What should I expect?
Student conduct records maintained by the university may be shared internally and externally in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and under the following parameters established by the university:
- Internal offices at USC may ask for and be given student disciplinary history as part of evaluating student eligibility for study abroad, leadership opportunities, awards, admission to a USC program, etc. A student’s disciplinary history for purposes of internal sharing includes all incidents in which a student was found responsible for a violation of policy, and includes cases resolved through the Health and Safety Intervention Policy and Informal Resolution process. Disciplinary history may be reported internally and externally for seven years from the most recent student conduct incident, except for outcomes of suspension, expulsion, and revocation of admission/degree, which are reported indefinitely.
- External parties (graduate/professional schools, background checks for federal/state employment, private employers, etc.) may be given student disciplinary history, typically with a signed release by a student. A student’s disciplinary history for purposes of external sharing includes only actions taken against students that result in suspension (temporary separation from USC), expulsion (permanent separation from USC), revocation of degree or revocation of admission, or dismissal from an academic program.
- External reporting for student-athletes falls under additional NCAA requirements and may differ from that described above.
Note: EEO-TIX maintains records of violations of the Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation.
Many commonly asked questions about what happens when you are referred to the Office of Community Expectations (OCE) are answered below. This section is intended to provide general answers to general questions. Please always refer to the Student Handbook for detailed and thorough explanations.
OCE receives reports from all areas of the university community such as Residential Education staff, the Department of Public Safety, faculty and staff. Reports are reviewed in this office and if the circumstances surrounding the complaint indicate that a violation of the Student Community Expectations may have occurred, disciplinary charges will be brought against the student. Students are notified by a letter issued to them through their USC email account indicating the date and location of the incident and the need to meet with a judicial officer by a specified date.
When you meet with an OCE Coordinator you will be asked about the alleged violation and given the opportunity to present any relevant information, documents, or contact information for witnesses. Honesty is important, and will be used as a factor in the decision making process. Meetings are scheduled for one hour. Please familiarize yourself with the Student Community Expectations and the review process prior to your meeting.
Please see the section titled Non-Academic violations review process or Academic Review process for a full description of the process.
While OCE can answer any general process questions by telephone, privacy concerns do not allow us to discuss individual cases. You must schedule an in-person meeting to discuss the incident. Sometimes students are called in simply as a part of an ongoing investigation. Students are encouraged to call and schedule an appointment by the designated meeting date. Please note we do not schedule same day appointments.
Yes. Students have the right to inspect documents and/or relevant information on file during the review. In order to maintain standards of confidentiality, personally identifiable information of other persons listed in the report will be redacted. See Student Education Records Policy in The Student Handbook for complete details.
Student will have a one-on-one meeting with an OCE Coordinator.
If you choose, you may bring any support person you would like to the meeting, or have this person wait for you in the waiting room (parent, friend, or advisor). You must be willing to sign a confidentiality waiver in order to bring someone into the meeting with you. This person may take notes for you or assist in organizing documents, but may not speak for the student or interfere in the judicial process. See Advisor Guidelines for complete details. Students should not bring witnesses or involved persons to the meeting, but should bring their contact information and submit it to the judicial officer.
Confidentiality Waiver
Advisor Guidelines
You are strongly encouraged to schedule a meeting and discuss the case with the OCE Coordinator. If you choose to not meet with the OCE Coordinator and not engage in the process, the process will continue without your participation and will reach a conclusion without the benefit of your input or perspective. Choosing to not comply with an outcome may be considered an additional violation of the Student Code and a hold maybe be placed on a student’s registration transactions until the outcome is completed.
All students are expected to check their USC email regularly and keep their mailing addresses up to date within the university system. Students may confirm or update their mailing addresses on OASIS.
The issue in question is between the student and the University. Your disciplinary proceedings, and the files that accompany them, are confidential and protected by university policy based on federal law. If a parent calls the OCE about a disciplinary matter, the parent will be referred back to the student for clarification. You can sign a confidentiality waiver with OCE to allow non-involved parties (such as your parents, advisor, or employer) access to your disciplinary records and proceedings.
Release of records is permitted without prior consent in certain circumstances. Departments within the university who demonstrate an educational interest can request information regarding a student’s disciplinary file. Examples of valid educational interest include departments reviewing applicants for study abroad programs, and Resident Advisor applicants. Please see the University Student Records Policy in the Student Handbook for complete details.
