Sanctions

Students

Statement of Responsibility

Each member of the Whitman community is responsible for respecting these rights; all members of the community share the responsibility for maintaining a campus atmosphere, which is conducive to teaching, studying, and learning.

Each student shall be held individually responsible for conduct which adversely and seriously affects his or her suitability as a member of the Whitman community. Social regulations, of whatever origin, should ensure adequate consideration for the rights of individual students to privacy and the preservation of their individual dignity and comfort and should promote an atmosphere consistent with and in furtherance of the basic educational purpose of the college.

Scope of the College's Discipline Process

Application of the college's disciplinary process extends to conduct that occurs on Whitman College premises or at any college-sponsored activities, and to conduct that occurs off campus, if the off-campus conduct adversely and seriously affects the student's suitability as a member of the Whitman College community. All students have the responsibility to obey federal, state, and local laws.

When an incident occurs off campus, it is the responsibility of the Dean of Students, after consultation with the appropriate college officials, to determine whether the student will be subject to the discipline process outlined in the current Student Handbook. When a student is charged with a violation of federal, state, or local law, and college disciplinary action also is taken, campus proceedings may be carried out prior to, simultaneously with, or following civil or criminal proceedings.

Although many people regard the college as a "sanctuary" because it is a private institution, police officers and other representatives of law enforcement agencies may come onto the Whitman campus in pursuance of their duties. The college does not protect students from the customary enforcement of the law, nor does it prohibit law enforcement officers from conducting investigations and making arrests on campus. When possible, the college will rely on its internal resources to maintain order on campus and deal with campus problems.

Sanctions 

The severity of any disciplinary action shall depend not only on the seriousness of any individual violation but also on the complete record of campus citizenship of the student involved. The categories of official disciplinary action are:

a. Dismissal or Expulsion - Permanent termination of student status. 

b. Suspension - Removal from the college for a definite period of time with reinstatement dependent upon the fulfillment of stipulated conditions. 

c. Conduct Probation - Terms of probation will be set by the Council on Student Affairs, the Dean of Students, or the Student Conduct Administrator. 

d. Suspended Conduct Probation - Probationary status under the terms of which any further violation of good conduct by the student involved may result in the immediate application of conduct probation or a more severe penalty. 

e. Other Official Action - This may include verbal warning, written warning, loss of privileges, restitution of damages, prohibition of participation in commencement exercises, withdrawal of permission to re-enroll, or other action appropriate to the offense. 

Employees

The College’s response to violations of this policy may include assessment and treatment options and/or a range of penalties from admonition to dismissal from the College, depending on the severity of the violation.  Other sanctions may also include, but are not limited to, formal reprimand, restrictions on participation in campus activities, transfer, demotion, forfeiture of promotion or salary increase, suspension or mandatory leave of absence, and mandatory participation in an approved counseling or rehabilitative treatment program as a condition of continued employment.  The College will investigate and review the circumstances of each individual case and take appropriate action, determined separately on the merits of each case. 

Disciplinary sanctions will be determined by the respective Budget Officer, in consultation with the Director of Human Resources.  The affected staff member or faculty member may appeal the decision to a panel of the Employee Relations Committee (ERC), which shall make a final recommendation to the Chair of the Faculty, who will then make the final decision.  Note that the dismissal of a faculty member must occur in accordance with the terms and process outlined in the Faculty Code (Chapter 1, Article III, Sections 4&5).