Alleged violations of federal, state, and local laws may be investigated and addressed under the Honor Code. When an offense occurs over which Cottey College has jurisdiction, the College conduct process will usually go forward notwithstanding any criminal complaint that may arise from the same incident.
Cottey College reserves the right to exercise its authority of interim suspension upon notification that a student is facing criminal investigation and/or complaint (additional grounds for interim suspension are outlined below). Interim suspensions are imposed until a hearing can be held, typically within two weeks. This hearing may resolve the allegation or may be held to determine if the interim suspension should be continued. The interim suspension may be continued if a danger to the community is posed, and Cottey College may be delayed or prevented from conducting its own investigation and resolving the allegation by the pendency of the criminal process. In such cases, the College will only delay its hearing until it can conduct an internal investigation or obtain sufficient information independently or from law enforcement upon which to proceed. Students accused of crimes may request to take a leave from Cottey College until the criminal charges are resolved. In such situations, the College procedure for voluntary leaves of absence is subject to the following conditions
- The responding student must comply with all campus investigative efforts that will not prejudice their defense in the criminal trial; and
- The responding student must comply with all interim actions and/or restrictions imposed during the leave of absence; and
- The responding student must agree that to be reinstated to active student status, they must first be subject to, and fully cooperate with, the campus conduct process and must comply with all sanctions that are imposed.