Student Conduct Practice: The Complete Guide for Student Affairs Professionals

Twenty-five expert practitioners and faculty present a compendium of current best practices in the administration of student conduct, a summary of present thinking on key issues facing practitioners today, and an overview of the role and status of conduct administrators within their institutions. The editors describe the profession's continuing quest to find its 'voice' and clarify its critical contribution to student affairs practice, as it seeks to steer a path between legal process and creating a safe environment where students are encouraged to engage in dialogue about and wrestle with the dilemmas that challenge their lives and threaten their success in college. Part One covers the structural considerations of student conduct administration. Chapters present the history and professional philosophy of conduct administration, review the ideal qualifications and personal characteristics for successful conduct administration practice and address the environment and governance framework in which administrators function. Edward Stoner II discusses his Model Student Code of Conduct and offers suggestions on using it to assess institutional practice. This section further reviews applicable law, policies and government mandates and presents guidance on the use of the range of available resolution forums. It culminates with a closer look at ethics and the decision-making process, student development theory, and the critical dimensions of diversity with respect to issues of social justice. Part Two examines contemporary issues affecting student conduct administration. These include incivility, first amendment concerns, mental health and student well being, diversity and its challenge to traditional notions of 'typical' student needs, student organizational conduct, technology and information management and academic misconduct. The book concludes with a review of the present state of student conduct administration and expert views about its future direction, including the need for more research, better assessment of outcomes, and a continued emphasis upon the practice of student conduct administration as a dedicated profession. This is an essential companion for both new and established practitioners. This book is published on the twentieth anniversary of the founding of ASJA and coincides with the tenth anniversary of the publication of the earlier handbook, The Administration of Campus Discipline. Student Conduct Practice constitutes the handbook for the next decade.