SSDC - Senate Student Discipline Committee

In an SSDC hearing, a panel of academics will consider the allegations made, the evidence presented, and the information given by reporters, witnesses and the student accused of a breach.

There are usually three members of the panel, although this can vary depending on the nature of the allegations. A staff member from the School, or one of the Student Conduct team, will be there to present the allegations to the panel. There will also be a staff member to take notes and make sure the meeting process is followed correctly.

You will get at least 5 days’ notice of the hearing. It’s important to prepare for a hearing as thoroughly as you can, so contact advice(su) as soon as you know your case has been referred to the SSDC. We can help you to start to prepare for the hearing even before you get a formal notice of when it will take place.

You are entitled to advance notice of the evidence against you and will receive this when you get notification of the hearing. We can help you prepare a response to that evidence.

The hearing itself could last several hours, and a lot of evidence may be considered. We can talk you through what to expect, and if you wish, arrange to act as your companion at the hearing. That means we can help you to put your case together as well as offer you support.

The SSDC has all the powers of the Disciplinary Officers, including fines up to £1000. They can also exclude you from your course temporarily or permanently, if it considers that your conduct has been sufficiently serious, or if it finds that you have been dishonest in your defence.

It’s not possible to provide a complete list of potential outcomes, as students can be called to an SSDC hearing for a number of different reasons – including non-academic misconduct, significant academic engagement issues, plagiarism, collusion and professionalism concerns.

The SSDC makes its decisions on the basis of the “balance of probabilities” which means that it does not have to find the allegations are true beyond reasonable doubt – just that it is more likely than not that they are true.

It’s really important not to ignore any summons to attend an SSDC hearing, or delay doing anything about it.

Advice(su) can help you structure your case, including any supporting evidence or mitigating factors – get in contact with us as soon as possible.

Sometimes a case will be referred to SSDC and the Chair will decide to offer a Summary Determination as an alternative to a full hearing. This will be communicated by email.

Students can request a hearing instead of a Summary Determination, but because they usually offer a simpler and more lenient penalty than hearings, we strongly encourage students to consider accepting a Summary Determination if offered. The outcomes can vary significantly, but you cannot be suspended or expelled with a Summary Determination.

Summary Determinations are decided on a case-by-case basis and cannot be specifically requested.