To clarify when notification and/or disclosure may be appropriate
To partner with families in support of their student
To find additional supportive points of intervention for students
There was a “Substance Use Misconduct” violation, and the student is under 21 years of age
The Action Plan includes suspension, expulsion, and/or loss of housing (including those administrative sanctions issued in a conditional status)
Establishes a tiered penalty with stricter punishments for hazing (including felony-level violations)
Holds individuals and organizations accountable for hazing
Requires schools to publish anti-hazing policies and publicly report hazing violations at universityethics.psu.edu
Incites imminent lawless action
Defames a specific individual
Rises to the level of harassment
Targets a specific individual or individuals with true threats of violence
Taking part in alternative events
Lending their voices to causes with which they are aligned and that help foster a stronger community
Lawfully and actively protesting or speaking out if they desire
That persons’ phone call was the initial way law enforcement found out about the hazing and/or underage person’s drinking violation
The caller reasonably believed they were the first to call and report the emergency
The person correctly identified themselves by name when reporting the emergency
The person remained with the individual needing medical assistance until emergency services arrived
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), colleges and universities are afforded certain rights relative to notifying parents or guardians of information concerning their student. To involve students' families in the total educational experience of the student and to facilitate communication between students and their parents/legal guardians, OSACR has established a notification and disclosure policy. The goals of this policy are:
When a dependent student accepts responsibility for a violation or is found in violation of the Code, a notification letter will typically be sent to their parent or guardian in the following circumstances:
The notification letter summarizes the outcome of the process and lists the official University violation(s) and outcomes. It is recommended that the first response to receiving this letter is starting a conversation with your student. Follow-up questions can then be directed to the case manager in OSACR.
In unusual circumstances which qualify as an exception to FERPA, the University will notify parents and/or guardians of students who are not dependent students.
For more information about Parent and Family Notification and Disclosure visit Resources for Families and Other Support Persons | Penn State Student Affairs
In 2018, Pennsylvania adopted the Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law which:
To the extent possible, any student, organization, faculty or staff member, contractor, or volunteer of the University will be held accountable for hazing-related violations both by the University and by the appropriate law enforcement agency. Any allegations of hazing should be reported to the University’s Office of Ethics and Compliance or OSACR, in addition to University Police.
The Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law, in addition to Pennsylvania's medical amnesty law, provide immunity from prosecution when a student seeks help for themselves or others who need medical attention. Students who seek help may also avoid formal student conduct action under the Penn State Responsible Action Protocol
Academic integrity is a basic guiding principle for all academic activity at Penn State, and all members of the University community are expected to follow this principle. An academic integrity violation is an intentional, unintentional, or attempted violation of course or assessment policies to gain an academic advantage or to advantage or disadvantage another student academically. Types of academic misconduct include but are not limited to: (a)unauthorized collaboration and/or accessing or using unauthorized or prohibited materials, information, tools, technologies, or study aids; (b) misrepresenting another's words, results, processes, or ideas in whole or in part without giving appropriate attribution, citation, or credit; (c) providing false information in fulfillment of an academic assignment, exercise, publication, or another requirement; and, (d) using the same academic work, in part or entirely, for credit more than once, unless specifically authorized by the instructor receiving the reused work. For more information, please review G-9: Academic Integrity.
As a public university, Penn State supports and promotes the First Amendment and values the legal protections it offers for free expression, inquiry, and thought , even when viewpoints offend community members or contradict the institution’s values. The primary purpose of a university is to discover and disseminate knowledge and this can only occur if freedom of expression is honored. Even words and other expressions that many people would consider to be “hate speech” are constitutionally protected under the First Amendment.
However, free speech is not without limits. For example, the University may restrict or discipline expression in a few instances, including speech that:
The University also may regulate the time, place, and manner of expression.
The University encourages those who wish to counter views they find unacceptable to do so in responsible ways, including:
The University’s free speech website is intended to educate students, faculty, and staff on the University’s commitment to free speech, resources and support available to those impacted by hate-filled speech, and ways University community members are encouraged to use to engage in dialogue on difficult topics.
Community members, including parents or families, may report incidents of bias or discrimination to reporting.psu.edu, University Police or local police; to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (OEOA); or the Office of Ethics and Compliance.
Pennsylvania law provides immunity from prosecution for underage drinking and/or hazing for an individual who seeks help for a friend who has a medical emergency due to underage alcohol consumption or hazing. The immunity also applies to the friend for whom medical assistance was sought. When a person violates underage drinking or hazing laws and calls 911 to get help for a person who needs immediate medical attention due to excessive alcohol consumption or hazing, the caller and the peer for whom assistance was sought will not be charged with underage drinking or hazing as long as:
Pennsylvania Law (35 P.S. § 780-113.7) provides immunity from prosecution for a small number of drug possession related charges when an individual seeks help for themselves or another individual for a drug related medical emergency. This immunity would not apply to charges of delivering and/or possessing with the intent to deliver a controlled substance.