Definitions

1. Administrative Hearing Conference: An opportunity for a Respondent to address the allegations and charges with a Hearing Officer individually.
2. Advisor:  An individual that provides support, education, guidance, and advice to the Student, RSO, or AG during any OCS procedure. An Advisor may not have personal involvement regarding any facts or circumstances of the allegation.  An Advisor may not be an attorney and does not represent the Respondent in any hearing proceeding.   An Advisor is a member of the Council who has been selected by/for the Respondent. The President of the Honor Council shall not act as an Advisor in any case.  The Advisor’s role is limited to informing the Respondent concerning Honor Council procedures and answering any questions about those procedures.  The Advisor is foremost a member of the Honor Council.
3. Affinity Group (AG): specialized educational groups or athletic teams in which members are sponsored by Rhodes College department/office .  An affinity group is not a Registered Student Organization recognized by the Office of Student Engagement. 
4. Appellate (or Appellate Officer or Appeals Committee): The individual or a group of individuals with responsibility under the Standards of Conduct or Honor Code to review and respond to appeals.
   1. The designated individual appellate officer is the individual reviewing appeals of outcomes rendered from Administrative Hearing Conferences. 
   2. Faculty Appeals Committee: the group of faculty members authorized by Rhodes College to consider an appeal of the Honor Council’s decision that a student has violated the Honor Code or an appeal of the outcome rendered to a student by the Honor Council.
   3. Community Standards Appeals Committee: the group authorized by Rhodes College to consider an appeal of the Community Standards Council’s decision that a student has violated the Standards of Conduct or an appeal of the outcome rendered to a student by the Community Standards Council.
5. Campus: Campus includes all land, buildings, property, and facilities in the possession of, owned by, used by, or controlled by Rhodes College, regardless of contiguity or proximity. This includes land leased to others, property owned, managed or maintained by the College, and all streets, alleys, sidewalks, and public ways adjacent to any land of the College or the land upon which housing is located even if the housing is not owned by the College.
6. Charge Letter/Notification:  Correspondence for a hearing sent to a student outlining the alleged violation(s) of the Standards of Conduct.  The correspondence will also include the date, time, and location of the hearing along with any evidence/documentation a part of the case. 
7. College:  College refers to Rhodes College.
8. Complainant (or Reporting Party):  An individual who submits a report/referral against a Student, RSO, or AG alleging misconduct under the Standards of Conduct and/or Honor Code.
9. Council:  A student-elected hearing board responsible for hearing violations of the Honor Code, Standards of Conduct, and other Rhodes College policies and procedures. 
   1. Honor Council: the governing body of students elected by the student body of Rhodes College or, in the case of a mid-year vacancy, selected by the council by application to implement and interpret the Honor Code, including, without limitation, determining whether or not a student has violated the Honor Code and to impose outcomes.
   2. Community Standards Council: the governing body of students elected by the student body of Rhodes College to implement and interpret the Standards of Conduct, including, without limitation, determining whether or not a student has violated the Standards of Conduct and to impose outcomes.
10. Confidential and Private: indicating that what one shares is private or secret.
11. Dean: Dean refers to any Dean within the Division of Student Life (i.e. Dean of Students (DOS), Dean of Student Success (DSS), and Dean of Belonging (DOB)). 
12. Disciplinary Violations:  Those violations detailed in the Standards of Conduct and Honor Code that are specific to student behavior. Certain conduct may constitute both Academic and Behavioral Misconduct.
13. Disciplinary Outcome: identifies a resolution and any requirements, restrictions, or change in Student status that have been assigned to the Student by the Director of Community Standards, or designee, or Council.
14. Eligible Voting Member: a council member serving as a class representative, and who is not serving a special role (including but not limited to investigator, advisor, acting secretary, etc.) during the hearing. 
15. Evidence (or documentary evidence or material evidence): refers to emails, texts, social media, images, or other documents, whether in hard-copy or electronic format, presented to the hearing officer/body to determine the outcome of a hearing.
16. Faculty Member: a person who teaches a course offered for academic credit by an institution of higher education, including teaching assistants, instructors, lab assistants, research assistants, lecturers, assistant professors, associate professors, and full professors.
17. Hearing Officer:  An individual who adjudicates a case.
18. Honor Code: the rules regarding proscribed conduct set forth in which students commit to not lie, cheat, or steal. Furthermore, commit to report a violation of the policy. 
19. Education and Accountability Conference - In cases of minor misconduct, an informal resolution may be pursued. This typically involves a discussion or meeting between the student and a staff member, such as a resident advisor or a student conduct officer, to address the issue and find a mutually agreeable educational and reflective solution.
20. Instructor: Any Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Instructor, Adjunct Faculty, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Teaching Assistant, or other professional charged with oversight of a lab, class, section, or course for academic credit at the College.
21. Investigator: the member of the Council designated by the President to investigate a reported violation and present evidence to the Council of such investigation.  An Investigator may be present at Council deliberations on a matter for which they did the investigation in order to clarify facts, but may not deliberate or vote on that matter.
