For minor offenses, you will be contacted by an Authorised Person (eg. Campus Safety) to inform you of the allegation and you usually will be given an opportunity to respond with your account of what happened.

The Authorised Person will then respond to you with their decision in your case. If they conclude the misconduct happened, they may issue a minor penalty.

This can involve requiring you to attend a compulsory workshop, paying a fine, or another minor penalty. That would be the end of the disciplinary process. You can appeal if you think you have grounds to do so. 

If you have too many similar minor penalties with the University, they may consider this to be a potential major offense, which means you may have to attend a hearing with the University.

 

For major offenses or repeated minor offenses, you may be asked to attend a panel hearing. This will only happen after an investigation led by OSCAR so you should already be aware of what the panel are going to discuss and why you have been called to a panel.

If you are invited to a Panel, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us! We will book you in for a meeting with us to prepare for the Panel as much as possible. You should get 5 working days notice which will help you collate what you need.

We highly recommend that you have someone to accompany you to your panel, you can bring a friend that you trust or a student advisor. Please note though that we have experience sitting in Panels and can support you procedurally, so we would recommend you ask us along if you can!

You can also appeal the decision made at a disciplinary panel. We can help you through the process from start to beginning. 

What is a Disciplinary Panel?

Disciplinary panels are arranged when the alleged misconduct is too serious to be considered minor, or where there are several similar minor offenses. You will be asked to attend the panel to give your account of what happened to the panel, to present any evidence you have gathered, and to answer any questions the panel may have about the alleged misconduct. 

Usually members in a Panel include:

• A chair of the meeting who will be a member of University staff
• Another member of University staff
• A student representative, usually a Sabbatical officer
• A secretary to the meeting, usually a member of staff from OSCAR

You may be put on an MEO (Managed Exclusion Order) in advance of the Panel. You can find out more about MEOs here..

What happens in the panel?

Before the panel hearing, you will be sent a Dossier of information, informing you of the allegations against you, and all the evidence that will be presented to the panel. You will be asked questions relating to the allegations and what happened. You will be given the chance to respond to all the allegations. 

Once the panel have asked all of their questions and you have said everything you wish to say, you will be asked to leave the room with your friend/SU representative whilst the panel make their decision. You will then be invited back into the room where the panel will give you their decision: either upheld allegations, partially upheld or dismissed. For any allegations that the panel have upheld (namely, decided that these events did happen), the panel will also let you know the details of any penalties that they have imposed as a result of those upheld allegations.

Know your rights:

• You are able to bring someone with you – a friend or your student advisor. Please note though, any extra person cannot act like a lawyer, the role is to support and we can ask the Panel/Chair questions from a procedural point of view if needed
• You have the right to reply to any comments made about or against you
• You are able to take a break at any time throughout the panel
• You will find out the outcome of the panel immediately after the panel is finished, or you will be informed why the panel are unable to reach a decision that day

What do I need to do first?

• Read the University’s Disciplinary Regulations - this will really help to understand what is happening
• Read through the information that you have been given 
• You can prepare a short statement to read at the start of the meeting or panel
• Gather any evidence that supports the points you would like to make. Your invitation should explain when this evidence should be submitted. 
• If not, get in touch with us and we can help you!