Ethics & Record-keeping

The Office of Student Life is committed to the values and mission of Western Washington University. As professionals engaged in student affairs work, staff follow state ethics requirements as well as the ethical guidance found in NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education).  Office staff value and respect the privacy of students, and pay specific attention to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, about which more information can be found in Appendix E of the University Catalog.  Office staff are committed to ensuring equal opportunity and prohibiting illegal discrimination and inappropriate behavior for all students in education and extracurricular programs and activities.

Additionally, staff who work with student conduct do so from an educational perspective while addressing the safety and well-being of the university community. Inherent in our student conduct process is the commitment to the development of students, to being objective, and to respecting fairness and due process for all involved parties. Our student conduct process adheres to the high professional standards incorporated by ASCA (the Association of Student Conduct Administrators) and complies with University policies on Ensuring Equal Opportunity and Prohibiting Discrimination and Retaliation and Preventing and Responding to Sex Discrimination, Including Sexual Misconduct. In line with these principles, professionals engaged in the student conduct process hold themselves and each other accountable for practicing ethical behavior, including recusing themselves from making determinations in any case in which they possess a conflict of interest or an appearance of a conflict of interest. 

Professionals engaged in the student conduct process respect privacy and the confidentiality of all conduct proceedings, and records are maintained in compliance with Washington state’s records policy, as well as other applicable state and federal laws. The conduct officer’s findings may be shared with the complainant, as required by law, in cases involving violence or sexual violence, or any other type of sexual misconduct or gender discrimination. The findings may also be shared with university officials involved in the completion or supervision of the sanction and/or the respondent student.