Admissions Prior Conduct Clearance

General Information

The university considers campus safety and the past conduct of prospective students when making admissions decisions. Prospective students who have person crime/felony criminal history, have been suspended or expelled from a previous institution, or are required to register with local law enforcement are required to be cleared by the Admissions Conduct Evaluation Team (ACET) before admission can be considered under normal academic criteria.

The ACET is comprised of staff members from the Office of Admission, the Graduate School (as needed), the Department of Housing, Counseling and Psychological Services, SUU Police Department, the Provost's Office, Director of Recreation and Wellness, Title IX Coordinator, and the Office of the Dean of Students.

The University, including ACET, does not discriminate on the basis of any protected category, as further described in University Policy 5.27.

Please note, individuals who have been convicted of a forcible or non-forcible sexual offense and have been incarcerated are ineligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant.

As you engage in this process, it is critical for you to be honest. Having a felony, suspension, or expulsion on your record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration. However, submission of false information or withholding information at the time of application or admission or dishonesty with ACET may make a prospective student ineligible for admission to Southern Utah University.

Evaluation/Review Procedure

When a prospective student responds “yes” to any question on the conduct section of the application for admission, the following process will begin:

1. The ACET Coordinator will contact the prospective student via a secure email.
2. The prospective student will be informed:
   1. that additional information must be provided via an online survey questionnaire.
      1. This is an opportunity to describe/explain the situation/behavior(s) that lead to the disciplinary violation and/or conviction in his/her own words, and explain current status/situation (reflect on what was learned from the situation/behavior) and education goals.
         1. Prior to accessing the questionnaire, applicants should have all documents ready to submit. Applicants can provide a personal statement, additional information for the review committee to consider, and supporting documentation on the questionnaire.
         2. If any questions arise as part of the process, applicants may contact the Dean of Students Office, (435) 586-7710 for assistance or clarification.
   2. that a final academic admission decision will not occur until the risk assessment is complete.
   3. that additional communications from the university regarding admission may occur concurrently. Reminders about missing transcripts, required fee payment, and other details may still be helpful to the prospective student and therefore will not be suspended during the review period. It is recommended students complete their academic file and not wait for an ACET outcome to request transcripts.
3. Additional documentation requested may include but is not limited to:
   1. In cases of suspension or expulsion: A copy of the disciplinary decision.  These can generally be procured by contacting the Office of Student Conduct or the Dean of Students at the previous institution(s).
   2. In cases of felony/person crimes: A copy of final adjudication for all criminal charges.  These are most often public court records that the applicant can obtain from his/her attorney or the Clerk of the Court.
   3. A letter of reference from a professional source who has had frequent contact with the student in the past three to six months (e.g., professor, supervisor, etc.).  References from family members and friends do not qualify.
4. The ACET will determine whether or not a conference call or web conference will be required.
5. Probation or parole officers or other provided references may be contacted.
6. After all information is received, a thorough and holistic review of the conduct of the applicant will be conducted by the ACET.
7. The holistic review may take up to eight weeks for reviewing criminal and/or disciplinary history disclosures. All information submitted by the student, obtained from third parties, and created throughout the review process will be kept private and shared only with the parties necessary to conduct the review and enforce any restrictions or conditions outlined by the ACET.

Results

Following the meeting and review of submitted documentation, ACET will determine one of three outcomes:

1. To clear the prospective student for full academic admission consideration based on stated university policies without restriction.
2. To clear the prospective student for full academic admission consideration based on stated university policies with some restrictions and conditions.
   1. The most common conditions of admission are conduct probation and a determination that the prospective student may not be permitted to reside in on-campus housing, though conditions are often specifically tailored to the applicant and the presenting situation. The application will then be considered by Undergraduate Admission or the Graduate program for admission based on normal academic criteria. If the student is admitted and chooses to enroll, they will be required to comply with all conditions specified.
3. To deny clearance for admission consideration.  This will result in a denial of admission to Southern Utah University.

The prospective student will be contacted and informed of the decision.

Appeals

Prospective students denied clearance have the right to appeal the decision with the Vice President of Student Affairs or their designee within three business days of the date of the ACET decision correspondence. The decision reached after an appeal will be final.