Student Conduct

III. Incident Reports

A.  How Incident Reports May be Generated

Students, as members of the community, have the right to address issues that may be incongruent with university policies, rules and regulations.  Employees of the university have the responsibility to support the policies, rules and regulations of PLU.  Therefore, when a student's conduct appears to be in violation of university policies, rules or regulations, any student, staff, or faculty member may submit an Incident Report.

Rules and regulations developed by the university to maintain a safe and orderly environment may be found in the following locations (without limitation): Code of Conduct, Course Catalog, PLU Master Housing and Meal Agreement, PLU Student Athlete Handbook, and the PLU Parking Regulations.  Each resource can be found on the PLU website.  Incident Report forms are available online at www.plu.edu/conduct/documents-forms.  Please contact the Associate Director for Student Conduct if you have questions about completing an Incident Report or about the Student Conduct Process in general.

B.  Process for Submission of Incident Reports

  1. A written description of the observed misconduct should be submitted on an Incident Report form to the Associate Director for Student Conduct (University Center, Room 161) within 72-hours of the incident (excluding weekends and holidays or extenuating circumstances).  Incident Reports submitted after this timeframe will be assessed by the Associate Director for Student Conduct, who will determine in his/her sole discretion whether the Incident Report can and should be reviewed and proceedings begun.
  2. The Associate Director for Student Conduct reviews the Incident Report, investigates ambiguities when they exist, and determines the type of Review Meeting most appropriate to the situation.  This determination is usually based upon, but not limited to, the nature of the incident, the student's prior Student Conduct history, and any existing sanctions against the student.
  3. The Associate Director for Student Conduct schedules the Incident Report for review by the appropriate Review Board or Review Officer(s).
  4. The Associate Director for Student Conduct informs the person(s) involved that her/his name appears on an Incident Report.  This is accomplished by sending a copy of the Incident Report and Review Meeting Notification through PLU email, on campus mail, U.S. Mail, or by other means.

C.  Student Acceptance of Responsibility

Students referred to the Student Conduct System have the opportunity to accept responsibility for certain policy violation(s) without further review if the following conditions are satisfied:

  1. The student has not previously been found responsible for violating the policy indicated.
  2. Associate Director for Student Conduct, in consultation with the Resident Director, if applicable, decides that self-determination of responsibility is appropriate.

Conduct violations that may be eligible for Student Acceptance of Responsibility include, but are not limited to: Alcoholic Beverages, Building Security, Computer and Network Use, Fire Safety, Guests on Campus and at PLU Events, Noise, Pets in the Workplace, Smoking, and Visitation and Guests in the Residence Halls. 

When appropriate, students will receive notice of the option to accept responsibility instead of Notification of a Review Meeting.  The student must respond to the Associate Director for Student Conduct in writing within the timeframe set out in the notice, typically 72-hours, to select which of the following two options s/he wishes to pursue:

  1. Accept responsibility and the sanction(s) indicated in the correspondence; or
  2. Request a Review Meeting with a Conduct Body.

If the student chooses Option 1, s/he must complete the sanction by the due date indicated on the initial correspondence.  If the student chooses Option 2, the Associate Director for Student Conduct will assign the incident for review with an appropriate Conduct Body.  If the student does not respond by the given deadline, the Associate Director for Student Conduct will assign the incident for review with an appropriate Conduct Body.