Academic and Professional Misconduct Resolution Process 

Mount Carmel College of Nursing takes allegations of academic and professional misconduct seriously. We expect all students to uphold the standards of conduct found within the College’s Catalog Handbook and all professional and ethical standards set forth for the nursing and healthcare professions. 

This conduct resolution process enables College faculty to manage classroom and clinical behaviors in a progressive discipline model that closely aligns with resolution processes that are found within the workplace. 

These levels of resolution include informal and formal processes. Informal levels noted below are not appealable. Serious allegations involving egregious academic misconduct or professional behaviors may result in immediate escalation to any level of disciplinary action. All levels of disciplinary process are documented for reference.

1. Developmental Coaching Conversations: The coaching process allows the faculty member to meet with the student to come to an informal agreement among themselves to resolve the allegation and correct behaviors before they escalate beyond the coaching level. The coaching meeting should include all the details of the behavior(s) and address the consequences of such actions at present and in the future. The coaching conversation is documented and tracked for reference, but it is not a formal method of conduct resolution.

2. Verbal Warning: A verbal warning is a formal, documented method of conduct resolution. The verbal warning allows a faculty member to assign formal disciplinary action, as outlined below, for the allegation. If behaviors or actions do not improve, the student may face more severe disciplinary action.

3. Written Reprimand: The written reprimand is an official documented disciplinary action that is issued by the College, through the faculty member, for academic misconduct or unprofessional conduct. A written reprimand may include a student being placed on disciplinary probation and may disqualify the student from recognition in College programs, including Dean’s or President’s List Honors. Appeals of written reprimands may be possible by following the academic appeals process. 

4. Formal Hearing: Students are referred to a Academic and Professional Conduct Committee hearing on their second alleged violation during the duration of their program, or on their first allegation of egregious misconduct, professional behavior, or patient safety concerns. 

Severity/Resolution Categories

These resolution levels include, but are not exclusive to:

• Coaching Conversation: Informal corrective action to improve behaviors, including minor academic integrity, incivility and unprofessional behaviors, before escalation to formal action.

  • 1. • Students subject to repeat coaching conversations related to similar behaviors may be subject to escalated disciplinary action.

• Verbal Warning: The beginning of formal corrective behavioral action. This level can include non-Intentional acts or actions that may happen as a result of inattention that include, but are not limited to: 

  • 1. • Negligence of proper citation methods.

       • Simple misunderstandings of assignment instructions.

       • General classroom/clinical behaviors.

       • Tardiness.

       • Absences.

       • General attitude/behavioral concerns.

• Written Reprimand: Willful and deliberate of misconduct that include, but are not limited to:

  • 1. • Plagiarism and self-plagiarism.

       • Including use of artificially generated content (A.I., ChatGPT, etc.).

       • Providing or receiving any unauthorized assistance.

       • Including use of unauthorized testing materials/aids.

       • Repeat of coaching/verbal warning behaviors.

• Formal Hearing Panel: Especially egregious acts of academic integrity and professional behavior violations that include, but are not limited to:

  • 1. • Repeated written reprimand-level offenses.

       • Patient Safety concerns.

       • Collusion.

       • Including the posting and/or sharing of MCCN assignments and testing materials in online venues for acquisition by other students or individuals.

       • Forging or falsifying any clinical or academic information; documenting clinical hours that were not actually completed; falsifying any patient record or other document used during clinical experiences. 

       • Hazing.

       • Title IX Violations.

       • Students addressing multiple allegations, or allegations at the severe/major category may be dismissed from Mount Carmel College of Nursing by the Academic and Professional Conduct Committee.

Academic Integrity and Professional Conduct Hearing Panel 

Formal resolution of the most egregious and serious complaints involves adjudication of the complaint through a Conduct Hearing Panel. Students may contact the Director of Compliance and Operations via email prior to the hearing to schedule a pre-hearing meeting and to review any hearing documents that the Panel will review. A Conduct Hearing Panel is typically reserved for cases where a student may be removed from the College or for students found in repeated violations. A Conduct Hearing Panel is composed of up to three voting members. The voting members are either faculty or staff and have received student conduct adjudication training as well as education about trauma-informed response to sexual misconduct. The Director of Compliance and Operations, or designee, will manage hearing logistics and chair hearings, but is not an active participant in the hearing, is not a voting member of the panel, and does not participate in deciding upon or issuing sanctions. The Director will provide the panel with relevant sanction guidelines and/or applicable conduct history only if there is a finding of responsibility.

