University Hearing Committees and Boards

Behavioral Standards Committee (BSC)

BSC is an administrative disciplinary committee composed of students and faculty or staff members. This committee has a dual function. It hears cases referred to it by the dean of students or designee whenever the behavior of the student or group is intentional and is in violation of the university’s non-academic behavioral standards. It hears student organization cases upon referral from the dean when no governing body judicial board exists, and it has jurisdiction for appeals by a student of an adverse decision of a faculty member regarding disruptive behavior in the classroom.

The committee is composed of four (4) faculty members and two (2) faculty alternates appointed by the University Assembly president and three (3) students and two (2) student alternates appointed by the SGA. The faculty members and SGA may appoint students to serve as temporary members during the summer sessions. The faculty members serve two-year terms.

Academic Integrity and Grievance Committee (AIGC)

This committee hears specific grade appeals and hears, on appeal and referral, cases involving certain alleged academic offenses. The committee is composed of fifteen (15) faculty and three (3) faculty alternates to be appointed annually and announced at the last spring meeting by the University Assembly president, and fifteen (15) students and three (3) student alternates to be appointed each May by the SGA. The purpose of the committee is twofold:

  1. It affords the student an opportunity to appeal a grade if he or she feels the grade was inequitably awarded in that it violated a faculty member’s own specified grading standards.
  2. It affords a student a hearing in cases where disputes over alleged cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and the like cannot be resolved or where the student does not admit violation.

However, students and faculty members are urged to make all attempts possible to resolve a grievance before starting formal appeal.

Fraternity and Sorority Judicial Boards

These boards hear any dispute arising between fraternities and sororities, between members of various fraternities and sororities acting in their organizational capacities, between fraternities and sororities or their members and the university or general public, and in case of group violations of university rules and regulations, the Code, federal, state, and local laws or the violation of governing bodies’ bylaws and policies. The civil courts are also available to members of the general public but an action begun in the civil courts should not preclude sanctions within the system when damage to the system has resulted. A fraternity or sorority member acting alone and not in his or her organizational capacity, shall be considered in his or her role as a student.

Student Affairs Committee (SAC)

SAC is an administrative committee composed of three (3) faculty members nominated by the University Assembly president and appointed by the chancellor, and four (4) students nominated by the SGA and appointed by the chancellor. The dean of students and the Donaghey Student Center director or their designees serve as ex officio members without vote. The committee elects its own chairperson. The faculty members serve two-year terms and the student members serve one-year terms.

The principal functions of the committee are:

  1. To review, interpret, recommend, and promulgate various non-academic policies, regulations, procedures, and the Code governing student life and the student organizations.
  2. To hear certain student organization or group cases referred by the dean of students or designee.
  3. Hear appeals of adverse decisions of the dean of students or designee, including but not limited to the criteria, nature, and conditions of student organizations or groups registration, maintaining active status, staging outdoor amplified musical events, and breaches of university policies and regulations governing student organizations other than alleged violations of the Code.

The committee reserves the right to cancel registration and impose sanctions against student organizations which fail to observe the understandings, policies, and regulations governing student organizations.

University Judicial Appeals Committee (UJAC)

The University Judicial Appeals Committee (UJAC) is a university administrative committee that reviews and hears appeals on the record of decisions made by the Behavioral Standards Committee, the Academic Integrity and Grievance Committee, the judicial boards of the Greek governing bodies for organizational offenses, and the dean of students or designee as part of the informal/administrative system of adjudication.

Handbook