During the conduct process for student organizations, student representatives, i.e., the president, act on behalf of their student organizations and communicate with Student Conduct & Community Standards (SCCS) throughout the conduct process. SCCS has developed this page to share useful information about how to best navigate the conduct process, provide answers to commonly asked questions, and give best practice advice to student representatives and their student organizations.
Supportive Measures for the Student Representative:
- Student representatives have the right to be assisted by an Advisor during all stages of the student conduct process. The role of the Advisor is limited to assisting, advising, or supporting a student through the process. To read more information about your opportunity for an Advisor, please see the Student Code of Conduct.
- SCCS also encourages organizations to work with their Inter/National organizations (I/NOs), if applicable.
- An Administrative Liaison (AL) serves as a resource to the organization and the student representative during the conduct process. Groups are classified as either general student organizations, Greek organizations, or Rec Sports organizations. For general student organizations, SCCS reaches out to the Center for Student Engagement (CSE) and invites them to participate in the conduct process as an Administrative Liaison. For Greek organizations, the Office of Sorority & Fraternity Life (OSFL) serves as the liaison. For sports clubs, a staff member from Rec Sports is the Administrative Liaison.
SCCS recognizes that serving as your organization’s Student Representative through the conduct process can be stressful, confusing, and cause internal conflict. Your health and wellness are also priorities throughout this process. If you are experiencing severe distress due to this incident or another matter, please contact (865) 974-HELP or complete a referral form.
Communication Tips for the Student Representative:
- Work with local advisory boards, inter/national or regional headquarters, and UTK on how and what to communicate to all members.
- Provide clear instructions for members regarding what they can and cannot do if interim action from the inter/national organization and/or UTK is given.
- Help members understand that their response and cooperation during conduct processes can impact the overall outcome for both the organization and the individual student. Additional violations may be issued if there is a pattern of withholding, lying, or distorting information.
- Do not coach members on what to say or how to answer potential investigation questions.
- Encourage members to be open and honest about their own specific experiences. When investigations occur, members should share their own perspectives.
- Retaliation is strictly prohibited and is cause for additional disciplinary action. Describe retaliation to members and remind them not to participate in behaviors that could be considered retaliation.
- If members are removed from the chapter by the internal organization or through inter/national/regional organization processes, help remaining members understand expectations regarding their interactions with the members who have been removed.
- Share information related to the conduct process with members. SCCS or an Administrative Liaison can address the organization’s membership and help answer questions.
- Communicate promptly with SCCS regarding the scheduling of meetings, the status of the requested information, and the completion of developmental sanctions issued to the student organization.