The Bentley University Student Conduct Board provides an impartial evaluation of the conduct of students accused of violating University policy. These boards enforce policy through appropriate sanctions and education. A Student Conduct Board is comprised of faculty, staff, and students. Students on the board are employed as Student Conduct Assistants within the Office of Student Conduct. Faculty and Staff members of the Student Conduct Board are appointed by the Office of Student Conduct.

Students will be notified via email if their conduct case will be heard by the Student Conduct Board. Students will have an opportunity to meet with the Office of Student Conduct to learn more about the process and their rights prior to the board hearing. Before a scheduled board hearing, a student who is appearing before any board may request from the Office of Student Conduct the names of the members of the board for their case. Any reasonable concerns about board members should be raised at that time.

While the Student Conduct Board is charged with hearing all the facts in each case and reviewing them impartially, its procedures are not bound by formal rules of evidence or necessarily strict presumption of innocence. The Student Conduct Board is responsible for determining the validity of the alleged violations brought against a student and taking appropriate action. The Student Conduct Board hears all Levels of cases but is traditionally reserved for Level III cases. Level III cases are the most serious violations.

1. Notification of Process: The Office of Student Conduct reviews the report and determines that the student(s) will participate in the Student Conduct Board process for the alleged violations. The student will be informed the level of the case.
2. Pre-Student Conduct Board Meeting: The accused student(s) will be required to meet with the Office of Student Conduct to learn about the Student Conduct Board process. Students will learn their rights and expectations for the process and have the ability to ask questions prior to the board hearing. Students will be given a list of board members and have the ability to share any bias concerns with the Office of Student Conduct.
3. Notification of Student Conduct Board hearing: The accused student(s) are notified via email of the date, time and place of the Student Conduct Board hearing by the Office of Student Conduct.  Witnesses and other necessary persons will also be notified and asked to appear at the hearing.
4. Student Conduct Board occurs:
   1. Welcome: The Student Conduct Board will welcome everyone to the hearing and ask everyone to introduce themselves.  Parties will be informed that they will each have a chance to relate their side of the story, as well as ask questions.
   2. Perspective: The board will ask each person speaking at the hearing to begin by relating what happened.  The board will ask questions and seek to clarify any points made.  Witnesses, including other persons invited to the board will be asked to come in and speak as well.  Although the board will have read the reports, they will be interested in hearing firsthand accounts of what occurred.
   3. Questions: The board will ask questions throughout the hearing, for clarification purposes and to obtain further information. After all statements are given, the board will allow the parties to ask questions of each other (using the board as an intermediary). If someone wishes to ask a question, it must first be shared with the board. The board will review the question and may make changes before asking the question. For incidents involving multiple accused students they will not be allowed to question each other.
5. Decisions/Sanctioning: After all statements have been heard and all questions have been answered, the board will thank all parties for their participation and dismiss them from the hearing.  The board will deliberate in private and make a decision based on the evidence presented.  The board will determine whether or not there is a preponderance of evidence indicating that the student(s) is/are responsible for the alleged violations. In other words, what the board heard and read at the hearing must convince them that it is more likely than not that the student violated the policies in question. If the Board finds the student(s) responsible, their conduct history will be reviewed and appropriate sanctions will be imposed. 
6. Delivery of Student Conduct Board decision/sanctions: The Office of Student Conduct will schedule a time to privately deliver the board’s decision and sanctions (if applicable) to the student(s). Decisions will be delivered no sooner than 72 hours after the board hearing.

Level I and Level II Cases: The board will consist of primarily students, however, may include faculty/staff. The board will range from three to five members. The board has the authority to impose sanctions consistent with the sanctioning philosophy. The board may also levy fines and place limited restrictions upon a student found to be in violation of Bentley University policy. If a student fails to attend the hearing, the case may be resolved in that student’s absence. Appeals can be submitted via the ADVOCATE STUDENT PORTAL. An appeal must be submitted within five (5) working days of the decision notification date.

Level III Cases: The Student Conduct Board for Level three cases is the highest-ranking conduct body in the Bentley University Conduct System. It is the disciplinary body that reviews Level three cases and has the authority to suspend or expel students from Bentley University for disciplinary reasons. The board consists of a students, faculty, and staff. If a student fails to attend the hearing, the case may be resolved in that student’s absence. Appeals of the decisions by Student Conduct Board must be submitted via the ADVOCATE STUDENT PORTAL and will be sent to the Dean of Students. An appeal must be submitted within five (5) working days of the decision notification date.

