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Student Court

As a Liberty student, you will quickly become familiar with Liberty’s code of conduct, known as “The Liberty Way.” It is also beneficial for you to know about the Student Court. The Student Court exists to give students the chance to appeal a case to a group of their peers. The advantage is that the student justices also have to live under the same rules and can see when a penalty is too severe. This helps the student body to trust the administration because it allows the penalties it hands out to be reviewed by the students themselves.

When there is a violation of the “The Liberty Way,” it is reported and a penalty is given. This is where the Student Court comes in. As a student, if you feel that the penalty is unjust, you have the right to bring it to the Student Court for appeal. It might sound like a difficult procedure, but it is actually very easy. If through an unfortunate circumstance you find yourself unjustly charged, you may complete the “Student Appeals Court Appeal Form” from the Student Affairs website. If you are an on campus student, you need to return it to your Resident Advisor (RA); off campus students must directly submit the form to the Office of Student Conduct. You must do this within the next 24 hours from the time you received your “reprimand.”

The student court will examine the details and see if the Student Conduct Officer who made the charge made the correct decision. If it is evident that the penalty was too severe, the court will reduce it. However, if they find it fitting for the violation, the penalty will be sustained.

Caleb Mast, a current student justice, said that “the determining factor is usually whether it is something that was obvious and could have been avoided without much difficulty for the student.”

If you would like more extensive information on the Liberty Way and the Student Court, visit the Student Affairs website. You may also contact the Conduct Officer at aadams@liberty.edu.