
The Residential College Disciplinary Board (“RCDB”) adjudicates behavioral (non-academic) infractions (excluding sexual misconduct) by undergraduates where the maximum possible penalty is disciplinary probation. For more information about the RCDB, please see Rights, Rules, Responsibilities section 2.5.3 or the below Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Residential College Disciplinary Board FAQs
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The Residential College Disciplinary Board ("RCDB" or “the Board”) adjudicates behavioral (non-academic) infractions by undergraduates where the maximum possible penalty is Disciplinary Probation. Examples of behavioral violations heard by RCDB include alcohol or drug violations, disorderly conduct, health and safety violations, theft, assault, and violations of our policy on honesty and cooperation.
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RCDB comprises the seven Assistant Deans for Student Life from the residential colleges and three deans in the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students.
Assistant Deans for Student Life (ADSLs):
Residential College ADSL Email Butler Joseph Rolón [email protected] Forbes Michelle Smith [email protected] Mathey Melissa Chesanko [email protected] New College West Garrett Meggs [email protected] Rocky Monica Fung-Janardhan [email protected] Whitman Momo Wolapaye [email protected] Yeh Claire Pinciaro [email protected] Other members of RCDB:
- Joyce Chen (Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Students)
- Amy Ham Johnson (Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students)
- Mellisa Thompson (Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students)
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A majority of potential infractions come to the attention of the deans and ADSLs through reports from the Department of Public Safety (DPS), although they can be received from other community members as well.
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Yes. If you believe that you have been the victim of, or have witnessed, a violation of University rules and regulations, you are strongly encouraged to contact your Assistant Dean for Student Life (ADSL) or a dean in the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS). Remember that undergraduates are obliged to report suspected violations of the Honor Code to the chair of the Honor Committee by emailing [email protected].
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If you choose to file a report through your ADSL or a dean in ODUS and prefer to remain anonymous, every attempt will be made to accommodate you in this regard. However, your anonymity cannot be guaranteed. If the information you provide is information that any number of students could have provided, then it is likely that you will remain anonymous. If a student is notified of a disciplinary violation, that student will have the right to review all information that will be considered by RCDB when adjudicating the policy violation, and it may be necessary to disclose your name. Regardless, be assured that no student will have access to documents bearing your name without your written permission.
Note that the University maintains an EthicsPoint hotline where anyone may make an anonymous report: 1-866-478-9804 or princetonuniversity.ethicspoint.com.
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If there is a report of possible misconduct on your part, here’s what will happen. Typically, your ADSL or a member of the Student Support and Community Standards team will reach out to you to obtain your account of what happened. If you are aware of any individuals who may have relevant information or any documents (photos, videos, emails, text messages, etc.) that may be pertinent, you should share them with the ADSL or dean as soon as possible. If you are interviewed, the person who interviews you will take notes during this meeting, and a summary of the interview will be shared with any student who is put on notice of a possible violation of University policy related to this incident. You will also be invited to write a statement in your own words if you are subsequently notified that there will be a review of a potential policy violation, and the procedures and standards followed by RCDB will be provided to you.
Your ADSL or member of the Student Support and Community Standards team will collect information from other individuals and collect documents. While we encourage those involved in disciplinary proceedings to exercise discretion to protect the integrity of the investigation, you are encouraged to seek support (e.g., residential college staff, family members, Counseling and Psychological Services or the Office of Religious Life); however, please do not discuss the case with others who are involved in or may have information relevant to the case. If you are put on notice of a possible violation, you will have an opportunity to review any interview summaries and/or written statements. If you prefer that certain information you have shared be redacted or omitted, you may contact the person who interviewed you, Amy Ham Johnson ([email protected]), or Joyce Chen ([email protected]) to make that request.
You are strongly discouraged from doing any “detective work” yourself. Please refrain from directly contacting individuals you feel may have relevant information, searching for documentary and other information, and discussing the case while it is in progress with any other individuals you feel may have relevant information. This helps safeguard the integrity of the information-gathering process and helps prevent the real or perceived experience of pressure, retaliation, or coercion. Instead, tell your ADSL about any individuals who you believe should be interviewed and any other information you believe should be collected.
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The members of the Student Support and Community Standards team are listed on the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students website. If a student involved in a disciplinary matter believes that there is a conflict of interest with someone involved in their case, they may reach out to Dean of Undergraduate Students Regan Crotty ([email protected]), to explain their concerns; they should do so as soon as they are aware of a potential conflict. Please note that the involvement by a member of the Student Support and Community Standards Team in a previous disciplinary inquiry does not pose a conflict. If the Dean determines that a conflict of interest exists, the appropriate action will be taken.
