Reporting of disciplinary misconduct and the process leading up to possible disciplinary action, which can be either a suspension or a warning.

What is disciplinary misconduct?

Disciplinary action may be taken against students who are found guilty of disciplinary misconduct. This is regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance. There are four different types of disciplinary misconduct:

  1. Attempting to deceive the examiner in an examination or assessment of academic performance. For example, cheating, plagiarism or unauthorised cooperation.
  2. Disruption of teaching, exams, or other educational activities.
  3. Disruption of the activities of the University Library, or similar.
  4. Harassment or sexual harassment, as referred to in the Discrimination Act.

When a teacher or other employee has a reasonable suspicion of a student being guilty of disciplinary misconduct, they are obliged to report this to the Vice-Chancellor of Malmö University.

Reported for suspected disciplinary misconduct

If you have been reported for suspected disciplinary misconduct, you can continue your studies as usual until a decision on possible disciplinary action has been taken. When the report is filed, you will receive information by email, and given the opportunity to respond to the report. The decision will be communicated to you in writing.

Investigation

The processing time can be several months, as incoming cases are handled in chronological order by the University’s legal counsels and case officers. You as the reported person do not need to contact a case officer for the case to be investigated.

The report, together with attachments, will be sent to you in good time before a decision on the case is made. You can then respond to the report by submitting your statement on the matter. Your statement gives you the opportunity to express your view on what happened and comment on what is stated in the report.

Meeting and decisions

The chair of the Student Disciplinary Board may decide to

  • close the case without further action
  • issue a warning
  • refer the case to the Student Disciplinary Board for review.

If the chair refers the case to the board for review, the final decision is taken at the Student Disciplinary Board’s meeting.

You will receive an invitation to attend the Student Disciplinary Board’s meeting where the decision on your case is to be made. You will have the opportunity to express your view on the suspected misconduct you have been reported for. The invitation to the meeting will be sent to you via email, stating where and when the meeting will take place.

The Disciplinary Board includes:

  • the Vice-Chancellor or Deputy Vice-Chancellor
  • a specially appointed deputy
  • a teacher representative
  • student representatives

University’s legal counsel and administrator are also present at the Student Disciplinary Board meeting.

Usually, several cases are handled in one meeting, and each case is discussed for about 15 minutes. The meeting lasts about two hours, and you cannot be given an exact time when your case will be discussed.

The decision is usually announced orally at the meeting. You will then receive the decision, appeal reference and information in writing via email.

Suspension

If the Student Disciplinary Board finds you have committed disciplinary misconduct, the disciplinary action that follows can be a suspension of at least three weeks and a maximum of six months. The duration of the suspension is stated in the decision. Suspension takes place during term time and not during the summer break.

The decision on suspension will be sent to the following instances: you, the reporting teacher, administrative staff at the faculty, CSN, Ladok, registrator, head of IT, head of security and, where applicable, the educational support unit. The suspension may affect your right to receive study funding from CSN.

The suspension usually starts the monday after the decision is made. During the suspension, you cannot:

  • attend teaching or examinations
  • access learning platforms
  • attend supervision
  • attend other activities within the framework of the programme at the University.

However, independent studies may be conducted in the University's public premises without help and support from teachers. You also have access to the Student Health Services.

Right to attend teaching

Suspension is only valid for the period specified in the decision. You therefore have the right to fully attend teaching and examination/re-examination until the Student Disciplinary Board has made its decision. The same applies after the end of the suspension period.

Examination

The examiner has the right to postpone marking the exam/assessment component in which you are suspected of having committed disciplinary misconduct, until the Student Disciplinary Board has made its decision. However, during this period, you are entitled to attend a re-examination, and have the re-examination marked, on the course in question, until a decision is made. If you are cleared of suspicion, the exam that the report of suspected misconduct concerns can be marked.