The Student Handbook is maintained by the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices, a department in the Division of Student Affairs. 

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The JMU Student Handbook is split up according to sections through the navigation tabs on the left under the header "JMU STUDENT HANDBOOK". To navigate this site, use the menu tabs on the left to view a particular section of the JMU Student Handbook.

Student Handbook Updates

Email to Campus Community Sent on January 17, 2023:

The Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices (OSARP) has published an updated version of the 2022-2023 JMU Student Accountability Process and Standards of Conduct Handbook (Handbook). The updates made were revisions to policies and procedures to enhance clarity. The Handbook is available exclusively at www.jmu.edu/handbook.

These revisions incorporated into the Handbook were vetted and approved by the Vice President for Student Affairs, as required by the section in the Handbook titled "Changes and Amendments."

It is the responsibility of every student to know and follow the policies outlined in the JMU Student Handbook along with federal, state, and local laws. The Handbook outlines the Accountability Process, Sexual Misconduct Accountability Process, and Title IX Sexual Harassment Adjudication Process – the processes used to resolve allegations of student misconduct, as well as the rights of a student in the Accountability Process, Sexual Misconduct Accountability Process, and Title IX Sexual Harassment Adjudication Process.

In addition to knowing and following the policies outlined in the Handbook, students are expected to actively monitor their @dukes.jmu.edu email account. This is JMU’s official means of communication with students as outlined in JMU Policy 1209: Electronic Messaging. As such, OSARP will send notification of alleged policy violations and other important information directly to official JMU email addresses.

To review the Handbook, visit www.jmu.edu/handbook and use the navigation tabs to the left of the page. If you have questions about any of the policies or procedures listed in the Handbook, please contact OSARP at 540-568-6218 or at osarp@jmu.edu.

Email to Campus Community Sent on September 15, 2022:

The Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices (OSARP) has updated the 2022-2023 JMU Student Accountability Process and Standards of Conduct Handbook (Handbook). The Handbook is available exclusively at www.jmu.edu/handbook.

Some of the updates made for the 2022-2023 Handbook include:

• Clarifying the definition of “crimes of violence” based on legal definitions.

• Updating the timeline for both the Sexual Misconduct Accountability Process and Title IX Sexual Harassment Adjudication Process to provide four days from initial notification by OSARP for a Party to submit their respective witnesses and Support Person/Advisor of Choice in order for those individuals’ schedules to be reasonably considered in scheduling the case review.

• Updating the “Records and Transcript Notations” section of the Handbook to align with the updated University Policy 1324.

The above updates incorporated into the Handbook were vetted and approved by the Vice President for Student Affairs, as required by the section in the Handbook titled "Changes and Amendments."

It is the responsibility of every student to know and follow the policies outlined in the JMU Student Handbook along with federal, state, and local laws. The Handbook outlines the Accountability Process, Sexual Misconduct Accountability Process, and Title IX Sexual Harassment Adjudication Process – the processes used to resolve allegations of student misconduct, as well as the rights of a student in the Accountability Process, Sexual Misconduct Accountability Process, and Title IX Sexual Harassment Adjudication Process.

In addition to knowing and following the policies outlined in the Handbook, students are expected to actively monitor their @dukes.jmu.edu email account. This is JMU’s official means of communication with students as outlined in JMU Policy 1209: Electronic Messaging. As such, OSARP will send notification of alleged policy violations and other important information directly to official JMU email addresses.

To review the Handbook, visit www.jmu.edu/handbook and use the navigation tabs to the left of the page. If you have questions about any of the policies or procedures listed in the Handbook, please contact OSARP at 540-568-6218 or at osarp@jmu.edu.

Email to Campus Community Sent on August 19, 2022:

The Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices (OSARP) has published the 2022-2023 JMU Student Accountability Process and Standards of Conduct Handbook (Handbook). The Handbook is available exclusively at www.jmu.edu/handbook.

Some of the revisions made for the 2022-2023 Handbook include:

• OSARP added information regarding disciplinary immunity for cases based on hazing or personal consumption of drugs or alcohol where a disclosure is made by a bystander not involved in such acts and made in conjunction with a good faith report of an act of hazing in advance of or during an incident of hazing that causes injury or is likely to cause injury to a person. It further outlines OSARP process for handling these types of cases, which would be similar to OSARP’s Enlightened Citizen Amnesty Process (ECAP), for students who get medical attention for another in need where alcohol or drugs were involved. This addition as made as a requirement from Virginia Code Section 23.1-821.

• OSARP added language to the Handbook, which was already being used in notification emails, regarding the process of requesting disability accommodations. The added language conveys OSARP’s commitment to providing programs that are equally inclusive and accessible to all students.

The above revisions and other procedural changes incorporated into the Handbook were sent to the Accountability Control Board for feedback and then vetted and approved by the Vice President for Student Affairs, as required by the section in the Handbook titled "Changes and Amendments."

It is the responsibility of every student to know and follow the policies outlined in the JMU Student Handbook along with federal, state, and local laws. The Handbook outlines the Accountability Process, Sexual Misconduct Accountability Process, and Title IX Sexual Harassment Adjudication Process – the processes used to resolve allegations of student misconduct, as well as the rights of a student in the Accountability Process, Sexual Misconduct Accountability Process, and Title IX Sexual Harassment Adjudication Process.

In addition to knowing and following the policies outlined in the Handbook, students are expected to actively monitor their @dukes.jmu.edu email account. This is JMU’s official means of communication with students as outlined in JMU Policy 1209: Electronic Messaging. As such, OSARP will send notification of alleged policy violations and other important information directly to official JMU email addresses.

To review the Handbook, visit www.jmu.edu/handbook and use the navigation tabs to the left of the page. If you have questions about any of the policies or procedures listed in the Handbook, please contact OSARP at 540-568-6218 or at osarp@jmu.edu.

If other approved updates occur throughout the academic year, you will be notified of those changes via email.  In order to stay informed, please be on the lookout for any of these updates.