§ 1.00 Purpose, Policy and Scope
A student enrolled in the College is governed by the University of Cincinnati’s Student Code of
Conduct (“Student Code of Conduct”) and this University of Cincinnati College of Law Addendum
to the Student Code of Conduct (“Student Code of Conduct Addendum”). The Student Code of
Conduct, in conjunction with the Student Code of Conduct Addendum, presumes that “good moral
character” is a prerequisite for admission to the bar and practice of law and that individual personal
integrity is essential in all aspects of a law student’s life, whether law school related or not. The
College of Law, in accordance with the University of Cincinnati, shall inform students of the
Student Code of Conduct, the Student Code of Conduct Addendum and the process in which
cases are handled.

§ 2.00 Academic Violations Reporting and Process
All suspected violations of the Student Code of Conduct or Student Code of Conduct Addendum
should be promptly reported as provided by Section 4 of this Student Code of Conduct Addendum.
The procedures for academic misconduct are also provided in Section 4 of this Student Code of
Conduct Addendum.

§ 3.00 Violations
The following are meant to serve as examples of what would be considered violations of the Student Code of Conduct Addendum. They are not meant to be exhaustive but to provide guidance for evaluating possible violating conduct.

§ 3.01 Examinations
In addition to the examples of academic misconduct provided in Section (B)(3) the Student Code of Conduct, the following examples of cheating shall serve as a general guide, but shall not be construed as exclusive:

    (a) commencing an examination before the stipulated time or writing or adding to an examination answer after the time specified by the instructor for the end of the examination period;
    (b) presenting or turning in an examination to the proctor or instructor in the room designated after the time specified by the proctor or instructor for the end of the examination period;
    (c) leaving the immediate vicinity of the law school building during the course of an examination without express permission of the instructor in charge;
    (d) stealing, copying, or retaining any examination questions other than those expressly released by the instructor in charge for those purposes;
    (e) discussing the contents of the examination with anyone before all students’ completion and submission of the examination;
    (f) failing to follow the rules of the examination as set out by the instructor or the College of Law.

In addition to the above, it is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct Addendum to disrupt an examination or disturb others taking an examination. Any instances of the above- described conduct, or other unacceptable conduct involving the taking of examinations, shall be subject to investigation and possible sanctions.

§ 3.02 Writing Assignments
A student is required to prepare a number of writing assignments during the student’s law school career. Each assignment must be the product of the student’s own efforts. Any student who prepares an assignment in violation of this provision may be subject to sanctions in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct. In addition to conduct subject to investigation and possible sanctions under the Student Code of Conduct, it is also considered to be a violation when a student knowingly has followed a course of action in the student’s research or writing that is prohibited by the instructor. It shall be presumed that collaboration, in the sense of discussion and sharing of
information by students concerning a common assignment, has been approved by the instructor. However, if the instructor specifically prohibits such collaboration, no such presumption shall be raised, and any collaborative conduct subsequent to the prohibition shall be subject to investigation and possible sanctions. The provisions of this section apply to assigned library problems and writing work in connection with law school activities.

§ 3.04 Falsifying Documents
A student is expected to set forth truthful information in all documents relating to the College of Law. Possible violations of the Student Code of Conduct Addendum relating to documents include, but are not limited to:
(a) knowingly falsifying application papers for entry into the College of Law;
(b) knowingly altering grade records or transcripts; and
(c) knowingly misrepresenting academic performance at the College of Law on resumes, job applications, or bar admission papers.

§ 3.05 Compromising Anonymous Grading
With respect to any work that is to be graded on an anonymous basis, it shall be a violation to purposefully act in a manner that is reasonably calculated to identify oneself to the person grading the work so that the anonymous grading system is compromised.

§ 3.06 Reporting of Violations
The Student Code of Conduct Addendum places a duty on each member of the College of Law community, whether a student, faculty, librarian or staff, who has personal knowledge of a violation of the Student Code of Conduct or the Student Code of Conduct Addendum, to report such violation as provided by Section A(4)(g) of the Student Code of Conduct . It shall be a violation for a student who has personal knowledge of a Student Code of Conduct of Student Code of Conduct Addendum violation to fail to report the violation.

