Student Conduct

Completing Your Sanction

Completing Your Sanction 

Sanctions are assigned in order to assist students in understanding and accepting the consequences of personal actions and decisions, as well as to provide students opportunities to give back to the community. 

Sanctions are unique to each student, taking into consideration the nature of the violation and conduct history. 

Students who fail to complete sanctions in the given timeline will be placed on Student Life Hold, which prohibits students from registering for classes, acquiring transcripts, and grade reviews. 

Here are many of the standard sanctions you may be assigned and guidelines for completion.

Letter of Mutual Understanding

This letter is a means by which you can confirm your understanding of a policy and acknowledge your awareness of consequences for future violations.   Letters must include:

  • Name of the policy violated
  • Campus publications in which t policy can be found, including page numbers
  • Your understanding of the policy (two paragraphs minimum)
  • What is the policy?
  • Why does PLU endorse the policy?
  • What are examples of actions that would constitute a violation?
  • Summarize the expectations that the PLU community has for your future behavior and decisions (one paragraph minimum)

Letters must be submitted in hardcopy to the Student Conduct Assistant in the Student Involvement & Leadership Office in the University Center, Suite 161.

Reflective Essay

Reflective essays are typically assigned to give students the opportunity to reflect on their decisions and actions.  In your essay, please share these reflections and explain what you have learned through the incident and conduct process.  Essays will be assigned with a specific page length requirement.  Essays must be typewritten in 12 point font, one-inch margins, single-spaced, grammatically correct, and contain proper spelling.  Essays must be submitted in hardcopy to the Student Conduct Assistant in the Student Involvement & Leadership Office in the University Center, Suite 161.

Research Paper

Research papers will be assigned on a specific topic.   You must cite your sources.  Please include a reference page documenting all the materials you utilized.  If you interviewed someone for your paper, include the name, title, and phone number.  Papers must be typewritten in 12 point font, one-inch margins, single-spaced, grammatically correct, and contain proper spelling.  Papers must be submitted in hardcopy to the Student Conduct Assistant in the Student Involvement & Leadership Office in the University Center, Suite 161.

Alcohol Workshop (Online)

There are multiple steps needed to complete this sanction, please start early!

  1. Pay your enrollment fee of $45.00 at the Business Office in the Hauge Administration Building Room 110.  Cashier hours are Mon-Fri 8am-4:30pm.  You must take the Guidelines to Paying Fines and Fees document with you (included in your mailing) in order for the Cashier to process the payment.
  2. Bring your receipt of payment to the Student Conduct Assistant in the Student Involvement & Leadership Office in the University Center, Suite 161.
  3. You will be given (or emailed) instructions for completion of the online alcohol workshop.
  4. Complete the online workshop and successfully complete the quiz at the end.  The workshop may take up to three hours to complete.
  5. Congratulations!  Your Certificate of Completion will automatically be emailed to the Student Conduct Assistant.  You are finished!

Meeting

If you have been assigned a meeting, it will typically be with a PLU staff member.  It is your responsibility to contact the staff member to make an appointment for your meeting.  Please do not wait until the last minute to make an appointment, as it is unreasonable to expect that a staff member will be available to meet with you within 24 hours.  Included in your mailing, you should have a Confirmation of Sanction document that includes the staff member’s name and contact information.  During your meeting, please share your reflections about your decisions and actions and explain what you have learned through the incident and conduct process.  You must return the Confirmation of Sanction document with the staff member’s signature to the Student Conduct Assistant in the Student Involvement & Leadership Office in the University Center, Suite 161.

Substance Use Assessment

This assessment is assigned when the Conduct body believes that PLU needs to hear from an outside agency about your substance use.  You are required to complete a substance use assessment (at your own expense) and comply fully with any resulting recommendations.  In order to complete this sanction successfully, you must follow these steps in order:

  1. Choose an assessment agency that is a state accredited substance treatment program (Student Conduct can provide you with local agencies).
  2. Complete the Consent for Disclosure form (included in your mailing) and submit it to the Student Conduct Assistant in the Student Involvement & Leadership Office in the University Center, Suite 161.
  3. Schedule an appointment with your chosen assessment agency.  Please insure enough time for step #4 for occur prior to your appointment.
  4. The Student Conduct Office will send a copy of your student conduct file to the assessment agency.  The assessor must have your student conduct file prior to your appointment.
  5. Meet with the assessment agency.
  6. The assessment agency must mail a copy of your resulting recommendations (if any) to Student Conduct Assistant, Student Involvement & Leadership, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA 98447.
  7. The Student Conduct Coordinator will contact you to discuss your resulting recommendations (if any) and set deadlines for completion.

