Proposed changes to the UCLA Student Code of Conduct would affect how the university defines and addresses sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior on and off campus, as well as clarify some student rights.
The proposed changes are a result of the Office of the Dean of Students’ review of the Student Code of Conduct, which occurs every few years. Anyone can submit feedback about the changes until Sept. 13.
If no significant concerns arise during the two week period, the updated conduct code will go into effect before school starts, said Debra Geller, executive director of community standards in the Office of the Dean of Students.
Some of the changes are based on feedback collected by the Office of the Dean of Students earlier this year. The code is also being updated to reflect current university and state policies and to ensure it is coherent for students, Geller said.
The code describes what constitutes misconduct for students at UCLA and how the university should respond to different forms of student misconduct.
UCLA administrators have proposed changes to some parts of the code to ensure it complies with updates required by the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, which aims to improve education and prevention of sexual misconduct.
Geller said the university added rights for students who have experienced domestic violence, dating violence and stalking and for students accused of sexual misconduct.
For example, the updated code would ensure that a student who has been sexually assaulted receives additional information about the disciplinary measures taken or not taken against the student accused of the assault. The updated code would also ensure that accused students can propose questions and submit statements to be included at hearings.
Further details about the university’s reporting of sexual assault and the definition of sexual consent – including what “effective consent” and what being incapable of giving consent means – were also added to the code.
Pamela Thomason, UCLA’s sexual harassment and Title IX officer, was one of the people consulted about the updates to the code.
She said she thinks the proposed changes to the code would make it easier for students involved in sexual assault cases involving alcohol to face disciplinary measures.
She added that the student code of conduct has evolved over the past 10 years to include a broader definition of sexual misconduct. Instead of just including criminal violations, the code now identifies specific sexual misconduct such as dating and domestic violence.
“Limiting the sexual conduct code to just criminal behavior doesn’t go far enough in keeping our campus community safe and healthy,” Thomason said.
Thomason said she supports the changes to the code because she thinks they further clarify that sexual conduct is a communal activity and should always require consent.
“(Students) are responsible for making sure that the other person wants to participate in that communal activity and making sure they are able to make that decision,” she said.
Despite efforts to clarify what “consent” means and the role of alcohol in sexual misconduct cases, Thomason said the university will still have to make tough judgments and may sometimes face criticism when evaluating sexual misconduct in the future.
John Joanino, Undergraduate Students Association Council president, said he agrees with the proposed updates to the code and thinks the changes will make the code more concise.
To submit comments about the conduct code, anyone can email Geller at dgeller@saonet.ucla.edu.