Hawaii · Private University
Hawaii Pacific University Student Conduct & Academic Misconduct Defense
Facing a Office of Student Conduct (Dean of Students) proceeding? AdvocatED advisors know HPU's specific process, not generic advice, but guidance built around how your institution actually works.
⏱ Hawaii Pacific gives you only five business days to appeal a conduct decision, and for nursing students a program dismissal is decided by the Dean and can carry criminal-history and licensure consequences. Unauthorized AI use is a named violation. Contact us as soon as you're notified.
If you just received notice
What to do right now at HPU
- 1Note the exact date on your notice letter and calendar every deadline it lists. HPU's response and appeal windows are short, and missing one forecloses your options.
- 2Do not respond substantively yet. Before you reply to the Office of Student Conduct (Dean of Students), read Code of Student Conduct / Academic Integrity Policy so you know the specific procedure that applies to your case.
- 3Preserve everything related to the allegation: emails, drafts, timestamps, citations, and messages with classmates. This evidence often decides the case.
- 4Confirm your right to an advisor. Most schools, including Hawaii Pacific University, allow you to bring an advisor to a Office of Student Conduct (Dean of Students) proceeding. AdvocatED can serve in that role.
- 5Contact AdvocatED for a free case review before your HPU meeting. We will explain how the Office of Student Conduct (Dean of Students) approaches cases like yours and what response gives you the strongest position.
Hawaii Pacific University's Academic Integrity & Conduct Process
Hawaii Pacific handles conduct through the Office of Student Conduct under the Dean of Students, with authority delegated from the President to the Provost. A case manager investigates, and serious cases (eviction, suspension, or expulsion) go to a three-member Student Conduct Hearing Board under the preponderance standard. Academic integrity is a separate track handled by the instructor, the academic dean, and an Academic Conduct Review Board. The Provost makes the final call on suspension or expulsion.
This specific institutional knowledge is what separates AdvocatED from generic advisors. We provide guidance tailored to how HPU's actual process works, not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Key Things to Know About HPU's Office of Student Conduct (Dean of Students)
- →Conduct is administered by the Office of Student Conduct under the Dean of Students, with authority delegated from the President to the Provost
- →A case manager investigates; serious cases (eviction, suspension, or expulsion) go to a three-member Student Conduct Hearing Board, and academic integrity to an Academic Conduct Review Board
- →Conduct and Title IX cases use the preponderance ('more likely than not') standard
- →Academic integrity expressly covers unauthorized generative-AI use; the instructor assigns an initial penalty, appealable to the academic dean and then the Provost within 10 working days
- →The Provost makes the final determination on suspension or expulsion
- →Conduct appeals are due within 5 business days on three grounds; the School of Nursing runs its own Dean-decided dismissal track with licensure implications
How AdvocatED Helps HPU Students
Academic Misconduct Defense
Code of Student Conduct / Academic Integrity Policy violations, plagiarism, cheating, AI use, collaboration issues
Learn more →Conduct Hearing Preparation
Coaching and preparation for presenting your case before Office of Student Conduct (Dean of Students)
Learn more →Academic Dismissal Appeals
Building a compelling appeal through HPU's appeals process
Learn more →Title IX Defense
Navigating Hawaii Pacific University's Title IX investigation and hearing procedures
Learn more →HPU Resources & Guides
Frequently Asked Questions: HPU Students
Who decides my case at Hawaii Pacific?
Conduct is administered by the Office of Student Conduct under the Dean of Students, with authority delegated from the President to the Provost. A case manager investigates and resolves most cases, but serious matters — where the outcome could be housing eviction, suspension, or expulsion — go to a three-member Student Conduct Hearing Board. Academic integrity is handled on a separate track involving the instructor, the academic dean, and the Academic Conduct Review Board. Identifying the right track and body is the first step.
What standard of proof does Hawaii Pacific use?
HPU's Code of Student Conduct and its Title IX (sex-discrimination) policy both use the preponderance-of-the-evidence standard — 'more likely than not.' The Academic Integrity Policy, by contrast, refers to acts 'substantiated by evidence' but does not publish a named proof standard, so for academic cases we hold the process to its written procedures rather than assuming a standard. Either way, the bar is well below criminal court's.
How does Hawaii Pacific handle academic integrity and AI?
The Academic Integrity Policy covers cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, and facilitating — and expressly names the unauthorized use of generative AI (such as ChatGPT) as a violation unless the instructor authorizes it. The instructor substantiates the incident and assigns an initial penalty, which can range up to a failing course grade and, in serious cases, referral toward suspension or expulsion. A first-time offender can appeal to the academic dean and then request a hearing through the Provost within 10 working days.
How do I appeal a conduct decision at Hawaii Pacific?
You appeal within five business days of the resolution letter, on one of three grounds: an unfair conference or significant procedural error that affected the findings, facts insufficient to support the findings, or new, previously unknown evidence that significantly impacts the findings. The Provost or a designee reviews the record — it is not a re-hearing — and the decision is final and binding. Note that informally resolved matters cannot be appealed, so how you resolve a case matters.
Who can suspend or expel me at Hawaii Pacific?
The Provost or a designee makes the final determination on suspension and expulsion. For hearing-board cases, the three-member Student Conduct Hearing Board issues a recommendation to the Provost, who approves it, and the case manager then issues the resolution letter. Because separation ultimately runs through the Provost, the hearing that produces the recommendation is the pivotal moment — and that is where a prepared defense has the most impact.
I'm a nursing student — how is my case different at Hawaii Pacific?
Substantially. HPU's School of Nursing has its own disciplinary track: it can dismiss a student from the nursing major at any time for failing to meet essential criteria or for unprofessional conduct in clinical courses, and the Dean makes the final dismissal decision. Background checks are required for clinical placement, and the program warns that nursing licensing boards may deny, suspend, or revoke a license based on criminal history. Because a finding can reach both your standing and your licensure, we defend on both fronts.
Related guides for HPU students
Topic-specific guides that cover the situations HPU students most commonly face.
Facing a HPU Conduct Issue?
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