Running head: PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE

Practicum Experience: The Office of Student Conduct at Georgia Southern University Carrie Cristancho

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Throughout my practicum experience, I have had the opportunity to observe and be a part of the Office of Student Conduct at Georgia Southern University. The Office of Student Conduct is the primary location where judicial affairs and behavior related cases are heard. Cases come to the Office of Student Conduct through housing reports, University Police Department reports, and, sometimes, Statesboro or Bulloch County Police Department reports. When the Office of Student Conduct is given a report that contains a violation of the Student Conduct Code, students are brought into the office and sent through the judicial process. Students are sent to different employees within the office depending on the nature of the violation. There are two coordinators for the Office of Student Conduct. These individuals primarily see drug, alcohol, theft, and other common violations. The Associate Dean of Students sees students regarding academic dishonesty, assault, and other more severe violations. The core to the Office of Student Conduct is the Student Conduct Code. This code serves as the primary standard that students are expected to uphold themselves to. There are multiple primary components to the Student Conduct Code. These components that are used most often by the Office of Student Conduct are violations, sanctions, and the rights a student has during the judicial process. The first component, violations, is the section of the code that outlines what a violation is. Some of the most common violations are alcohol possession and use, drugs, academic dishonesty, disorderly conduct, and joint responsibility. According to the Student Conduct Code, alcohol possession and use is the possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages by a persons under the age of 21...driving under the influence of alcohol...possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages in public locations on campus... (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 6). This policy is most commonly referred to the Office of Student Conduct from housing, but, occasionally, we see reports from off-campus police. A student is awarded three alcohol

PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE violations, known as strikes, with each violation offering a more severe sanction. The first violation involves parental notification, probation, and an educational course while the third violation carries a potential for suspension (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 29). A drug violation includes any use or possession of illegal drugs, prescription drugs that are not prescribed to the user, or possession of any drug paraphernalia (Georgia Southern University,

2013, p. 8). There are separate sanctions for different groups of a drug charge. The two groups of a drug charge are less than one ounce of marijuana and more than one ounce of marijuana or any other drugs (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 30). Drug charges are sent to the Office of Student Conduct through housing and police reports almost equally, in my experience. Academic Dishonesty is a charge that includes cheating or plagiarism in a class (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 6). These charges are brought to the attention of the Office of Student Conduct by faculty or staff, such as a graduate assistant or teaching assistant. Disorderly Conduct is a charge that includes any obscene or indecent behavior, noise violations, and any other violation that disrupts the operations of the institution (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 7). In my experience, examples of this have included loud music or intentionally setting off a fire alarm. The last, and most common, violation is Joint Responsibility. Joint Responsibility is assigned to students when they are aware of a violation and fail to notify authorities (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 9). In my experience, this is most commonly paired with alcohol violations. Many times, students will be aware of alcohol in their room and not tell their roommates that alcohol is prohibited in housing. When a room gets searched and alcohol is found, those students who were aware of the alcohol will be charged with joint responsibility, even if they never consumed any of it. Other less common violations include Sexual Misconduct, Assault, Illegal Downloading, and Theft.

PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE The second major component of the Student Conduct Code is the sanctions, or penalties, that are assigned to violations. One of the most common sanctions is a fine or a fee. Fines and fees vary in amount depending on the violation. A first strike alcohol violation carries a $100

fine (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 29) while a first violation of the drug policy carries a $150 fine (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 30). Fees are required to cover the cost of educational programs and usually are under $50 (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 29). Educational sanctions include classes or papers that students must complete in order to be in compliance with their probation.Classes are usually assigned to drug, alcohol, and theft sanctions (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 29) and papers or community service may be assigned to any charge if the conduct board deems it necessary (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 17). Another common sanction is disciplinary probation. If a student is found responsible for his or her charge, disciplinary probation is almost always assigned as a sanction. Disciplinary probation is generally assigned for three to six months, depending on the violation. Being on disciplinary probation means that a student cannot violate the Student Conduct Code while on probation without risking suspension from the university (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p.16). One last common sanction is termination of a students housing contract. In my experience, students come to a board because they do not want to be removed from housing. This sanction is issued most commonly to students who have violated the drug policy and live in housing. This sanction mandates a permanent separation of the student from the residence halls (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 17). Other, less common sanctions include expulsion and deferred suspension. The last major aspect of the Student Conduct Code as it relates to the Office of Student Conduct is the judicial process. The first step of the process is for the Office of Student Conduct

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to receive a report from housing, University Police, Bulloch County Police, or Statesboro Police. Once a report is received, the Office of Student Conduct reviews it to see if there is a violation of the Student Conduct Code. If there is a violation of the code, the student who has committed the violation is given notice of the charges that are being brought against him or her and they are asked to schedule a meeting with a conduct coordinator (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 19). At this meeting, the student is given his or her rights throughout the process (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 19). The conduct coordinator will go over the situation with the student and decide whether or not they believe the student is responsible for the charges he or she is assigned. If the student does not agree with the charges or sanctions, he or she has the opportunity to go to a hearing with a conduct officer or go to a hearing with a full judicial board. Once that decision is made, a hearing is scheduled. At the hearing, the student will have the opportunity to make a statement, call witnesses, and answer questions. This is either done in front of only the hearing officer and the conduct coordinator or in front of a full judicial board, consisting of five to seven individuals. These boards are comprised of faculty, staff, and students. Once the student has answered all questions and all witnesses have been seen, the hearing ends and the board has the chance to deliberate based on the evidence given to them. After deliberation, the board decided on whether or not the student is responsible for the charge and, if so, what the sanctions are. The student is notified of the decision and then has the chance to appeal if he or she chooses (Georgia Southern University, 2013, p. 14). Violations, sanctions, and hearing procedures are not the only aspects of the Student Conduct Code, but they are the most commonly used aspects within the Office of Student Conduct. Throughout my practicum, I have learned a lot of valuable information about how an institution uses the judicial process to uphold the rules of the institution. While students may

PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE think the Office of Student Conduct is only in place to get students in trouble, I have found it is

the opposite. Many students who go through the conduct process learn from their mistakes. They understand that, though they are on their own, they are not allowed to do whatever they want and that, if rules are broken, there are repercussions. The Office of Student Conduct educates students on how to be an active and contributing member of society, and I have truly enjoyed my experience as a practicum student in the Office of Student Conduct.

PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE References Georgia Southern University. (2013). Student conduct code: Division of student affairs and enrollment management. Georgia Southern University. Retrieved from http://deanofstudents.georgiasouthern.edu/conduct/student-code-of-conduct/