Temple’s Office of Student Conduct

If you have recently been contacted by the Temple University Office of Student Conduct, it was because you have violated the schools code of acceptable student behavior in some way. The incident may have happened out in town away from campus, for example, and the office will receive a report of the violation that you are being accused of committing. The violations at this point are just alleged ones, and the charge letter will show you the date that your Process Review Meeting is to be held.

The important thing to remember about this meeting that is overseen by the Temple University Office of Student Conduct is that it is non-adversarial. The meeting is held in a private setting, and its goal is not to embarrass the student or immediately place any blame on him or her. The meeting is set up primarily to help them understand the whole student conduct process, and is held between them and the Administrator of Student Conduct. When they first receive the charge letter, it is a good time to decide on a good criminal defense lawyer to go through the process with.

When a student commits a crime, they will actually be charged by two different entities. Firstly they will be charged by the City of Philadelphia. This is the body that deals with the legal issues along with the county and state laws that were allegedly broken. Next, they will be charged by the university itself, being that the student is enrolled there and has violated the Code of Student Conduct. The next stage in the process in the Student Conduct Hearing. This is an opportunity for the accused student to make a response to the written allegations that have been brought up against them.

During this hearing, having a knowledgeable criminal defense attorney at your side is best. If you feel that you have a valid argument and/or have been wrongly accused, your attorney can help to paint that picture to the Student Conduct Board, and present all the evidence to support your case in an organized fashion. In these hearings your attorney is labeled as your personal advisor, and is there to help you with formulating questions and with completely understanding the elements of the student code and the case itself. It will always be to a students’ benefit to have good legal counsel as they go through the procedure step by step.