Center For Honor Enrichment and Community Standards

Our staff is here to assist, whether by connecting students to resources or helping them navigate the conduct process. If a student needs an accommodation to access the conduct process, the student should reach out and we will work with the student disability support specialist to determine what accommodations will be provided. For more information on resources at Christopher Newport, including information about Counseling Services and Disability Support or please visit cnu.edu/life.

Policies are designed to support the university's educational mission and to ensure a safe environment where all members of the university community can work, study and live without undue interference. Policies are also designed to build and support the academic and social community by teaching responsibility and interdependence to students.

A Notice of Incident means that a student’s name has appeared on an incident report that was submitted to the Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards. The Notice of Incident lists charges that indicate possible policies that may have been violated. The student who received a Notice of Incident should call (757) 594-7190 to schedule an initial conference. The initial conference is the student’s opportunity to respond to the alleged charges and share the student’s side of the story. The student is encouraged to schedule a meeting so that the student’s perspective is included in the information about the incident. A Notice of Incident is not a determination of responsibility.

Anyone in the community can report an incident. You can report an incident by clicking on the link on our website. If you report an incident, you may be asked to come in to meet with the Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards to share your perspective in more detail. While our office does not accept anonymous reports, you can complete a Silent Witness Report with University Police. This will prompt police to investigate the matter, but may not mean the student will be reported through CHECS unless there is sufficient information to suggest an alleged policy violation.

The charges listed within the Notice of Incident are alleged violations that could have been possible based on the information provided in the incident report. A student’s attendance at an initial conference will provide additional information to help determine if the violations occurred.

If the student does not schedule and/or attend an initial conference, the student’s perspective will not be included in the information about the incident. This means that the Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards will only be able to decide responsibility based on information from the incident report. This could result in all alleged charges being considered true and the assignment of appropriate sanctions. Our staff will make a reasonable attempt to contact the student before making a determination of responsibility without the student’s perspective, but the student may receive an additional violation of failure to comply with a university official for not responding to the Notice of Incident or attending an initial conference.

If you were not a direct witness to the alleged incident, you are not permitted to participate in or be present during a student’s initial conference or Hearing/Honor Panel. However, you are welcome to come to campus if you wish to provide moral or emotional support for a student.

After the student shares their perspective in the initial conference, the Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards will meet with any other witnesses or people involved and make a determination of what happened and whether or not the student is responsible for violating university policy. Once our staff completes a review of all of the information available, including the student’s perspective, the student will receive an outcome letter that outlines the conduct officer’s decision and any applicable sanctions.

Discuss the student’s choices and how they can improve their decision-making skills. Be honest about what happened and thoughtful about how the student believes they could be best supported. Be sure that you and the student understand the process, then listen to and support the student as they proceed through the conduct process. See the resource files of the Academic Misconduct Process and Conduct Process pdfs for more information on the processes and procedures.

A student is considered to have been notified as soon as a letter or communication is sent out from the Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards. It is the student’s responsibility to check their campus email account.

The Student Code of Conduct is part of the Student Handbook, which is available online on the Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards’ website through this link.

When a student is found responsible for a policy violation, the university will respond with educational, developmental, campus contribution and punitive sanctions. Sanctions may be imposed independently or in combination with other sanctions in order to help the student avoid making similar decisions in the future and to encourage academic, emotional and social success.  Sanctioning is determined on a case-by-case basis and considers the needs of the individual student, the student’s judicial history and the impact of the student’s behavior on the Christopher Newport community.

Sanctions are assigned if a student acknowledges responsibility or is found responsible for violating university policy. Sanctions are intended to hold students accountable while helping them learn and reflect on their decisions and behavior. Sanctions are determined on a case-by-case basis and consider the needs of the individual student, the student’s judicial history, and the impact of the student’s behavior on the Christopher Newport community. Sanctions fall under four categories: educational, developmental, contribution to the campus community and punitive. 

The student is expected to complete all sanctions by the due dates in their outcome letter. The student needs to contact our office immediately if they realize they might have difficulty completing a sanction on time. If the student does not submit their sanctions on time and they do not contact our office, a hold will be placed on the student account and they may be charged with failure to comply with a university official. This could result in additional sanctions.

