ELLIE OWEN, Staff Writer—

On August 20th, Denison’s new code of conduct went into effect. The code of conduct is reviewed every three years and is overseen by the Office of Community Values and Student Conduct.

Mary Kate Kennedy, the director of Community Values and Student Conduct, and Kimberly Marcus, the associate director, spent time speaking with student organizations last spring to learn how they could improve the code of conduct. Their main intention was to create a more transparent code where expectations were easier to understand. 

“Some of the main changes were based around clarity, there were a lot of words and a lot of redundancy in the one that came before this,” Marcus said.

The code of conduct was written throughout the summer by a committee of 22 faculty, staff and students who meet every week by zoom. They would re-read the code of conduct and look for places for improvement and then come together and discuss the code from multiple perspectives. Their main goal was to make sure that the code would be a good fit for everyone at Denison. 

Concerning the purpose of the code, Marcus says that “it’s really about how students live together within the community here and what students should be expecting of one another.”  

The University Conduct Board plays a considerable role in the implementation of the code of conduct. 

The board is made up of 17 students, five faculty members, and eight staff members and they are all trained to be a part of both the conduct and appeals board. And the new code also now allows student Respondents to have a decision and a say in how their cases are decided and by whom.  

“When we work with a student… we’re not just taking into account that one student’s point of view, it’s how does it affect anybody else who was involved directly and also the community as a whole,” Marcus said. 

The main goals of the Office of Community Values and Student Conduct are to support student  engagement and skill building and community impact and restoration. 

Marcus notes that there are lots of opportunities for students interested in being part of the University Conduct Board and University Appeals board as well. And coming this fall, the Student Support Squad will be implemented to train students to help peers who are going through the student conduct process. 

Students that wish to know more about the process can reach out to Mary Kate Kennedy or Kimberly Marcus, the office’s new location is Slayter 415.