A DUI may violate Penn State’s code of conduct

Like most of your classmates, you probably looked forward to attending Pennsylvania State University for years. Now that you are a full-time student on campus, you likely want to participate in social activities. Many of these activities, though, may expose you to alcohol. If you drive with a blood alcohol concentration above Pennsylvania’s legal limit, you face a DUI arrest. 

Penn State officials openly concede that alcohol-related misconduct is a problem for some students both on and off campus. University leaders further note that consuming alcohol may encourage students to commit crimes. Regardless, drinking and driving likely violates Penn State’s code of conduct. If you receive a DUI citation, you may face one of the following four academic consequences:

  1. Conduct suspension 

Bad behavior may result in your suspension from the university. If officials suspend you, you cannot attend classes, live on campus, register for courses or otherwise participate in collegiate life until the suspension ends.

  1. Indefinite expulsion 

More serious than conduct suspension, indefinite expulsion results in your removal from campus activities for at least a full calendar year. You also have to re-enroll to return. Before doing so, though, you must obtain approval from the student affairs vice president.

  1. Expulsion 

For extreme conduct, university officials may permanently expel you from Penn State. If this happens, you are forever ineligible to enroll in courses or participate in campus functions. Unfortunately, if administrators dismiss you, your transcript has a permanent notification of such.

  1. Conduct withdrawal 

If you face criminal charges, you can request to withdraw enrollment before university leaders take disciplinary action. You cannot re-enroll until you have gone through the conduct process, however. Your university transcript also reflects the withdrawal.

Unmistakably, a DUI conviction may lead to serious academic and other penalties. As such, if you are facing drunk driving charges, you must understand both your legal rights and all available options.