Alumni
Alumni or soon-to-be graduates who are applying to law school, medical school or other graduate programs, or, who want to work for the government, will likely be asked to report their disciplinary history. If you have a form for us to complete as part of the application (often called a "Dean's Certification" form), send it to us at:
Office of Student Conduct
Attn: Sarah Lewis
Box 90893
Durham, NC 27708
You may also fax us the form at 919-681-7390.
Note that disciplinary records are kept on file only for eight years after the date of a student's matriculation (or, four years after graduation). Beginning in the fall of 2005, disciplinary records are kept permanently for any student who has been suspended or expelled.
We will respond to the questions asked on the form. If you need a generic letter describing your disciplinary history, send us a signed request with the address to where we should send it. If we no longer have any information on file for a student, we will send a letter stating that we are unable to confirm or deny that the student/alumnus has a record.
Our intent with these letters is not to prevent students/alumni from achieving whatever goals they may have. We will place any incidents noted on the disciplinary record in context and describe the university response. If students had an isolated incident during their time at Duke, with no further disciplinary actions, we will note that.
It is critically important that students/alumni be honest in sharing information about their disciplinary history, as universities/the government do follow up with us. Perhaps the worst thing you can do is minimize or even lie about an incident in which you were involved. Often, a student's forthrightness about an incident, and an explanation of what he/she has learned from the incident, can be a plus factor for a student.
This letter is sent with Dean's Certification forms. It details the Office of Student Conduct policy for reporting students' disciplinary histories.
Have questions? Feel free to contact us.