Student Conduct Process

All members of the Sarah Lawrence community have an obligation to support and obey College policies and all federal, state, and local laws. All members of the campus community have an obligation to uphold the values and principles articulated in the Student Handbook and accompanying policies and procedures. Those who do not comply will be subject to disciplinary action by the College and, where applicable, may face action by federal, state, and/or local authorities.

The rules that govern life at Sarah Lawrence are designed to protect each individual’s physical, intellectual, psychological, social, and emotional well-being and to enable people to live and work together with minimal conflict and maximum personal freedom. Every member of the Sarah Lawrence community is required to abide by the standards outlined in this handbook. Additional information is listed in the appendices.

Students are expected to observe all College policies and all federal, state, and local laws. Students who violate federal, state, or local laws are subject to College conduct action and may be asked to leave the College by the dean of students or the dean of graduate and professional studies. The dean of graduate and professional studies may refer the complaint to the dean of students or may work in consultation with the dean of students to resolve the conduct issue. Students are expected to cooperate with any conduct investigation and comply with requests of College officials, including campus safety officers and resident advisers. The College reserves the right to search a student residence if there is reason to believe a violation of College policy has occurred. Failure to cooperate with an investigation or comply with requests will result in further conduct action.

The student conduct process applies to all Sarah Lawrence College students and student organizations. A student is defined as a person enrolled or registered for study at Sarah Lawrence College for any academic period, irrespective of the student’s presence on campus. Persons who are not officially enrolled but have been enrolled and plan to continue as students at the College may also be considered students. This includes, but is not limited to, students on a personal, medical, or academic leave of absence and students suspended from the College. The student conduct process applies to Sarah Lawrence College students while they are on campus, off campus, online, or abroad. Students residing in Sarah Lawrence College residence halls are also bound by the policies and procedures of the Housing License Agreement—which, along with other residential policies, can be viewed on the Office of Residential Life’s MySLC page.

The purpose of the Student Conduct Process is to investigate the facts of the matter and to determine responsibility for alleged violations. The focus of inquiry is whether the student is “responsible” or “not responsible” for violating College policy/ies. The standard of proof for a finding of responsibility is a “preponderance of evidence,” meaning that the evidence indicates that it was more likely than not that the conduct violation occurred. Formal rules of evidence are not applicable, and deviations from prescribed procedures will not necessarily invalidate a decision or proceeding unless significant prejudice to a student or to the College results. There may be instances where a student is found responsible for a related violation rather than the one listed in their notice letter. This may occur if the allegations giving rise to the related violation stem from the same facts and circumstances as described in the notice letter.