Frequently Asked Questions

A work group of students, faculty and staff reviewed the codes over the course a of 8 month period. They solicited both internal and external stakeholder feedback throughout the process.

The workgroup was formed in August 2017. The group met at monthly intervals to review the existing code. In February, drafting of the new code began in direct partnership with the UF General Counsel’s Office. Ed Stoner, National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) past president and author of the Model Code, was brought in as an external consultant.

The workgroup met with the UF academic integrity task force at multiple points throughout the process.

The code revisions were brought to the faculty senate and endorsed by both the incoming and outgoing Faculty Senate presidents.

The revised code was listed for public comment before being brought to the UF Board of Trustees for approval.

Yes. Five students sat on the code workgroup, including a graduate student, an SG representative, a U Matter We Care ambassador, the Student Honor Code Chancellor, and a Student Conduct Committee member. Additionally, students had the opportunity to give input during the public comment period.

Yes. The revised code focuses on education, and simplification of language. Frequently Asked Questions documents, educational materials, and training resources will be created to support readers in their understanding of the regulation. To further enhance clarity for students, clear presumption of innocence is expressly stated.

Also, in alignment with best practice, the regulation must be reviewed every three years.

• Regulation now contains a standard for charging.
• Inclusion of a definition of Incapacitation.
• Interim Restrictions are more clearly defined and included in the Regulation (e.g.(No Contact Directives, Interim Restrictions, and Interim Suspensions).
• A clear presumption of innocence is stated.
• A minimum three-year review of the Regulation is now required.
• Three parts of the process have been separated from each other to clearly delineate – Investigations, the Student Conduct Process, and Appeals.
• Frequently Asked Questions documents, educational materials, and training resources will be created to support readers in their understanding of the Regulation.

The Student Honor and Student Conduct Code (Regulation 4.040) the Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution website. Regulation 4.040 can also be accessed on the University regulations page (regulations.ufl.edu)

Student rights are afforded throughout the University conduct process. Students may be given the opportunity to waive specific rights, in writing, to expedite the resolution process if appropriate. Student rights can be found in Section 5 of Regulation 4.040, The Student Conduct and Honor Code Orange Book.

You will meet with a Student Conduct Administrator. A Student Conduct Administrator is a person or administrative unit whose duties include the administration of the Student Conduct Code or the Student Honor Code process. Student Conduct Administrators are designated by the Dean of Students and may include staff members in Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution and in Housing and Residence Life.

Once SCCR receives a report we may send an overlay to the Registrar and will send formal notice to the student through email. Cases are addressed as they come in, and may take several days from submission to processing of a report.

The resolution option chosen by a student will dictate the timeline of the process.

Accused Students have the right to review all known information in the University’s possession related to the allegation, both inculpatory and exculpatory, including any potential witnesses that could be used in the decision making process. This occurs during the student’s first meeting with a student conduct administrator.

You will need to notify SCCR by contacting the Student Conduct Administrator coordinating your case and/or by contacting our office at sccr@ufsa.ufl.edu or phone at 352-392-1261.

Please refer to the Records section of the Student Conduct Code.

The decision letter sent to you will indicate how and to whom you may turn in your sanctions.

A Student issued a Notice of Charges for an alleged Student Honor Code violation will not be permitted to drop or withdraw from the course and will have a temporary grade of “N” for “no grade” or “I” for incomplete will be issued until the final resolution of the case.

During your information meeting you will have the opportunity to choose “Responsible” or “Not Responsible” to the Charges, which determines the next course of action in the Student Conduct Process.

Faculty should gather relevant information to support the honor code allegation, decide on proposed sanctions, and submit an online report to Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (SCCR). SCCR will change the grade to “N” which prevents course withdrawal, and place holds as necessary. SCCR will send formal notice to students, meet with students to initially review allegations, rights, and faculty proposed sanctions. If the student elects a hearing option, faculty would provide information in required hearings with students.

Student conduct records will be maintained in the Dean of Students Office as outlined in Section 10 of the Student Conduct and Honor Code.

Dean Certification requests can be submitted online here.

To inquire about a hold on your account please email sccr@dso.ufl.edu or your Student Conduct Administrator. Information about service indicators is located in Section 10 of the Orange Book.

The University needs to ensure the appropriate signed privacy waiver is provided to SCCR prior to a meeting or disciplinary proceeding.

Students must provide the identity of the person(s) and the appropriate signed privacy waiver(s) to the Director of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution or designee at least two (2) Class Days in advance.

