Student Handbook Review

Comparison of Current –vs- Proposed

July 2007

Issue: The current handbook is poorly organized; campus services/department information is combined with Student Code of Conduct

Solution: These sections will be separated into Campus Services and Student Code of Conduct. This will create a more user-friendly handbook.

Issue: The current handbook does not accurately reflect how violations of the student code of conduct are addressed. One glaring example is the discussion of a student judicial board resolving violations; currently, there is no student board adjudicating cases.

Solution: With the change in Campus Life and Student Affairs staff, there is an opportunity to review and revise the student conduct process. A new process is introduced in sections 6 – 13.

Issue: There are multiple individual policies governing one behavior (i.e. Disorderly conduct) and many important policies are not addressed (i.e. academic misconduct and online behaviors).

Solution: Policies have been written to address specific behaviors not included in the current version and multiple, sometimes conflicting, policies have been revised into one “umbrella” policy with specific behaviors addressed. Example: Disorderly Conduct (policy 4.06, p. 5) incorporates the previous policies of “indecent behavior”, “assembly”, and “skateboards”.

Issue: The current handbook only minimally addresses the student conduct process and does not provide academic and social expectations for student behavior, nor does it offer the philosophical base for the student code.

Solution: Sections 1 – 3 and 6-13 spell out the philosophical base and the community expectations for the student code. Sections 6-13 address the conduct process, including appeals, timelines, formal hearing procedures, and sanctions.

Issue: No mention of the Clery Act is made in the current handbook. This is an important federal law that students need to know.

Solution: Section 15 spells out the basics of the Clery Act and provides a weblink for students to read LSSU statistics.

Issue: Additional information on specific policies and sanctions is not provided in the current handbook (i.e. sanctions for non-compliance, psychological disorders and student behavior, involuntary withdrawal policy).

Solution: Policy statements are written to provide additional information on alcohol, sexual assault, sexual harassment, online behavior, etc.

Issue: The current handbook does not identify what staff or office is responsible for administering the student code.

Solution: The revised handbook identifies the Vice President for Student Affairs as the chief judicial officer and lists other judicial officers and their areas of jurisdiction in section 7.

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