Student Development

Student Handbook

To ensure the welfare and general good of the community, Richmond students are required to adhere to the policies outlined in the Student Handbook. In addition, students, faculty and staff support the University-wide Honor System by abiding by the Honor Code.

Violation of University Policies

If for any reason a student is found to be, or suspected to be, in violation of the codes in the Student Handbook, he or she will have a preliminary hearing scheduled via e-mail with a hearing officer (member of the Dean's Office staff). Three options will be available to students for resolving those charges:

  1. The student may accept the sanctions deemed appropriate by the Dean of the college/school or his/her designee for the alleged violation(s), thereby waiving her/his right to a hearing. If the student elects this option, but does not agree with the findings of the dean of the college/school or his/her designee, the student may appeal the decision to the appropriate judicial body in an appeal board hearing.
  2. The student has a right to a hearing before the University Hearing Board composed of a chair, three students, a faculty member and an administrative officer.  If the student elects option “2,” the student is notified by the University Hearing Board of the alleged violation(s) and is informed of his/her rights and responsibilities. 
  3. The student may resign from the University. The student could not re-enter the University without the allegation(s) being resolved. Off-campus civil or judicial actions or criminal charges, if any, may continue to be processed.

Violation of Honor Code

If for any reason a student is found to be, or suspected to be, in violation of the Honor Code:

  1. The violation will be reported to the Chair of either the Richmond or the Westhampton Council and a pre-hearing review board will convene to explore the details of the possible violation.
  2. The Board then decides to either terminate the investigation for lack of evidence and thus destroy all records of the case, or to move on to a full investigation and hearing. A full Hearing Board usually consists of four men and four women who decide on guilt and sanctions for the accused student.
  3. Sanctions for Honor Code violations are determined on a case-by-case basis and automatically include a letter of reprimand from the dean of his or her residential college and honor probation through graduation. Sanctions also can include academic penalties such as grade reductions, restrictions or failure in course(s). In addition, Hearing Boards can suspend for up to six semesters or expel students from the University of Richmond. The Hearing Board can also decide to assign creative sanctions such as community service.
  4. The dean of the accused student's school (Westhampton College or Richmond College) approves decisions of guilt and sanctions. All students have the right to appeal any decisions reached by the Council.