Student FAQs

Belmont has two processes for addressing the Honor Code. Faculty can adjudicate or the case can be referred to the Office of Community Accountability. Please refer to the Honor Code adjudication process in the Bruin Guide if you have further questions.

• The goal of our process is to be educational. Consequently, there is no benefit to accepting responsibility and no detriment to denying it. This allows you to reflect on your behavior and how it may or may not have violated the expectations of our community without any outside influence. If your self-reflection leads you to feel responsible, then you should accept responsibility. If it does not, you should deny. In either case, a hearing will provide you with the opportunity to explain why you accepted or denied.
• As you make a decision, you should keep in mind that during a hearing you will be asked to not engage in deceptive behavior. If the Council/Hearing Officer(s) finds it more likely than not you engaged in deceptive behavior during a hearing, it may escalate sanctions. Accordingly, please be honest when deciding if you feel you are responsible or not.

After an incident you are encouraged to participate in a hearing. Think of it as a time to share your version of the incident. Your hearing officer(s) will represent our community. If you deny responsibility, your hearing officer(s) will determine if you are, in fact, responsible. If it is determined you are responsible for a violation, either through a hearing or your own admission, your hearing officer(s) will assign sanctions. We hope you take advantage of the opportunity afforded to students by Belmont to participate in the adjudication process.

Honor Code Probation. In accordance with the Academic Honor System designed by Belmont's Faculty Senate, all students found responsible for violating the Honor Pledge are placed on Honor Code Probation. This probation lasts through your graduation from Belmont University. Honor Code Probation is defined as a period of time during which any further violation of the Honor Code puts the student's enrollment with the University in jeopardy. If the student is found responsible for another violation during the period of Honor Code Probation, serious consideration will be given to imposing a sanction of Suspension or Expulsion. Additionally, some restrictions that may be placed on you during this period of probation include, but are not limited to, representation of the University in leadership positions or on athletic teams, participation in student activities, entrance into University residence halls or other areas of campus or contact with another specific person(s).

That depends. We encourage students to contact Study Abroad directly if they have questions about how their disciplinary record will impact their ability to study abroad.

Respond back to the email that was sent by the Resident Director (RD) or Community Accountability to set up your student conduct meeting and/or hearing. For more information about the adjudication process please refer to the “Accountability Procedures via the website or the Bruin Guide.

• The goal of our process is to be educational. Consequently, there is no benefit to accepting responsibility and no detriment to denying it. This allows you to reflect on your behavior and how it may or may not have violated the expectations of our community without any outside influence. If your self-reflection leads you to feel responsible, then you should accept responsibility. If it does not, you should deny. In either case, a hearing will provide you with the opportunity to explain why you accepted or denied.
• As you make a decision, you should keep in mind that during a hearing you will be asked to not engage in deceptive behavior. If the Council/Hearing Officer(s) finds it more likely than not you engaged in deceptive behavior during a hearing, it may escalate sanctions. Accordingly, please be honest when deciding if you feel you are responsible or not.

The student has 2 business days from the time the email notification was sent to contact their Resident Director or Community Accountability. Occasionally, Resident Directors will refer resident students to an Assistant Director of Residence Life or to Community Accountability. This decision is case-by-case based on the alleged behavior and the student’s conduct history. Once you have contacted your Resident Director or met with Community Accountability, a hearing will be scheduled. We will work to find a hearing time that is both convenient for you and the hearing officer(s) and resolves the incident in a reasonable amount of time. These are our goals, but please note that we will not rush our decision-making simply to expedite the process for you.

After an incident you are encouraged to participate in a hearing. Think of it as a time to share your version of the incident. Your hearing officer(s) will represent our community. If you deny responsibility, your hearing officer(s) will determine if you are, in fact, responsible. If it is determined you are responsible for a violation, either through a hearing or your own admission, your hearing officer(s) will assign sanctions. We hope you take advantage of the opportunity afforded to students by Belmont to participate in the adjudication process.

It is hard to say what your sanctions will be as the response to a violation depends upon the facts of the incident. Further, in an effort to be fair, we attempt to look at sanctions other students in similar situations received in the past. This allows us to be consistent when responding to your violation. For a list of possible sanction, refer to the Bruin Guide.

Once decisions on responsibility and sanctions are finalized by your hearing officer(s), you may appeal if you so choose. Your hearing officer(s) can provide you with the appropriate paperwork and instructions for filing an appeal. Appeals must be filed within 2 business days after receipt of your hearing’s Outcome Letter. For more information about the appeal process, refer to the Adjudication Procedures via the website or the Bruin Guide.

In most cases we do not contact parents/guardians. We view you as an adult; consequently, we will work directly with you in resolving your incident. However, keep two things in mind. First, you are free to contact your parents/guardians and discuss the incident at any time. We encourage you to do so. Though you may be an adult, your parents/guardians can help provide support and guidance. Second, we will contact parents/guardians about violations of our Substance-free Community Policy for both Alcohol and Drugs after your hearing if you are found or accept responsibility and are under 21 years of age, which is in accordance with Federal privacy law. We believe alcohol and drugs negatively impact your development; therefore, your parents have a right to discuss these choices with you. In those cases, we simply state to parents you were found responsible for an alcohol or drug violation and encourage them to speak with you about it.

There are many reasons why you have a Student Affairs hold on your account. A few reasons can be failure to complete AlcoholEdu/Sexual Assault Prevention programs (typically offered during your freshman year), failure to complete a sanction that was assigned by your RD or Community Accountability by their due date or completed it after the due date but did not inform anyone, or some other outstanding issue/reason may place a hold on a student account. If you have a question about a hold on your account, please contact Community Accountability.

Having a disciplinary record does not automatically disqualify a student from all activities or opportunities but may impact some experiences. It is important to check with the office or program before applying as they may have different expectations.

Maybe. Many scholarship agencies have expectations regarding the behavior of their recipients. It is possible that disciplinary procedures could ultimately have an effect on either financial aid or scholarships. It is important for you to be familiar with the behavioral and academic expectations.

If you are found responsible for a violation, it will become part of your conduct record. Except in certain circumstances, Federal law requires you to first complete a waiver before your conduct record may be shared externally. Graduate school and job applications will sometimes require you to complete a waiver to be considered. Note, though, your conduct record will not be the sole criteria for determining your suitability as a candidate. Suspensions and expulsions are noted on transcripts; however, unless certain exceptions apply, incident details are not shared without a waiver. Your conduct record may be shared within the university in certain situations (e.g., you have applied for a leadership position, applied to study abroad, applied for a campus representative job, etc.). The advisor or supervisor for a particular organization, program, or job position will ultimately make the decision about your participation or selection; a conduct record does not automatically bar you. If you are already a member of an organization, program, or job position, it is your responsibility to inform your advisor or supervisor if you are placed on probation, suspended, or expelled.