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The University seeks to conduct disciplinary adjudications with reasonable promptness. The information-gathering process will proceed as quickly as possible. The length of the investigation depends on several factors, including how many individuals are involved, the availability of those individuals, whether follow-up information-gathering is necessary, and whether documents need to be collected. If you are unsure of the status of the investigation, you should reach out to your ADSL with any questions.
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At the conclusion of the information-gathering process, your ADSL, in consultation with the co- chairs of RCDB as necessary, will determine whether RCDB will review a potential violation of University policy; if so, you will be notified. RCDB typically will proceed with reviewing a potential disciplinary violation if the conduct would, if substantiated, violate a University policy and where the maximum possible penalty is disciplinary probation. Remember that receiving a notice of potential violation is not the same thing as being found responsible.
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At the end of the information-gathering process:
- You will be notified in writing of the specific policy violations that RCDB will consider and the date on which the matter will be decided.
- You will be provided with copies of all documents (i.e., Public Safety reports, statements, interview summaries, etc.) that RCDB will review in deciding your case. Read these documents carefully, and if anything is missing or incomplete, you feel that additional information should be gathered from any other individuals, other documents or information needs to be collected, you need more time to respond or you have any other questions or concerns, contact your ADSL.
- You will have the opportunity to submit a written statement in response to the notice of possible violation that you have received. Please submit that statement by the deadline that is provided in the notice that you have received.
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Yes. If you are reported to have committed a first violation of the University’s policy against sharing copyrighted files—a policy which mirrors the prohibitions in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)—then the procedures will be different. In such a case, you will receive an email from your ADSL, including documentation of the potential violation. You will be asked to reply by email with any relevant information. You will not be invited to meet in person with your ADSL, although you may request a meeting. A first violation involving illegal filesharing is typically met with a Dean’s Warning.
In some situations involving a large number of students, RCDB may collect information in written form (e.g., via email, Google form or written or electronic survey), rather than conducting interviews. However, you may request a meeting with your ADSL/a dean/member of the Community Standards team if you prefer to share information via an interview rather than in writing.
In addition, in cases involving a large number of students and less severe sanctions, RCDB may streamline the resolution of cases by sending a notification that the Board has received information indicative of a policy violation and, based on the information collected, has preliminarily determined that a student violated a particular University policy. In this case, you would be provided with the collected documents and preliminary penalty information and can either (1) accept the outcome or (2) choose to participate in the full RCDB process (as described above).
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A student whose case will be heard by RCDB should do the following:
Meet with your ADSL. Your assistant dean for student life can help you with many things, including:
- Questions about the potential policy violation(s) that will be heard by RCDB;Information about RCDB standards and procedures;
- Documents that will be provided to the members of RCDB (you will be provided with copies of any such documents);
- Additional documents, statements or other information that you believe should be considered by RCDB in deciding your case;
- Resources and support that may be available to you during and after the process
Review the notification of potential violation of University policy, which will outline the reported or suspected conduct that may have been a violation
Review Rights, Rules, Responsibilities, especially the passages that describe the conduct that may violate University policy. Look at section 2.5.3 for a description of the RCDB process.
You are encouraged to write a statement that addresses the potential policy violation(s). Your statement will be provided to the members of RCDB.
If you are a student athlete, consider telling your coach about the situation, as they can be a source of support. If you are found responsible and issued a term of disciplinary probation, Associate Director of Athletics Greg Busch and Associate Dean of the College Alec Dun will be informed of your penalty; your coach may be notified by the Department of Athletics. Please note that coaches prefer to hear from you first.
Consider making an appointment at Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) or with another confidential resource (e.g., the chaplains at the Office of Religious Life) for support and guidance. CPS can be reached at 609-258-3141 (press 2)
Consider talking to your family. Sometimes, it is easier for families to hear about a disciplinary matter before it is resolved, rather than after the fact. You are in the best position to judge whether notifying your family makes sense in your situation. However, please note that your parent/legal guardian will only be notified if you have been found responsible and if a subsequent violation is likely to lead to a separation.
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No, students do not attend RCDB meetings. Instead, your ADSL will present all relevant information, including circulating and reviewing all documents that were collected during the inquiry (copies of which you will have received and considered in advance). The Board will also review any statement that you provide. Your ADSL will be available to answer any questions you may have about RCDB’s determination.
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After your ADSL has presented your case, RCDB members will first consider the question of whether there is clear and persuasive evidence of the violation(s) of University policy that you have been notified will be reviewed by the Board. This decision is made by majority vote.
If you are found responsible for one or more violations, RCDB will consider the appropriate penalty. If a student is found responsible for a violation of University policy, there will always be a sanction. RCDB has the authority to issue Dean’s Warnings, Reprimands or a term of disciplinary probation (with or without censure).
