The rules of law regarding the admissibility evidence do not apply. Imposed sanctions are meant to be learning tools. The end results are sealed away from public scrutiny. The university handbook puts all students on notice about regulations and makes them aware of their rights, explained Johnson. For those who come into contact with OSC, the judicial hearing procedure can by itself be instructive, she added.
Sanctions provide the final lessons for students found responsible of a misdeed.
The disciplinary system is normally activated when a complainant a person formally bringing allegations against a student gives a statement and a list of potential witnesses to the Department of Public Safety. Once an official complaint is made, DPS opens an investigation into the matter and sends the statement to OSC, a representative of which meets with the relevant parties of the case. DPS investigations vary in length from a day to an entire semester, according to DPS Associate Director Darryl Harrison. If the case proceeds, a hearing date is set. No one can talk about the specifics that go on inside the judicial hearing, Johnson said.