Section 600: Student Affairs

Effective: March 1, 2019
Reviewed Date: March 2024
Revised Date: March 2024
Review Date: March 2026
Responsible Party: Vice Chancellor of Student Success

Introduction and Purpose:

The Montana Board of Regents of Policy (Policy 301 of Policies and Procedures Manual), provides the following:

Any campus may deny or condition admission, readmission, or continuing enrollment of any individual who, in the judgment of the campus, presents an unreasonable risk to the safety and welfare of the campus and persons thereon. In making such judgment, the campus may, among other things, take into account the individual's history and experience relative (a) to violence and destructive tendencies, (b) to behavior at other educational institutions, and (c) to any rehabilitative therapy the individual may have undergone. A decision to utilize the authority conferred by this paragraph shall be communicated to the individual in writing. Each campus shall have a procedure by which such decisions may be appealed.

Persons applying for admission to Montana State University-Northern or returning to the university following a break in attendance are required to disclose whether they have been convicted of a felony crime, have been institutionalized for threatening or causing injury to persons or property, and/or have been dismissed and/or suspended from a college for disciplinary reasons. An affirmative response to one or more of these questions generates a requirement for further review.

Policy:

The Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) will review the safety questionnaires and applications of students who disclose that they been convicted of a felony crime, have been institutionalized for threatening or causing injury to persons or property, and/or have been dismissed and/or suspended from an educational institution for disciplinary reasons. The BIT reserves the right to review the status of students who are convicted of a felony crime or are institutionalized for threatening or causing injury to persons or property after admission. Students who knowingly or negligently provide false information regarding criminal or other disciplinary information or institutionalization in their original application may be denied admission, asked to provide additional information, or to appear before the BIT.

The BIT will review and confirm the information provided by the Applicant, and may conduct a personal interview with the Applicant. Upon completion of the review the BIT will make a decision regarding admission and what restrictions or conditions, if any, should be imposed on the Applicant.

In the event that an Applicant is residing in a correctional institution (including, but not limited to, prisons and the Treasure State Correctional Training Center), Department of Corrections associated treatment center (including, but not limited to, WATCh, NEXUS and START), or adult pre-release center at the time of application, the BIT will automatically deny admission until the Applicant has completed the designated time in the correctional/treatment institution or pre-release center. The Applicant will be asked to reapply for a future term, once time in the correctional/treatment institution or pre-release center has been completed. However, the BIT shall have the discretion to accept the Applicant when such Applicant makes a showing of extenuating circumstances supporting admission.