University sanctions are determined by the severity of the incident, the impact or potential impact on the community, and the intent of the student. When applicable, in conjunction with the facts of the case, prior or subsequent conduct of the student will be considered when determining sanctions. After a decision regarding responsibility is determined, the panel or hearing officer will review the outcomes of the student's previous cases, previously assigned sanctions, and character references (if provided).

For Student Code of Conduct violations or non-academic Honor Code Violations when the sanctions DO NOT include suspension or dismissal from housing or suspension or dismissal from the university can be appealed to the director of CHECS.

• The appeal must be made, in writing, (refer to the outcome letter) within five business days from the date of the letter. Appeals submitted after the fifth day may not be accepted. The appeal must outline a due process violation or introduce new information that was not available at the time of the initial conference.
• Student Code of Conduct violations or non-academic Honor Code violations when the sanctions DO include suspension or dismissal from housing or suspension or dismissal from the University are eligible to be reviewed by the Student Honor Council.
  • A student must request a review in writing, using the Review Request Form, within five business days from the date of the letter. Requests for review submitted after the fifth day may not be accepted.
• Academic violations of the Honor Code are eligible to be reviewed by the Student Honor Council regardless of the sanctions assigned.
  • A student must request a review in writing, using the Review Request Form, within five business days from the date of the letter. Requests for review submitted after the fifth day may not be accepted.
• To appeal the finding(s) or sanction(s) resulting from a Hearing Panel/Honor Panel:
  • The appeal must be made, in writing, to the vice president of student affairs / dean of students within five business days from the date of the outcome letter. Appeals submitted after the fifth day may not be accepted. The appeal must outline a due process violation or introduce new information that was not available at the time the panel/council met.  The decision of the vice president of student affairs / dean of students is final.

A student’s judicial record is separate from their academic record. The only time that a conduct outcome is included in a student’s academic record is if the outcome includes suspension or dismissal, which is noted on the academic transcript.

A disciplinary record does not automatically exclude a student from further study, jobs, etc. Many graduate and professional schools will ask about criminal and disciplinary history on their applications. It will be up to the applicant to explain an incident appropriately. Most schools do not expect students to be perfect; however, they do expect the applicant to be forthright. It is best for a student to be honest if an incident occurred. Our office will only release information about a student's disciplinary record to another school or potential employer as allowed by law, or with the permission of the student.

Our office may use various types of holds. A judicial registration (JR) hold may be placed on a student’s account when they have not responded to a Notice of Incident or have past due sanctions. Additionally, a JR hold will be placed during a suspension period and/or upon dismissal from the University. A JR hold prevents students from registering or withdrawing from classes. A judicial transcript (JT) hold is placed on a student’s account once an outcome of suspension or dismissal has been assigned. This hold will remain on a student’s account until the outcome has been finalized through the review and appeals process. A JT hold prevents students from receiving copies of their transcript.

A judicial registration (JR) hold may be placed on a student’s record. A JR hold prevents students from registering or withdrawing from classes. Our office places JR holds when students have not responded to a Notice of Incident or have past due sanctions. Additionally, a JR hold will be placed on a student’s record during a suspension period and/or upon dismissal from the university.

The Student Honor Council is a group of students who were selected to serve the university community by serving as a hearing body and promoting honor and integrity at Christopher Newport University. They are nominated by their peers, faculty and staff, and are representative of the campus community. Beyond their role as a hearing body, the Student Honor Council focuses on three areas: recruitment, programming and outreach, and training. For more information, on the Student Honor Council, please visit this link.

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
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 please read more below or visit the CNU Student Handbook.

The chair of the panel will begin by explaining the process. Both the alleged student and the community advocate will then have the opportunity to make an opening statement. Any parties involved may call witnesses. Both parties and the panel have the right to question witnesses as necessary. The community advocate and the panel will be able to ask questions of the alleged student. Finally, both the alleged student and the community advocate have the opportunity to make closing statements.

At the close of the panel, the panel members will determine responsibility for the specific incident. If there is a determination of responsibility, the panel will determine sanction(s) and will consider any judicial history and character reference letters. The hearing will be recorded and on file with the Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards.

