Director of Community Standards

OFFICIAL JOB TITLE: Director of Community Standards       

DIVISION: Student Affairs

DEPARTMENT: Community Standards

BARGAINING UNIT STATUS: ESU, Cat. 16

FLSA STATUS: EXEMPT                                               

REPORTS TO: Associate Vice Chancellor/Dean of Campus Life

SUPERVISES: Assistant Director of Community Standards, Administrative Assistant, Graduate Assistant, and Interns. Directs the activities of staff who support the conduct review process.

SUMMARY PURPOSE OF POSITION: The Director administers all aspects of the community standards system and alternative dispute resolution programs of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. The Director manages the determination, implementation, and interpretation of policy pertaining to student conduct. The Director has significant interaction with all members of the campus community. Follows the University’s and nationally accepted best practices to build and/or support student academic success and retention, and assists in meeting strategic objectives for persistence and timely graduation of all the student population.

EXAMPLES OF PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Directs all administrative components of the Office of Community Standards, including but not limited to budgets, documentation, paper and electronic record keeping, production of reports and statistics, annual operating plan, assessment and contributions to Division’s strategic planning.
• Directs the student conduct process and the path of every case including making necessary notifications, collecting information related to cases to process the case, and serving as a decision maker for Administrative hearings and University hearing boards. Directs the administrative assistant in preparation of case materials for the Conduct Officers, University Hearing Boards, and Appeal Officers.
• Manages approximately 2300 student conduct cases annually from documentation of incident through appeals process.
• Recruit and train Community Standard Conduct Officers including University Board Conduct Officers. Training topics include the entirety of the Conduct Review Process that includes interpretation of policy, assessment of violation utilizing the More Likely than Not Standard, application of disciplinary standing and educational outcomes, and trauma informed investigation.
• Develops, implements and manages alternative conflict resolution, including but not limited to mediation and the study and possible implementation of restorative justice, programs in order to prevent the escalation of student conflicts, inappropriate behavior, etc.
• Coordinates educational outcome program for alcohol and drug violations, including individual substance abuse counseling and online substance abuse education.
• Directs institutional compliance with applicable laws, policies and standards pertaining to due process, confidentiality, disclosure, etc.
• Directs the recruitment, training and advising of all student and professional staff that supports the Conduct Review Process; completes all related administrative and coordination functions.
• Administers the use of student conduct software in order to efficiently track cases, provides detailed information to meet the University’s regulatory reporting responsibilities (such as those specified in the Clery Act).
• Creates assessment and reporting data/trends to the Student Affairs Leadership Team.
• Provides consultation and/or intervention to faculty and staff regarding student conduct including, but not limited to, issues of academic dishonesty, breach of University policies and regulations in Housing and Residential Education, violations of civil/federal law, etc.
• Serves on the on-call rotation.
• Serves as an information resource for the University community  regarding student conduct policies and procedures, strategies for preventing problems impacting academic performance and campus life, interpretation of rules, regulations and conduct standards for the University community.
• Serves on a variety of university committees.
• Provides relevant training and consultation to Orientation Leaders, Residence Life staff, University Police Department officials, Conduct officers and appeal officers.
• Participates in new student orientations, etc. to disseminate information regarding campus student conduct proces