A new Student Rights and Responsibilities (SRR) office at Conestoga will manage concerns related to student conduct and ensure accountability for standards of behavior at the college. The office was established following a six-month research and development project that included consultation with 300 stakeholders across the college community including students, faculty and staff.
“Conestoga has been experiencing substantial growth in enrolment and that growth has led to an increasingly diverse student body,” said Mike Dinning, vice president Student Affairs. “As the college grows we need to accommodate an increase in student concerns and an increase in the complexity of those concerns. Through SRR we will provide the college community with access to an environment that fosters support and guidance while helping students understand their rights and responsibilities.”
The introduction of the office puts Conestoga in line with other institutions moving towards a similar model. More than 25 post-secondary institutions across North America that have established offices to manage student concerns and code of conduct were consulted as part of the research project in order to identify best practices and areas of improvement at Conestoga.
“Our consultation process was broad and I would like to thank the Conestoga community, as well as the other institutions we turned to, for their participation,” said Dinning.
The office will support students and employees in four key areas: navigation, consultation, resolution, and training and education.
SRR will assist the Conestoga community in navigating services, policies and procedures as they relate to what is expected of students under the Student Code of Conduct, and will collaborate with employees and students to identify students in distress. SRR will also support students to resolve concerns related to student conduct or college operations with fairness and transparency, and will provide resources to communicate more effectively, identify concerns, and respond appropriately to concerning or disruptive behaviour.
New Student Rights and Responsibilities pages have been added to Conestoga’s website and the SRR office will have a physical presence in room 2A117 in the main building at Doon to provide an accessible point of contact for students and other members of the college community looking for help.
SRR coordinators Laura Black and Rea Parchment said servicing the unique needs of Conestoga’s other campuses and living classrooms will also be a priority and requests for meetings at other campuses are available by request.
For more information, visit Student Rights and Responsibilities.