Center For Honor Enrichment and Community Standards

Hearing panels/Honor panels are a decision-making body. These panels hear the information that is presented by the community and the student involved to make a decision of responsibility and sanctions as appropriate.

Panels are composed of three members from the Student Honor Council. Special panels, panel occurring when school is on winter or summer break, have different compositions. The Student Honor Council is comprised of students that represent the University community. The students on the council represent each academic class and are involved in a variety of activities at Christopher Newport. Students are selected to serve as panel members through a formal recruitment process where they must complete an application and interview process. Once selected, these students are thoroughly trained on university policies and procedures.

They can be convened in two ways; the conduct officer may decide they want the decision reviewed by the hearing body or the student involved may decide to have the conduct officer’s initial decision reviewed.

The details regarding the types of panels are outlined in the Student Handbook. Below is a brief summary of the types.

1. An Honor Panel is convened to hear alleged violations of the Honor Code that are independent of Student Code of Conduct violations. The final decision of responsibility in this panel must be unanimous.
2. A Hearing Panel is convened to hear alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct. The final decision of responsibility in this panel is determined by a majority vote.
3. A Combined Panel is convened when an alleged violation(s) of the Student Code of Conduct and an Honor system violation(s) occur during the same incident. The Honor system violation(s) will be determined by a unanimous consensus, while the Student Code of Conduct violation will be decided by a majority vote.

Once an Initial Conference has occurred, a staff member will decide if the student is responsible for the alleged violation and then assign appropriate sanctions. If that sanction is suspension or dismissal from the university, or suspension or dismissal from Housing, an Honor Panel or Hearing Panel may be convened in two ways:

1. By the request of the conduct officer, or
2. By the alleged student to review a decision made during the Initial Conference. Review requests must be submitted in writing to the director of the Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards within five days of receiving the decision letter. To learn more about a hearing panel or honor panel continue reading below or see the CNU Student Handbook.

All parties will receive notification of the date, time, and place of the hearing. The alleged student will be assigned a student advocate to help prepare for the panel. Witnesses may be called to the hearing to describe the events of the incident in question. The list of witnesses will be given the date, time, and location of the panel. Both the community advocate and the alleged student are permitted to call witnesses. All parties must be notified of witnesses in advance of the panel.

During a hearing, three student panel members will be present, the community advocate, the alleged student and their assigned student advocate, witnesses (if requested), and an adviser.

The community advocate represents the University community during a panel. They are a trained member of the Student Honor Council who understands the university’s policies, procedures, and student rights. They will give opening and closing statements, and ask questions of the alleged student. They do not participate in deliberation, nor do they have a say in the panel's findings.

The student advocate is a resource to help the alleged student prepare for the panel. They are a trained member of the Student Honor Council who understands the university’s policies, procedures, and student rights. A student is encouraged to meet with the student advocate before the panel to prepare. They can help the alleged student prepare opening and closing statements, questions for witnesses, and answers to typical questions. During the hearing, the student advocate will not speak on behalf of the student, they may only advise the student in writing. They are not involved in the panel’s deliberation.

A representative from the Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards will also attend the panel to serve as an advisor to the Student Honor Council. The representative may not attend the deliberation and is not involved in the decision-making process.

A student should be prepared to make an opening and closing statements, question any witnesses, and answer questions from the panel and the community advocate. It is recommended that a student work with their student advocate to prepare ahead of time. Please review the panel checklist or reach out to the Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards for support during this process.

Although alleged students are not allowed to call character witnesses, they are encouraged to provide character reference letters. These letters will be provided to the panel members after a determination of responsibility is made.

The alleged student has the opportunity to remove one member of the panel due to a proven bias. If the student elects to dismiss a panel member, they must explain why in writing and submit the request at least 48 hours before the hearing.

The following is the order of events for a hearing panel/honor panel.

1. The panel chair will share the proceedings of the panel. The process of the hearing will be explained and the student may ask any questions they have regarding that process.
2. Both the alleged student and the community advocate will then have the opportunity to make an opening statement. The community advocate will go first.
3. If any party has called a witness, both parties and the panel members have the right to question witnesses as necessary.
4. Following witnesses, the community advocate and the panel members have the right to question the alleged student. The alleged student has the right to share their perspective.
5. Both the alleged student and the community advocate have the opportunity to make a closing statement. The community advocate will go first.
6. At the close of the hearing the three panel members will privately deliberate. They first decide responsibility for this specific incident. Once a determination has been made they will decide on appropriate sanctions if needed, taking into consideration any prior violations and/or character references.

The findings for the charges and if applicable, the sanctions will be forwarded as a recommendation to the Director of the Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards. The student will receive notice of the decision in writing within 10 business days of the panel.

Yes. Individuals who wish to appeal the decision must submit a written request to the vice president of student affairs / dean of students within five business days of the decision notification. You may only request an appeal on the grounds that your due process rights were violated or to introduce new evidence that was not available at the time of the hearing.

If you have any questions about the conduct process, please contact our office at checs@cnu.edu  or (757) 594-7190. Our office is available to assist you during business hours, Monday – Friday. You may also consult the CNU handbooks, which are here.