Student Disciplinary Procedures
In order to ensure the smooth functioning of University activities and to implement the principles expressed in the University Policy on Student Conduct at New York University and the Rules for the Maintenance of Public Order, the Senate has established the following procedures for disciplinary action:
I. Division of Jurisdiction Between the Faculties of the Several Schools and Colleges and the Senate.
Under Sections 34(c), 61(b), and 62 of the Bylaws of New York University, jurisdiction over student disciplinary proceedings is granted under certain circumstances to the faculty of the school in which the student is enrolled and under other circumstances to the Senate. In order to carry out the intention of the Bylaws, the following areas of jurisdiction are designated:
A. Cases of Faculty Jurisdiction.
1. Cheating, plagiarism, forgery of academic documents with intent to defraud.
2. Disruption of a lecture hall, laboratory, or any other premises used for academic purposes.
3. Failure to return library books, or destruction of all or part of a library book or archival document.
4. Interference with access to classrooms, laboratories, or academic offices.
5. Physical detention or restraint of a student, instructor, University staff member, or administrator while that person is attempting to exercise his/her duties.
B. Cases of Senate Jurisdiction.
1. Disruptive or riotous activity in student residence halls by nonresident students, or student centers of nonacademic activity, such as the gymnasium.
2. Violation of dormitory rules by residents (but see I.E.4).
3. Forgery of instruments of identification with intent to defraud.
4. Theft of, or wanton damage to, University property.
5. Engaging in conduct which interferes with or disrupts any academic
function involving more than one school, or which prevents or limits the free expression of ideas, or which physically obstructs or restrains another member of the University community or a visitor.
6. Failing to surrender University identification card upon request by clearly identifiable University personnel, or failing to comply with the direction of clearly identifiable University personnel in the performance of their assigned duties.
C. Resolution of Questions of Jurisdiction in Any Particular Case. While questions of jurisdiction are not expected to be numerous or difficult, the following procedures shall be used where such questions arise:
1. Where a question arises as to whether a case should come within faculty or Senate jurisdiction, the question shall be referred for decision to the Office of Legal Counsel of the University.
2. The decision of the Office of Legal Counsel shall be both telephoned and mailed to each student who is the subject of the same or a similar complaint as the one in which the question of jurisdiction has been raised, to the Dean of the faculty of each school in which any such student is enrolled and to the Chairman of the University Judicial Board (hereinafter defined).
3. If either a student who is the subject of a complaint, or the Dean or Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of a faculty in which such student is enrolled, or the Chairman of the University Judicial Board disagrees with the decision rendered by the Office of Legal Counsel, such person shall have the right to appeal the decision to the Committee on Organization and Governance of the University Senate.
4. The Office of the Secretary of the Senate must receive notice of such appeal no later than three days after the initial decision of the Office of Legal Counsel has been communicated to the person taking the appeal. In cases in which the student has been temporarily suspended or dismissed pending disciplinary proceedings, such notice of appeal must be received within eight hours.
D. Violations of Federal, State, or Local Law.
1. In addition to falling within one of the categories defined in I.A. or I.B. above, certain offenses may violate city, state, or federal laws. It is the policy of the University to discourage such acts by its members, and such offenses, or persons complaining of such offenses, may be referred to the appropriate outside authority. To the extent that such acts also fall within one of the categories defined in I.A. or I.B. above, they may also be subject to applicable disciplinary measures within the University.
E. Delegates of Jurisdiction.
1. Jurisdiction over offenses listed in I.A. above is in the faculty of the school in which the student is registered, and may but need not be delegated by the faculty to the Dean of that school or to the school’s Discipline Committee or its equivalent (hereinafter referred to as “Discipline Committee” in all cases).
2. Offenses listed in I.B. above shall first be referred to the Vice President for Student Affairs or the equivalent person at the NYU Medical Center (all references hereinafter made to the Vice President for Student Affairs shall be deemed to include the equivalent person at the NYU Medical Center). The Vice President for Student Affairs shall meet with the student(s) complained against and shall try to resolve the matter with the consent of the student(s). In the absence of a resolution by the Vice President for Student Affairs, the matter shall be referred to the University Judicial Board (defined below).
3. In any case of an offense listed in I.B. above in which the Vice President for Student Affairs has been unable to achieve a resolution by consent, the case shall be referred to a new standing committee of the Senate to be known as the University Judicial Board.
a. The Board shall consist of twenty-one members all of whom shall be members of the Senate including six students who shall be chosen by the Student Senators Council, six faculty members who shall be chosen by the Faculty Senators Council, six Deans who shall be chosen by the Deans Council, and three members chosen by the Administrative Management Council.
b. The Board shall elect its own chairperson.
c. Any case referred to the Board shall be heard and decided by a four-person panel consisting of one Senator from each constituency.
d. The Board shall adopt its own procedures for the selection of panels to hear individual cases, but such procedures shall be designed to achieve a fair system of rotation in which each member of the Board shall sit in a comparable number of cases and in which members of the Board sit in varying combinations.
e. The Senate shall temporarily increase the size of the Board at the request of the Board whenever the hearing and/or appellate caseload (defined below) requires it. Any such temporary increase shall include equal numbers of representatives from each of the constituencies comprising the Board.
f. Panels of the Board shall serve in place of the previously created University Review Board wherever any rules of the University call for the participation of the Review Board.
4. Jurisdiction over dormitory offenses shall lie with the Judiciary Committee of such residence and with the Residence Hall manager, in accordance with dormitory procedures, where established. If no Judiciary Committee exists, jurisdiction shall be the same as for other offenses listed in I.B. above.