A complainant and/or respondent may challenge the participation of a Conduct Hearing Panel member based on the member’s perceived or actual conflict of interest, bias, or prejudice. Such challenges, including rationale, must be made to the Director of Compliance and Operations at least 48 hours prior to the commencement of the hearing. At their discretion, the Director will determine whether a panel member should be replaced or not. A panelist will be replaced if they recuse themselves or when it is determined that their conflict of interest, bias or prejudice precludes an impartial hearing of the allegation. It should be noted that in these cases, the hearing may be delayed in order to name an appropriate replacement for any removed panel member.

Electronic devices (e.g., computer, cell phone, audio/video recorder, etc.) are not permitted in the hearing room. The panel will make an audio recording of the hearing to be kept on file in a secure location, such as a secure database management system for at least seven years. Reasonable care will be taken to create a quality audio recording and minimize technical problems. Technical problems that result in no recording or a poor-quality recording will not be a valid basis for appeal. All parties may request review of the recording by contacting the Director of Compliance and Operations.

The Panel may elect to hear information from all parties interviewed during the investigation. Those who were not part of the investigation are not permitted to participate in the hearing. When adjudicating a case, the Panel may make reasonable assumptions based on the witness’ participation or lack thereof. Witnesses are subject to cross examination by either party’s advisor. A respondent may elect to provide witness statements in advance to the Hearing Panel for consideration, however the statements may be subject to interview by the Panel. For Title IX hearings, writers of all statements may be required to appear for cross examination for their statements to be considered. 

All questions must be related to policy elements of the violations being charged or related to content/clarification of the case materials. Parties are permitted to cross examine one another. However, in Title IX related hearings, the parties may not question each other or other witnesses directly but may do so through their support advisor at the appropriate time in the hearing. The Conduct Hearing Chair determines the relevancy of the questions and may, in their sole discretion, deny a request for a question. If a request is denied, the reason for the denial will be provided to the requesting party.

Related to Title IX hearings, questions and evidence about the complainant’s sexual predisposition or prior sexual behavior are not relevant, unless such questions and evidence about the complainant’s prior sexual behavior are offered to prove that someone other than the respondent committed the conduct alleged by the complainant, or if the questions and evidence concern specific incidents of the complainant’s prior sexual behavior with respect to the respondent and are offered to prove consent.

The parties will all be in the same room together. However, at either party’s request, an electronic hearing may take place through phone or video conferencing.

Role of the President

The President of the College has sole authority to elect to hear any case as an administrative hearing and impose any sanction. In a case where the President elects to conduct an administrative hearing, they will still follow general guidelines of a hearing process as necessary and appropriate, as well as consult with the Director of Compliance and Operations.

Advisor/Support Person

Students involved in formal resolution proceedings have the right to an advisor/support person of their choice with limited exceptions (i.e.: a witness may not serve as an advisor).

When an advisor is chosen, the students must inform the Director of Compliance and Operations. The advisor will be provided a copy of the advisor conduct rules to review and sign. The advisor’s role in any meeting or hearing is limited to privately conferring with or writing notes to the student as long as doing so does not disrupt the process. For longer or more involved discussions, the students and their advisors should ask for a break in the proceedings. The advisor may not submit material or speak on behalf of the student during an investigation interview.

For specific policies related to Advisors in Title IX conduct hearings, refer to the Sexual Misconduct, Discrimination, Harassment, and Title IX Policy.

Expedited Process

In cases where a prompt hearing is essential (e.g., when graduation, end of a term, or the end of the academic year is imminent) an expedited process may be initiated by the Director of Compliance and Operations upon consultation with the Academic and Professional Conduct Committee. In an expedited process, all time periods and processes in the student conduct process may be waived and/or altered to reflect the needs of the individual case.

Standard of Proof

In resolving all allegations of academic and professional conduct, the College will use a “preponderance of evidence” standard, which is “more likely than not” that a violation occurred. This is a lower evidentiary standard than that found through the court system which uses the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard.

Participation in Resolution Process

Students have the right to choose to not participate in resolution proceedings, after having been given reasonable notice (no fewer than two [2] business days) of the date/time of the hearing. However, both Informal and Formal Resolution proceedings may occur without the active participation of a responding party and may draw reasonable conclusions on the preponderance of evidence from reports and information available without the participation in the hearing process.

Students who do not participate in the resolution process will not be permitted to appeal a sanction. Students are expected to complete the sanctions issued in the conduct process. Failure to do so may result in further conduct action, including dismissal.