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A Qualitative Study of Conduct Officers' Understanding of Culturally Relevant Practices and Sanctioning

Abstract

Students of color are overrepresented in the student conduct process and tend to receive more punitive sanctions than their White peers. The conduct officer’s attitude towards culturally relevant practices and oppression can have lasting impacts on the students' academic success and future endeavors. A conduct officer is the university staff member who is responsible for investigating the incident and meeting with the students involved. If students are found responsible for violating policy, there are punitive and/or restorative sanctions assigned to them. Guiding a student through restorative sanctions and other creative methods for change, instead of enforcing punitive measures that may gravely impact their academic future, will help close an equity gap and encourage students of color to persevere and heighten their moral development.Managing student discipline is a complex process that requires critical thinking and culturally relevant pedagogy. This qualitative research study involving 25 survey and interview participants explores how conduct officers make meaning of the conduct process and investigates the interplay and effect of the conduct process and potential challenges or barriers to implementing a culturally relevant and individualized conduct process. Key findings include barriers to the conduct process that impact conduct officers’ ability to implement culturally relevant pedagogy in their choice of sanctions. When conduct officers attempt to move away from a one-size-fits-all conduct model, their advocacy is questioned and met with pushback from campus stakeholders. To provide a more equitable experience for students of color, study results indicate a need for an ever-evolving student conduct process that supports conduct officers through ongoing training in culturally relevant practices and campus campus-wide education and advocacy.

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