At many universities, this office is called Judicial Affairs, and is commonly thought of as the office that investigates infractions against the university’s standards of conduct and administers disciplinary sanctions against students found in violation of those standards. Even in the name CHECS, you can see that at CNU, this office is not focused solely on issuing sanctions to students who have acted in violation of the standards of conduct, but also views as central to its mission helping those students to be welcomed back in to the community. “Honor Enrichment” means educating students as to why the community values exist and providing strategies and support for acting in compliance with those standards, including working with students to examine why the violation occurred in the first place.
In short, CHECS is not the enemy of students who find themselves in violation of standards. It does protect the common values of our community, central to which are respect for self, others, and academic integrity, but it does not turn its back on students who violate those standards.
The CHECS process involves an investigation by an Assistant Director of the alleged infraction and a determination, based on the evidence presented in that investigation, of responsibility or a finding that the student is not responsible for violation of community standards. If the student is found responsible, they are provided with sanctions they must fulfill in order to be welcomed back in good standing into the CNU community. These sanctions may be a combination of restorative justice to redress harm to the community and education to support the student found in violation of standards to be successful moving forward. Any student found in violation can make an appeal to the Student Honor Council, who will review the evidence and sanctions, and make a recommendation with rationale as to whether to uphold or modify the original determination. Any student dissatisfied with this appeal process can further appeal to the Vice President of Student Affairs if new evidence has emerged or if there is evidence of a procedural error in the case.
Sanctions are not exclusively what we commonly think of as punishments– such as fines, probation, or suspension– but usually also include things like education courses and community service– where the student can collaborate in determining where those hours may be served, and using support services on campus that are beneficial to their own personal goals.
CHECS will protect the privacy of your situation. They will not share information they have received with your parents or with anyone outside of relevant academic officials without your permission.
Accountability is central to the process. The CNU community values owning up to one’s mistakes and showing a willingness to learn how to make choices moving forward that reflect respect for oneself and one’s community.
CHECS will listen to you, not just talk at you. They welcome your collaborative participation in the process– it’s possible you may shed light on factors that the CHECS staff may not have otherwise been aware of, and this knowledge can be factored into the determinations they make.
CHECS understands a parent’s desire to protect and advocate for their child. CHECS is always willing to talk to parents about the general processes their office follows. However, parental involvement in a specific case is usually not appropriate because the parent, in most cases, was not present at the time of the alleged infraction. Since CHECS is tasked with reviewing and making determinations based on evidence, advocacy for the character of the student involved is not relevant to determining responsibility. However, CHECS is in agreement with parents that the focus is on moving forward in a way that supports both the student and the CNU community, so parents can be assured that goal is central to the process.