Student Rights and Responsibilities
Colorado State University expects students to:
- Maintain standards of personal integrity that are in harmony with the educational goals of the institution
- Observe national, state, and local laws, and university regulations
- Respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people
Students retain the rights, protection, guarantees, and responsibilities that are held by all citizens. The Student Bill of Rights, explains other rights that apply to all higher education students in Colorado.
The Colorado State University Student Conduct Code applies to conduct that occurs on or off campus and at university programs or activities.
Prohibited conduct is described in detail in the code. Violations of university drug and alcohol policies and state drug and alcohol laws, and all forms of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and sexual assault are code violations regardless of whether criminal charges result from the conduct. Disciplinary procedures under the code include the following steps:
- Student Conduct Services receives incident reports from law enforcement, CSU residence hall staff, faculty, administrative staff, students, other members of the university community, or from outside the university Reports are forwarded to a hearing officer, who will review the report and may seek additional information or investigate.
- If the hearing officer determines that a student may have violated the CSU Student Conduct Code, a hearing is schedule Full text of the code is available at https://resolutioncenter.colostate.edu/student-conduct-code/.
- The student will receive a notice letter with the date, time, and location of the hearing.
- At the hearing, the student may explain their conduct and perspective on the Evidence, written statements, and witness testimony may be submitted. The student may be accompanied by an advisor, who may be an attorney, but the advisor may not represent the student, speak on the student’s behalf, or participate directly in the hearing. Formal rules of evidence and legal procedure do not apply.
- The hearing officer will decide the outcome of the hearing based on the evidence and will notify the student, in writing, of this determination. See https://resolutioncenter.colostate.edu/sc-procedures/.
- Sanctions include disciplinary probation, loss of good standing, suspension, deferred suspension, and even expulsion. Student organizations can lose official recognition. Academic penalties can include grading penalties and permanent transcript notations. Housing modifications and parental notification are possible sanctions for policy violations. Educational programs and workshops may be assigned. The student has a right to appeal the hearing officer’s
- See https://resolutioncenter.colostate.edu/sc-procedures/.
- Where the alleged conduct involves sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, different procedures may apply. See the university’s Title IX website for more information (https://titleix.colostate.edu) and the section on interpersonal violence in this report.
A student is not immune from prosecution by local, state, or federal law enforcement agencies, even if the university initiates disciplinary proceedings.
The Student Resolution Center acts on the institutional values of interpersonal civility and honoring of community standards. The Student Resolution Center offers:
- Consultation, coaching, and mediation to help resolve conflicts
- Conflict management, academic integrity, and civility training and education
- Advising the student led All University Hearing Board
- Hearings to determine if prospective students with a criminal or disciplinary record will be admitted to the university
- Overseeing the student conduct process and hearings for students facing allegations of misconduct on or off campus
- Restorative Justice Program for repairing harm and restoring relationships
- Determining disciplinary action to be taken by the university, including educational programs
- Appeals process related to student conduct outcomes
Behavioral Expectations of Students Living on Campus
Students residing in university residence halls or apartments contractually agree to obey:
- Federal, state, and local laws
- Student Conduct Code (https://resolutioncenter.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2018/08/Student-Conduct-Code-v2018.pdf)
- Expectations outlined in the residential contract and university housing policies and procedures (https://housing.colostate.edu/halls/policies/)
Residential staff, under the supervision of Student Conduct Services, hear cases involving housing contract violations and may impose sanctions including drug and alcohol education; educational programs or activities; monetary restitution; reassignment to another residence hall room or building; and termination of the residential contract or lease. Significant incidents or a pattern of problems will result in referral to Student Conduct Services. Residence hall policies are available at https://housing.colostate.edu/halls/policies/ and apartment policies are available at https://housing.colostate.edu/apartments/policies/.
Disciplinary Records
Student disciplinary records are maintained by Student Conduct Services in keeping with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (1973), the Higher Education Amendments (1998), and the Student Conduct Code.