The Student Conduct Process

The purpose of the Kenyon College student conduct process is to review alleged violations of Kenyon policies, procedures and regulations by individual students, groups of students or student organizations. The various components of the College conduct system are designed to respond to such violations, to determine the facts based on a standard of the preponderance of the evidence, to ascertain responsibility or non-responsibility regarding the alleged charges, and to determine appropriate sanctions.

The Vice President for Student Affairs or designee has the authority and responsibility for the administration of the Kenyon conduct process. The members of the Division of Student Affairs and the Student Conduct Review Board seek to provide a conduct process and disciplinary function that educates students about their rights, responsibilities and accountability as members of the Kenyon community. The College’s conduct process encourages students and/or the groups to which they belong to recognize their obligations to themselves, to their peers, to Kenyon and to society as a whole. Therefore, a goal of the conduct process is to build an understanding on the part of the students of the positive and negative outcomes of one’s behavior and the manner in which that behavior can, and often does affect others. Through established procedures, the College conduct process seeks to ensure the protection of student rights in questions of alleged violations of Kenyon policies, procedures and regulations. Similarly, a student may be held accountable to the standards of other organizations to which they are bound (student athlete code of conduct, student organization standards, etc.). 

The College may place students on Interim Suspension prior to the consideration of alleged violation of policies whenever their activities are viewed as threatening or potentially injurious to the well-being or property of members of the Kenyon community or to the property or orderly functioning of the College. An individual or group may be required to curtail or modify behavior and/or activities prior to the formal consideration of alleged violation of policies whenever these behaviors and/or activities are viewed as threatening or potentially injurious to the well-being or property of members of the Kenyon community or to the property or orderly functioning of the College. An individual who chooses to voluntarily withdraw may still be subject to the conduct process. The College may delay granting a diploma otherwise earned until the completion of the student conduct process, including completion of any sanctions imposed.

College disciplinary proceedings may be instituted against a student charged with conduct that potentially violates both the criminal law and this Handbook (that is, if both possible violations result from the same factual situation) without regard to pending civil or criminal litigation in court, or criminal arrest and prosecution. Proceedings under this process may be carried out prior to, simultaneously with, or following civil or criminal proceedings off campus at the discretion of the Vice President for Student Affairs or designee. Decisions made or sanctions imposed under the College’s Student Code of Conduct will not be subject to change as a result of pending or resolved civil or criminal charges arising out of the same facts.