After misconduct is alleged, students have the right to select their own advisor or request that OSSJA provide them with an advisor to assist them during the conduct process. Advisors provide guidance but do not take an active role in the process, and students are expected to speak for themselves. A FERPA Waiver/Release of Information Form is required for OSSJA staff to share information. Advisors, please see Training/Guidelines below for more information.
Advisor Training/Guidelines
The Advisor Role
Students may have an advisor (or support person) of their choice as long as the individual they choose is not otherwise connected to the case. An advisor can be an attorney, parent, friend, etc. If a student chooses to have an attorney as their advisor, the student shall pay all fees, costs, and expenses for the retention of that attorney. A student may also request the Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs (OSSJA) provide an advisor to them. After students receive their Notice of Allegations email, they should notify OSSJA whether or not they will be utilizing an advisor by completing the Advisor Information form, which is also linked in the notice.
The advisor role is to advise and support the student. During student conduct meetings, an advisor may act as a consultant for the student. The student may request a break to consult with their advisor/support person. The intent is to have an educational conversation with the referred student, so an advisor cannot speak on their behalf. Please note that failure to follow these guidelines could result in the advisor’s removal from the Informal or Formal Hearing, which ultimately does not benefit the student. In the interest of expediency, as a general practice, hearings shall not be delayed due to the unavailability of an advisor/support person.
All communication with the Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs (OSSJA) must come from the student; an advisor/support person cannot communicate with OSSJA, including via phone or email, on the student’s behalf.
FERPA Waiver
For someone to serve as a student’s advisor (or support person), the student must complete the FERPA Waiver/Release of Information Form. In this waiver, the student will indicate if they would like for the identified advisor to attend meetings and/or receive copies of emails/formal letters from OSSJA. In accordance with FERPA, OSSJA is unable to share information about a student’s case without their written permission.
Student Rights
Any student going through the student conduct process has the following rights:
to have an advisor (or support person)
to a notice of the allegations and the opportunity to be heard
to remain silent without any inference of culpability
to be informed of the outcome
to privacy in accordance with FERPA
to appeal a decision, if applicable
Policies & Procedures
For a visual summary of the conduct process, please refer to the flowchart below. For non-academic misconduct, instead of engaging with the instructor, the Conduct Specialist may engage with the reporting party. Please read the UC Davis Policy on Student Conduct and Discipline for the complete policies and procedures related to both academic and social misconduct.
Questions
Please review the conduct process webpage for additional information. General questions about the advisor role may be directed to ossja@ucdavis.edu. Thank you for taking the time to serve as a student’s advisor!
Edited on 1/13/2025 by MLA