22. Mediation: Mediation involves bringing the involved parties together, along with a neutral mediator, to facilitate a constructive conversation and work towards a resolution. It is commonly used when conflicts arise between students or groups of students and aims to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
23. Member of the Rhodes College Community: any person who is a student, faculty member, Rhodes College official, or any other person employed by Rhodes College. A person’s status in a particular situation shall be determined by the OCS Administrator for the Honor Council upon consultation with the Honor Council President.
24. No Communication Agreement (NCA): A mutual agreement between two individuals who voluntarily affirm that they will not have direct communication with each other in person or electronically, or make indirect contact through third parties, except for that which is necessary for their academic or employment pursuits. 
25. No Contact Order (NCO): A directive that one individual may not have direct contact with another, or make indirect contact through third parties, except for that which is necessary for the individual’s academic or employment pursuits. 
26. Not Responsible (or “Not In Violation”:  The finding or acknowledgment that indicates a Student, RSO, or AG is in not violation of the a College policy, the Standards of Conduct, or the Honor Code.
27. Notice of Investigation:  The written notice sent to a Student, RSO, or AG of the allegations and corresponding violations/infractions to be addressed
28. Outcome (formerly “sanctions”): a determination/decision as a result of the formal or informal resolution process. 
29. OCS Administrator: the person designated by the administration to provide procedural information and support to a Respondent and/or Complainant before and after hearing proceedings with a Council. Also serves as a liaison between the Honor & Community Standards Councils and the administration and consults with the Council Presidents concerning matters of the respective Council business. 
30. Pledge: refers to the statements: 1) “As a member of the Rhodes College community, I pledge my full and steadfast support to the Honor System and agree neither to lie, cheat, nor steal, and to report any such violation that I may witness.” Although this pledge may not be written explicitly on a particular assignment, it is implicit in every assignment or activity completed at Rhodes College, as the initial Honor Code signing before the beginning of the student’s first year at Rhodes binds him or her to the Honor System.  Or 2) “As a member of the Rhodes College community, I pledge to respect my fellow students, faculty, staff and their property. I will treat others as I would be treated and their property as I would my own.”
31. Policy: the written rules and regulations of the college as found in, but not limited to, the Campus Handbook, Academic Catalogue, and the college website.
32. Report: A written complaint against a Student or Registered student organization forwarded to OCS. A report may be submitted by any individual(s). Anonymous report may be considered at the discretion of OCS.
33. Registered student organization (RSO):   any group of persons who have fulfilled the formal requirements for Rhodes College recognition.
34. Responsible (or ‘In Violation’): The finding or acknowledgment that indicates a Student, RSO, or AG is in violation of the a College policy, the Standards of Conduct, or the Honor Code.
35. Respondent: A Student (also referred to as a Charged Student) or RSO or AG who has received notice of allegations detailing a potential violation of a policy, the Standards of Conduct or Honor Code.
36. Rhodes College Official: any person employed by Rhodes College, performing assigned administrative or professional responsibilities. Rhodes College officials include, without limitation, administrators, faculty, and campus safety officers; and resident assistants, Honor Council members and Community Standards Council members when acting in an official capacity.
37. Rhodes College Premises: all land, buildings, facilities, and other property in the possession of or owned, used, or controlled by the College (including adjacent streets and sidewalks).
38. Social Media:  Examples of social media include but are not limited to blogs, wikis, microblogs, message boards, chat room, electronic newsletters, online forums, social networking sites, and other sites and services that permit user to share information with others on the internet (i.e., including, but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, TikTok, Twitter, YikYak, GroupMe, etc).
39. Source: refers to, without limitation, class textbooks, other books, journals, newspapers, magazines, information obtained electronically, and other persons’ work.
40. Standards of Conduct: the rules regarding proscribed conduct set forth in which students commit to the rules, regulations, polices, and procedures of the College. 
41. Student: any person admitted to Rhodes College or enrolled or scheduled to be enrolled in a course for academic credit through Rhodes, both full-time and part-time, pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies. Persons who are not officially enrolled for a particular term but have a continuing relationship with Rhodes College are considered “students.”
42. Office of Community Standards (OCS): OCS is the office and staff responsible for the implementation and administration of Rhodes College policies, the Standards of Conduct, and Honor Code. 
43. Vice President: Vice President refers to Vice President of Student Life (i.e., VP, VPSL)
44. Witness: A person who has knowledge of facts or circumstances pertaining to an alleged violation.
45. Written Communication: Written correspondence generated by OCS, including but not limited to email. Any correspondence sent to a Student’s College-issued email address shall constitute actual notice.

NOTE:

• The term “shall” is used in the imperative sense.
• The term “may” is used in the permissive sense.