(1) All disciplinary actions are initiated by the student conduct officer. If the respondent has submitted an active complaint against the student conduct officer, the president shall, upon request, designate another person to fulfill any disciplinary responsibilities relative to the complaint.

(2) For all complaints relating to violations of Title IX, the college shall follow chapter 495A-115 WAC.

(3) For all other disciplinary matters, the student conduct officer initiates disciplinary action by serving the respondent with written notice directing the student to attend a disciplinary meeting. The notice briefly describes the factual allegations, the provision(s) of the student conduct code that the respondent is alleged to have violated, the range of possible sanctions for the alleged violation(s) and specifies the time and location of the meeting. At the meeting the student conduct officer presents the allegations to the respondent, and the respondent is afforded an opportunity to explain what took place. If the respondent fails to attend the meeting after proper service of notice, the student conduct officer may take disciplinary action based upon the available information.

(4) Within ten days of the initial disciplinary meeting and after considering the evidence in the case including any facts or argument presented by the respondent, the student conduct officer will serve the respondent with a written decision setting forth the facts and conclusions supporting the decision, the specific student conduct code provisions found to have been violated, the discipline imposed, if any, and a notice of appeal rights with an explanation of the consequences of failing to file a timely appeal.

(5) The student conduct officer may take any of the following disciplinary actions:

(a) Exonerate the respondent and terminate the proceedings;

(b) Impose a disciplinary sanction(s) as described in WAC 495A-121-044; or

(c) Refer the matter directly to the student/faculty disciplinary committee for disciplinary action as the committee deems appropriate. This referral is in writing, to the attention of the chair of the student/faculty disciplinary committee, and with a copy served on the respondent.