Conduct committee

Working together for a fair MQ Community

Where the Courageous Conversations with MQ process is unable to revolve concerns around your conduct, the University has another level of decision making, called the Student Conduct Committee. Although this may seem intimidating, the purpose of the Committee is to ensure that any decision made regarding you is fair and that you have an opportunity to have input into the process with independent decision makers.

The Conduct Committee deals with allegations of student misconduct, and they are guided by the Student Conduct Procedure. We've outlined Committee meeting information, your rights, and the appeals process below.

What you should know before the meeting

At the time you receive notification of an allegation of misconduct via your official Macquarie student email account, you will be reminded to:

• Confirm whether or not you wish to attend the meeting
• Confirm if a support person will attend the hearing with you
• Consider providing a written submission prior to the hearing
• Seek further support and assistance prior to the meeting

The Committee process

Prior to the Committee meeting, you will receive an investigation report detailing the information we remain concerned about, and why we are concerned. You will also be invited to participate in a meeting of the Student Conduct Committee; in person, via video, or in writing as you would prefer.

The role of the Committee is to:

• Assess the information provided in the investigation report, and any other relevant information, and decide whether the facts in that report constitute a breach of the Student Code of Conduct, or a serious breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and;
• if there has been a proven breach or breaches, to decide on what the appropriate outcome should be, and;
• most importantly, to hear from you everything you feel they should know before they make any decisions.

Following the meeting, you will receive confirmation of the Committee's decision and be notified of your appeal options via your official Macquarie student email account.

Your rights in relation to the Committee

There are fundamental rights which you have in any decision making like this. These are sometimes called “Due process” or “natural justice”, but the information below will help you understand your rights.

The right to be informed of the concerns raised against you

This means that if the university is going to reach any misconduct finding against you, we have to write to you formally (normally through your student email) to advise you of what we think happened, and how this is contrary to your responsibilities as a student of the university.

If anything about this is unclear you are welcome to ask for more information or clarification and Student Advocacy may also be able to help you with this.

The right to respond to concerns

Just as you have a right to understand what our concerns are, you also have the right to be able to put forward your side of the story. The committee will listen to you, and may ask some questions.

The right to support during the process

If you wish attend the meeting, you are invited and most welcome to bring a friend, family member, or other support person to support you. We want you to be supported during this process, as we know it can be a challenging time for you.

The committee members

The Student Conduct Committee is a group comprised of university staff and students who are responsible for making decisions on student conduct where there is dispute about whether there has been a breach of your responsibilities as a student. This can relate to your academic conduct, or your behaviour in the university community.

While the Committee are responsible for ensuring that standards of behaviour, both academic and not, are adhered to at the University, each member of the Committee is deeply committed to your welfare, and wants this process to not only be fair for you, but also be seen to be fair by you.

Outcomes of the Student Conduct Committee

Should you be found responsible of a breach of the Student Code or Academic Integrity Policy, the Student Conduct Committee may apply any outcome which the committee finds appropriate in the circumstances including those specified in clause 29 of the Student Conduct Procedure.

The Committee may take into account other factors when determining an outcome, including:

• the severity and extent of the breach;
• whether the misconduct was an isolated incident or part of an ongoing pattern of behaviour;
• any history of previously penalised misconduct;
• recent precedent as established by relevant University decision making authorities;
• the student’s general health and personal circumstances at the time of the breach that might have impacted the student’s judgement;

If there is anything which you believe contributed to your behaviour or decision making, it is important that the committee knows about it. We know this can be difficulty to share, and you can be sure that the committee will treat any information you share with sensitivity and confidentiality.

Appealing a Conduct Committee decision

You have the right to request permission to appeal the decision of a Conduct Committee.

In addition to the information below, you would be provided further details in the notification of the decision sent to your official Macquarie student email account.

The grounds for appeal are outlined in Part D of the Student Conduct Procedure.

The Committee decision cannot be appealed on the basis that you believe it was not the correct decision or not your preferred decision.

The request for permission to appeal a Conduct Committee decision (including a detailed outline of the grounds for appeal) must be lodged by you in writing to studentconduct@MQ.edu.au within 20 working days of your receipt of the letter containing the Committee decision.

Upon the receipt of the request for permission to appeal, you will be notified within 10 working days whether or not permission to appeal is given.