Habitats: Guide to On-Campus Living - Tufts University

proper identification upon request. The staff member will then ask for compliance with
the community standard/policy. Once a report is received, a staff member will meet with
the involved party depending on the nature of the violation. The documentation submitted
is considered a “complaint.”
Note: Failing to comply with a college official (e.g., residential life staff member or TPD) is a violation
of university policy. Students in violation may be subject to university disciplinary action.
Resolving a Complaint – The majority of residential issues are documented through incident
reports generated by a member of the residential life staff. However, any member of
the Tufts community can file a complaint through the residential judicial system (a roommate,
a suitemate, a police officer, etc.). Should you wish to register a formal complaint,
complaint forms are available in the ORLL or the Dean of Student Affairs Office.
When an incident report, police report, or complaint form has been filed with the ORLL,
the Assistant Director (or designee) will contact the student(s) involved via their Tufts
email address in order to schedule a meeting. At this point the ORLL will consider the student
officially notified and will hold students accountable for the contents of the email sent.
NOTE: Email is the primary method of communication with students. If students use an alternate email account,
please forward your Tufts email to this account.
Once the meeting request email has been sent out to the parties involved they will have
three business days (as outlined in the text of the email) to respond to the notification and
to schedule a meeting with the Assistant Director (or designee). During the meeting the
student(s) will have the opportunity to view the report(s) submitted and respond to the
allegations verbally and in some cases in writing. After discussing all relevant facts of the
case, the student(s) may choose to enter a response of responsible, partially responsible or
not responsible for the complaint. The Assistant Director (or designee) will take all information
provided into account and communicate the options available to the student. The
outcome of a complaint may include:
> Finding the student(s) responsible and assigning an appropriate consequence.
> Finding the student “not responsible” and dismissing the allegation/complaint.
> Referring the matter to the Residential Judicial Board (RJB).
> Referring the matter to the University Judicial Affairs Officer in the Dean of Student
Affairs Office.
Please refer to the Student Judicial Process for a complete description of the complaint,
response, and adjudication mechanisms.
Failure to schedule an administrative meeting or other meeting as directed by a Residential
Life and Learning staff member, or failure to attend such a meeting, is a violation of the
cooperation policy. This behavior may result in further disciplinary action or action taken
without the input of the accused party. Referral to the University Judicial Affairs Officer in
the Dean of Student Affairs Office may occur as well.
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