The student conduct board adheres to the following guidelines when hearing a case: 

• The Office of Student Conduct selects a time for the hearing (within a reasonable amount of time) and sends notices to all people directly involved, including the person making the complaint, requesting their attendance.
• At the beginning of the hearing, a member of the Student Conduct Board reviews the incident and summarizes the charges and supporting information.
• The party to the complaint presents his or her case in full and responds to questions from the committee.
• The student is given an opportunity to present his or her case, to answer questions from the Student Conduct Board and to ask questions of the other party and witnesses.
• The conduct board may request persons having information about the charge to attend the hearing.
• After a thorough review of the case and the student’s conduct history, the conduct body meets in private and decides an appropriate resolution; results of the hearing are communicated to the student within a reasonable amount of time.
• A conduct hearing will proceed even if the conduct of the student has led to a civil or criminal proceeding unless the Dean of Student Affairs or their designee decides otherwise.
• All records of conduct proceedings are submitted to the Office of Student Conduct to be kept on file.
• Conduct hearings are private meetings and open only to those members of the campus community directly involved and approved by the adviser or the chair of the board; no recordings of hearings are allowed.
• The conduct board at Bentley makes decisions regarding the responsibility of the accused based on a preponderance of the evidence and a majority vote of the board members.

Students referred to any conduct board are entitled to:

• A fair hearing within a reasonable amount of time from the referral.
• Ample notice of the hearing, a summary of the violation to be discussed and an explanation of the conduct process.
• The opportunity to speak on their own behalf.
• The opportunity to hear all evidence presented in the hearing.
• The opportunity to respond to all evidence presented in a hearing.  
• Present material witnesses to give relevant and pertinent testimony (witnesses must be reviewed by the Office of Student Conduct prior to the hearing).
• The presence of one person to give support (with prior approval from Office of Student Conduct). The support person invited by the student is prohibited from taking part in any dialogue during the hearing. Their communication is limited to private conversations with the student for whom they are providing support. Private conversations must not disrupt the proceedings. The Student Conduct Board has the right to stop the proceeding or remove the support person if his or her presence interferes with the activities of the hearing body.
• Written notice within a reasonable amount of time notifying the student of the conduct body’s findings and, if appropriate, sanctions.
• The opportunity to appeal the decision of the board.

Students who have been harmed by another student and whose case is referred to a conduct board are entitled to:

• Ample notice of the hearing and an explanation of the conduct process.
• An opportunity to attend the proceeding when evidence is presented.
• Present material witnesses to give relevant and pertinent testimony (witnesses must be reviewed by the Office of Student Conduct prior to the hearing).
• The opportunity to submit to the conduct body a written impact statement that will be considered during sanctioning (if sanctioning occurs).
• The presence of one person to give support (with prior approval from Office of Student Conduct). The support person invited by the student is prohibited from taking part in any dialogue during the hearing. Their communication is limited to private conversations with the student for whom they are providing support. Private conversations must not disrupt the proceedings. The Student Conduct Board has the right to stop the proceeding or remove the support person if his or her presence interferes with the activities of the hearing body.
• For alleged victims of any crime of violence, to know the outcome of any disciplinary proceeding.

The conduct boards, as described previously, hear cases from the beginning of the fall semester through the beginning of spring semester final exam window. From the beginning of spring semester final exam window through the end of the summer, the various boards are dissolved and conduct matters are handled by administrative hearing officers. All decisions rendered during this interim period must conform to the spirit of the conduct system as expressed in this document. Appeals of decisions rendered during this time may be made to the administrative hearing officer specified in the sanction letter. It may also be necessary for administrative hearing officers to hear cases during exam periods or other times when conduct boards are unable to convene. A student conduct board can be convened in a special session if deemed necessary by the Office of Student Conduct. If a student conduct board cannot be convened in a special session, the hearing may be postponed to the earliest date available.

Faculty

• Ryan Bouldin, Associate Professor
• Fei Gao, Assistant Professor
• Hamid Nikkhah, Assistant Professor
• Dave Szymanski, Associate Professor
• Lincoln Matra, Lecturer
• Shelle Santana, Assistant Professor
• Emmy Roth, Associate Professor
• Patrick Scholten, Professor

Staff

• Ben Longstreth, Assistant Director, Strategic Projects
• Deb Burbank, Director of Facilities Administration 
• Ryan Gaffey, Director of Facilities Services 
• Nicole Chabot-Wieferich, Associate Dean of Student Engagement 
• Dana Trivigno, Director of Recreation and Competitive Sports 
• Mallory Loggins, Health Promotion Specialist 
• Iva Shosho, Assistant Director, Graduate Academic Advising 

Students (Student Conduct Assistants)

• Tommy Conaton, Senior
• Brenda Dishani, Senior
• Kyra Harrington, Junior
• Abby Kirsch, Junior
• Athena Konstantinidis, Senior
• Ryan Landolfi, Senior 
• Sam Tanny, Sophomore 
• Zachary Goodwin, Junior

The Student Conduct Board goes through training at the beginning of the academic year and is provided additional trainings throughout the year. 

Below are sessions that the Student Conduct Board participate in:

• General Conduct training: review of policies, sanctions, levels, and a full overview of the Bentley conduct process (full board)
• Decision Making and Sanctioning (full board)
• Disability Services (full board)
• Student Leader Racial Justice Training (students)
• Gender and Sexuality (students)
• Spiritual Life (students)
• New England Conduct Officer Institute training program (full board)

The Office of Student Conduct will continue to train the full board and expand the training program to ensure a fair and equitable conduct process.