Have Questions related to conflict resolution?

Please see below for questions and answers for students, parents, or University staff interacting with our office

Student Conduct Questions

Questions about the student conduct process and related issues.

We are are located on the 1st floor of Somerville Hall in Suite 100. Somerville Hall is located behind Fulton Chapel and the Union.

When you are sent a letter, you should click the link provided in the body of the email. Upon clicking the link, you will be taken to a screen displaying your name and requesting an access code to ensure confidentiality. Confirm that your name appears on the screen, and then enter your student ID number as the access code (omit the leading 0; your Student ID number should begin with “1…”). If you are receiving the notice in your capacity as a leader of a campus organization, you should contact the Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct immediately at 662-915-1387 to request the appropriate access code for your organization.

Your letter will appear in PDF format and should be printed or saved for your records. It will remain accessible through this link for 30 days. If the letter fails to appear, you may need to use a different computer or install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you continue to experience difficulty accessing your letter or wish to confirm the legitimacy of the message, please contact our office at 662-915-1357.

When CRSC receives information that indicates a student may have been involved in a violation of University policy, a letter is sent to the student’s university email address notifying them of the allegations and informing them of an upcoming intake meeting with a conduct officer. Students should attend and participate in the scheduled meeting.

An advisor is not necessary during conduct meetings or hearings, but is allowed. Each student is permitted to have one advisor present during most meetings in the conduct process. The student should notify their conduct officer in advance of their meeting time that they intend to have an advisor present and fill out the required waiver. The role of the advisor is to support the student through the conduct process. Advisors are not permitted to speak on behalf of the student or otherwise represent the student.

The standard of evidence used in the student conduct process is preponderance of the evidence. This means that the determination of responsibility is based on whether the evidence shows that it is “more likely than not” that a violation occurred.

You are a student of The University of Mississippi regardless of whether the alleged misconduct takes place on-campus, across the street from campus, or off-campus. The University of Mississippi receives police reports from local municipalities for on-campus adjudication. The University has a vital interest in the character of its students and, therefore, regards behavior at any location (on-campus or off-campus) as a reflection of a student’s character and fitness to be a member of the student body. Actions taken by members of our community may subject them to criminal or civil liability. This does not absolve them from responsibility to the University community.  A possible violation of University policy will be resolved irrespective of criminal or civil processes and will often be resolved in a timelier manner.  The Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct determines jurisdiction by considering a number of factors outlined in DSA.SC.300.015.

The Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct facilitates an educational process that is separate from the legal process. Because our process is educational in nature, and intentionally designed to help you learn from the incident, there are instances where your case may be resolved through the University prior to the legal process being resolved. Additionally, the conduct process uses a different standard of evidence than the criminal system. Conduct cases are not delayed to meet the timelines of legal proceedings.

As the student conduct process uses a different evidentiary standard, your case being dismissed through the legal process or having a “not guilty” finding may not necessarily mean a “not responsible” outcome in the student conduct process. Students are encouraged (but not required) to share relevant updates from their legal case (when applicable) with their conduct officers during their meetings. Evidence and relevant updates disclosed by students may be considered by conduct officers or the University Judicial Council in the decision-making process.

Yes.  All students who are contacted by CRSC regarding a potential violation of University policy will need to meet with their conduct officer to discuss the incident.  If a student withdraws prior to the meeting, they still need to resolve the matter.  Unresolved matters will result in a hold being placed on the student’s account and transcript.  Students may also be required to complete educational outcomes and sanctions in a timely manner to remove holds. 

Sanction deadlines are provided to students at the time a decision is reached, either through an administrative agreement, University Judicial Council hearing, or other alternative dispute resolution option. If students have concerns about the provided deadlines at the time of the decision, they should proactively express their concerns to their conduct officer or appropriate party for discussion.

If a sanction deadline is approaching and the student will not have the sanction complete, it is important for the student to contact their conduct officer to request a revised deadline. Extensions are not guaranteed- they may be issued at the discretion of the conduct officer for Administrative Agreements. UJC Deadline extensions are not ordinarily granted. Retroactive extensions are typically not granted.

Failure to complete sanctions by provided deadlines will result in the application of the Educational Sanction Non-Compliance and Monitoring Policy (DSA.SC.300.021– ESNCMP). This policy, attached to student outcome letters, states that failure to complete sanctions by provided deadlines may result in holds on university accounts, fines, additional conduct charges, and potentially suspension. It is imperative that students work with their hearing officer in advance of their deadlines to avoid the application of the ESNCMP.

RebelADE is a student-centered, educational program designed to assist students in developing a healthy lifestyle by recognizing and reducing the potential harm associated with alcohol and other drug use. For RebelADE questions or concerns, please contact the William Magee Center office via email (rebelade@olemiss.edu). For questions regarding the sanction deadline, contact your conduct officer at the email address located on your outcome letter.

