Recently, a letter regarding the revision of the current student handbook was brought to my attention.  The letter alleges that the new handbook is being enforced though it has not yet been released, that new power has been granted to the administration, that there are new restrictions and limitations being “unduly” placed on students, and that there was no student input in the revision of this document.  As the primary author of the revision to the handbook, I would like to offer clarification both on the content and the process used for revision.

First, the draft of the handbook circulating the campus is just that - a draft.  In fact, it is the original first draft, submitted for review to a panel of students and staff members in July.  After that meeting was held, a number of changes were made; however, there are still some important additions to include.  Specifically, I have asked the Provost and academic deans to look at our statement on academic integrity and craft a policy and procedure for handling these types of issues.  For this reason, among others, the handbook has not been published as an official document and students are expected to behave under the guidelines of our existing student handbook and other departmental policies and procedures.  Judicial officers (those staff members enforcing policy and procedure on this campus) are not using the draft of the revised handbook to guide their decisions; Housing & Residential Life uses their handbook, “The Navigator”, to guide decisions and other departments use the existing student handbook and/or their own departmental policies.

Second, the allegation that no student input was sought in the revision to this handbook is false.  I personally asked a panel of students to review the handbook and offer their input, questions, and suggestions.  I then met with a number of those students, along with staff members responsible for administering policy and procedure, to discuss the handbook.  In addition, students who were unable to meet with the group offered their input via e-mail.  While not every suggestion was included in the next revision, many were; please know, however, that all suggestions were seriously considered.

Next, I would like to offer my background and credentials for this project, as well as explaining the process by which the revision happened.  Prior to my time at LSSU as the Director of Student Activities & Leadership Development, I served as the Assistant Dean of Students for Residence Life & Judicial Affairs at a small, private institution in Illinois.  One of my position responsibilities at that university was the creation and implementation of university policy and procedure.  Just as was done here, a panel of students, faculty, and staff were invited to offer their suggestions, concerns, and questions.  And, just as was done here, a great deal of research went into the crafting of the student handbook.  Specifically for the revision of the LSSU student handbook, I used the Model Judicial Code, a nationally-accepted standard in higher education, to begin the revision.  Next, I looked at the student handbooks of other Michigan state schools, such as Saginaw Valley, Grand Valley, Ferris, and Central Michigan.  Each of these institutions had similar policies and procedures.  In an effort to provide consistency, I modeled our code after those found at other state schools.  Finally, I took a close look at what we already have codified, as well as what we don’t, and worked to update our handbook to reflect current law, policy, and practice.

Regarding specific changes to the handbook, please see the information that accompanies this letter (Issues and Solutions) [available here ]. This is the exact document used to guide the discussion with students, faculty, and staff regarding the changes to the handbook.

Yes, there are new policies and procedures written into the revision of the handbook and yes, this revision does identify who on campus is responsible for administering the code of conduct.  In this day and age, however, colleges and universities must provide policies and procedures that are clear and consistent; at LSSU, we have not done a good job of doing so.  The revision to the handbook is not intended to restrict students, nor is meant to deny students of their rights.  It is intended to protect all members of our campus community, remind students of their rights and responsibilities, and clearly define the expectations of behavior on our campus.  Incidents such as those at Eastern Michigan University and Virginia Tech only serve to remind us that offering clear and consistent policies and procedures is a requirement for LSSU and its sister institutions.

I understand that change is often difficult to navigate and fear of the unknown runs rampant.  I also frequently hear that the administration does not consider student viewpoints.  I would argue that in this situation, the administration, specifically those of us in Student Affairs, made a good faith effort to involve students in our process and not only considered, but incorporated, student viewpoints into this document.  All of us are members of a community facing change; we have a number of new leaders on our campus and those leaders do reach out to students on a daily basis for their questions, concerns, suggestions, and feedback.  Those of us in Student Affairs have an open door for students and are here on campus not just during the work day, but at night and on weekends.  We eat with you, we educate you, and we work with you to make LSSU a good place to live and learn.

What concerns me most about the letter currently circulating is the overarching theme that the administration isn’t being “open and transparent” and that we are not interested in student feedback.  Arguably, it is the authors of the letter who are not being “open and transparent”, as they have chosen not to come forward and confront the issue head on and directly, nor have they signed their names, so a dialogue can be established.  Also, the authors of the letter did not obtain the draft of the handbook “in the spirit of openness and transparency”; they obtained it through back channels, rather than simply asking the appropriate people for the most recent revision.  Finally, the authors provide no evidence of how the new policies are allegedly being enforced or how student rights are being restricted.  These allegations are false and the way in which the concerns have been brought forward do nothing to unify our campus community, only divide it once again into an “us (students) versus them (administration)” mentality.

Please understand that policy and procedure development does not happen in a vacuum.  Nor are students the only ones impacted by these decisions.  When crafting a document like the student handbook, the University must look out for the good of the whole community, rather than the good of an individual student.  We also must look at society and current trends/events to determine what is “best practice” at an institution such as LSSU.  The revision of a student handbook is rarely, if ever, met with unanimous consent.  There will always be dissent over policy and procedure by a person or a group of persons.  Ultimately, the University and those of us charged with serving and protecting our campus community must look to several sources for defining “best practice”.  In revising the LSSU student handbook, the administration did just that.

If you have questions or concerns regarding specific issues related to the student handbook and/or its implementation, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or set up an appointment to talk with me face-to-face by calling Carol at 635-2236.  My door is open and I will listen to your concerns.  My hope is that you will come with an open mind, ready to listen to the answers offered.

Thank you,

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