Disciplinary Policy and Procedures

There are no set formulas or automatic sanctions for most violations. Students who violate university policy subject themselves to the full range of disciplinary sanctions including but not limited to expulsion. In re­viewing each violation, a range of factors will be considered (e.g. previous history, impact of the violation on the community, and the specific circumstanc­es of the violation, etc). The university may respond to behavioral violations with one or more of the following options:

Restitution/Reconciliation: The student is required to initiate action to mend a relationship with an indi­vidual, a specific group, or the university community at large. That action may be through an apology, finan­cial reimbursement, and/or completion of community service.

Fines or Sanctions: Penalties deemed appropriate by corresponding departments.

Written Warning: A written warning communicates to a student that his or her choice(s) should change or cease.

Disciplinary Accountability: Accountability is an expectation, initiated by the university or student, to spend a period of time actively addressing matters of concern through supportive means determined by Student Life staff in collaboration with the student. Conditions of accountability may include, but are not limited to: a letter stating behavior changes and expectations and regular meetings with an assigned faculty/staff member. Students involved in co-curricular or extracurricular activities (i.e., athlet­ics, music, drama, leadership roles) may be subject to notification of policy violation to respective supervisor/coach/director/etc. Specific infor­mation on these restrictions is available from the Student Life Office or from the appropriate supervisor/coach/director/etc.

Disciplinary Probation: Probation is an opportunity for the student to actively address areas of concern through accountability when choices that have been made violate community guidelines. Con­tinued violation of community guidelines will result in disciplinary suspension from the university.

The purpose of disciplinary probation is to provide ad­ditional external discipline and counseling for a stu­dent struggling to abide by Northwestern’s standards and policies. Conditions of probation may include, but are not limited to: a letter stating behavior changes and expectations, weekly meetings with an assigned faculty/staff member, pledge of adherence to the Declaration of Christian Community, and completion of a topical assignment, seminar, or series addressing personal develop­ment. Students involved in co-curricular or extracurricular activities (i.e., athlet­ics, music, drama, leadership roles) are subject to certain restrictions that would adjust levels of involve­ment for a determined period of time. Specific infor­mation on these restrictions is available from the Student Life Office or from the appropriate supervisor/coach/director/etc.

 

Disciplinary Suspension: A suspension is when a student loses his/her privilege of continuing at Northwestern for a designated period of time. Suspension may be implemented at any time (immediately or at the completion of a semester), based upon flagrant or repeated violations of Northwestern’s standards.

The university intends that suspension allows the student to re-evaluate his or her personal spiritual­ity, values, and attitude toward Northwestern’s stan­dards. A student placed on Disciplinary Suspension is restricted from the university premises for the duration of the suspension. Requests for permission to be on campus must be processed in advance through the Director of Public Safety and/or the Dean of Students.        

Applications for re-enrollment must include a written account of this evaluation and a pledge to abide by University policies. Re-enrollment requests are submit­ted to and approved by the admissions committee through the Dean of Students. All stu­dents who are readmitted return under disciplinary accountability or probation. In the rare case that a student is subject to disciplinary suspension for a second time after being re-enrolled, the student is not permitted to re-enroll at Northwestern (see Disci­plinary Expulsion below).

Disciplinary Expulsion: An expulsion is when a stu­dent permanently loses his or her privilege of attending North­western. Expulsion may be implemented at any time (immediately or at the completion of a semester), based upon flagrant or repeated violations of North­western’s standards.

Northwestern desires to be a redemptive community. In order for this to occur, the university believes that students need the opportunity to learn and grow through accepting responsibility for their ac­tions. While discipline is sometimes a difficult, awk­ward, and painful process, it can and should be an opportunity for significant growth in students’ lives.

By virtue of one’s enrollment or employment, all mem­bers of the university community voluntarily accept the responsibility to abide by the behavioral guidelines and expectations set forth by Northwestern.

When an individual chooses to violate university guide­lines and/or not respond to community accountability, it may become necessary for Student Life to participate in confrontation and/or account­ability. It is the role of the Student Life staff to provide interpretation of Northwestern’s standards and to determine appropriate disciplinary action. On certain occasions, a disciplinary committee com­prised of community members may be convened by the Dean of Students or designee to de­termine appropriate disciplinary action.

Disciplinary action may be initiated by Northwestern for violations which arise ei­ther on or off campus when the student is in violation of federal, state, or local laws or which materially or adversely affects the university or an individual’s suit­ability to be a member of the Northwestern commu­nity. The university reserves the right to report to or work with appropriate authorities in the case of a local, state, or federal violation. Stu­dents charged with or convicted of a criminal act (on or off campus) may be subject to disciplinary action by the university and/or loss of institutional aid.