- Judicial Information
Overview of the Housing Judicial System
The Department of Student Housing at CSUN has established rules, regulations and procedures which set standards and expectations of student behavior, and the University’s response to behavior that falls outside of these expectations. A link to these policies can be found at the bottom of this page. The Judicial System serves to provide a transparent and procedural response to reports of disruptive student behavior based on fairness and due process. The system is designed around a developmental approach, which calls for a dialogue with the student, educational sanctions and progressive consequences for repeat violations. The Housing Rules and Regulations exist in addition to the Campus Student Conduct Code, and applies to residents, students, guests and visitors while they are present in student housing facilities or surrounding areas. CSUN Student Housing is a year round operation; therefore these policies are in force throughout the calendar year. Finally, students are responsible for guest and visitor behavior as if it were their own.
The Housing Judicial Process
In the event a student or their guest is alleged to have violated a Housing policy, an incident report will be written and submitted to the Residence Life office. The student will receive a notice delivered to their room and/or an email sent to their campus email address explaining the nature of the alleged violation and advising them of a scheduled Incident Meeting with a hearing officer. This person could be a Community Director, Judicial Coordinator or another member of the Housing staff. The scheduled Incident Meeting is mandatory. If the student is not able to attend because of an academic conflict, it is their responsibility to contact the hearing officer to reschedule the meeting. Failure to attend or reschedule the Incident Meeting may result in the meeting taking place in the student’s absence, and they may be held responsible for the violation without the benefit of their input. Additionally, the student may be charged a $25.00 fine for failing to appear or reschedule this meeting.
Student Responsibility
At the Incident Meeting, the student will be advised of the alleged violation, and be able to explain their perspective to the hearing officer. The hearing officer will weigh all of the evidence in the file and determine accountability for the alleged violation. In our process, there needs to be a 51% or more likelihood that a student is responsible for the student to be held accountable for an alleged violation.
Holding Students Accountable
If a student is found responsible for violating a Housing policy, the hearing officer will usually hold them accountable through a sanction. Sanctions will vary depending on the severity of the violation, and the judicial history of the student; some sanctions include a warning, an educational task such as a written paper, a fine (especially if damages are involved) housing probation, no recontract status, or contract cancellation.
Filing a Complaint
If a student wishes to file a complaint against another CSUN student for conduct that has violated the Housing Rules and Regulations, they can file an Incident Report with their Community Director. Set up an appointment with them by following this link.
Student Appeals
Students have the right to appeal a decision made during an Incident Meeting. Appeals must be submitted within three (3) working days of the conduct conference. All requests for Housing conduct appeals must be submitted on the Appeals Form and delivered to the Student Housing Office located in Pacific Willow Hall (building 6), room 104. Approval for an Appeal Hearing will be determined by the Judicial Coordinator for Student Housing or her/his designee and will be based on at least one of the following criteria:
FAQ
What happens if I am written up by a resident advisor?
Students who appear to have violated housing rules and regulations will be sent a notice to their room and/or their campus email address of an incident meeting scheduled with a hearing officer. It is important that you either appear at the meeting location on time, or reschedule 24 hours prior in order to resolve the issue. What if I was written up by an R.A. and I disagree with the alleged violation?
You will be able to present your point of view at the incident meeting with the Community Director. You are considered innocent of the charge until you have provided an opportunity to be heard. What if I missed my incident meeting?
Contact your Community Director immediately. Even if a sanction has been assigned, we still prefer to have an opportunity to speak to you in person about judicial matters. What if I disagree with a sanction that I have been assigned?
An appeal process is available to students under the following instances:
Usually, Incident Meetings are only rescheduled for academic obligations; however we are flexible as long as you give us advance notice of a scheduling conflict. Asking to reschedule the same day as your appointment is not acceptable. What can I expect from an incident meeting?
Incident Meetings are designed to hear the students’ point of view so that accountability can be determined. Usually they are in private, and only between the hearing officer and the charged student. You are permitted to bring witnesses or other evidence related to the charge with you to the meeting. However, remember, Incident Meetings are informal developmental meetings; meaning attorneys, parents or other representatives are not traditionally part of the process. Will my parents find out about the incident meeting or what I say during it?
