Student Conduct Frequently Asked Questions

If you receive a phone call, text, or an email from our office, you need to set up an appointment. At that appointment, you will be notified of why we contacted you.

• If you are a witness to or can provide additional information in an incident.
• If you have been charged with violating a Standard of Conduct, you will meet with the Student Conduct Officer, who will explain your rights, and the pending charges against you.

If a student fails to make an appointment with our office or fails to contact us regarding a pending investigation, we will put a hold on their records. This hold will prevent the student from registering, ordering transcripts and/or making changes to their class schedule. This hold can easily be removed by our office as soon as the student resolves any pending questions. Examples of other mandates issued by the Office of Student Conduct and Care that warrant disciplinary holds are:

• Community Service {Administrative and/or Judicial}
• Completion of the eCHUG survey and/or other alcohol related sanctions
• Counseling Sessions {Administrative and/or Judicial}
• Restitution
• Probation

Not without your written permission. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) govern the privacy of student records as implemented by the Buckley Amendment. Students may sign The Office of Student Conduct and Care’s FERPA waiver allowing the release of their information to a specified third party. These waivers pertain to each individual case that the student is involved in.

We do assign monetary fees as sanctioned for restitution involving damaged, lost, or stolen property. Students who have been mandated to pursue outsource counseling or an A & D Assessment will incur monetary fees at the student’s expense.

Due to the serious nature of alleged violations, we prefer students to personally meet with a staff member to review all charges and allegations, however online meetings are available.

Advisement means that the incident will be documented and placed in your file, but no further action will be taken against you. Per SACSCOC requirement we must take action on all reported occurrences that the office receives.

Probation means that a student can remain in the University on a probationary status. Probation can be set for a semester, a year, or indefinitely. While a student is on probation, any further violations may be grounds for additional sanctions up to and including suspension or permanent dismissal.

All occurrence reports are subject to release pending receipt of a waiver issued by the student. Files are retained for (5) five years after graduation and/or sabbatical unless approved for permanent retention by the Vice Chancellor and/or their designee. Please contact our office for further clarification.

Sanctions of reprimand or higher will remain on a student’s disciplinary record indefinitely. If you are applying to a graduate program or a government job, the appropriate agency will most likely request you disclose your record. As previously mentioned, all files are kept for a minimum of five years following graduation.

UTM Standards of Conduct #13 states “violations of local, state or federal law, whether on or off campus” shall be brought forth to the Office of Student Conduct and Care. The University of Tennessee administrative system operates independently of the local, county or state court system. Thus, violations of state law, that are also violations of University Standards of Conduct, must be resolved through the University, as well as all other vested court system(s).