Policies, Procedures, and Conduct

"People say I make strange choices, but they’re not strange for me. My sickness is that I’m fascinated by human behavior, by what’s underneath the surface, by the worlds inside people." - Johnny Depp

     This past week I heard my first conduct cases, and the building I oversee saw its first policy violations. Consequently, I have had the chance to have some quality discussions about our polices and procedures for living in the residential community on campus, and how one's conduct in the community can affect those around them. Lots of educational moments.

     As I think is natural, I have left each of these conversations with the lingering thought, "Did I get through to him?" [disclaimer: every one of these conversations was with a resident who identifies as male] In other words, was the moment truly educational, or was that just happening on my end? Many elements of these conversations are scripted - I need to recite a policy or justification thereof, go through the sequence of a proper conduct hearing, or be consistent with the six residents involved in a single case. Due process in life is not always individualized, so we cannot individualize every hearing as officers. Overall, I am fine with this - not only is it part of the educational process, but it makes the process a lot easier for me.

      I think that the due process element of conduct hearings educates residents. It shows them that they are members of communities, and that they are all members of communities. The other elements - the non-scripted conversations, the rationale for decisions, etc. - are up for discussion. When I ask residents if they understand how what they did violate policy, they invariably agree, because the policy is right there in front of them. When I ask if they understand how what they did affected their academic pursuits and those residents in their community, they invariably agree, because I am right there in front of them. That is more of an issue. I need to be there to hear the case and ensure an educational moment, but my being there adds a stark difference in power/authority to that same moment.

     All I can really hope for now is to make the conversations as organic as possible. I start the conversations with asking them about their days, classes, environment. I try to be personable. I show them that I care about their growth more than their sanctions. How this comes across is also up to them, and I need to remind myself that more than anything - student development, especially their conduct, is at least a two-way street.

P.S. Apologies for the delay since the last post! More urgent and important things came up...see my post on Time Management for how I prioritize.

Quote Citation: Depp, J. (n.d.). Quotelicious.com. Retrieved from: http://quotelicious.com/quotes/famous/johnny-depp-quotes 

Photo By: Me (community of penguins!)