In most cases, the judicial process is between the student and the hearing officer. There are however some instances where the student’s health is in jeopardy and the University is permitted to notify a parent or guardian. What kind of sanctions may I be assigned with?
Sanctions will vary depending on the nature and severity of the violation and the student’s judicial record. They range from a simple warning letter outlining expectations to a written paper allowing the student to reflect on their behavior. In more severe cases, students can lose their residential status or be referred to the Dean of students to be charged under the Student Conduct Code. Why was I written up even though my guest violated a policy?
Students are held responsible for the behavior of their guests at all times. It is important that students communicate the rules and monitor the behavior of their guests. If I was written up/sanctioned, how will that affect my standing with the university/student housing?
Continued violations of the rules and regulations can result in a student losing their status as a resident. Severe violations of the policies can also result in referral to the Dean of Students’ office which can place their status as a student in jeopardy. How do I pay a fine?
If a fine has been assessed, it will automatically be charged to your housing account. Those charges can be paid by logging into the myNorthridge Portal. When I violated a policy I didn’t know that policy even existed. Will I still be held accountable?
Every student is expected to have read and understand the Housing Rules and Regulations at the time they sign their housing contract. Being unaware of the policy is not an acceptable explanation for a conduct violation.
Additional Information
Download the full description of the judicial process Download the 2009-2010 Residential Life Policies Student Conduct Code Conduct Appeal Form Please visit the forms webpage for additional on-line Residential Life forms For questions or concerns, please contact your Community Director or Samuel Lingrosso at 818-677-4971 or samuel.lingrosso@csun.edu
The Department of Student Housing at CSUN has established rules, regulations and procedures which set standards and expectations of student behavior, and the University’s response to behavior that falls outside of these expectations. A link to these policies can be found at the bottom of this page. The Judicial System serves to provide a transparent and procedural response to reports of disruptive student behavior based on fairness and due process. The system is designed around a developmental approach, which calls for a dialogue with the student, educational sanctions and progressive consequences for repeat violations. The Housing Rules and Regulations exist in addition to the Campus Student Conduct Code, and applies to residents, students, guests and visitors while they are present in student housing facilities or surrounding areas. CSUN Student Housing is a year round operation; therefore these policies are in force throughout the calendar year. Finally, students are responsible for guest and visitor behavior as if it were their own.
The Housing Judicial Process
In the event a student or their guest is alleged to have violated a Housing policy, an incident report will be written and submitted to the Residence Life office. The student will receive a notice delivered to their room and/or an email sent to their campus email address explaining the nature of the alleged violation and advising them of a scheduled Incident Meeting with a hearing officer. This person could be a Community Director, Judicial Coordinator or another member of the Housing staff. The scheduled Incident Meeting is mandatory. If the student is not able to attend because of an academic conflict, it is their responsibility to contact the hearing officer to reschedule the meeting. Failure to attend or reschedule the Incident Meeting may result in the meeting taking place in the student’s absence, and they may be held responsible for the violation without the benefit of their input. Additionally, the student may be charged a $25.00 fine for failing to appear or reschedule this meeting.
Student Responsibility
At the Incident Meeting, the student will be advised of the alleged violation, and be able to explain their perspective to the hearing officer. The hearing officer will weigh all of the evidence in the file and determine accountability for the alleged violation. In our process, there needs to be a 51% or more likelihood that a student is responsible for the student to be held accountable for an alleged violation.
Holding Students Accountable
If a student is found responsible for violating a Housing policy, the hearing officer will usually hold them accountable through a sanction. Sanctions will vary depending on the severity of the violation, and the judicial history of the student; some sanctions include a warning, an educational task such as a written paper, a fine (especially if damages are involved) housing probation, no recontract status, or contract cancellation.
Filing a Complaint
If a student wishes to file a complaint against another CSUN student for conduct that has violated the Housing Rules and Regulations, they can file an Incident Report with their Community Director. Set up an appointment with them by following this link.
