Student Rights

The following rights are afforded to all students:

1. The right to exercise freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of peaceful assembly and petition.
2. The right to full participation in all areas of University life.
3. The right to conduct oneself off campus without specific restrictions imposed by the University except for violations of University policies or when one’s conduct impacts or poses a threat to the University community. Violations of laws off campus may be interpreted as impacting or posing a threat to the University community, and disciplinary action, not excluding expulsion from the University or any other University outcomes, may result from such conduct.
4. The right in the classroom to be assured against prejudiced or capricious evaluation; the right to decline disclosure of personal, religious, or political views; the right to take reasoned exception to information, conjecture, or views presented; and the right to seek mediation for any evaluation, disclosure, or other decision which is felt to be unjustly made by a classroom instructor.
5. The right to know what items constitute the personal permanent record kept by the University and to have access to review all such items, with the exception of those items supplied to the University in confidence; the right to have all disciplinary records purged when the University deems them inactive; the right to privacy of one’s educational records in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
6. The right to organize and join student organizations recognized by the University with educational, lawful, and peaceful purposes; the right of recognized organizations to invite and sponsor speakers and other presentations of an educational nature as long as orderly conditions can be reasonably assured; and the right of recognized organizations to use University of Lynchburg facilities.
7. The right to have privacy in University housing and to be free from room inspection or search by University personnel, except for maintenance, routine residential closings, emergency and semesterly health/safety checks, and authorized search specifying reasons for the search, objects sought, and the location(s) to be searched. A search must be authorized by an approved representative of the Office of Housing and Residence Life, a Student Development professional on call, or the Vice President for Student Development (or designee). A student who is named in a written search authorization has the right to observe the search unless the student cannot be reached and/or is not present at the search location within a time deemed reasonable by the authorizer of the search.
8. The right to have access to peaceful and quiet conditions for study on campus.
9. The right to establish a system of Student Government that represents the student body; the right to propose codes of student conduct and affairs within the limits of law and legal obligations of the University and with the approval of the University President’s Executive Council (or designee); and the right to participation of a Student Judicial Board in implementation and enforcement of student codes of conduct.
10. The right, when under investigation or during a judicial board hearing for alleged violation of the Honor and Student Conduct Codes, to written notice of the alleged infraction; sufficient time, as defined in University disciplinary procedures, to prepare for a judicial board hearing; notice of witnesses invited to participate in the judicial board hearing; the option not to comment on, provide information about, or attend proceedings related to the alleged infraction; assurance that decisions concerning responsibility or lack thereof shall be made only on the basis of introduced information; and provision for appeal.
11. The right to participate in the decision-making processes of the University through the membership of student representatives, appointed by the Student Government Association, on faculty committees that address matters affecting student affairs.
12. The right to examine all pertinent data, to question assumptions, to be guided by the evidence of scholarly research, and to study the substance of a given discipline.
13. The right to own student works that one creates and submits in fulfillment of academic requirements. Students are responsible for obtaining and maintaining copyright permissions related to their creations.

Last updated 8/4/2022.