A student has been charged with sexual misconduct, underage alcohol consumption and a drug-use related charge by the University Conduct Board.

The student, an alleged suspect in a sexual assault investigation for a crime occurring in the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house, appeared in a board hearing last week, said Kim Greenway, director of student conduct.

The alleged crime took place Saturday, Jan. 18 and the victim reported the incident to UNA police Monday, Jan. 20, according to earlier reports in The Flor-Ala.

“The student has three business days (to make an appeal) after they are notified in writing of a sanction or an outcome of a hearing,” Greenway said. “In this case, since the hearing was last week, the deadline would be sometime this week depending on when those business days fall.”

The student was charged with committing high-level sexual misconduct. If not appealed, the consequence for the crime is suspension, Greenway said.

“A student who is found in a high level of sexual misconduct would always be removed from the institution for a period of time,” she said. “That can be a minimum of a year or that can be complete expulsion, never to return to UNA.”

Greenway could not confirm the student’s specific sentence at press time.

“The student is currently in the appeal period,” she said in an interview on Monday, March 17. “We might can comment on that later and it depends on what we’re also working on with the National Center for Higher Education to determine what we should and shouldn’t release. I’d rather not comment on that right now.”

If the student is suspended, they will be trespassed from campus property as well as anyany university events. UNA Police Chief Bob Pastula also has the right to release the student’s name if he decides the student is threat to the campus community, Greenway said.

Pastula will not be releasing the student’s name, since the individual does not present an immediate danger to the campus community, he said.

The level of the sexual misconduct pertains to the severity of the crime, Greenway said.

“High levels are those that involve force or incapacitation,” she said. “If you’re incapacitated enough that you lack understanding about those elements then you’re incapacitated. It doesn’t mean that any person who is drunk or on medication is incapacitated but if they are at the level that they cannot understand the who, what, when, where, then they are incapacitated.”

The victim also reported the incident to Florence Police Department. The student suspected in the crime has not been arrested, said Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly at press time.

“What we typically do when we have made a decision to not make a arrest, we typically invite the suspect to speak to the grand jury,” Connolly said. “The suspect is able to present their side to grand jury. If the grand jury makes an indictment then we go out and arrest them.”

Connolly believes this process is fair because it gives the suspect an opportunity to plead their case before the grand jury.

Overall, the civil investigation process is slower than the university’s, he said.

“We have a criminal process and endeavor to cooperate with UNA when something is being investigated,” he said. “They are under some federal mandates to process those cases in a more expedient manner than us.”

Although Connolly could not comment on the case, he did indicate that the student could be arrested if the case goes before a grand jury and the student is found guilty.