotes that the student is no longer in good behavioral standing which may impact any merit-based scholarships, eligibility to participate in university organizations or activities, including study abroad or holding certain leadership positions. Failure to abide by the conditions of a probationary status or further misconduct will likely result in University Suspension or University Expulsion.

University Suspension – Separation from the University for a fixed period of time that terminates the student’s enrollment. Satisfactory completion of specified stipulations may be required for reinstatement at the end of the suspension period. Under special circumstances, a suspension may be held in abeyance, which would allow for the student's continued enrollment so long as the student adheres to all stipulations, restrictions, or conditions imposed and is at the sole discretion of the Director. A student who has been suspended from the University shall be denied all privileges afforded a student including, but not limited to, participation in university-sponsored or sanctioned events and activities, and shall be required to vacate campus and may not be on any property owned, leased or controlled by the institution at any time, for any purpose, in the absence of expressed written permission from the Dean of Students.

University Expulsion – Indefinite severance of membership with the University, including termination of enrollment and resultant loss of all attendant rights and privileges. Expulsion permanently separates the individual from continued participation in any university event and excludes their presence on any property owned, leased or controlled by the institution.

Loss of Privileges – Temporary restrictions or revocation of a student’s ability to participate in specific activities including intercollegiate activities, athletic events, serving in positions of trust and responsibility, use of university facilities, guest or visitation rights in university housing, holding office or serving as an ambassador on behalf of the University.

Discretionary Assignments or Activities – Specific developmental work, success action plan, community service, remedial education, restitution, fines or other appropriate reflective or restorative assignments.

Organizational Sanctions

Organization Probation – A specified period of time for observation and review during which continued relationship with the University is conditional and dependent upon demonstrated and sustained compliance with university policy, and the development of a plan for modified behavior. The organization is not in good standing with the university and has lost university granted privileges as an organization. Lost privileges are determined at the discretion of the Office of Community Standards and the University Recognizing Agent and are based on the policies that the organization has been found responsible for violating and the specifics of the organization’s investigation. Lost privileges can include, but are not limited to, hosting and attending events outside of routine organization occurrences, collaborating with other organizations and university-affiliated groups, recruitment privileges, loss of access to university spaces and resources, participating in campus-wide events as an organization, and limited ability to act in the capacity as an organization affiliated with the University.  Probation includes the probability of graduated levels of discipline if the responding organization is found to violate any institutional regulations during the probationary period.

Organization Suspension – Loss of university-wide recognition for a fixed period of time. During such time the organization is prohibited from conducting formal or informal business, recruiting potential new members, sponsoring, co-sponsoring, or participating in any and all social events or activities, on or off campus, hosting any social or philanthropic events, representing the University in any way, maintaining membership or representation on any governing councils, utilizing campus facilities, and is ineligible to receive any university award, honorary recognition or institutional funding. If the RSO is a nationally chartered fraternity or sorority, the University may also request that the inter/national organizational governing body revoke the chapter’s charter.

Organization Dismissal (Revocation of University Recognition) – Indefinite loss of university recognition and official identification as a student organization at the University of New Hampshire. The organization has lost all of its rights and privileges related to being a university-affiliated organization and is not able to be reconsidered to initiate its recognition. Members of the organization are not allowed to continue operations of the organization in any capacity. Continuation of operations could include, but are not limited to, recruiting members to join the organization, advertising the organization and any related events using channels affiliated with the organization and the University, attending other organization’s events under the pretense of the organization’s name, wearing the organization’s symbols at university-sponsored events, and performing actions under the organization’s name.