VCOM College Catalog and Student Handbook

D. The Chair or Vice Chair will open a case by presenting the report from the Investigative Panel. The panel shall be recorded in its entirety by the Recorder and converted into a summary document following the meeting as final minutes. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs shall review the minutes to assure College policy is followed and provide final approval for the minutes. The recording is then destroyed, and the Chair shall sign the minutes, which shall be kept by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs according to the Record Retention Schedule. E. Deliberations of the Honor Code Council. 1. The Chair will convene the panel and introduce the panel members. 2. The Reporter may make an opening statement summarizing the accusation. 3. The Investigative Panel shall present the facts and written statements collected. 4. The accused may make an opening statement summarizing his/her explanation. 5. Any witnesses deemed necessary by the Investigative Panel shall be called in to present the accusations. 6. There shall be an open time in which all parties present may ask questions to clarify the facts presented. 7. The Reporter shall make a closing statement summarizing the accusation. 8. After excusing the accused and all witnesses, the chair will stop the recording for deliberations of the Council. 9. The Council shall discuss the case until all members present are satisfied that the case is fully vetted. 10. The Chair will poll the members present with the following questions: a. Do you believe the accused is guilty of the suspected violation?

i. HCC members shall vote “yes” only if they believe there is a preponderance of reasonable evidence to support the accusation. HCC members shall vote “no” if they cannot reach this conclusion. a.) If greater than 50% of the votes indicate that the HCC believes the accused to be not guilty of the suspected violation, the HCC will recommend the following: “No offense has occurred, and no action is recommended.” b.) If greater than 50 % of the votes indicate the HCC believes the accused to be guilty of the suspected violation, the HCC shall vote “Yes, a preponderance of reasonable evidence supports that a violation of the HCC has occurred”. c.) If a determination cannot be made the HCC votes “Not enough evidence exists for the HCC to make the determination of guilty or not guilty”. In this situation, the case is referred back to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

11. If the HCC determines the accused to be guilty, the Chair will accept a motion and a second to the motion to classify the offense as a Class I Minor Offense, Class II Offense (includes a Repeated Offense), or a Class III offense. a. The HCC shall make sanction recommendations to the Campus Dean for students found guilty of Class I offenses. b. Class II or Class III offenses are referred to the Campus Dean for his/her determination of action. F. Finalization and Notification . The Chair will review the recommendation with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs to assure that it aligns with College Policy. The Chair will then revise or submit the final recommendation to the Campus Dean. 1. The Campus Dean will accept the finding of guilty or not guilty and/or determine a need for further referral. 2. The Campus Dean will meet with the accused and provide a letter outlining all sanctions recommended by the Council on all Class I offenses and those that will be imposed by the Campus

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