Over the past years, students who have gotten themselves in sticky situations were sent to Judicial Affairs, but this semester the office is taking a new approach, not to mention a new name.
The Office of Student Conduct at Binghamton University, formerly known as Judicial Affairs, has taken on a revised, student-friendly outlook on discipline.
The purpose of the office, located in the Tuscarora Office Building, is to enforce the rules of student behavior and educate students about the process.
“We are framing our policies differently and hopefully that will get students to rethink the choices they make,” said Gabriel Reif, assistant director for the Office of Student Conduct.
The first change comes in the form of a streamlined 2009-10 Student Code of Conduct, which contains less legal jargon and simpler language, all designed to speed up a student’s understanding of the material.
The new list of rules, down to a page and a half from last year’s 17, focuses more on general behaviors rather than individual misdemeanors.
Most prohibited behaviors of BU students are covered under these general rules, so there is no need to have a handbook that lists every single forbidden activity, Reif said.
Milton Chester, director for the Office of Student Conduct, decided several years ago to do a comprehensive overhaul of the system.
“Hopefully they [students] will have a better experience going through the process,” Chester, who has been at the office for nine years, said about the new state of affairs at the office.
Pre-hearing educators are also available to help students understand the processes they may go through when they have been referred to the office.
According to Chester, the office is implementing several programs to promote this new outlook.
A Student Conduct Outreach Team can be found around campus educating students about the revamped system by handing out pamphlets door-to-door in the dorms and answering students’ questions.
Pamphlets explaining the new code are available in the office, and a comic brochure is also available in order to easily explain the purpose of the office.
To read about the new policies, visit studentconduct.binghamton.edu. The office also plans on releasing youtube.com videos by November.
The office has an open door policy and the directors are always interested in feedback from students on how to improve the system, according to Chester.