What is Student Misconduct?
Student misconduct encompasses both academic and non-academic conduct, as outlined in the University of Sydney (Student Discipline) Rule 2016. Many students confuse academic honesty allegations with misconduct allegations; however, they are different processes and are investigated in different ways. A misconduct allegation could be academic in nature; however, it could also be related to student behaviour.
Differentiating Between Academic Honesty and Misconduct Allegations:
To determine if you have received an academic honesty or a misconduct allegation, take note of who the allegation letter is from. If your allegation letter is from your faculty (E.g. Science, or FASS) and says you have potentially breached the Academic Integrity Policy 2022, it is an Academic Honesty allegation. If your letter is from the Registrar or the Student Affairs Unit and says you have potentially breached the Student Discipline Rule, it is a misconduct allegation.
What does it mean if I have received a misconduct allegation letter? How should I respond?
If the University believes you may have engaged in behaviour that constitutes misconduct, they will send an allegation letter to your university email address. It will outline the alleged misconduct and invite you to a preliminary meeting.
You can initially respond to the allegation at the preliminary meeting. Final decisions are not made at this meeting. A staff member from the Student Affairs Unit will conduct the meeting; they will explain the misconduct process, the allegations, the range of possible penalties, and then ask whether you admit or deny the allegations. You can also explain any mitigating circumstances.
If you accept the allegations, your case will go to the Registrar for a decision. You can provide supporting documents, such as medical documentation or a written apology.
If you deny or partially deny any of the allegations, your case will go to an investigation. If you plan to deny the allegation(s), you do not have to provide a full response at the preliminary meeting. A few weeks after the preliminary meeting the investigator is meant to email you to explain the process, however there have been very long delays (many months) in this happening.
If you have received a misconduct allegation letter you should contact the SRC via our contact form. An SRC caseworker can provide independent and confidential advice to help guide you through this process of responding to the allegation.
How can I get the best possible outcome?
The SRC’s advice is to be as honest as possible in your response. Where you have done the wrong thing, admitting this as early as possible, apologising and demonstrating remorse will show the university you understand the seriousness of your conduct and are unlikely to engage in further misconduct in the future.
What will the penalty be? Will they kick me out of Uni?
Expulsions are rare, however they do happen. Penalties often include one or two semesters where you are suspended or excluded from study. If misconduct is proven to have occurred in a specific unit of study, a fail grade for that unit is also likely. Additionally, the Registrar has the discretion to suspend a penalty, meaning it will not be enforced unless you have future instances of misconduct. When considering whether to suspend a penalty, the Registrar considers the seriousness of the misconduct, your past conduct, your cooperation during the investigation, your level of remorse, and any compelling mitigating circumstances.
Where to go for help?
The SRC’s caseworkers are experienced in assisting students with misconduct allegations. You can contact an SRC caseworker via our contact form (bit.ly/SRCcaseworker) or by calling 9660 5222.