Regulation 7: University discipline

Including constitution of and procedures for Disciplinary Advisory Committee

7.1 General

(a) All members of staff are expected to take a routine responsibility for general law and order on University premises, including the colleges. In addition to this routine responsibility shared by all members of the staff, those members of staff who are resident in colleges must expect as senior members of a community to be called upon to act in emergencies.

(b) Students convicted of a criminal offence by a Court of Law remain liable, independently of any penalty imposed on conviction by the Court, to disciplinary action by the University.

(c) Students are required to give their name on request by a member of the academic, administrative or domestic staff, or by the porters.

7.2 The exercise of discipline

Council has authorised Provosts, Heads of Department and the Registrar and Secretary to take disciplinary action within the following limits and in areas stated:

7.2.1 To impose fines of up to £250

(a) for disciplinary offences in the colleges, to the Provost of the college in which the offence is committed, the Provost either to act alone or through such machinery as he or she might set up in the colleges;

(b) for breaches of departmental regulations and similar offences, to the Head of the Department concerned or, if he/she is unwilling to assume a disciplinary role, to the Registrar and Secretary in accordance with paragraph (c) below. (Ambiguities as regards what constitutes a 'departmental' offence to be resolved by the Vice-Chancellor.)

(c) for disciplinary offences committed elsewhere than in the colleges or departments, to the Registrar and Secretary, after consultation with the relevant Provost, Head of Department and supervisor.

In addition to a fine, the offender may in all cases be called upon to make some contribution towards the cost of any damage caused by his/her offence.

7.2.2 To exclude from departments, laboratories or the library

For breaches of departmental regulations or similar offences, to the Head of Department concerned, for periods of up to three days at a time.

In all cases of dispute over disciplinary action taken under paragraphs 7.2.1 and 7.2.2 above, the student concerned has the right of appeal to the Vice-Chancellor.

7.2.3

In the case of offences for which, in the judgement of the Provost or Head of Department concerned, a more severe penalty may be appropriate than he or she is authorised to impose, authority to take disciplinary action is, under Statute 6, vested in the Vice-Chancellor. Before exercising these statutory powers, the Vice-Chancellor will by convention consult a Disciplinary Advisory Committee constituted as given in section 7.5 below.

7.3 Possession and use of rifles and guns

(a) Rifles/guns (including airguns) may not be kept on the University premises other than in a prescribed place;

(b) Members of the University are required to register any rifles/guns (including airguns) to be kept on University premises. Failure to observe this regulation will render the member liable to a fine;

(c) Any member of the University using a rifle/gun (including airguns) within the University precincts will be liable to a fine in addition to the cost of any damage caused.

7.4 Parking of vehicles on University premises

Students are required to abide by the University's Parking Regulations for motor vehicles.  These Regulations are published on YorkWeb and are available from Security and Support Services.

7.5 Disciplinary Advisory Committee

(a) The Disciplinary Advisory Committee consists of the Vice-Chancellor, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, three members selected from the members of the Senate, and three students selected from a panel of six elected by the student body;

(b) The Vice-Chancellor shall Chair the Committee but shall not vote;

(c) Since, when considering an individual case, the Committee should not include among its members the Provost, Head of Department or supervisor of the student concerned, nor a personal friend of the alleged offender nor any person who is in any way implicated in the alleged offence or who, for any other reason, is unwilling or disqualified from serving on the Committee, the electing bodies to the Committee shall in each case elect a panel from which the appropriate number of members can be drawn; in the case of the student members six members to be elected in a form satisfactory to the Vice-Chancellor to serve on the panel;

(d) The Students' Union shall have the right to send an adviser to meetings of the Committee subject to the understanding that the accused student has the right to exclude the adviser's presence;

(e) An accused student shall have the right to be accompanied by a registered student or employee of the University and/or either any sabbatical officer of the Students' Union or the SU Education and Welfare Support Coordinator or, for postgraduates, an officer of the Graduate Students' Association;

(f) An accused student shall have the right:

i. to challenge any member of the Committee, staff or student, selected to hear his/her case, but must give his/her reasons, and the Committee as selected shall decide whether or not to uphold his/her objection; if the objection is upheld a new member of the Committee shall be drawn from the panel;

ii. to exclude all the student members of the Committee;

iii. to have his/her case considered by the Vice-Chancellor alone rather than by the Committee.

(g) A student shall have the right to appeal to an Appeal Committee consisting of three lay members of the Council, one of whom will be a Pro-Chancellor; and the student concerned may appear before the Appeal Committee accompanied if he/she wishes by a friend.

 

Regulations