Student policies & guidelines
Preliminary Disciplinary Procedures for Students
Regulation for Students 8.1(b)(i) states that
“An allegation or complaint that a Student has breached the Disciplinary Regulations can be evidenced in three ways -
• verbally to a member of staff;
•
witnessed by a member of staff;
•
in writing to the Head of Student Services.
The allegation or complaint will then be dealt with in one of four ways:
• by a verbal warning issued by a member
of staff from the Accommodation Office, Security Services, the Library, Computing
Services or Sports Development & Recreation
at the time of the breach of regulation(s) and accepted by the Student;
• by the Student Accommodation Manager,
the University Librarian, Director of Computing Services, the Director of
Sport or the President of the Students'
Union, in accordance with any local disciplinary procedures / rules and regulations;
• by the Head of Student Services (or
his / her nominated substitute) in accordance with the Preliminary Disciplinary
Procedures;
• by taking no action.
The Preliminary Disciplinary Procedures are outlined below:
1. An allegation that a student has committed a disciplinary offence, as defined in Regulations for Students 7.3 and 7.4, can be made initially to the Head of Student Services in writing.
2. Alternatively, where a member of staff from the Accommodation Office, Security Services, the Library, Computing Services or Sports Development & Recreation is informed of a breach of the Disciplinary Regulations, or witness it themselves, they have the discretion to assess the seriousness of the situation and if appropriate deal with the matter with an immediate verbal warning. The incident should subsequently be entered onto the student discipline record database, and a report of the incident should be forwarded to the appropriate Head of Service. The Student should also receive a copy of the warning.
3. Where appropriate, the Student Accommodation Manager, the University Librarian, Director of Computing Services, the Director of Sport or the President of the Students' Union, may deal with the matter in accordance with any local disciplinary procedures / rules and regulations. They may also consider whether any further disciplinary action is required, particularly if a verbal warning has not been accepted by a student or if the nature of the offence falls outside of the local rules and regulations.
4. The fact that a person has been given and accepted a verbal warning will not preclude the Head of Student Services taking further action if appropriate e.g. a person who has received a previous verbal warning, or in situations where the Head of Student Services concludes a verbal warning was not an appropriate sanction.
5. In circumstances where it is considered that the offence warrants more than a verbal warning, details of the breach should be made in writing to the Head of Student Services.
6. If the student has admitted the offence,
the Head of Student Services may decide
• that appropriate action should
be taken by another officer (such as the Head of Security Services);
• that no further action is necessary;
or
• that the offence is prima facie
serious enough to warrant further investigation or action at a higher
level, in which case the assessment process described
in paragraph 7 below will be followed.
7. If the student has not admitted the
offence, or it is felt that the offence is serious enough to warrant
further investigation, the Head
of Student Services
will make a preliminary assessment to determine if there is a case
to be answered. This assessment will be based on one or more of the
following:
• a written statement from the
complainant
• written statements from any
witnesses
• evidence from other relevant
sources e.g. the Head of Security Services, the Student Accommodation
Manager,
the Students’ Union President, University
Librarian, Director of Computing Services or Director of Sport.
8. Where the Head of Student Services
determines that there is a case to be answered (s)he will
• give the student concerned an
opportunity to provide a written response to the allegations and/or
• arrange to meet the student
to discuss the case, normally in the presence of the Head of Security
Services, Student Accommodation Manager or other
appropriate senior officer. The student will have the option to be
accompanied at this
meeting by a fellow student or a representative from the Students’ Union.
9. On completion of the investigation,
the Head of Student Services may
• determine that no further action
need be taken; or
• seek further advice, including
medical advice where this is considered appropriate and subject to
the student’s consent; or
• issue a written warning which
will indicate the period of time after which it will be considered
'spent';
• issue a financial penalty not
exceeding £250; or
• take other action that is both
proportionate and relevant to the misconduct e.g. requiring a student
to change or leave University accommodation;
paying compensation for damage caused; or
• make a written report to the
Registrar for action under the terms of Regulation for Students 8.1(b)(i);
this report will be accompanied by full supporting
documentation relating to the case and will be copied to the student ’s
Director of Studies for information.
The Head of Student Services will notify the student in writing of
the outcome of the investigation, and appeals against this outcome
can be
made in writing
to the Registrar* within ten working days.
Notes:
1. In order to identify and respond to patterns of misconduct emerging
across the different disciplinary procedures for students, details
of all University
sanctions will be held on a database. This database will not include
details of any sanctions imposed by the Students’ Union.
2. Details of all sanctions determined by the Head of Student Services
under these procedures will also be copied to the relevant Director
of Studies,
supervisor or equivalent.
3. Where the Head of Student Services is unavailable to deal with a
disciplinary matter, he may nominate a substitute to act on his behalf.
*The University Secretary performs the
functions attributed to the Registrar in the Disciplinary Regulations.