During a Community Standards Review Board Hearing

In matters where a student, student organization, or athletic team are referred through the formal resolution process to a CSRB hearing, all participants will abide by procedures set by the board and within the Student Handbook and Resource Guide.

Listed below is the general process that takes place during a CSRB hearing:

1. The hearing facilitator will manage hearing proceedings, recognizing persons who may speak and ensuring fair and orderly presentation of facts. Only those CSRB members who hear the entire case may participate in making final decisions and determine sanctions.
2. All CRB hearing proceedings are audio recorded for use by the College (if needed) during an appeal.
3. The board members hearing a case, in consultation with the advisor to the board (who is a designated administrator within the Division of Justice, Equity, and Antiracism), will decide what information is admissible. (For information submitted prior to the hearing, the advisor to the board in consultation with the Office of Community Standards and Student Accountability, will decide what information is admissible.)
4. Persons appearing before the board may be accompanied by a supporter (a current faculty, staff, or student member of the Hampshire College community), but may not be represented by another person or by an attorney. Please see the Support Person Roles and Expectations section for more information.
5. Witnesses may be removed from the hearing at the discretion of the board, in consultation with the advisor to the board. In no case will the respondent(s) or the complainant(s) be required to leave while information is being given. However, the board may go into executive session at any time, excluding all persons other than the board and its advisor(s) from its deliberations.
6. The board members hearing a matter may seek additional guidance on the hearing at the discretion of the hearing facilitator, including, but not limited to, College legal counsel or community standards admnistrator, or the Senior Vice President for Justice, Equity, and Antiracism.
7. Every effort will be made to conclude the hearing at one sitting. The board may choose to extend the hearing to more than one session, especially in complicated cases.
8. Board members must excuse themselves if they are unable to hear a case with objectivity.
9. The hearing will be over when the board has determined, through careful examination of all information presented, that it has sufficient information to determine an outcome or that there is insufficient information available to make a determination. Outcomes and findings will be communicated typically within two (2) to three (3) business days after the hearing has concluded.

The failure of the student, student organization, or athletic team or the reporting individual to appear at a hearing does not prohibit the board from addressing and resolving the matter and alleged policy violation. The board will review all available information and will then make a determination if sufficient facts exist to resolve the matter/incident. In the case that the board feels sufficient information is available, it will proceed with the hearing as usual. As with all cases, the board may come to a finding of “not responsible” if they cannot determine that it is more likely than not that community standards were was violated by the students, student organization, or athletic team.

The findings and the accountability and community restoration plan determined by the board will be decided upon in an executive session of the board following a hearing. A majority agreement of board members present for a hearing is required in the board’s determination of findings and sanctions based on a preponderance of the evidence. standard. The findings, outcome, and accountability and community restoration plan, if applicable, are to be communicated in writing by the Office of Community Standards and Student Accountability on behalf of the board members to the student, student organization, or athletic team within three (3) business days after the conclusion of the hearing. In rare circumstances, as deemed appropriate by the CSRB advisor, the hearing board may make a request to the CSRB advisor and the Office of Community Standards and Student Accountability for additional time to finalize their decision.