Student Appeals
Students have the right to appeal a decision made during an Incident Meeting. Appeals must be submitted within three (3) working days of the conduct conference. All requests for Housing conduct appeals must be submitted on the Appeals Form and delivered to the Student Housing Office located in Pacific Willow Hall (building 6), room 104. Approval for an Appeal Hearing will be determined by the Judicial Coordinator for Student Housing or her/his designee and will be based on at least one of the following criteria:
-
1. Presentation of new or relevant information that was unavailable at the time of the original hearing
2. The decision about the behavior is unsupported by the preponderance of the evidence
3. The Conduct Officer(s) was influenced by personal bias
4. The sanction was not appropriate to the offense
5. The Conduct Officer(s) did not follow written procedures as outlined in the Residential Student Code of Conduct
FAQ
What happens if I am written up by a resident advisor?
Students who appear to have violated housing rules and regulations will be sent a notice to their room and/or their campus email address of an incident meeting scheduled with a hearing officer. It is important that you either appear at the meeting location on time, or reschedule 24 hours prior in order to resolve the issue. What if I was written up by an R.A. and I disagree with the alleged violation?
You will be able to present your point of view at the incident meeting with the Community Director. You are considered innocent of the charge until you have provided an opportunity to be heard. What if I missed my incident meeting?
Contact your Community Director immediately. Even if a sanction has been assigned, we still prefer to have an opportunity to speak to you in person about judicial matters. What if I disagree with a sanction that I have been assigned?
An appeal process is available to students under the following instances:
-
1. Presentation of new or relevant information that was unavailable at the time of the original hearing
2. The decision about the behavior is unsupported by the preponderance of the evidence
3. The Conduct Officer(s) was influenced by personal bias
4. The sanction was not appropriate to the offense
5. The Conduct Officer(s) did not follow written procedures as outlined in the Residential Student Code of Conduct
Usually, Incident Meetings are only rescheduled for academic obligations; however we are flexible as long as you give us advance notice of a scheduling conflict. Asking to reschedule the same day as your appointment is not acceptable. What can I expect from an incident meeting?
Incident Meetings are designed to hear the students’ point of view so that accountability can be determined. Usually they are in private, and only between the hearing officer and the charged student. You are permitted to bring witnesses or other evidence related to the charge with you to the meeting. However, remember, Incident Meetings are informal developmental meetings; meaning attorneys, parents or other representatives are not traditionally part of the process. Will my parents find out about the incident meeting or what I say during it?
In most cases, the judicial process is between the student and the hearing officer. There are however some instances where the student’s health is in jeopardy and the University is permitted to notify a parent or guardian. What kind of sanctions may I be assigned with?
Sanctions will vary depending on the nature and severity of the violation and the student’s judicial record. They range from a simple warning letter outlining expectations to a written paper allowing the student to reflect on their behavior. In more severe cases, students can lose their residential status or be referred to the Dean of students to be charged under the Student Conduct Code. Why was I written up even though my guest violated a policy?
Students are held responsible for the behavior of their guests at all times. It is important that students communicate the rules and monitor the behavior of their guests. If I was written up/sanctioned, how will that affect my standing with the university/student housing?
Continued violations of the rules and regulations can result in a student losing their status as a resident. Severe violations of the policies can also result in referral to the Dean of Students’ office which can place their status as a student in jeopardy. How do I pay a fine?
If a fine has been assessed, it will automatically be charged to your housing account. Those charges can be paid by logging into the myNorthridge Portal. When I violated a policy I didn’t know that policy even existed. Will I still be held accountable?
Every student is expected to have read and understand the Housing Rules and Regulations at the time they sign their housing contract. Being unaware of the policy is not an acceptable explanation for a conduct violation.
Additional Information
Download the full description of the judicial process Download the 2009-2010 Residential Life Policies Student Conduct Code Conduct Appeal Form Please visit the forms webpage for additional on-line Residential Life forms For questions or concerns, please contact your Community Director or Samuel Lingrosso at 818-677-4971 or samuel.lingrosso@csun.edu