When Community Standards (CS) receives a complaint that a student has allegedly violated the Student Conduct Code, the office will contact the accused student(s) and request that they attend a resolution by agreement meeting with a conduct officer to discuss the allegations. The resolution by agreement resolution meeting is not a hearing. It is a meeting between the student and a staff member. If an accused student does not attend the meeting without prior notice to CS, a decision may be rendered in the student’s absence.
There are three (3) possible outcomes from a resolution by agreement meeting:
- The respondent is found to have no responsibility and/or that there is insufficient basis to proceed against the respondent. If that occurs, the case does not proceed to a hearing; or
- The respondent accepts responsibility and appropriate sanction(s) is/are agreed upon. If that occurs, the case is considered resolved; or
- The respondent does not accept responsibility and the conduct officer determines that the complaint warrants a hearing. If that occurs, the case proceeds to a formal hearing either before the University Conduct Board or an administrative hearing officer.
More information about the resolution by agreement process can be found in the Syracuse University Student Conduct System Handbook.
Procedural Advisors for Resolution by Agreement Meetings
Respondents may be advised during their meeting by a procedural advisor. Procedural advisors have no standing in the meeting and may not address the conduct officer. Their role is to provide quiet advice in a non-disruptive manner to the respondent.
Persons who may serve as procedural advisors are limited to full-time students, faculty, and staff of Syracuse University. If a respondent is interested in obtaining a procedural advisor for their meeting, they may do one of the following:
- Ask any full-time Syracuse University student, faculty, or staff to serve as their procedural advisor;
- Reach out to their home school or college to seek procedural advice or other support;
- Request a trained procedural advisor from Community Standards who may be available to provide procedural advice and support. Assignment of a procedural advisor from Student Assistance is based on availability and is not guaranteed. Requests for a procedural advisor should be made at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled resolution meeting via email to dos@syr.edu.
Please note that parents/guardians are not permitted to attend resolution meetings and are not permitted to serve as procedural advisors.
Role of Attorneys in Resolution by Agreement Meetings
The following information regarding the role of attorneys in the student conduct process pertains to resolution by agreement meetings.
No attorney who is not also a full-time member of the Syracuse University faculty, staff, or student body will be permitted to participate in the conduct process on behalf of the respondent, except where criminal or civil proceedings are also pending against the respondent. When criminal or civil proceedings are pending the respondent may be advised by an attorney.
Request for Review
Once a Resolution by Agreement is reached, the decision is final and will only be revisited based on one or more of the following:
- New information not reasonably available at the time of the resolution, the absence of which can be shown to have had a detrimental impact on the outcome of the resolution;
- Procedural error that can be shown to have had a detrimental impact on the outcome of the resolution;
- Errors in the interpretation of University policy so substantial as to deny fair resolution;
- Grossly inappropriate sanction having no reasonable relationship to the charges.
In such a case, the student or student organization may submit a written petition for reconsideration of the case to the Director of Community Standards or designee within five (5) business days of the resolution by agreement meeting. Requests for review must be written and signed by the student. The decision of the Director of Community Standards or designee upon reconsideration is final.