This video talks about how the university aims to handle allegations against students with a focus on due process, understanding, and education rather than punishment. The approach is to clearly communicate the context of the situation, ensure the student feels comfortable, recognize that mistakes are part of learning, and emphasize personal growth and accountability. The ultimate goal is to provide a supportive environment where students can learn from their mistakes without long-term negative consequences.
A student can expect that we will be very clear about whatever the allegation is. We try to frame the context within which the conversation is taking place. It's more like due process. We want students to feel comfortable in our meeting. They are our students, so we don't see them as a villain, or someone who has committed a crime of any type. So we really want to focus on their understanding of the problem.
And we want to get at the truth. So the key is about how we frame the context within which the student acted the way he did. So we want to be very kind to the student. We want to sort of recognize that all students, you know, make mistakes. So if this is a mistake, we want to be sure the students learn from it. And we're less concerned about being punitive.
We really want it to be educational, recognizing that students learn not just in the classroom, but outside of the classroom as well. So that this could be a learning experience. I write letters on behalf of students even when they apply to medical school, I mean I was just talking about a case in which someone, you know, regrets having done what he did, and now he's trying to get into med school. And, you know, for someone who has made a mistake and has accepted responsibility and the consequence, now we can move on and say look, this is only intended for this purpose. It's not intended for the rest of your life.