STUDENT RESOURCES
Student Conduct and Community Standards receives and reviews reports of alleged Code
violations to determine whether further action is warranted. Check your student email
account on a regular basis as you may receive an email letter notifying you of a scheduled
meeting. Please follow the directions outlined in the letter. Should you have questions,
you can email communitystandards@stonybrook.edu or call our office at (631) 632-6705.
Students alleged to have violated the Code will be provided with a written notice
of charges and will have an opportunity to meet with a University official for a student
conduct meeting. A student conduct meeting provides you with an opportunity to discuss
the incident and allegations and to share your perspective on the matter with a University
official. In most instances, the meeting will resolve the matter and sanctions may
be imposed. As our student conduct process is intended to educational and reflective,
we encourage all students to attend with a willingness to discuss this incident and
share any reflections they have on the matter.
Should you choose not to attend without obtaining prior approval, the student conduct
process will proceed in your absence and a finding will be reached based on the available
information. If a conflict and/or emergency arises during the time of your meeting,
please contact our office to reschedule as soon as possible.
Witnessess are permitted at the hearing. Their presence at your hearing must be known
to our office no less than 24 hours before the hearing. More information on their
role can be found within the Code.
In both a Student Conduct Meeting and a Hearing students are allowed one additional
person of their choice to join them within the hearing as their advisor. Students
should make the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards aware they are bringing
an advisor before the meeting or hearing.
Yes. The student conduct process is independent of legal proceedings and both procedures
may take place concurrently. The student conduct process is administrative and educational
in nature and uses a lower standard of proof called a preponderance of evidence, or
“more likely than not” to determine responsibility.
This Code may be applied to off-campus violations when students are participating
in University-sanctioned activities, such as sporting events, field trips, conferences,
or are exercising privileges granted to Stony Brook students. In addition, this Code
may be applied to off-campus violations if such violations are deemed to adversely
affect the safety and security of the University, University property or individual
members of the University community.
The student conduct process aims to assign purposeful sanctions that support personal
growth and development. Outcomes may range from educational dialogues to expulsion
from the University. More serious sanctions may be imposed for multiple or repeated
violations. A list of possible sanctions is outlined in the Code of Student Responsibility.
If a student does not follow the conditions of the decision, a student conduct hold
may be placed on their account which may prohibit them from registering for classes
and/or housing. Another possibility is to face additional conduct charges for refusing
to comply with the terms of the original outcome.
The only sanctions imposed by our office that appear on an official transcript are
Suspension and Expulsion. Expulsions will remain on your transcript and student records
permanently. Students who have been suspended can request the notation on their transcript
to be removed five (5) years after the end date of the suspension.
As the terms of your suspension are almost complete, you are able to schedule a 're-entry'
meeting in order to be able to return to the University. Please contact our office
to set up a meeting by emailing communitystandards@stonybrook.edu or by phone at (631) 632-6705. You can contact our office to schedule this meeting
within six weeks of your suspension ending (or later, if you are not planning to return
immediately after your suspension ends).
Students may be placed on University probation for a period of time. The terms of
the probation will be tailored to fit the individual circumstances. Students placed
on University probation may not hold student staff positions, including but not limited
to: Resident Assistant, Office Assistant, Building Coordinator, Orientation Leader,
Residential Safety Patrol, Work Crew and Residence Orientation, for the duration of
the probationary period. Students placed on University probation may not hold executive
board or leadership positions in recognized student organizations and/or councils.
Violations of University policy during the probationary period may result in additional
and more significant sanctions.
If you are found somewhere you have been restricted from you can be subject to additional
student conduct action and/or arrest for trespassing. If you have been issued a restriction
and have questions, we would encourage you to contact our office as soon as possible.
You can appeal a student conduct decision on the basis of three grounds listed in
our Appeals Section of the Code of Student Responsibility and as detailed in your
student conduct decision.
When our office receives a request for information related to a background check,
we do share the outcomes of the student conduct matters, provided that you have authorized
their release.
Student conduct records will generally be maintained for a period of seven (7) years
after the last incident a student was involved in. However, if a student was expelled
from the University those records are maintained indefinitely.
If you see a "DSP" hold on your student account it means you will need to call or
email our office to determine the steps you need to take in order to remove the hold.
This hold will prevent you from registering for classes until it is cleared.
University student conduct proceedings are confidential and subject to strict confidentiality
on the part of the University in a manner consistent with all applicable laws. As
a general rule, violations of the Code and the sanctions that may be imposed will
not be routinely reported to parents. However, in the case of serious violations of
Federal, State, or Local law, including alcohol and other drugs violations, or when
instances of medical/psychological emergencies come to the University’s attention,
the University may notify parents in cases where it is believed the student might
benefit. However, the University does encourage students to inform trusted family
members if they have filed a complaint, or have been accused of violations of the
Code of Student Responsibility as they may be able to offer additional support to
you as you participate in this process.