RCDB may add to these penalties by assigning campus service hours, removing students from University housing or relocating them within University housing, restricting students’ access to space, resources, and activities, or assigning educational programming. Penalty decisions will be made with reference to a student’s previous disciplinary record (if any), the seriousness of the violation, and sanctions imposed in comparable cases in the past. Decisions are made by majority vote.
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If your infraction is adjudicated by RCDB, then you will not be suspended or separated from the University. RCDB does not issue Suspension (Not Served), Suspension, Suspension with Conditions, Expulsion, or Withheld Degree as an outcome.
If you receive a Dean’s Warning, it will be kept on file only until you graduate; it will not become part of your permanent record at the University.
A Reprimand, a stronger informal admonition than a Dean’s Warning, will not become part of your permanent record unless there is a subsequent infraction, at which point the Reprimand will be formally recorded on your permanent record. Both a Dean’s Warning and a Reprimand may be taken into account in judging the seriousness of any future violation. If you authorize the University to release your disciplinary record to a third party (such as a graduate or professional school to which you are applying for admission), the University will not disclose infractions resulting in a Dean’s Warning or Reprimand.
Disciplinary Probation is a serious admonition, assigned for a specific amount of time, which appears on your permanent record at the University (but not on your transcript). If you authorize the University to release your disciplinary record to a third party (such as a graduate or professional school to which you are applying for admission), the University will not disclose infractions resulting in disciplinary probation unless a student commits another infraction for which they are separated. For more information about disciplinary probation, please see the FAQs on the ODUS website.
For further explanation of penalties, see RRR section 1.1.7.
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There is an annual discipline report available for students to review on the ODUS website. The report breaks down the violations of Rights, Rules, Responsibilities into categories and then describes what penalties were assigned for those infractions.
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Your ADSL will follow up with you after the conclusion of the meeting to provide you with the decision. If found responsible, you will receive a letter explaining the infraction and your assigned penalty. The letter will be sent electronically.
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Disciplinary records are highly confidential. Only Princeton University officials with a professional need to know, such as your deans or Athletics (if you are an athlete and receive disciplinary probation), will be informed about the outcome. With very few exceptions (e.g., in cases of physical assault), disciplinary records are not disclosed to other students. Disciplinary records are not disclosed to third parties without the student’s authorization.
Your parent/legal guardian will be notified if you have been found responsible and if a subsequent violation is likely to lead to a Suspension (Not Served) or Separation.
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Yes. You may appeal findings of responsibility to the Dean of Undergraduate Students Regan Crotty. Your appeal must be submitted in writing to Dean Crotty within one week of your notification of the decision. Only individual appeals will be considered; group appeals will not be accepted. Therefore, each student must submit their own appeal.
The dean may consider appeals on the following grounds:
- there exists substantial relevant information that was not presented, and reasonably could not have been presented, to the dean or the RCDB;
- the imposed penalty does not fall within the range of penalties imposed for similar misconduct; or
- a procedural irregularity occurred in the adjudication of the incident in question.
If she finds that an appeal meets one of the three enumerated grounds, the dean may reduce a penalty or return a case to the Board to consider the substantial relevant information that was not presented or to correct a procedural irregularity. Note that the dean does not meet with students to discuss their appeals and will not engage in “a review of substantive issues of fact” or make “a new determination of whether a violation of rules has occurred.” (RRR 2.5.3) The dean’s decision is final.
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A conclusion of “no finding” indicates that the Board members were seriously concerned that University policy was violated, but did not have clear and persuasive evidence of a violation. An outcome of “No Finding” is not a finding of responsibility, does not result in a penalty, and cannot be appealed. Further, this determination will not be shared with third parties and, if a graduate or professional school or prospective employer asks you whether you have been found responsible with respect to the particular allegation or received a penalty related to the infraction, your answer would be “no.”
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Your ADSL is available to discuss resources and accommodations that may be available to you.
- Confidential counseling is available through Counseling and Psychological Services (258-3141) and with the chaplains in the Office of Religious Life.
- You may also inquire with your ADSL about the possibility of housing and/or academic accommodations.
- In limited situations, a No Contact or No Communication order may be issued. For more information about NCOs, see the NCO FAQs.
Students with a disability may obtain information regarding resources that may be available by contacting Asha Nambiar, Director of Accessibility and Disability Services ((609) 258- 8840 or [email protected]) or the Office of Disability Services (609-258-8840 or [email protected]).
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You may file a Title IX grievance with the Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity, Michele Minter ([email protected]). See also the Title IX website.
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You may contact Cheri Burgess, Director, Institutional Equity and EEO in the Office of the Provost ([email protected]).