A student should be prepared to make opening and closing statements, question any witnesses, and answer questions from the panel members and the community advocate. It is recommended that a student works with their student advocate to prepare ahead of time. The student advocate will be present during the panel to advise in writing. During the panel, the student advocate will not be allowed to address the panel on the student’s behalf but can advise the student in writing during the panel. To learn more about a hearing panel or honor panel please read below or visit the CNU Student Handbook.

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 outcome in writing within 10 business days of the proceedings.

Decisions as to whether or not to consult legal counsel are personal ones; based on whatever factors the student finds to be compelling. A student may choose to involve an attorney for support and guidance. We encourage an attorney and student to contact CHECS so that we can help guide an attorney through the relevant steps of the university judicial system. An attorney is permitted to be present at any meeting with expressed permission from the student. While an attorney may advise the student through any part of the judicial process, the student will be required to speak for and represent themselves in this university process. Should a student participate in a panel process, the student may elect to retain an attorney to serve as an advisor, in place of the student advocate. The university’s judicial system is administrative, separate, and distinct from the criminal process. If at any point a student elects to hire an attorney, students who hire attorneys are responsible for all legal fees and expenses.

A student must make this request, in writing, to the Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards via checs@cnu.edu. Requests are accommodated as quickly as possible; typically, within 2-5 business days.

A parent, legal guardian, caregiver or family member can have access to student records with the student’s consent. The best way to get information about a student’s disciplinary record is to ask them.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law that provides students with access to inspect and review their educational records and protects students’ right to privacy by limiting access to the educational record. The privacy protection FERPA gives to students is very broad. Part 99.3 of the FERPA regulations gives privacy protection to all students' “educational records.” Education records are defined as “those records that are directly related to a student and are maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for the agency or institution.” Examples of student records entitled to FERPA privacy protection are grade reports, transcripts, and disciplinary files. The Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards will not release student disciplinary records to an outside third party (including parents/family members) without a student’s consent unless directed by a court order.

A student’s disciplinary file will be kept for seven years after their graduation date. If a student participates in a hearing panel or an honor panel, the file is kept permanently. A student may request to have their record expunged upon graduation by submitting a request, in writing, to the vice president of student affairs.

If a student is found responsible for a violation that occurred while on disciplinary probation, the student’s sanctions could be more severe. Such sanctions include, but are not limited to, additional probation, loss of privileges such as housing, and/or suspension or dismissal from the university.

Yes. The university conduct process is not attempting to determine whether a student has violated the law, but whether a student has violated the Honor Code or the Student Code of Conduct. Therefore, the outcome of a student’s legal process is not relevant to the university's conduct process. The concept of “double jeopardy” does not apply, as criminal proceedings do not offer an exemption from civil or administrative proceedings.

Members of the Christopher Newport community and their guests are subject to all university rules and regulations, including those written in the Student Handbook. Additionally, those individuals are also simultaneously subject to all local, state or federal laws. The university is responsible for ensuring the safety and comfort of the community, therefore the university will respond to incidents on or off campus that impact the safety of members of the community, regardless of whether or not criminal charges were filed.

When students are responsible for violations of the university’s alcohol and/or drug policy they are sometimes issued a sanction to write a Parent Notification Letter. This letter was written by the student with the purpose of informing the parent/guardian of the incident, the factors that led to the student’s decision(s), and what they have learned from this incident.

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.

The appeal must be made, in writing, (refer to the outcome letter) within five (5) business days from the date of the letter. Appeals submitted after the fifth day may not be accepted. The appeal must outline a due process violation or introduce new information that was not available at the time of the Initial Conference.

A student must request a review in writing, using the Review Request Form, within five (5) business days from the date of the letter. Requests for review submitted after the fifth day may not be accepted.

A student must request a review in writing, using the Review Request Form, within five (5) business days from the date of the letter. Requests for review submitted after the fifth day may not be accepted.

The appeal must be made, in writing, to the Vice President of Student Affairs/Dean of Students within five (5) business days from the date of the outcome letter. Appeals submitted after the fifth day may not be accepted. The appeal must outline a due process violation or introduce new information that was not available at the time the panel/council met.  The decision of the Vice President of Student Affairs/Dean of Students is final.