By Paul Tuthill
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Amherst, MA – A new student code of conduct has been proposed at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Changes were sought in the rules following complaints last year about the university's handling of an alleged sexual assault .WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports .
A special commission of faculty, staff and students at the UMass flagship campus in a draft report recommend changes in the code of conduct including the appeals process in disciplinary proceedings. For the first time, the code of conduct would apply to graduate students and to behavior that occurs off-campus.
Susan Pearson, associate chancellor and co-chair of the special commission said the code is intended to set out clear expectations about student behavior..
Concerns were voiced about the student code of conduct last Spring following a sexual assault. The accused student was given a deferred suspension by university officials and allowed to remain enrolled. The victim could not appeal the decision.. Under the draft of the new code, a complainant would be allowed to appeal, according to Pearson
The appeals board would have more student appointees and training will be more comprehensive.. The draft of the new code of conduct has a more expansive section covering assault, harassment, stalking, bullying and relationship violence..
This is the first exhaustive rewriting of the student code of conduct in 16 years. Pearson said it was an oversight to not have included graduate student until now
Pearson said feedback on the proposed code , which has been up on the University's website since last Friday, has been mostly positive.
The plan is to produce a final version of the new code in time for the University Board of Trustees to vote on it at their scheduled June meeting. If adopted then, it would take effect in fall, according to UMass Amherst spokesman, Ed Blaguszewski .