Interim Suspension Policy
The College is committed to protecting its community members from the risk of harm and preserving the integrity of its educational environment. The College has the right to issue an Interim Suspension when a student engages, or threatens to engage in behavior(s) which poses a danger of causing harm to others, or when the student exhibits behavior(s) that renders them unable to effectively function in residence areas and/or the College, or when the student exhibits behavior(s) that significantly interferes with the educational pursuits and/or living environment of others. When a student engages in or threatens to engage in such behavior, the most effective emergency response to protect the health and safety of the student and the community may be to require the student to leave the campus by issuing an Interim Suspension. While an Interim Suspension is in place, the College will gather information and investigate the allegation(s) in order to make an individualized assessment of the risks posed by the student’s reported behavior and whether those risks need to be mitigated to protect the health, safety, and learning environment of others.

1. The Interim Suspension is issued to the student in writing via the Notice of Interim Suspension form. Interim Suspensions become effective immediately based upon evidence that the continued presence of the student on the campus may pose a significant threat of causing harm to others, or when the student is unable to effectively function in residence areas and/or the College, or when the student’s behavior(s) significantly disrupts the educational pursuits and/or living environment of others.
2. The College has authorized official representatives to make the administrative determination that the Interim Suspension of a student is necessary. Those officials are:

• On-Call Administrators, Counseling Services Staff, Director of Student Conduct, Director of Title IX, ADA, and Compliance Training, and Residence Life professional staff.
•  Designees are: Assistant Director of Student Conduct, Director and Assistant Director of Public Safety, Chief Equity and Diversity Officer, and Public Safety Tour Commanders.

3. While serving an Interim Suspension, the student may not be present anywhere on College property or participate in any College sponsored events or activities (athletic events, clinical rotations, internships or co-ops, etc.) pending further evaluation of the circumstances that lead to the suspension. The student’s College identification card will be confiscated and held in the Dean of Students  office, pending the outcome of the Interim Suspension hearing. Upon notice of an Interim Suspension, the student must leave campus no later than the time listed on the Notice of Interim Suspension Form. Non-compliance may result in arrest for trespass and the student may be subject to the College’s disciplinary process.
4. A student placed on an Interim Suspension, who wishes to petition to return to campus, is required to make an appointment for an Interim Suspension hearing with the Dean of Students (or designee). The Dean of Students reserves the right to have another Ramapo College professional staff member present at the hearing in order to provide consultation. The Interim Suspended student may be accompanied by one advisor who may be an attorney. An Advisor may provide counsel to the student, but may not speak on their behalf nor appear in lieu of the student. A student who wishes to have an attorney as an advisor must inform the Dean of Students, in writing by  electronic mail (deanofstudents@ramapo.edu) or by telephone at the time they schedule an appointment for the Interim Suspension Hearing. When informed that an attorney will be present at the proceeding, the Dean of Students may consult with the College’s General Counsel/Vice President for advice on whether legal counsel for the College should also be present.

The College will make a reasonable effort to promptly schedule this hearing. Unless under unusual circumstances, the hearing will take place within 5 business days from when the student calls for the appointment. The Interim Suspension hearing, in most cases, takes place in-person.  The Dean of Students (or designee) may decide that a remote hearing is necessary, but this decision is at the direction of the Dean, not the student or advisor.  In most cases, remote hearings may take place if the student’s conduct is alleged to be dangerous or violent toward others.

The purpose of the Interim Suspension hearing is to determine the following:

• The reliability of the information concerning the student’s conduct, including the matter of the student’s identity;
• Whether or not the student’s conduct and surrounding circumstances reasonably indicate any or all of the following:
  • engages, or threatens to engage, in behavior(s) which pose a danger of causing harm to others;
  • exhibits behavior(s) that renders the student unable to effectively function in residence areas and/or the College;
  • exhibits disruptive behavior(s) that significantly interferes with the educational pursuits and/or living environments of others.

5. Depending on the circumstances, an Interim Suspension may lead to the issuance of an Involuntary Leave of Absence (ILOA) to those students who are determined by the Dean of Students (or designee), in consultation with the Health and Counseling Services staff, to require medical or psychological evaluation or intervention prior to returning to the College (see Involuntary Leave of Absence Policy).
6. If it is alleged that a Code of Conduct violation has occurred, the Office of Student Conduct will schedule a disciplinary proceeding at another time to adjudicate the charges against the student. Following the Interim Suspension hearing, the Dean of Students (or designee) shall notify the student, within three (3) business days, whether the Interim Suspension has been lifted, or will continue pending the outcome of a disciplinary proceeding. The student will receive written notice of the charges against them via a Notice of Disciplinary Proceeding issued by the Office of Student Conduct. The disciplinary proceeding will comply with the procedures outlined in the Code of Conduct.
7. If it is alleged that a Sexual Misconduct Policy violation has occurred, the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Compliance will proceed under the Sexual Misconduct Policy.  Following the Interim Suspension hearing, the Dean of Students (or designee) shall notify the student, within three (3) business days, whether the Interim Suspension has been lifted, or will continue pending the outcome of the Sexual Misconduct Policy proceeding. 
8. An Interim Suspension, in and of itself, does not become part of a student’s permanent disciplinary record.
9. The Dean of Students (or designee) reserves the right to place a registration hold on the account of a student who has been issued an Interim Suspension or ILOA and/or, limit or exclude a student from access to their college issued email account.
10. There will be no refund of tuition, room, or board charges after the published deadlines (refer to the Academic Calendar on the College website) if withdrawal from courses and/or campus residence is affected because of the Interim Suspension.

Faculty Responsibilities to Students on Interim Suspension

A student on Interim Suspension retains their status as a student and, as such, may attempt to complete coursework while restricted from College property, and from participating in any College-sponsored events or activities. The Dean of Students, who manages the interim suspension process, will inform the student that they may contact their faculty by Ramapo College e-mail or by other means that do not require a physical presence on campus. A faculty member who receives a request from a student interim suspension to submit coursework should consider the following: 

• Course policies
• Course schedule
• Course material
• Planned learning experiences

The faculty member is not required to amend the syllabus or any other aspect of the course in order to accommodate the student’s request and may deny the student’s request altogether. If, based on the criteria above, a faculty member chooses to accommodate the student’s request, they should communicate that decision to the student by Ramapo College e-mail. This communication should indicate the coursework to be completed, the deadline, and the means which the student should submit the coursework to be completed. In no case should the student be permitted to return to campus or off-site locations affiliated with the College to submit coursework while on Interim Suspension.

A student on Interim Suspension will likely be absent from one or more class sessions. The faculty member may follow the attendance policy as outlined in the course syllabus and apply the attendance policy consistently to all students. In cases when a student may be absent from class for a more prolonged period of time, the Dean of Students Office will notify the faculty member.