Community Standards

The Community Standards Process (for resolving conflicts or infractions of Community Standards/University Policy) is an educational, non-adversarial process aimed at preventing recurrence, repairing harm, and restoring trust within the community. The core values embodied in the Code of Student Conduct include integrity, fairness, respect, community, and responsibility.

Our goal is for all participants in the Community Standards Process to have a beneficial educational experience. Reflexively, the Office of Community Standards is committed to participating in an ongoing dialogue with students and other members of the campus community so that we can better serve in helping the University of Redlands to truly become the "community of scholars" described in the University's mission statement.

Our policies are designed to: (1) protect the safety and wellbeing of every person, (2) ensure that the University and all members of the university community comply with local, state, and federal laws, (3) prevent interference with the normal operations of the university, and (4) maintain an environment that is conducive to educational success.

Students are provided access to the policies and are required to know and adhere to them. The Code of Student Conduct and other pertinent policies are available in the “Resources” section of this page.

Our office uses a software platform to track correspondence and conduct cases. This software also protects student privacy better than direct email. It is completely safe and secure and it is the way we officially communicate with students about conduct matters. Follow the directions and link the email.

Meeting with someone in our office does not automatically mean that you are in trouble or have been accused of wrongdoing. There are various reasons that lead to students receiving meeting requests from our office. The most common is that a student's name was mentioned in an incident report (usually generated by Public Safety or a Community Assistant), where a policy violation may have taken place. Our first step is to talk with the individuals involved to better understand the event. This can include witnesses, those who were targeted or negatively impacted by the incident, and those who may be responsible for the incident. Even in cases where a student may be responsible for a policy violation, no decisions are made before the meeting, except in extreme cases (see Q8 below).

Yes. We have a commitment to fairness in our procedures by getting all the information and giving involved parties a chance to be heard before making a decision. We also have a duty to be expedient so that we can end the particular danger or wrongdoing, repair the harm, prevent recurrence, and restore trust within the community. Therefore we ask students to make every effort to schedule and attend the requested meeting as expediently as possible. Also, per the Code of Student Conduct, students are required to comply with requests and directives from all university officials acting in performance of their duties.

We recognize that students are busy. A meeting is expected to take priority over all activities except classes. Our office has access to students' course schedules and we purposely schedule times that don't conflict with classes. If you believe you have a legitimate scheduling conflict, contact the professional staff member who requested the meeting as soon as possible, explain the situation, and request to reschedule. In some cases, rescheduling is not a problem. In some cases, we expect students to rearrange their activities to attend the requested meeting.

Meetings are facilitated exclusively by trained professional staff here at the University. This person could be one of the Resident Directors or Graduate Assistants, the Assistant Director of Residence Life, or the Director of Community Standards. This is not an exhaustive list, but this is who you can expect, more often than not.

All Community Standards Facilitators are committed to providing a fair and educational process from start to finish. We treat every student as an adult and a valuable member of this community and we understand that one situation is not always reflective of a person's character. Because of this, we try to get to know each student as an individual and understand the context of incidents.

We also explain the process and purpose of the meeting and answer any questions you may have. We will typically ask questions to try to understand the specifics of the incident in question, and communicate the next steps.

It is important to remember this is a learning process and that honesty is paramount. We do our best to make our process and policies as accessible and transparent as possible, and we expect honesty and partnership from every member of the University community.

Community Assistants can also help advise students about the process and answer questions.

Students who refuse to comply with the process can be found responsible and sanctioned in absentia. They can face additional sanctions for failure to comply, which can include suspension from the college, a $100 non-compliance fine, and other sanctions.

There are various sanctions that can be assigned to students, including educational workshops and activities, parental notification (in cases of alcohol and drug policy violations), loss of some campus privileges, and suspension/expulsion. Consult the Code of Student Conduct for a more complete list. Sanctions are chosen to fit the situation, and are designed to prevent recurrence, repair harm, and restore trust within the community.

Our office is committed to fairness. Most procedures allow students to appeal the decision. See the Code of Student Conduct for details on appeals. It is important to note that this is not a legal process, but an educational one. Our standard for decisions is preponderance of evidence, which means determining whether something was "more likely than not" (as opposed to "beyond a reasonable doubt").

Many factors are considered in making determinations on what educational sanctions are assigned as a result of a policy violation. These include different roles or circumstances for students (even students involved in the same incident), and a student’s disciplinary history. Education is our goal, and not all people learn in the same way, so while we are committed to fairness and consistency, we are also committed to examining the role of each student and what will be best for them individually.

Records are kept and maintained internally. Expulsion will be noted on the student's official University transcript. Suspension can be noted on a transcript. No other sanctions are noted on student transcripts. If a student, under the age of 21, is found responsible for an alcohol or other drug violation their parents will be notified. If a student is an athlete, in season, and found responsible for an alcohol or other drug violation their coach will be notified. When other institutions, employers, or bar associations contact our office for student disciplinary records, we typically only share incidents that are serious enough to result in conduct probation, suspension or expulsion.