Policy Violation Procedures

Violations of the college’s policies and procedures generally fall into one of three categories:

1. Violations of College Regulations and Policies by Individual Students
   1. When a student is alleged to have violated a college rule or regulation, the matter will be handled as indicated below. The Dean of Students will designate the Student Conduct Administrator referred to herein. A student may be accused and subject to the procedures below at any time while enrolled at the college. The procedures outlined below are superseded by procedures in this handbook and in the Grievance Policy for instances involving alleged civil rights violations (e.g. sex- or gender-based incidents) or the Academic Dishonesty Policy for instances of plagiarism, cheating or academic negligence.
2. Violations of Regulations for Residence Halls
   1. Residents of and visitors to college residential facilities are subject to the supervision of the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students and various living group councils or other college committees have established regulations and procedures for enforcement of conduct violations.
   2. The primary focus of the residence hall staff is the community living environment. If an individual’s behavior does not allow others in the community to benefit from the available college experiences, or infringes upon the rights of others, the staff must intervene. Individuals must be confronted with the inappropriateness of their behavior in the most constructive and educational ways possible and be helped to understand the impact that it has on others. Accordingly, detailed procedures for enforcing residence hall regulations have been developed and are available in the Office of Residence Life, Memorial Building 130, 509-527-5297. These include the initial expectation of confronting disruptive behavior by peers and the intervention of residence hall staff, the College administration, and college-wide hearing boards when necessary.
      
      Specific regulations are covered in the Residence Hall Agreement that each student signs as one of the requirements for living in a residence hall.
      
      
3. Violations of Regulations by Fraternities, Sororities or Other Student Organizations
   1. Student organizations and activities are subject to the supervision of the Dean of Students. At the will of the faculty, the chair of the faculty shall convene an ad hoc committee to investigate alleged allegations of serious misconduct. The following policies and procedures outline the manner in which the College expects members of student organizations to conduct themselves. Violations of these duly established regulations by organizations will be handled according to one of the following means:
      1. Fraternities: The Interfraternity Council Officers are responsible for dealing with all interfraternity disputes and all violations of the Interfraternity Council Constitution/Bylaws/Recruitment Rules by individual fraternities and/or fraternity members. The Interfraternity Council Officers may also deal with fraternities and/or chapter members who violate college policies when acting on behalf of their fraternity. Interfraternity Council Officer rulings are to be reviewed by the Associate Dean of Students: Student Programs and Activities for consistency and fairness. A fraternity may appeal an Interfraternity Council Officer decision to the Dean of Students. Based on the seriousness of an incident, the Dean of Students or their designee may investigate any alleged violation of college policy by a fraternity or members of the fraternity, hold hearings, and impose sanctions on fraternities or their members, in addition to the conduct actions taken by the Interfraternity Council Officers.
      2. Sororities: The Panhellenic Judicial Board is responsible for dealing with all Panhellenic disputes and all violations of the Panhellenic Constitution/Bylaws/Recruitment Rules by individual sororities and/or sorority members. The Panhellenic Judicial Board may also deal with sororities and/or chapter members who violate college policies when acting on behalf of their sorority. Panhellenic Judicial Board rulings are to be reviewed by the Associate Dean of Students: Student Programs and Activities for consistency and fairness. A sorority may appeal a Panhellenic Judicial Board decision to the Dean of Students. Based on the seriousness of an incident, the Dean of Students or their designee may investigate any alleged violation of college policy by a sorority or members of the sorority, hold hearings, and impose sanctions on sororities or their members, in addition to the conduct actions taken by the Panhellenic Judicial Board.
      3. Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC): Violations of the constitutions or bylaws of the Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC), or allegations of individual students or student organizations against the Associated Students of Whitman College, may be handled in two possible ways: Any ASWC member may submit a complaint to the ASWC Oversight Committee concerning any ASWC entity including but not limited to the ASWC Executive Council, Senate, and internal ASWC Committees. As outlined in the ASWC bylaws, the Oversight Committee has the responsibility to conduct an investigation of any complaint filed, report findings to the ASWC Senate, and recommend sanctions to be imposed by a subcommittee of the Senate. Possible sanctions include impeachment, suspension, or expulsion as a voting member of Senate, referral to the Student Conduct administrator of the college, fines, official censure, or probation. The Dean of Students may investigate any complaint of violation of the ASWC constitution, or allegations of individual students or student organizations against ASWC as deemed appropriate.
      4. All Other Student Organizations: All other violations of college policy by student organizations are the responsibility of the Dean of Students. In dealing with such cases, student organizations have the right to know the allegations made against them, to respond to allegations, to present witnesses on their behalf, and to appeal decisions of the Dean of Students to the Council on Student Affairs.