If you have a hold on your account, it is most likely for one of the following reasons:

  • Failure to complete the sanctions assigned to you by the provided deadline
  • Involvement in an incident during a period when you were not enrolled in classes

Students should expect to complete their required sanctions in advance of the hold being lifted from their account. You should refer to emails sent by CRSC to obtain the name and contact information of your conduct officer to discuss the case-specific steps required to have the hold removed from your account.

You should refer to previous emails to obtain the name and contact information of your conduct officer. If you are unable to locate the contact information for your conduct officer, you should email studentconduct@olemiss.edu for assistance.

What Parents and Guardians Often Ask About the Student Conduct Process

Questions related to parent concerns through the conduct process.

The Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct sends all correspondence via email to the student’s email account. If available, conduct officers may also send text messages to students who have provided their cell phone number on their student account. Pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), parents or guardians may only be notified when a student is found responsible for a policy violation related to alcohol or other drugs when they are under the age of 21.

Unfortunately, we cannot talk to you about your student’s case unless we receive written permission from the student based on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Our office uses a Consent to Disclose (FERPA) waiver separate from other campus entities to ensure student privacy. Once we receive a completed Consent to Disclose (FERPA) waiver sent from your student’s email account, we welcome any questions and/or concerns parents or guardians have regarding their student’s case. Consent to Disclose (FERPA) waivers are sent to students as an attachment to their notice of allegation letter and can resent by the conduct officer at the student’s request.

We are unable to retain Consent to Disclose FERPA waivers for students without existing conduct cases. If you student doesn’t have a case with our office and you would like to be notified if they find themselves involved in a student conduct case, we recommend discussing your expectations for involvement with the student directly.

Parents are encouraged to discuss the matter with their student. Our staff encourages students to speak candidly with parents or guardians about the process. We appreciate when parents encourage their students to be honest, forthcoming, and reflective in their interactions with staff members to ensure decisions made in our process are most appropriate.

Records of suspensions and expulsions will be noted on the student’s official transcript. Records of Disciplinary Probation, Housing Probation, and Warning do not appear on the student’s transcript. A student’s disciplinary record is part of their educational record and is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). If a student would like their conduct record disclosed to an outside entity (graduate school, government agency, etc.), a student will be required to submit a waiver to grant their permission.

The University of Mississippi holds paramount the health, safety, and welfare of students. Accordingly, all University students are expected to alert appropriate officials in the event of a health, safety, or welfare emergency including, without limitation, a situation involving alcohol, hazing, or drugs. The student(s) who contact appropriate officials and the impaired student(s) will not be subject to formal disciplinary action unless the individuals have engaged in repeated or serious violations. However, the student(s) may be required to meet with a University staff member to discuss the behavior and adhere to appropriate educational requirements. For more detailed information please see DSA.SC.300.026 (Safety and Well-Being Amnesty).

Failure to complete educational requirements assigned in the amnesty process may result in the application of the Educational Sanction Non-Compliance and Monitoring Policy (DSA.SC.300.021) for failing to meet the terms of the agreement.

Common Questions from Faculty and Staff About the Student Conduct Process

Questions that faculty and staff may have concerning the conduct process.

There is a possibility that classroom or other academic disruptions may constitute a violation of policy, depending on specific details of the incident. If you think there may have been a violation of policy, please submit an incident report for our staff to review. After receiving a report, CRSC staff members will review any submitted information to determine if there may be a policy violation.

In handling classroom disruptions, we encourage instructors to have one-on-one conversations with students to discuss classroom expectations and how their behaviors specifically are not meeting those expectations. It is especially helpful when classroom expectations are outlined in a course syllabus as students receive this document at the beginning of a class term and are expected to review the document. Following a verbal conversation with a student regarding their behaviors, it is helpful to send follow-up written communication to the student recapping your conversation and establishing expectations moving forward.

If the disruption rises above what you feel you can realistically manage, we recommend reaching out to a supervisor for guidance and submitting an incident report to see if CRSC may be of assistance in addressing the concern.

In most cases, no. A student’s disciplinary record is part of their educational record and is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). If a student would like their conduct record disclosed to an outside entity (graduate school, government agency, etc.), a student will be required to submit a waiver to grant their permission. If there is an educational need-to-know, this information may be shared.

If a student would like to have an advisor with them at their meeting, the student will be required to submit a waiver to grant their permission. The appropriate waiver is shared with students when they receive a notice of allegation from our office. The waiver needs to be turned in by the student to their conduct officer in advance of their meeting.

If a student asks you to attend their meeting with them, it is important that all parties are aware that advisors are not permitted to represent students in the conduct process. Advisors primarily serve in a supportive role, reminding students of questions they might want to ask or anecdotes they may want to share. Students can also request sidebar conversations with their advisor apart from their conduct officer as the need arises.

Student conduct meetings are scheduled around the course schedule of the student and the availability of their assigned conduct officer. Conduct officers are not required to consider advisor availability in the scheduling process.