Article I: Definition of Terms

Article I: Definition of Terms 

1. Advisor: means any member of the college community who assists a student in responding to alleged policy violations or in participating in any Judicial Council hearing. An advisor may be any student, faculty, or staff member at the Colleges or The Claremont Colleges Services (TCCS) who is not a witness in the case, a panelist in the case, a Judicial Council chair, or, except when given written permission by the Vice President and Dean of Students, an attorney. Students have the right to an advisor and shall be offered an advisor by default when a matter is referred to the Judicial Council.

2. Appellate board: means any person or persons authorized to consider an appeal from a judicial body’s determination that a student has violated the Student Code. Appellate boards at Pomona include the hearing panels of the Appeals Board and, in some cases, the President of the College. 

3. Collection of individuals: refers to any number of persons as defined by their collective actions, presence, or involvement in a violation of the Student Code. 

4. College: means Pomona College. 

5. College official: includes any person employed by Pomona College, performing assigned administrative or professional responsibilities. Includes Resident Advisors, Campus Safety officers, and administrators at other Claremont Colleges or at TCCS. 

6. College premises: includes all land, buildings, facilities, and other property in the possession of, owned, used, or controlled by Pomona College, the other Claremont Colleges, and TCCS (including adjacent streets and sidewalks). 

7. Complainant: refers to the individual(s) initiating a complaint of a violation of the Student Code. In some cases, the College may be the complainant. 

8. Evidence: refers to information provided during a hearing by the College, complainant, or respondent that is relevant to the case and may have an impact on the decision or sanction. Evidence may be physical, verbal, or electronic (i.e., texts, web pages). 

9. Faculty member: means any person hired by the College to conduct classroom activities, or emeriti faculty. 

10. Guest: is any Pomona student hosted by another Pomona student in their personal room and/or residence hall. For non-Pomona students, see “Visitor.” 

11. Host: is a Pomona College student who invites, receives, accepts responsibility for, or entertains a guest or visitor in campus buildings and spaces (e.g., The Farm), residence halls, or at campus events. See “Visitors” section in the Life on Campus and Residence Halls chapter in the Handbook. 

12. Judicial body: means any person or persons authorized to determine whether a student has violated the Student Code and to impose sanctions. Judicial bodies at Pomona include the hearing panels of the Judicial Council (including Penalty Boards and Appeals Boards), the Student Affairs Committee, the Vice President and Dean of Students, and the Associate Deans of Students and of Campus Life. 

13. Jurist or retired jurist: means any individual who has served as a judge in a court of law. 

14. Legal counsel or attorney: means any individual who is properly licensed to practice law. 

15. May: is used in the permissive sense. 

16. Member of the college community: includes any person who is a student, faculty, staff member, college official or any other person employed by Pomona College. It also includes faculty, students, and staff at the other Claremont Colleges or TCCS. A person’s status in a particular situation shall be determined by the Vice President and Dean of Students. 

17. Organization: means any number of persons who have complied with the formal requirements for College registration as a campus organization. 

18. Policy: is defined as the written regulations of the College as found in, but not limited to, the Student Code, the Student Handbook, and the College catalogue. 

19. Possession: means to have an item on your person or in an area for which you are responsible such as a residence hall room or an automobile. A student takes possession of a residence hall room by picking up a key, moving into a room, or by failing to notify the Office of Campus Life by the 10th day of the semester that they do not intend to occupy a room drawn by or assigned to the student. Students are responsible for all items in their possession including but not limited to contraband items. 

20. Preliminary sanction: any sanction imposed by a member of Student Affairs (including members of the Office of Housing and Residence Life) prior to or without a Judicial Council or Student Affairs Committee process. 

21. Quorum: the minimum number of members necessary to conduct a hearing. 

22. Respondent: refers to the person(s) or group cited in the complaint who allegedly violated the Student Code. 

23. Shall: is used in the imperative sense. 

24. Statement of Alleged Policy Violation (SAPV): means a written statement of the provisions of the Student Code alleged to be violated and the factual circumstances surrounding the alleged violation. 

25. Student: includes all persons taking courses at the College both full time and part time. Persons not officially enrolled for a particular term but participating in study abroad or domestic exchange are considered students. 

26. Student Code Administrator: means a staff member or a college official whose role is to collect the facts of the case in a conscientious, impartial, and fair manner.  

27. Victim: refers to the individual(s) harmed by the alleged policy violation. 

28. Visitor: is anyone, other than a parent, who is visiting a Pomona student who is not themselves a Pomona student. See “Visitors” section in the Life on Campus and Residence Halls chapter in the Handbook.  

29. Vice President and Dean of Students: is designated by the Pomona College President and the Student Affairs Committee of the faculty to be responsible for the administration of the Student Code.