Guides

19 The Washington Center • Code of Conduct Spring 2025 V. The Conduct Process Enforcement of the TWC Code of Conduct: • All TWC personnel, participants, and those who encounter or work with participants must uphold and enforce the Code of Conduct and Community Life Expectations. • The standard of proof for determining if a participant is in violation of the Code of Conduct or Community Life Expectations is preponderance of evidence. There must be persuasive information to establish that the alleged participant(s) has more likely than not violated the Code of Conduct. • A conduct officer or an appropriate conduct board can review participant conduct cases. The Executive Director of Programs, Executive Director of Employer Relations, Director of Housing and Community Life or designee determines which course of action is to be taken based on the nature of the case. • In exceptional circumstances, The Washington Center may suspend the normal structure of the conduct system to establish an appropriate procedure for the needs of the pending case. • Any conduct violations that take place 10 days prior to a participant's departure from The Washington Center may be forwarded to a participant's home institution for adjudication. The home institution will have the authority to apply sanctions based on their respective student conduct processes. TWC staff members will send written notification via email to the participant indicating that their incident report has been referred to their home institution for adjudication. Conduct Hearing Officers & Conduct Boards • Conduct hearing officers are TWC staff members whose role includes responsibility for reviewing conduct cases and/or are appointed by the President, Executive Director of Programs or the Director of Housing and Community Life. They are assigned for initial case review, initial hearings or appellate cases. The sanctioning authority of an individual conduct hearing officer ranges from a warning up to and including housing eviction/removal from TWC housing. The sanctioning authority of Directors, Executive Directors, Vice Presidents, and the President is expanded from a warning up to and including expulsion/program removal. In instances of billing or payment concerns, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or designee may serve as a conduct hearing officer. • Conduct hearing boards are convened for initial hearings or for appellate cases. The members of the hearing boards are TWC staff members appointed by the President, Executive Director of Programs, Director of Programs, or Director of Housing and Community Life. Their sanctioning authority of a hearing board ranges from a warning up to and including expulsion. In instances of billing or payment concerns, the to Vice President of Finance or designee may serve on a conduct hearing board. Responses to Policy Violations The following list details possible sanctions for policy violations. Intention, severity, timing and impact on the community will be considered when determining appropriate responses to policy violations. Violations of national, state, or local laws subject a participant not only to TWC disciplinary action but also action by the appropriate court of law. The following categories are options for responding to policy violations: • Conduct Probation: A period of time assigned as a sanction by the conduct representative as a period of warning to address behavioral issues. During probationary periods, further violations could result in higher- level sanctions. • Course and/or Assignment Failure: A failing grade for an assignment, course, or program for academic misconduct.

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