For Parents & Guardians
The Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution sees parents/guardians as partners in ensuring student success. We appreciate you taking the time to review this page and encourage you to review other areas of our website as well. You may be reading this because your student has shared with you that they have an upcoming hearing, you may be curious about our process or standards, or you may have received a letter from our office. We hope this information helps you understand our role and provides answers to some of your questions.
The staff members in OSCCR are considered educators and are responsible for helping your student uphold Northeastern’s Code of Student Conduct. The conduct process strives to provide an educational approach to resolve alleged violations of the Code. The primary focus of this process is to maintain a safe and respectful learning environment for all members of the Northeastern community.
After participating in the conduct process at Northeastern, students will:
- Recognize their role as a member of the University community
- Understand how their choices and actions relate to their values, beliefs and/or goals
- Take ownership and responsibility for their choices and actions
- Increase their understanding of how their choices and actions affect others
- Increase their understanding of the Code of Student Conduct
- Identify and connect to other campus and community resources
- Increase their understanding of how to evaluate consequences before making decisions
- Be positively influenced by the interaction in regards to their future choices
Frequently Asked Parent/Guardian Questions
1. How do I support my student who is going through the conduct process?
First and foremost, students want to know that they have their Parents/Guardians support. Speaking frankly with your student about what has occurred in their incident and how they plan to address the situation can help to start an open dialogue about their ability to make responsible, adult choices for their future. We encourage Parents/Guardians to foster the student’s ability to advocate for themselves in the process, while continuing to check in on the resources and support the student may need. Students are provided with a variety of resources throughout the OSCCR process and can always contact our team before, during, and after a case with questions and referrals to campus resources.
After reviewing the Code of Student Conduct and speaking with your student you still have questions about the process and/or your student’s case, please contact the Hearing Administrator with whom your student is working.
2. Will parents/guardians be notified about their students’ participation in a conduct process?
Northeastern and OSCCR view students as responsible adults and direct most communication to the student, while encouraging the student to communicate with their families as they feel appropriate.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) protects the privacy of student’s educational records, including conduct files, from disclosure to any third party without the student’s permission. This means that the specifics of a student’s conduct case will typically not be discussed with parents/guardians or anyone else unless the student has waived that right to privacy.
FERPA’s provisions are not absolute; there are limited exceptions. The Higher Education Reauthorization Act of 1998 allows colleges and universities to contact the parents/guardians of students in conduct cases involving drugs and alcohol, can result in suspension/expulsion, create a health and safety concern. The University’s parental notification policy provides for different types of contact depending on the type of violation
When a student authorizes the University to notify parents, Hearing Administrators will provide parents with the following:
- A copy of the decision letter when an alcohol or drug violations or Hosting a Disruptive Gathering off-campus results in a finding of Responsible.
- A copy of the pre-hearing notice in cases that may result in suspension or expulsion of their student. In these cases, parents will also receive a copy of the decision letter.
- In cases of health or safety concerns for the student. The University may contact the Emergency contact in the manner the University deems appropriate. Emergency contact may come from OSCCR or may come from a member of the WeCare Team and may come via phone, e-mail, or letter depending on the nature of the concern.
3. Can you send me a copy of any reports before my student’s meeting with a Hearing Administrator?
Only the students involved in the incident will be permitted to review the incident report. If your student is having an Administrative Hearing, the report will be shared with your student, after your student has provided their perspective on the incident. Allowing your student to speak first makes the conversation more educational and focused on their development.
If your student is attending a Student Conduct Board (SCB) Hearing, they will receive all written documentation during their pre-hearing meeting to prepare for the SCB Hearing.
4. What accommodations are available for students with a disability?
If your student has registered with the Disability Resource Center (DRC), and you believe that your student will require a reasonable accommodation to assist with the hearing, your student should contact the DRC and notify the Hearing Administrator so accommodations can be met. Students requesting an accommodation must work with staff in the DRC to ensure that proper documentation is on file. For additional information, please refer to https://drc.sites.northeastern.edu/
5. How might a suspension or expulsion affect us financially?
It is likely that your student will incur a financial loss if a suspension or expulsion occurs after the first three weeks of the semester (2 weeks for summer sessions). Review the University Refund policy as well as the Residence Hall and Dining License Agreement for more information.
6. I think my student has been a victim of sexual violence or gender-based discrimination. What should I do?
Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on gender, which includes sexual harassment and sexual assault. Title IX also prohibits retaliation against people for making or participating in complaints of sex discrimination. Resources are available through the Office for University Equity and Compliance. More information on filing a report and receiving support and guidance can be found on their website.
7. My student was not involved in the incident, why are they having to meet with someone?
When an incident is reported to OSCCR, our team reviews the contents to determine if there is a potential policy violation and speaks with all those listed in the report. It can be unclear at the time of documentation who was actually involved, and thus, more information is needed to make a determination about each individual’s involvement. Decisions about whether or not a student is responsible for a violation are not determined until after such meetings have been concluded.
8. What other resources are available for students and families at Northeastern?
- Department of Housing and Residential Life: 617.373.2814, northeastern.edu/housing/
- Disability Resource Center (DRC): 617.373.2675, northeastern.edu/drc/
- NU Public Safety Division (NUPD): 617.373.2121, northeastern.edu/publicsafety/
- The Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion (OIDI): 617.373.2133, northeastern.edu/oidi/
- The Office of Prevention and Education at Northeastern (OPEN): 617.373.4459, northeastern.edu/open
- University Health and Counseling Services (UHCS): 617.373.2772, northeastern.edu/uhcs/
- We Care: 617.373.4384, northeastern.edu/wecare
Refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section on our website for more answers to questions about OSCCR, policies, academic integrity, reporting questions, hearing/information meetings, hearing outcomes, and records and conduct history. Click here to go to that page.
Additionally, you may contact the Hearing Administrator working with your student with any questions or concerns you may have. You may also call our office at 617.373.4390 or e-mail osccr@northeastern.edu