Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
The start of each academic year is a time to rejoin our university community with a sense of purpose and a recommitment to our values and our mission. It has been wonderful to see the joy and energy of so many students on campus. Today, I’d like to share some changes that are aimed at strengthening our shared community.
Over the past year, Student Affairs and Academic Programs partnered with the Provost’s Office and stakeholders across our campus community to reimagine the student conduct model at USC. As part of this evaluation, SCampus was replaced by a new Student Handbook:
- Living Our Unifying Values: The USC Student Handbook is the new student handbook. This document contains important policies that apply during your time as a student. This handbook now replaces SCampus.
Our new student conduct processes focus on educating our students and supporting their next steps to be successful in their personal, academic, and professional lives at USC and beyond. Until now, most student accountability matters, including both academic and non-academic conduct cases, have been reviewed and adjudicated by Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards (SJACS). Starting today, SJACS will be replaced by two new offices: OAI and OCE.
- The Office of Academic Integrity (OAI) will be responsible for addressing allegations of academic misconduct. This new office will report to Andrew McConnell Stott, Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of the Graduate School.
- The Office of Community Expectations (OCE) will be responsible for addressing reports of non-academic misconduct (other than prohibited discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, which are the purview of the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX). OCE will report to Daren Mooko, Assistant Vice Provost for Community Expectations, under Monique S. Allard, Interim Vice President for Student Affairs.
Please note that any student conduct matters that were already in process on September 1, 2022 (i.e., matters for which a student had already been issued a notice of an incident report by SJACS) are subject to the policies laid out in the previously effective SCampus handbook and will be resolved according to those procedures.
The choices students make inside and outside the classroom present opportunities to learn and grow as individuals and set the tone for the entire community. We are committed to fostering an environment where respect and differences are celebrated, and all of us play a key role in this effort.
In keeping with our unifying values, students are expected to read and follow the student handbook. Thank you for carefully reviewing the handbook, and for striving to act with integrity in all that you do.
We are here to support our students as they study and grow. I wish you all the best for a successful semester.
Sincerely,
Charles F. Zukoski
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
cc: Office of the President
Academic Deans
President’s Senior Leadership Team
Provost’s Leadership Team
Academic Senate
Staff Assembly
GSG President
USG President