§ 4.00 Student Code of Conduct Addendum Reporting and Process
Any alleged violation of the Student Code of Addendum should be reported via the form found on
the College of Law Intranet to the College Conduct Administrators (the “CCAs”). The CCAs for the College of Law are the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. The CCAs will follow these guidelines:

    (a) Complaints of Student Code of Conduct Addendum violations shall be initiated by the instructor in whose course the alleged misconduct occurred, or in the absence of an instructor, by the academic unit head or dean (or designee). Supervisor or authorized staff involved in the testing or evaluation process, including testing center personnel and testing proctors may also initiate complaints of misconduct. Further, other faculty, staff, or students may also initiate complaints of misconduct. These complaints shall be submitted to the College Conduct Administrators via the form available within the College of Law Intranet Portal.

    (b) Within ten days of receiving the complaint, the CCAs will determine whether the complaint can be resolved in a manner that is suitable to all interested parties. The CCAs efforts at informal resolution may include review of the evidence and meetings with relevant parties, including but not limited to the student and the individual who submitted the violation. Any resolution will be documented by the CCAs. If the matter cannot be resolved by the CCA, they will provide the student with official notice of their alleged violation via the Notification Form. The Notification Form will include the alleged violation at issue and the allegation(s) underlying the alleged academic violation(s).

    (c) Upon receiving the Notification Form, the student has five days to return the completed Resolution Form to the CCAs. The student may choose one of the following two options:
        (i) Accept responsibility for the misconduct violation(s) and agree to the sanction(s)
as determined by the CCAs. The CCAs will record the Resolution Form.
        (ii) Deny responsibility and request a college hearing panel.
    (d) If the student fails to respond to the Resolution Form, the allegations and misconduct
violation(s) are accepted as true, and the finding(s) and sanction(s) are final.

        (ii) College hearing panel members
        (a) The college conduct administrators, as soon as reasonably possible, convenes a college
hearing panel of the college in which the alleged misconduct occurred. The college hearing panel
will conduct a hearing on the alleged misconduct, issue a factual determination, and determine appropriate sanctions, if applicable. The hearing date, time, and location will be set by the college
conduct administrators. The college conduct administrators will notify the parties of the hearing
date, time, location, and the names of the college hearing panel members.

    (b) The college hearing panel consists of: the hearing chair, one faculty represented and one
student represented. The hearing is chaired by one of the college conduct administrators (or
designee). The hearing chair only votes in the event of a tie.

    (c) A party may challenge participation of any panel member on the grounds of conflict of
interest. Challenges must be submitted in writing to the hearing chair within three days after the
party receives the notice of hearing letter. The challenge must specify reasons that would prevent
the panel member from being unbiased with respect to the hearing proceedings. The hearing chair
decides whether the challenge has merit. If the challenge is granted, a substitute panel member
will be appointed and the same option to challenge exists. If the hearing chair is challenged, the
dean of the college (or designee) determines the validity of the challenge and either replaces or
retains the hearing chair.

    (d) The Dean of the College, in collaboration with the College Conduct Administrators, will
appoint five (5) students and five (5) faculty members to serve as College Hearing Panel members.
These members will receive yearly training hosted by the College Conduct Administrators and/or
the Office of Student Conduct. The duties and responsibilities of the College Hearing Panel for
Academic Violations and Student Code of Conduct Addendum Violations shall be followed as
prescribed within the Code of Student Conduct.

        (ii) Hearing participants

        (a) Hearings are closed to the public.

        (b) Presence at hearings is restricted to the parties involved, except as otherwise noted.

        (c) Complainant must participate in the hearing in-person or via video conference. If the respondent chooses not to attend the hearing, the respondent’s written statements will be reviewed and evaluated based on the information available.

        (d) The parties may elect to have an adviser of their choice with them at the hearing.

