Victim Rights
"Relations among all persons should be characterized by mutual respect and equality. Sexism, sexual harassment and sexual coercion of any sort are wrong and constitute a violation of fundamental moral requirements and state law. Minimally responsible behavior requires that no one take sexual advantage of another."
-Values and Moral Standards at Florida State University
A victim has the right to have his or her unrelated past behavior excluded from the hearing. The hearing body will decide if such information is unrelated. The past sexual history of the victim is not considered relevant, unless deemed necessary by the hearing body. At least two class days prior to the scheduled hearing, victims must notify the Director of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities or University Housing if they wish to exercise any of the victims' rights.
Rights:
1. To have an advisor accompany her/him when presenting information to the hearing body and to any other relevant meetings held throughout the disciplinary process.
2. To submit a victim impact statement to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities or University Housing. This information will be used only in the sanctioning phase of deliberations, if the charged student is found responsible for the charge(s). The charged student may request to view the victim impact statement. The request will be considered by the Director of Student Rights and Responsibilities or University Housing in consultation with the victim.
3. To submit questions to the hearing body. The hearing body will then consider posing those questions to the charged student.
4. At the request of victims in cases involving sexual misconduct, physical violence or stalking charges, the victim may request to testify in a separate room from the charged student so long as the process does not unduly compromise the charged student's right to question the witness.
5. The victim may request to be present throughout the entire hearing, or portions thereof. This option will be considered by the hearing body.
6. To be notified of the status and final outcome of the disciplinary process.
*NOTE: The legal definitions of these offenses will not be identical to specific Student Conduct Code violations
(As defined by the 1991 Campus Security Act)
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