Parents' FAQs

While this guide is designed to assist parents who have students interacting with the University Student Conduct System, it is strongly recommended that you review the Student Code of Conduct for complete details of the student judicial process.

Yes, the letter is serious. The Office of Student Conduct received a report regarding an incident in which the student may be involved.
Assisting students in learning acceptable community behavior is a job that requires assistance from many people. Young adults can always benefit from the support and guidance of their parents. It is important to remember that the University holds students accountable for their behavior primarily as an educational tool and as a “teachable” moment.

Yes, parties to these proceedings have the right to use an advisor (including an attorney) of his or her choosing, and at his/his own expense, for the purpose of providing advice and counsel. The advisor may be present during meetings and proceedings during the investigatory and/or resolution process at which his or her advisee is present. Additionally, the University shall not prohibit family members of a party from attending if the party requests such attendance, but may limit each participant to two (2) family members.

In the case of a formal hearing before the University Disciplinary Committee, the panel making decisions is made up of trained members of the student body ( 2 members) and faculty/staff (3 members).

In the case of a Administrative-Hearing Conference administrative meeting with the University Hearing Officer will be making the decision only when the student accepts responsibility for his/her alleged violations.

 Yes, the student can appeal a decision of a hearing officer or conduct board except when admitting guilt and a minimum sanction is given. The request must be submitted in writing within five (5) business days of the final decision in accordance with the following appellate procedures:
  1. To consider new information, sufficient to alter the decision, or other relevant facts not brought out in the original hearing, because such information was not known or knowable to the person appealing during the time of the hearing;
  2. To allege a procedural error within the hearing process that may have substantially impacted the fairness of the hearing, including but not limited to whether any hearing questions were improperly excluded or whether the decision was tainted or bias; or,
  3. To allege that the finding was inconsistent with the weight of the information.

The appeal shall be a review of the record only, and no new meeting will be held.

 In the case of suspension or expulsion, a student will receive a “W” for each course in which he or she is enrolled. However, a student will receive a “WF” for course withdrawals identified after the 16 hour limit regardless of the time of the infraction. A student will also forfeit the right to a refund of any fees (i.e. tuition, mandatory fees, housing, etc.). 

A student may not voluntarily withdraw from the university without penalty if a decision of suspension or expulsion is rendered against the student.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) prohibits educational institutions from disclosing information from a student’s educational record to any third party including parents without the student’s consent, with some exceptions. In most cases disciplinary records cannot be released to parents without the student’s permission. The Office of Student Conduct always encourages students to discuss issues with their parent or guardian.

There are exceptions to FERPA concerning release of information to parents:

  1. Parents of students who are under 21 may be notified of drug and alcohol violations. Albany State University notifies parents of these violations.
  2. If the health or safety of a student is in question, the information can and will be released.
 The University shall take necessary and appropriate actions to protect the safety and well-being of the campus community. Accordingly, student conduct will be addressed when such acts occur on institution property, at institution-sponsored or affiliated events, or otherwise violate the institution’s student conduct polices at non-institution sponsored events. Moreover, discipline may be imposed for offenses against the Student Code of Conduct for incidents off campus.

The court charge and the Code of Conduct violations are two different matters even though they arose out of the same circumstance(s). The court system will work to resolve any criminal or civil violation of the law. Likewise, all students are responsible for complying with the Code of Conduct, which is a different system.

Alcohol and Drugs

The severity of sanctions or corrective actions will depend on the frequency, severity, and/or nature of the offense, history of past conduct, the student’s willingness to accept responsibility, previous University response to similar conduct, and the University’s interests. The student conduct panel will determine sanctions and the conduct officer will issue notice of the same. The broad range of sanctions include but are not limited to the following types:

  • Admonishment/Disciplinary Warning
  • Disciplinary Probation
  • Community Service
  • Counseling
  • Educational Program/Workshop Participation
  • Assessment Fee
  • Fine
  • Delays in obtaining administrative services and benefits from the University (e.g. holding transcripts, delaying registration, graduation, diplomas)
  • Conduct Record Hold
  • Loss of University Privileges and/or Restricted Access
  • Loss of Student Office/Leadership Position
  • Temporary or Permanent separation of parties (e.g. change in classes, reassignment of residence, no contact orders, etc.)
  • Financial Restitution
  • Expulsion
  • Suspension