SJA: Working with UC Davis Faculty and Students to Preserve Academic Integrity and Prevent Cheating

What faculty need to know about Student Judicial Affairs

The office of Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) supports the University’s educational mission by administering the student discipline system. Each year, SJA receives and resolves several hundred reports of suspected academic misconduct and other violations of University policy. SJA is a relatively small department within Student Affairs, comprised of a Director, four Student Judicial Affair Officers (professional staff who meet with students in the informal resolution process), and one administrative assistant. Staff page

Student Judicial Affairs is charged with the following responsibilities:

  1. Student Disciplinary System: SJA administers the student disciplinary system to ensure just and timely resolution of cases of suspected student misconduct; maintains centralized and confidential student disciplinary records; promotes ethical development of students involved in the discipline process; and upholds University standards of excellence. SJA helps faculty to enforce the Code of Academic Conduct.
  2. Outreach/Consultation: SJA publishes behavioral standards for students, provides consultation regarding student discipline and grievance processes, and develops and distributes educational and informational programs and materials to promote campus awareness and discussion, to prevent student misconduct, and to encourage integrity and ethical behavior.
  3. Crisis Management: SJA and other members of the Student Crisis Response Team work together to carry out a coordinated response to high-risk or disruptive students. SJA provides advice and support for faculty who encounter troublesome or disturbing students or classroom incidents, and responds to related reports of suspected student misconduct.
  4. Student Grievances: SJA and other members of the Student Crisis Response Team work together to carry out a coordinated response to high-risk or disruptive students. SJA provides advice and support for faculty who encounter troublesome or disturbing students or classroom incidents, and responds to related reports of suspected student misconduct.
  5. Policy Review and Development: SJA drafts, reviews, and interprets campus policies pertaining to student responsibilities and rights.

A word about our philosophy...

We believe that University students learn from experience as well as from coursework, and have the capacity not only for intellectual growth, but also for developing character and personal integrity. SJA works to foster and support such growth and development consistent with the campus’s educational purposes. One of the goals of the campus disciplinary process is to help students learn from their mistakes. This requires that we balance the need to hold students accountable for their behavior and actions with the desire to give students the opportunity to change and move beyond a bad decision in a positive direction.

How can SJA help faculty?

Faculty who suspect cheating or some other misconduct should report the incident to SJA. SJA will take the lead in getting the matter resolved and imposing any discipline that is necessary. In the vast majority of cases, the student admits the violation and the case is resolved informally by an agreement between the student, Student Judicial Affairs, and the reporting faculty.

SJA can also help if a student is disruptive or engages in troubling or disturbing behavior. SJA can suggest a course of action and help to coordinate a campus response to situations where students engage in any conduct that threatens the health or safety of the campus community.

The Campus Judicial Board

An integral part of Student Judicial Affairs is a group called the Campus Judicial Board or CJB. Members of the CJB serve on disciplinary hearing panels in cases that cannot be resolved informally. The Campus Judicial Board is comprised of faculty and students who are appointed to service by the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. In addition to serving on hearing panels, the student members of the Campus Judicial Board actively promote integrity and ethics among the student community and also promote efforts to prevent academic misconduct on campus. If you are interested in having a student CJB member or an SJA staff member come to your class to do a brief presentation on academic integrity or a related topic, call Student Judicial Affairs at the number listed below.

Publications/Handouts

SJA has many publications available. Some of these are directed toward students while others address the questions and concerns of faculty members. These can be accessed online in PDF format here. A partial list of titles includes:


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