        (e) The parties will be afforded the opportunity to have witnesses testify in the hearing.

Witnesses must testify in-person or via video conference. No later than five days after receiving a
notice of hearing letter, the parties must disclose to the hearing chair the identity of the witnesses,
a summary of what each witness will speak to, and submit any other evidence. The hearing chair
will provide a list of the witnesses and any other submitted evidence to the parties five days prior to
the hearing. The hearing chair, in consultation with the college hearing panel, reserves the right to
limit the number of witnesses. During the hearing, witnesses are present only when giving their own
testimony.

        (f) The hearing chair reserves the right to make appropriate and/or reasonable
accommodations as required under law, and/or for the safety of the parties and witnesses, during a
college hearing panel hearing.

        (iii) Hearing procedures

        (a) Only relevant information will be considered during the hearing. The hearing chair, in
consultation with the college hearing panel, determines if testimony and other evidence is relevant,
and may place time limitations on testimony and opening and closing statements.

        (b) The parties have the right to submit written questions to be asked of each party and all witnesses who participate in the hearing. The hearing chair, in consultation with the college hearing
panel, has the right to review and determine which written questions will be asked.

        (c) The parties will be given an opportunity to present an opening and a closing statement.

        (d) At the close of the hearing, the college hearing panel will deliberate privately to determine if the respondent violated the Student Code of Conduct Addendum .

        (e) When more than one respondent is involved in the same allegation of misconduct, they have the right to have separate hearings. Respondents may have their cases consolidated and heard at the same time. Such requests must be made to the hearing chair no less than five days prior to the scheduled hearing. The college hearing panel has the right to maintain separate hearings. If the college hearing panel wishes to consolidate the hearings, the college hearing panel must ask each respondent if they are comfortable consolidating the hearing or if they wish to be heard separately. All parties and the college conduct administrator (or designee) must agree to the hearing consolidation and the hearing consolidation form must be completed.

        (f) The college hearing panel hearing, but not deliberations, are recorded by the university. Any record of the hearing will be subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. All parties may have post-hearing access to inspect the recorded

        (iv) Post-hearing procedures

        (a) The college hearing panel will seek to reach a consensus in adjudicating cases. In the
event there is no consensus, a majority vote will determine the outcome. In the event of
a tie vote, the hearing chair will vote.

        (b) Within three days of the conclusion of the college hearing panel hearing, the hearing
chair of the college hearing panel will notify the respondent and complainant of the
college hearing panel’s decision and appeal procedures.

        (c) If the respondent does not appeal within the specified appeal time, the decision is final
and the sanctions imposed take immediate effect. The college conduct administrator
will forward a copy of the final resolution to the respondent and the Office of the Dean
of the College after the resolution.

        (v) Sanctions for Student Code of Conduct Addendum Misconduct

Sanctions will be determined based on the severity of the misconduct and other relevant
information. Multiple sanctions may be imposed should the misconduct warrant it. Examples of
sanctions for academic misconduct include the following: 

        (a) Academic action- Includes altering a grade or assigning a failing grade for the assignment, examination, or course.

        (b) Academic reprimand- Written notification to students informing them that their behavior is unacceptable and that this incident may be taken into consideration if misconduct reoccurs.

        (c) Academic probation- Imposes specific restrictions or places extra requirements on the
student for a specified period. Conduct action should be consistent with the philosophy of providing constructive learning experiences as a part of the probation. A student may be required to meet periodically with designated persons. Any further misconduct on the student’s part during the period of probation may result in additional sanctions, including suspension or expulsion.

        (d) College suspension- Prohibits the student from attending and/or enrolling in courses within a particular academic college for a specified period of time. The student may enroll in courses offered by other academic colleges.

        (e) College expulsion- Permanently prohibits the student from attending and/or enrolling in classes in a particular academic college. The student may continue attending classes in other academic colleges.

