Statement from the Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues

Consistent with the ACPA’s stated values within the Strategic Imperative for Racial Justice and Decolonization, the Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues (CSCLI) would like to encourage association members to think critically about the processes of reporting people for violations of the Code of Student Conduct or Honor Code on the various campuses we serve. While this is not based on evaluative research, members of the commission have noticed a trend that marginalized and minoritized individuals are reported more often for incidents that are minor or false. When these reports stem from unconscious bias, and our offices respond to investigate, the reporter has made us complicit in perpetuating the criminalization of black and brown bodies for simply existing. Misuse and abuse of our reporting systems in these ways lead to a number of concerns. As CSCLI strives for justice and embarks on this journey to find ways that colonization is present within our functional areas, we invite you to review your reporting systems and response guidelines to see if your campus needs to take a stance against acting on reports made from a place of bias, retaliation, or hate.