Choose Your Own Pathway: How Letting Students Choose their Sanctions Revolutionized the Student Conduct Process

Abstract

The students at Southern Methodist University (SMU) did not have a favorable view of the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards. To change this connotation, the staff members developed a new innovative sanctioning model to allow students to select their educational sanctions. The model is inspired by restorative justice and is in line with student development theory. After the first year of implementation, the office saw an immediate change in perception. Students feeling respected and listened to in the process increased by 24% and 20%, respectively. The model worked so well that a colleague implemented it at another university and experienced similar positive results. This article details the impact and shows how other student conduct offices can revolutionize their process and serve students in an impactful way.