        (f) Educational sanctions- Sanctions designed to develop the student’s behavior by incorporating values of the university community and allowing an opportunity for students to grow as responsible members of the university community. Examples include, but are not limited to: conferences, discussions, reflection papers, service, and workshops.

(v) Appeals process for Student Code of Conduct Addendum Violations

    (1) Permissible grounds for appeal: Grounds for appeals will be limited to the following:   

        (a) New information: new information was discovered, which was not available at the time of the hearing, and such evidence could affect the decision in the case.

        (b) Procedural error: a substantial procedural error occurred in the process which affected the decision in the case.

        (c) Sanction of suspension or dismissal: a sanction of suspension or dismissal from the university was imposed and is not commensurate with the violation.

        (d) Non-title IX sexual harassment appeal of sanctions: In appeals involving crimes of violence or non-title IX sexual harassment, any sanction may be appealed by either the complainant or respondent on the grounds that the sanction is not commensurate with the
violation.

    (2) Filing an appeal

       (a) A respondent found responsible for an Student Code of Conduct Addendum
violation may file an appeal. An appeal must be submitted in writing to the Dean of the
College within five days of receipt of the college hearing panel’s decision letter. The written
appeal must include a permissible ground for appeal and information to support the
appeal.

        (b) In non-Title IX sexual harassment matters adjudicated under the S.C.O.C., both the complainant and the respondent have the right to appeal on all permissible grounds.

    (3) Procedure

        (a) The Dean of the College reviews all appeals. All steps in the appeal process will occur as soon as reasonably possible.

        (b) Dean of the College Review for Permissible Grounds:

            (i) If the Dean of the College determines that an appeal was submitted that does not fall within one of the four permissible grounds then the Dean of the College will reject and return the appeal to the applicable parties and include a brief written explanation of the reason the appeal was rejected. That decision is final.

        (ii) In appeals involving non-Title IX sexual harassment, both the complainant and respondent will be notified of a rejected appeal.

    (c) Dean of the College review for new information or substantial procedural error:

        (i) If the Dean of the College determines that the new information described
in the appeal was not available earlier and could affect the decision or that a substantial procedural error occurred in the process which could have affected the decision in the case, the Dean of the College will charge the college hearing panel to hold a limited hearing for the sole purpose of reviewing the new information or to correct the procedural error.

        (ii) The new hearing will be limited in scope. It will not include any review of evidence or testimony or modification of factual conclusions reached in the original hearing, unless they are affected by the new information or by the procedural error. The appeal and complete hearing file will be provided to the university college board or college hearing panel.

        (iii) If members of the college hearing panel, which initially heard the complaint, are unavailable for continued service, substitute members will be selected by the Dean of the College (or designee) or by the college conduct administrator. The Dean of the College may not be a member of the college hearing panel and does not participate in the limited hearing.

        (iv) Following this limited hearing, the college hearing panel will submit a report, and possibly a revised outcome, to the Dean of the College. The Dean of the College shall review the file and outcome. If it is the opinion of the Dean of the College that the new evidence was considered or the procedural error corrected, the Dean of the College shall forward the recommendation to the appropriate individual. If the Dean of the College determines the college hearing panel failed to
correct the procedural error or failed to consider the new evidence, Dean of the College shall return the matter to the college hearing panel with instructions to reconsider.

    (d) University appeals administrator review of sanction of suspension or expulsion: For appeals of suspension or expulsion based on a claim that suspension or expulsion is not commensurate to the misconduct violation, the Dean of the College will review the file and issue a recommendation to concur with or modify the sanction, then send the recommendation to the appropriate individuals.

    (e) University appeals administrator review of non-Title IX sexual harassment sanctions: For
appeals of non-Title IX sexual harassment sanction(s) based on a claim that the sanction is not
commensurate with the misconduct violation, the Dean of the College will review the file and issue
a recommendation to concur with or modify the sanction(s), then send the recommendation to the
appropriate individuals.

    (f) The respondent may continue in their courses without prejudice or interruption until the
appeal is final except in matters where an interim suspension is in effect.

Updated and Approved: May, 2025