WWU Staff, Faculty and Students Collaborate on New Revisions to Student Code of Conduct

Revisions to Western’s student conduct code were recently put in place based on recommendations made by a committee of students, staff and faculty.

The code outlines prohibited student behavior and the process by which the university addresses alleged student misconduct, and is intended to hold students accountable in an educational manner. The committee met weekly in winter and spring quarter 2016 to review the former code and propose changes, then two feedback sessions for students were held in early May to gather thoughts about the proposed changes. Further internal review occurred to insure full compliance with applicable state and federal laws occurred in fall 2016.

Revisions include updates to the alcohol, drug and weapons prohibitions; a new section on amnesty clarifying the current practice of encouraging students to seek assistance without fear of punishment; new clarifying sections on stalking, dating and domestic violence; and updates to harassment and sexual misconduct prohibitions. Students are being emailed during the first week of spring quarter to inform them of the current code, which can be found as a link at the bottom of this page: https://wp.wwu.edu/officeofstudentlife/for-students/ or as a downloadable PDF at https://wp.wwu.edu/officeofstudentlife/files/2016/09/Student-Conduct-Code-2017-1c7w7jp.pdf

"Many people can and will go through their career at Western without even noticing or having to work with the Student Rights and Responsibilities Code. However, in serving on the Code Review Committee, it became abundantly clear to me how important it was to the people the code directly affected,” said Western student Glen Eggers. “Because the code is not just a penal code, it should be designed and catered to the needs of the community and reflect our values."

Caitlin Upshall, another Western student who served on the committee, agreed with Eggers.

"The process was extremely collaborative, with students, faculty, and staff contributing to the discussion. This committee combed through every detail, both large and small, in order to create a code which would was comprehensive and easily understood. We discussed, argued passionately for what we thought should be included, and worked to create something we would all be proud of. As a student, it was important to me that this process involved student voices, and I know I will consider joining this project as one of my best decisions during my college career," she said.

For more information about the revisions made to the student conduct code, contact WWU Assistant Dean of Students Michael Sledge in Western’s Office of Student Life at 650-2484 or Michael.sledge@wwu.edu.