Reporting misconduct

Any member (faculty, staff, or student) or recognized group of the Purchase College community may file a report alleging a violation of college policy whenever it is believed that a behavior warrants attention of the campus disciplinary process. Any alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct are to be reported either to the Office of Community Standards, Office of Residential and Student Life, or University Police Department.

If you would like to file a report with Community Standards, please contact saf.conduct@purchase.edu for instructions and access to the incident reporting form.

If you are seeking additional information pertaining to Academic Integrity, Section A: Academic Integrity and the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs provides guidance. 

If you are seeking information on how to report an alleged violation of the College’s Sexual and Interpersonal Violence or Affirmative Action policies, contact the  Office of Diversity and Compliance.  The  Sexual Violence Prevention and Response  web page can provide more information related to reporting and investigation procedures related to violations involving sexual and interpersonal violence.

If this is an emergency, outside of business hours, contact University Police Department at 914-251-6911.   

Notification of Charges 

The Office of Community Standards follows the campus email policy which states that Purchase College email is the college’s primary means of communication between students, faculty, and staff. Correspondence from our office will be sent to the student’s official Purchase College email account. Students are responsible for the consequences of not reading communications sent to their account in a timely manner.

Correspondence from our office will be sent from Maxient, the office’s conduct management system, or from SAF.conduct@purchase.edu. Students may also receive a text message with a direct link to their correspondence. Students will be required to authenticate their identity by using their Purchase College credentials to retrieve any correspondence sent electronically via Maxient. 

Initial Conference Meeting

If a student has allegedly violated the Student Code of Conduct,  as identified in an incident report, an “Initial Conference Appointment” letter will be sent to the student’s official Purchase College email account scheduling a meeting with an Initial Conference Officer (ICO). The letter will include information of the report received as well as identify any possible Student Code of Conduct charges that are applicable based on the report. Initial Conference meetings are usually conducted within seven (7) business days from the receipt of the incident report, barring extenuating circumstances. 

The initial conference officer will schedule an initial conference (IC) meeting and notify the accused student in writing of the date, time, and place of the meeting. Meetings take place in person, but are available to be conducted both remotely (i.e. Zoom) or via phone.  Notification of the meeting will be sent to the student with a minimum of two (2) business days noticed, barring extenuating circumstances.

The purpose of this initial conference is to hear the student’s side of the story regarding the incident report and provide the student with the ability for review the report(s) that we have received. Initial conference meetings are non-binding meetings between the student and the initial conference officer. No third parties are allowed, however, should a student need a break during the meeting to consult with anyone of their choosing, they may request so accordingly. Break(s) will be approved at the discretion of the Office of Community Standards and/or the initial conference officer. 

At the meeting the charges are explained and the accused student is made aware of the range of sanctions for each code violation.   Any finding issued by the initial conference officer will be determine on the basis of the information/evidence presented and what is “more probable than not” (aka preponderance of evidence).  During the scheduled time of the initial conference, the accused student may elect one of the following courses of action:

  1. Not to appear. In these cases all statements obtained by the initial conference officer and the violations outlined in the initial conference appointment letter are considered true and accurate, and appropriate administrative action is taken. A student has the right to appeal the outcome of a missed initial conference meeting based on the process established in disciplinary Appeal process.
  2. Accept the finding(s) and sanction(s), if found responsible, recommended by the initial conference officer,  By accepting the outcome of an initial conference meeting, students waive their right to a hearing, and agree to comply with any sanction(s) assigned. If the initial conference officers deems the information obtained does not support the allegation, they may elect to administratively find the student not responsible.
  3. Request a hearing. The accused student may disagree with the finding and/or sanction determined by the initial conference officer and elect to have an administrative or committee hearing. 

For questions about incident reports or the initial conference, a student can contact the Office of Community Standards or the Ombudsman. Please visit the  Ombudsman Office  website for more information. 

Accommodations:

The Office of Disability Resources (ODR) coordinates academic adjustments and auxiliary aids and services for students with disabilities to ensure equal access to all programs, services, and activities at Purchase College. If you have a disability and require accommodations throughout the conduct process, please call or e-mail the ODR to initiate your request for accommodations, (914) 251-6035, odr@purchase.edu. Barring extenuating circumstances, the Office of Community Standards must receive information about your approved accommodations at least 24 business hours prior to the scheduled meeting date. Extenuating circumstances include, but are not limited to: illness, death/bereavement of parent/guardian or sibling, university closures, breaks between semesters due to activities such as study abroad, etc. Note: a change in employment/work schedule or pre-scheduled/non-emergency medical appointment does not constitute an extenuating circumstance.