Educational Conference

When the University becomes aware of a student or organization that may not be meeting the core values and expectations of a Tulane University student and/or may have violated the Code, the Office of Student Conduct or their designee - often Housing and Residential Life - can choose to resolve this concern through an educational conference instead of the formal resolution process. The Educational Conference is an opportunity for the student to share their perspective, take responsibility for their behavior (when appropriate), and discuss their decision making around the incident and how they can make better judgments in the future.

It can also be an opportunity for students or organizations to share concern for other members of the community, to discover resources, to seek mentorship and guidance, and so on. An Educational Conference does not become part of your Conduct record. There are many potential outcomes of an Educational Conference, however in many situations, a student will be asked to agree to a Learning Action Plan (LAP), which is ultimately designed to be educational in nature. If you participate fully in the Educational Conference and complete your LAP in a timely manner, you will not be charged with a violation of the Code of Conduct/Community Living Standards. If it becomes clear during our conversation that the incident would be better resolved through a more formal proceeding, the Office of Student Conduct reserves the right to refer any case to an Administrative Hearing.

If the student agrees to the proposed resolution, they waive their right to a hearing and appeal, the resolution becomes final, and the outcome is recorded but does not become part of the student's conduct history. If the student accepts responsibility but is unable to agree on the proposed learning action plan or they deny responsibility for the violations, conduct officers reserve the right to refer the case to a more formal process to determine responsibility and, if necessary, appropriate sanctions.

In addition to the Office of Student Conduct initiating an educational conference, Tulane administrators and faculty may directly request that the Office of Student Conduct have an educational conference about a concern; students and organizations may also request conferences for themselves or for other members of the Tulane community to address concerns or needs.

The student or organization is expected to participate fully in the educational conference when asked to do so. Refusal to participate in the educational conference process, in whole or in part, may trigger other educational interventions, including the referral to an administrative hearing, student hearing panel, or investigation.