Information About Interim Suspension

In a situation where it is determined that a student’s continued presence at the university constitutes an immediate threat of harm to the student, other individuals, and/or university property, the vice president of Student Affairs may suspend a student from IUP pending final disposition of the case through the university student conduct process.

An interim suspension means that the student cannot attend classes and must leave university property and remain off university property until an interim suspension review hearing is conducted (see below) or a university student conduct board is completed.

A student is typically interim suspended within 12 to 24 hours of the university’s notice of an incident. If the student lives in university-owned/operated housing, she or he must vacate her/his room and turn in her/his room, apartment, or suite key by the date and time in which the interim suspension takes effect. The student cannot return to campus until an interim suspension review hearing or student conduct board hearing is conducted for the case.

A letter from the vice president of Student Affairs is either hand-delivered to the suspended student, or the suspended student is required to pick up the letter from the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs, 212 Sutton Hall. This letter provides the date and time that the interim suspension takes effect and explains the student’s right to have the interim suspension decision reviewed.

A student who is interim suspended has the right to have the decision reviewed and either supported, modified, or revoked within ten (10) calendar days of the effective date of the interim suspension, unless circumstances warrant an extension. Interim suspension reviews are scheduled through the Office of Student Conduct, IUP, 724-357-1264, upon the suspended student’s request. Interim suspension review hearings are not automatically scheduled—they must be requested by the involved student.

Interim suspension review hearings are scheduled to occur weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (depending on the availability of a review officer) and generally take place in the Office of Student Conduct, Ruddock Hall, Suite G11.

A trained university administrator or faculty member will review the interim suspension decision by speaking with the suspended student and reviewing all submitted paperwork, such as incident reports and/or student conduct referrals. The suspended student may arrange to have one person of her/his choice attend the interim suspension review hearing with her/him; however, the suspended student is expected to speak for her/himself during the review. The person attending the review with the student is not permitted to speak without the permission of the interim suspension review officer.

As a result of an interim suspension review hearing, the review officer may uphold the interim suspension (thus requiring the student to remain off campus and out of classes until a student conduct board hearing occurs), may revoke the interim suspension (thus immediately reinstating the student), or may take other action (i.e., permit the student to attend class but require her/him to otherwise remain off campus property, etc.).

Unless the interim suspension review hearing is scheduled in conjunction with the final disposition of the student conduct case (i.e., university student conduct board hearing) it does not result in a final decision on the student’s status. The purpose of the interim suspension review is to determine whether or not a student may be present on university property and/or attend classes pending the outcome of the student conduct board hearing.

Once an interim suspension review officer makes a decision, she or he notifies the involved student of the outcome verbally and in writing. There is no appeal process for the interim suspension review officer’s decision.

Generally, a decision is provided to the suspended student within 24 hours or on Monday morning if the review hearing occurs on a Friday. However, in circumstances where multiple students have been interim suspended in association with one incident, the interim suspension review officer reserves the right to delay a decision until she or he has met with all involved students.

The student is guaranteed the opportunity to make up any academic work missed during the time in which the interim suspension was imposed. The Office of Student Conduct will contact the student’s professors to indicate that they must assist the student with making up missed work. However, it is the student’s responsibility to make specific arrangements with the faculty member to complete assignments.

The purpose of the interim suspension review hearing is to determine whether or not the interim suspension should be upheld or modified pending the final student conduct board hearing. This review is provided for expediency since student conduct board hearings are often difficult to schedule in a timely manner.

The student conduct board hearing, including the appeal process, is the final determination of the student’s status (please see information on student conduct board hearings).