With crime as an ongoing issue at the university, students that commit these crimes become subject to judicial review.

Adam Due, chief of the University Police Department, said the university police are unique because they do not have to charge a student with a crime. Instead, it is up to the attending officer whether to give a verbal warning, a written warning or a citation.

If the nature of the incident is major, the attending officer may send the case to the Office of Student Standards, Due said.

If the incident happens off campus, the Charleston Police Department will determine how to proceed, Due said.

The student could be sent to the Office of Student Standards, could pay a ticket or could go to jail, Due said.

Diana Zuhone, a Student Standards adviser, said after the Student Standards receives a case, they call the student in to have a meeting. During the meeting the student will be told what part of the Student Code of Conduct they have violated.

The student will also share their side of what happened.

Some cases do not proceed beyond this point, Zuhone said.

“Each case is dealt with individually with the student and more often than not, the matter is resolved during this meeting,” Zuhone said.

If all the parties involved give different accounts of what happened, or the violation was severe, there will be a hearing to decide the punishment for the matter, Zuhone said.

During the hearing, they take into account the situation, prior incidents and the seriousness of the offense, which could make the punishment worse, Due said.

Some punishment could include community service, certain programs, fines, a required court appearance or even doing jail time, Due said.

A student, who wishes to stay anonymous, is currently going through this process due to involvement to a physical altercation on campus.

When the incident occurred, the officer who responded filed a report with the Student Standards, the student said. Two weeks later, the student received a letter to report to the office for a meeting. After getting both sides of the story, the report went to the board, and a hearing date will be set.

“The whole process is really stressful because it has been a month since it happened,” the student said. “It is like a black cloud hanging over my head.”

Samantha McDaniel can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].