Restitution

PLU reserves the right to charge students whose behavior involves damage or destruction of university policy.  Restitution may also be charged when an individual's behavior requires university staff or external agencies to perform tasks above and beyond normal work responsibilities.  To pay your restitution fee, please follow these steps:

  1. Pay the specified amount at the Business Office in the Hauge Administration Building Room 110.  Cashier hours are Mon-Fri 8am-4:30pm.  You must take the Guidelines to Paying Fines and Fees document with you (included in your mailing) in order for the Cashier to process the payment.
  2. Bring your receipt of payment to the Student Conduct Assistant in the Student Involvement & Leadership Office in the University Center, Suite 161.

Community Service Project

A Conduct Body may require students to initiate and complete a supervised, quality project on campus or in the community.  Sometimes, the service project will be outlined for you and other times you will be required to develop your own project.  Use the Confirmation of Sanction document (included in your mailing) to record your service hours and to summarize the project. You must return the Confirmation of Sanction document with the service project representative’s signature to the Student Conduct Assistant in the Student Involvement & Leadership Office in the University Center, Suite 161.

Disciplinary Probation

This indicates that your continued enrollment at PLU is conditional for a specified period of time.  It requires you to demonstrate that you can act in a manner consistent with the university standards to which you agreed when accepted by the university.  Disciplinary probation may include restrictions or obligations.  Examples of restrictions include, but are not limited to, restricting participation in university activities such as athletics, performing groups, and elective or appointive student offices.  Examples of obligations include, but are not limited to, informing faculty or other advisors about the probation, and requiring attendance at specified meetings.  Should the student fail to fulfill specified conditions, the student shall be referred for further action.  Any restrictions or obligations that accompany the probation will be specified in your Decision Letter.

Suspension

Suspension is the separation of the student from the University for a stated period of time, with conditions imposed for the student’s reinstatement to PLU. Failure to successfully complete the conditions may preclude the student’s reinstatement to PLU, even after the time stated in the notice of suspension has elapsed.  The conditions may be imposed by the Conduct Body or the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students.  Suspended students are not in good standing with the university and will not return to good standing until they have met the conditions of their suspension and have been reinstated.  Restrictions associated with suspension include:

  • The student may not attend classes, use university facilities, attend university events or visit the campus except when engaged in official business approved in writing by designated Student Life staff.
  • Students suspended from the university are required to pay all university fees owed for that semester.  Refunds for tuition and/or room and board will not be issued.
  • Parents or guardians of students who have been suspended will be notified as allowed by the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
  • A notice of suspension will be placed on the student’s official transcript until s/he is reinstated to the university. If a student is not reinstated to the university, or chooses not to seek reinstatement, the notice of the suspension will remain on her/his transcript for one year after the suspension has ended.

Only the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students or the university President may impose suspension.  The Conduct Body may recommend to the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students that a student be suspended.

Reinstatement from Suspension: When the suspension period has ended and the student has complied with the conditions of his/her reinstatement and completed sanctions accompanying the suspension (if any), s/he must submit a letter to the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students requesting reinstatement.  This letter must include details of how the student has used her/his time while suspended, reflect upon what s/he has learned and provide evidence that s/he has satisfied the conditions of the suspension.  The student may return to the University and/or enroll in classes only after an affirmative decision has been made by the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students.

Expulsion

Expulsion is the permanent and total withdrawal of the privilege of attending PLU or participating in the PLU community.  Expulsion may be recommended as a result of very serious violations or for repeated offenses. 

  • Expelled students may not visit the university premises under any circumstances. 
  • Students expelled from the university are required to pay all university fees owed for that semester.  Refunds for tuition and/or room and meals will not be issued. 
  • Parents of students who have been expelled will be notified as allowed by the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
  • A notice of expulsion will be placed on the student’s official transcript.
  • Only the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students or the university President may impose expulsion.  The Conduct Body may recommend to the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students that a student be expelled.

Student Conduct, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma WA 98447