Keondra Brown who can be reached at sccr@ufsa.ufl.edu

For most minor incidents, SCCR will clear a student’s application and return it to admissions for regular admissions review. This process takes approximately one week. The more information you provide on your application related to the conduct, the less likely it is your application will be delayed in order to get more information.

If you don’t provide enough information on your application about your previous conduct you will likely be sent a letter asking for more information regarding your previous conduct or official documents/records. Once additional documents and information are received it typically takes approximately one week to process in SCCR before it is sent back to admissions for a review in the regular admissions process if it is cleared.

If an applicant is refused admission on the basis of past misconduct, they may appeal in writing to the Vice President for Student Life within ten (10) days of the date of the written notification of denial or admission.

If an appeal is granted, the appeal authority may modify the Sanctions imposed or may remand the case for a re-opened or new hearing.

If modified, sanctions can decrease or increase in severity or quantity.

If you are unsure whether a violation has occurred, please document the incident by writing a narrative if what occurred, including the names and UFIDs of the student’s involved, along with any other information that could be relevant to both the identification of the individuals involved, how the potential violation was discovered, and any information relevant the case itself, and submit an Incident Report. Staff in SCCR may contact you to provide further information regarding the incident.

If you believe that more than one student is involved in an incident, please report all names of those involved including those who you believe may have witnessed the incident. You will be notified at a later time to give more information once we have reviewed the available information.

As a faculty of the University of Florida, it is important that you report possible Student Conduct and Honor Code violations to SCCR, as the integrity of the academic community is paramount to our mission.

Incident reports can be submitted online by visiting here.

Any information that you believe could be relevant to the case should be included in your initial report. This should include a detailed narrative about what occurred, information to identify the student such as name and UFID, screen captures, documents, witness names, etc.

Staff in SCCR are happy to discuss with you what should be included in a report.

The instructor of record for the course is responsible for all grade submissions to the Office of the University Registrar. While an allegation is being resolved, a grade of “N* (No Grade)” or “I” (Incomplete) should be submitted until after the incident is fully resolved.

If an incident is resolved after grade submission timelines, grade changes should be submitted by the faculty member. If you are unsure how to complete a grade change, please contact the Office of the University Registrar at 352-392-1374.

Once SCCR sends out a charge letter to the student regarding the allegation, faculty are welcome to have a conversation with the student if you so choose. Contacting the student in advance may cause the student to drop the course before they have been issued proper notice, meaning the case cannot move forward.

Faculty are no longer required to meet with the student. Once SCCR sends out a charge letter to the student regarding the allegation, faculty are welcome to have a conversation with the student if you so choose. But, staff in SCCR will handle the majority of the process.

No. This is part of an old process prior to 2018. Faculty no longer need to have their student complete/sign a written form. This will be facilitated through SCCR.

The new regulation requires that reports must be made to SCCR before submission of a final grade for the course.  In extenuating circumstances, the Dean of Students or designee has discretion to extend this time period. For example: the matter is not brought to the attention of the Faculty member until after grades are submitted.

This time limit explicitly complies with the Board of Governors Regulation 6.0105 (1(i)) which requires a time limit.

If a violation of the Student Conduct Code may have occurred, then a student may choose a hearing if they do not accept responsibility or if there is a potential for separation from the institution.

If an honor code violation may have occurred, and the student does not accept responsibility, disagrees with the sanctions, or has already been responsible for a prior honor code violation, then a hearing is required.

The faculty is expected to provide a verbal account of what occurred, what information lea them to allege a violation occurred, answer clarifying questions about the incident, and explain/interpret supporting information or documentation provided.

As a faculty member, you will only need to be available for the hearing itself and will not be present during the deliberations and the recommendations. Typically, Honor Code hearings are scheduled for a total of 3 hours. This may be adjusted up or down depending on the number of witnesses or amount of information involved. If you have concerns or questions regarding the length of the hearing, please contact our office prior to the hearing date.

Yes. After the hearing, the faculty member will be notified by a member of the SCCR office regarding the outcome of the hearing.

Depending on the severity of the situation, students may be affected by possible status sanctions such as conduct review, probation, or separation from the University. For conduct code violations, students may also have to pay for any damages they have caused or spend time on other educational sanctions. For honor code violations, students may receive educational sanctions as well as assignment or grade reductions, including but not limited to, a failing grade in the course.