Two changes to the University of Idaho Student Code of Conduct will likely go into effect next semester after being passed by the faculty senate earlier this week.The addition of an amnesty policy — which protects students from punishment for illegal activity in the event of a medical emergency — and an extension to the jurisdiction of the Dean of Students Office to off-campus activity are the first changes to be voted on by the senate. The changes are the first to be made after the original proposal by the Dean of Students office was presented in September.
Faculty Senate Chair Patricia Hartzell said the senate decided it would be more effective to amend the current code of conduct based on components of the Dean of Students’ proposal, rather than try to rewrite the entire code.
Although the two changes passed in the faculty senate, they are not yet in effect as part of the student code. They must first be passed at a Dec. 10 all-faculty meeting with a quorum present, and then approved by the UI president. Hartzell said if the changes are passed on all accounts they would go into effect Jan. 1.
The amnesty policy was one of the Dean of Students’ most prominent concerns, said Craig Chatriand, associate dean of students. He said it’s important for student to feel comfortable calling for help rather than fearing potential penalties from the university.
“We passed the amnesty policy — we actually modified it quite a bit from the way that the Dean of Students Office originally proposed it — we took out many of the penalties,” Hartzell said. “We thought for it to be a real amnesty policy there should be no restrictions. The goal was to encourage students to help other students if they’re in need of medical attention or in an emergency situation.”
The second change will extend the ability of the dean of students to intervene in off-campus situations that could affect the campus, Chatriand said.
“I think it’s going to be important for students to know that if they’re having challenges with other students off campus that impact our campus they can bring that stuff to us and we can help them work through that, so that’s something I want students to know about the jurisdiction piece as well.”
ASUI president Max Cowan said although he was surprised the changes passed so quickly in the faculty senate, he does not feel the decision was made in haste. He said he was pleased with the degree of input students had in the process.
“In all honesty if you were to ask on the face of it ‘Do you want the University of Idaho to be able to punish you for things that you do off campus?’ the answer is no,” Cowan said. “The majority of students do not support that. But the reality is that if you take the time to review it, I think a majority of students would understand the necessity of this and be in favor of it.”
Hannah Davis, former ASUI president, currently sits on the faculty senate. She and fellow student representative Connor Kennelly both voted yes to the changes, which she said they felt had been properly reviewed and were in the best interest of the students.
Cowan said it is a legitimate goal of the university to address behavior that negatively affects the campus. He said the goal is not to punish students.
“This change doesn’t mean that Bruce Pitman, Dean of Students, is going to get on his cop costume and go running around the university apartments,” Cowan said. “That’s not what this is about. This is about addressing legitimate concerns that the university community — and that includes students — has about how we affect our own community.”
Cowan said he thinks most students would agree the student code of conduct and the provisions that are prohibited by the code are in the best interest of students.
“And specifically on the point of MIPs and MICs … the university is not worried about every case,” Cowan said. “The university does not have the resources to address every case of underage drinking even if they wanted to. The university is concerned about those cases that are really problematic. We want a really safe, healthy community and part of that is being able to intervene when students are putting themselves at risk.”
The changes did not require a vote of the students because they affect the Student Code of Conduct, which is a part of the faculty staff handbook and not in the student statement of rights, which Hartzell said does require a two-thirds vote of the students to amend.
Hartzell said the senate and Dean of Students are not done amending and updating the student code of conduct, which was originally written in 1969.
She said the next issues the senate, the university judicial counsel, ASUI and the Dean of Students will address are in regard to the judicial process — which they hope to make more administrative than legal based — and the appeals process.
Chatriand said until the changes officially go into effect, he wants students to know how important it is to call for help in an emergency. He said student safety has been the primary concern of the Dean of Students Office throughout the process of updating the code.
“I want students to know in an emergency to call for help,” Chatriand said. “They won’t go through the Student Code of Conduct. We’re going to reach out to them in a helping capacity. Don’t not call because you’re afraid of what’s going to happen with the university.”
Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at [email protected]