It depends. Most violations are not displayed on your academic record, but are maintained in a separate disciplinary record. Disciplinary files are maintained in The Office of Community Expectations for up to seven years. At the end of the seven years this file is destroyed. However, if you are suspended, expelled, or your admission or degree is revoked, a permanent notation will appear on your academic record, and your disciplinary file is maintained indefinitely in the OCE. Please see the University Student Records Policy in the Student Handbook for complete details.
Yes. Students have a separate relationship to the university that is different from their responsibilities as citizens.
No. The Office of Community Expectations is responsible for an administrative process. It is not a criminal or civil proceeding. However, when criminal charges are pending or the recommended outcome is suspension or expulsion the student may have an attorney present as an advisor. Please carefully review the Advisor Guidelines.
Yes, please visit the Appeals Guidelines in the Student Handbook for complete information on the appeals process.
This past year, the University completed the task of connecting our reimagined Integrity and Accountability Code with our Unifying Values. A result of this process was the sunsetting of the Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards (SJACS) office and the creation of two new offices: The Office of Community Expectations (OCE) and the Office of Academic Integrity (OAI). The OCE will work with all non-academic alleged policy violations and the OAI will work with all academic integrity matters.
Another result of the University’s process was the sunsetting of SCampus and the creation of Living Our Unifying Values: The USC Student Handbook; simply, the Student Handbook. The Student Handbook was created in a way that makes it more accessible to our community and includes some new policies and procedures designed to emphasize the core priorities of OCE and OAI: the education and development of our student community.
You are still responsible for responding to and engaging in the process. Contact the person who sent you the letter in late Spring 2022 semester to confirm your engagement, or the Office of Community Expectations for additional assistance. They will be able to provide you with the information you will need.
It depends. Most violations are not displayed on your academic record but are maintained in a separate disciplinary record by the Office of Community Expectations (OCE) for non-academic misconduct, and the Office of Academic Integrity (OAI) for academic misconduct for up to seven years after the most recent student conduct incident, except for records made as part of the student’s academic records (i.e., notations on a transcript of suspension, expulsion, and/or revocation of admission or degree), in which case records of student disciplinary history are kept indefinitely. See Student Records for complete details.
Please allow up to 5-7 days for your request to be reviewed and processed once all information and any required documents have been received.
Please email the form to disciplinarycheck@usc.edu. Make sure to sign the waiver release and we will send the completed form to the organization unless otherwise requested. To ensure a complete disciplinary check, please also contact the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX (eeotix@usc.edu), as we do not have access to their records.
Internal offices at USC may ask for and be given student disciplinary history as part of evaluating student eligibility for study abroad, leadership opportunities, awards, admission to a USC program, etc. A student’s disciplinary history for purposes of internal sharing includes all incidents in which a student was found responsible for a violation of policy, and includes cases resolved through the Health and Safety Intervention Policy and Informal Resolution process. Release of these records is permitted without prior consent.
Law Certification, Bar Examiners forms, and Dean’s Letters can be requested by email at disciplinarycheck@usc.edu. Include the nature of the request and contact person, institution, and mailing information where the letter needs to be sent. Please also make sure to include your contact information, along with your USC identification number in your request.
Please contact Pre-Health Advising, at (213) 740-4844 for assistance with completing form. Forms may also be emailed to Nathalie Zuletta/ nzuletta@dornsife.usc.edu.
You may email your request to disciplinarycheck@usc.edu. Make sure to sign the waiver so we may conduct the disciplinary check. Please allow 2 weeks for processing and state if you would like the form to be sent directly or held for pick-up.
Please email a written request to disciplinarycheck@usc.edu stating the nature of the request, the name, and the USC ID of the student. Your request will be processed, and you will receive an email response upon completion. To ensure a complete disciplinary check, please also check the student’s name with the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX (eeotix@usc.edu), as we do not have access to their records.
Please email a written request to disciplinarycheck@usc.edu stating the nature of the request, a list of names, including USC ID, and a general time frame of request completion. Based on the time of year and caseload, requests involving 50 or more students may take up to 3 weeks to complete. To ensure a complete disciplinary check, please also check the student’s name with the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX (eeotix@usc.edu), as we do not have access to their records.
No, we will need to receive the signed release along with your agency identification via email to disciplinarycheck@usc.edu.