Accountability FAQs

As instructed in the email, please call (615) 322-7868 to schedule your appointment at our office in Sarratt Student Center/Rand Hall, Suite 301. For more information about the student accountability process, you may contact our office or refer to the Student Handbook.

Student Accountability, Community Standards & Academic Integrity receives incident reports from a range of campus partners and community members. Reports are most commonly referred from the Residential Experience staff and the Vanderbilt University Police Department.

Student Accountability has original jurisdiction in all cases of nonacademic misconduct, excluding sexual misconduct and discrimination cases, involving undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Reports of misconduct are evaluated by Student Accountability and it will determine, in its sole discretion, if they rise to the level of a policy violation and, if so, the appropriate procedures for resolving the reported misconduct. Jurisdiction, including who is defined as a student, is further explained in the Jurisdiction section of the Student Handbook.

Failure to respond to notifications may be considered a waiver of the right to appear, and an accountability meeting may be held in your absence. Non-participation is discussed in the Accountability Procedures section of the Student Handbook.

Failure to comply with an assigned accountability action plan will be considered a violation of University policy and you may be subject to further disciplinary action. Not complying with Accountability Action Plans is discussed in the Sanctions section of the Student Handbook.

Because of the educational nature of the accountability process, Vanderbilt does not allow persons with formal legal training (except in cases concerning students in the Law School) to participate in the accountability process. Any party serving as a legal representative for a student should contact the Vanderbilt’s Office of the General Counsel directly at 615-322-5155. Persons with legal training are discussed in the Accountability Procedures section of the Student Handbook.

You may choose a Vanderbilt faculty, staff, or student adviser to whom you are not related, and who has not had formal legal training (except in cases concerning students in the Law School), to accompany you to your accountability meeting. Advisers are discussed in the Accountability Procedures section of the Student Handbook.

• Overview of the Accountability Process: During your scheduled meeting with Student Accountability, you will first be given an overview and explanation of the Accountability process. 
• Notice of Charges: You will then be provided a Notice of Charges which summarizes the nature of the violations alleged and names the potential policy violations you are charged with.
• 3-Day Wait: You will make a decision about proceeding into the meeting with Student Accountability at that time, or delaying it up to 3 (three) days.
• Accountability Meeting: You will be provided relevant evidentiary material to review then asked to provide your account of the incident in question. You will answer questions from the Accountability Officer. 
• Outcome: The Accountability Officer will make a determination of if the student should be found responsible for the violations they are charged. If responsible for any or all charges, the Accountability Officer will determine an appropriate outcome.
• The flow of an Accountability meeting is discussed in the Accountability Procedures section in the Student Handbook.

Ignorance of a policy is not a valid excuse for violating it. Ignorance of policy is discussed in the Introduction of the Student Handbook.

Information about online presence is discussed in the Digital Citizenship Guidelines section of the Student Handbook. Students should always make sound decisions about what they choose to post in an online environment.

Information about criminal charges and their intersection with Vanderbilt policy are discussed in the Accountability Procedures section of the Handbook.

Information about criminal charges and their intersection with Vanderbilt policy are discussed in the Accountability Procedures section of the Handbook.

The range of sanctions is discussed in the Sanctions section of the Handbook.

The “Immunity Rule” is discussed in the Immunity for Alcohol section of the Handbook.

Findings are reached using a “preponderance of the evidence,” or more likely than not, standard. Preponderance is discussed in the Accountability Procedures section of the Handbook.

Disciplinary probation is discussed in the Sanctions section of the Student Handbook.

Outcomes and disciplinary history are discussed in the Notifications section of the Handbook.

A petition for appeal must be submitted by the petitioning student or appropriate officer of a petitioning organization using the online Petition for Appeal form by no later than 5pm on the tenth (10th) calendar day following the date that the student or organization is formally notified of the determination of the administrative officer or hearing body. The Appellate Review Board is discussed in the Appeals and the Appellate Review Board section of the Handbook.

Record retention is discussed in the Disciplinary Records section of the Handbook.

The following information is the Office of the University Registrar’s declarations of what outcomes show on transcripts.

Expulsion – Permanent notation on student’s official transcript

Suspension – A temporary notation is placed on the student’s internal record in YES for the period of the suspension. No notation on student’s official transcript.

Disciplinary Probation – No notation on student’s official transcript

Deferred Probation – No notation on student’s official transcript

Educational Conference – No notation on student’s official transcript

Immunity Rule – No notation on student’s official transcript

Each sanction and its reportability to graduate schools or employers is discussed in the Sanctions section of the Student Handbook.