Mia Fischel, Features Editor—

During the 2022 summer break, the Code of Student Conduct was reviewed and updated for the 2022-2024 academic years. As the two-year renewal period approaches, the Code of Student Conduct Review Committee is recruiting students, faculty and staff to review the new Code which will go into effect for the 2024-2026 academic years.

The Office of Community Values and Student Conduct (OCVSC) aims to focus on support and clarity of process, and the review process accounts for changes to laws, accountability and conduct procedures, and experiences of the campus community.

Prior to the existence of the Code of Student Conduct Review Committee, updates to the Code were carried out by a small group of administrators. First joining Denison in Nov. 2021, Mary Kate Kennedy, Director of Community Values and Student Conduct, hoped to revise the Code using a more input-based approach.

“These expectations are ideally what students are agreeing to when they join the Denison community, with the desire of working to create a welcoming, safe, and inclusive community,” Kennedy said. “As a result, student voice is a crucial element for constructing this Code, because they are living the experience everyday and calibrating what is welcomed in the community and what is not.”

The committee recruits a range of students from different backgrounds and campus organizations. Grace Cox ‘24 joined the committee in 2022, and found that differences in opinion and experience led to constructive discussions on the balance between restrictions and freedoms.

“The impression I got from Mary Kate was that holding people accountable is about keeping them safe. She was very student-centered the whole time. It wasn’t cracking down on us, it was like how do we make sure that this is a good environment for all [students],” Cox said.

Though the responsibility was intimidating, she felt it was important to advocate for policies, especially since she had experienced a year of the social culture on campus and recently joined a sorority. However, the revision process often involved compromises.

“I’m a very protective person and so once I joined a sorority, I was like ‘how can I make this campus as safe for my sisters as I can?’” Cox said. “I considered myself lucky; no one fought, it was all really civilized, and I was like, ‘oh, this is cool, this is adulthood.’”

Faculty and staff representatives in the committee were pulled from different groups as well. Ashley Metzger, Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, also joined the review committee in 2022 to represent the 19 socially and culturally based organizations she oversees.

“I work with a community that encompasses about 33% of our student population, and so a lot of the policies and procedures in the Code apply. It’s not only to advocate for policies that are in alignment with our national organization policies, but also advocate for the benefits of the students and making sure that there’s a fair, equitable process involved in organizational conduct,” Metzger said.

Before the implementation of the 2022-2024 Code of Student Conduct, Metzger received feedback from individuals and organizations related to the lack of clarity in the conduct process outlined.

“It was really important to me to provide my feedback to make sure that no matter what the outcome of their conduct process was, at least they felt like they were heard, they were able to share the information they had and they knew exactly what was going to happen throughout the process,” Metzger said.

This issue was addressed by the committee in 2022, and resulted in the creation of a clear and concise outline of the process and definitive behavioral expectations.

“A huge change within the last Code update was related to the formal student conduct process. Prior to the 2022-2023 Code of Student Conduct, students expressed concern that they felt like the matter was already decided before they had a chance to share their perspective, which resulted in them not really wanting to engage with the process,” Kennedy said.

The updated process allows students to provide their perspective regarding allegations, and gives them the agency and options to accept responsibility, deny responsibility or request a formal hearing if necessary.