The Residential Communities Conduct Boards will consist of those students chosen to serve in each of their areas for the purpose of hearing cases of potential violations of the Student Code of Conduct and Guidepost where a student has plead not responsible at a preliminary conduct hearing held with their hall director. These conduct boards may also be responsible for sanctioning the student. Conduct board members will also be expected to aid in the development of other students, and the development of themselves, by programming proactively on issues related to the issues they see emerging in their buildings. Besides being based on the residential curriculum, conduct boards will also use these programs to uphold the tenants of the curriculum as well. Members will serve to develop themselves through opportunities presented to them throughout their time of service. Students recruited for the conduct boards will be those students who share an interest in making the Residence Halls at Northern Illinois a place where all students can live, learn, and feel included with a sense of welcome and safety.
The mission of the Northern Illinois University Residential Communities Conduct Boards is to assist in the process of growing students through proactive educational opportunities for residents; upholding Community Standards; hearing cases involving potential violations of those standards; and creatively, educationally, and developmentally sanctioning residence hall students after a violation of standards has occurred.
Each conduct board will consist of a maximum of 15 people from each area. These individuals will be responsible for carrying out the responsibilities of the conduct board during each weekly meeting. Extensive training and professional development will be provided to teach those members of the conduct boards how to properly hear, adjudicate, and sanction cases. Students will be made aware of law related to conduct and will be given a thorough understanding of the policies and procedures of both Housing and Dining and the university as a whole. These processes will be done in accordance with the Northern Illinois University Residential Curriculum and will be done without bias toward race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, ability, political affiliation, religion, or other aspects of an individual’s identity irrelevant to the proceeding at hand. Members of the Conduct Boards will provide due process to each member who appears before them. Members of the Conduct Boards will themselves possess the highest regard for the standards and become role models for their peers in the halls by developing their own knowledge, sharing that knowledge, and showcasing a personal commitment to upholding the standards in their own actions.
Northern Illinois University Students serving on conduct boards must meet the following qualifications:
· Minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.
· Maintain 2.0 cumulative GPA.
· Attend a training session.
· Be in good standing with the university conduct system.
· Be able to attend weekly meetings of the conduct board. Attendance will be mandatory. Dates and times are to be determined by area.
· Be able to attend other hearings as requested.
· Live in the residence halls.
The Residential Communities Conduct Boards will be responsible for the following:
· Hear cases presented regarding potential violations of the NIU Student Code of Conduct and the Guidepost.
· Adjudicate these cases.
· Sanction cases.
· Meet weekly to work on cases or for professional development.
· Program at least once a semester in their area.
· Other tasks assigned by the advisor.
The Residential Curriculum justifies the Residential Communities Conduct Boards. The Conduct Boards have roots in each of the five learning outcomes:
· Manage Personal Relationships
o Conduct boards can and will educate students who have violated the student code of conduct, through restorative questioning and educational sanctioning, the effect their relationships and surroundings can have on their actions.
· Inclusive Climate
o Conduct board members can and will demonstrate to those that come before them that each individual, as a human being, deserves their work, climate, and community to be respected for the positive contribution it brings to a diverse community. The consequences of positive and negative interactions with other individuals will be shown as well. This will be done through restorative questioning creative and educational sanctioning.
· Contribute Responsibly to Community
o The largest portion of the curriculum conduct board covers.
o Restorative questions during hearings and sanctioning will allow students a better perspective on the consequences, both positive and negative, of their actions.
o The goal of sanctioning will be to show how the contributions of each member of a community affect the climate of that community.
· Academic Success
o Residence halls are living-learning communities. By promoting and encouraging academic success, students can realize their actions have consequences on others and themselves as learners. Restorative questioning and sanctioning will help demonstrate this.
· Healthy Life Choices
o Critical thought in decision making can be brought to light through restorative questioning. This can also help students begin to reflect on themselves and grow as they proceed through life’s journey. Sometimes conduct boards will hear cases where a student has placed their health in jeopardy. Restorative questioning and educational sanctioning can help students understand their decisions and the impact they have on their wellbeing.
Each tenant of the curriculum also can and will have a place in the programming efforts the boards will undertake each semester.
A mandatory training session will occur after winter break at a date and time to be determined.
The application will be submitted electronically while a reference will be submitted on paper. References and applications will be due by 4:30p on Wednesday, January 18, 2012. References should be turned into Christopher Swanson, Graduate Assistant for Residential Community Standards, at Grant B 14B. They may also be submitted via fax at 815-753-9226.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Christopher Swanson at 815-753-8222 or via e-mail at cswanson1@niu.edu
Please complete the on-line application at http://intranet.restech.niu.edu/inform/inform.php?form=9X6K
Please click here for the References Form (pdf).