Thank you for stopping by to learn more about the Commission for Student Conduct & Legal Issues (CSCLI). Take some time to look through our content and don’t hesitate to share how you’d like to get involved. Use the menu below to jump to a section of interest.
Please contact us at [email protected] or connect with the members of our Directorate Body with questions or ideas.
OUR purpose
The purpose of the Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues (CSCLI) is to support the professional development of student conduct professionals in higher education in a progressive and visionary way. The Commission offers resources and opportunities, including collaboration, in conduct and legal issue education in an effort to support the development of socially just conflict resolution strategies that effectively resolve individual and group differences.
guiding principles
- An awareness of current student development and conflict resolution theories and legal issues impacting students, professionals, and campus communities
- Support for the education and development of ethical principles, processes, and integrity
- A commitment to socially just conduct and conflict resolution practices which affirm both the rights and responsibilities of individuals engaged in our processes
- Support of a pluralistic approach to campus life issues and a commitment to increase the representation of diverse perspectives and backgrounds in its leadership positions
The First 5 Years
At a convention at the University of Georgia, November 19-21, 1972, a small group of individuals, including Dr. Theodore K. Miller, discussed the need for a national clearinghouse on information concerning campus judiciaries. This interest was communicated to many people in ACPA, and at an all-day meeting on April 3, 1973, the idea for the formation of Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues (formerly known as Campus Student Conduct Affairs & Legal Issues) was formalized. This meeting was chaired by Dr. L. Sandy MacLean. At the end of this meeting, a statement of purpose was composed and presented to the Executive Committee of ACPA the following day.
Statement of Purpose
Mediation and adjudication procedures have evolved on campuses to protect both the rights of individuals and the goals and objectives of the academic community. Current procedures were often developed in response to court decisions of the 1960s. Now comes the task of translating these procedures to reflect the student-institutional relationship of the future while at the same time balancing the rights of individuals and missions of the institution. Professional student personnel staff must assume a central role in the future refinement and development of procedures to ensure that they are integrated into, rather than imposed upon, the educational environment. To provide this leadership, the practitioner must constantly review and evaluate the appropriateness of the institution’s policies on academic and non-academic misconduct; and must be aware of recent student conduct decisions and their interpretations.
To aid professional staff in this responsibility, this Commission proposes to establish a clearinghouse of information, to supply appropriate publications in this area, to develop convention programs, regional workshops and training programs, and to prepare position papers and encourage original research. Accompanying this Statement of Purpose was the following description of needs:
Statement of Needs
- A depository of information is needed on the types of campus judiciaries operating at private and public, large and small institutions; a mailing list of people involved in this area of work; and basic bibliographic information. This depository could also serve as a clearinghouse for inquiries on these subjects.
- At present, there is no publication devoted to this area. The College Law Bulletin is either highly irregular or out of print. The Education Court Digest only offers briefs of cases and other publications are dedicated to use by practicing attorneys. Therefore, a publication is needed that addresses itself to the work of the college student personnel people and students involved in this area.
- A professional home base is needed for student personnel workers and students in order to facilitate the development of convention programs, publications, newsletters, position papers, regional workshops and training programs and applicable research projects.
The Statement of Purpose and the Statement of Needs were adopted by the Executive Committee on April 4, 1973. Mr. William R. Bracewell, University of Georgia; and Dr. Roger Peterson, Ferris State College; were elected chairman and vice chairman respectively. The first mailing list contained 55 names and no members; but in the first year, the commission grew to have a mailing list of 131 names and 37 members. The newsletter was mailed to all but 15 states and the members were from 19 different states.
News & Updates
CSCLI Bylaws
The ACPA: College Student Educators International Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues By-Laws Amended January 2014 I. Purpose The purpose of the Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues is to support the professional development of student conduct...
CSCLI Past Award Recipients
New Professional of the Year Award Matthew Armas, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (2019-2020) Denise Robb, Spring Hill College (2017) Maggie Wetter, Ithaca College (2016) Anna Krause, Indiana University (2015) Shawn Isaacs (2013) Sarah Clegg Crawford (2012) John Haky (2010)...
CSCLI History
In 1974, the Commission for Student Conduct & Legal Issues sponsored four programs at the Chicago ACPA Convention and co-sponsored a regional workshop at the University of Georgia entitled, “Student Judicial Programs and Student Judicial Issues: The Case of the...
Julianne Ohotnicky Provides Great Tips for Work-Life Balance
Friday, 28 August 2020 - 2:58pm I am regularly asked, “how do you maintain work/life balance?” This is a great question. I know that I want to be the best professional I can be and I also want to be the best parent, partner, and friend that I can be. Can you do it...
Peering through the struggle- Amy W
Friday, 28 August 2020 - 3:03pm In our line of work, the days are long and the work can be grueling. It can sometimes feel payoff never seems to come and many times we end our days with some really difficult conversations that were had or put on hold for the next day....
Thoughts by Lindy Stein
Friday, 28 August 2020 - 3:06pm Recently, I was in a webinar, where the host posed a thought-provoking statement. “We tell our students what not to do, we do not tell them how to act.” As we return to our campuses this fall, and welcome students back into their...
Restorative justice as a path forward for Title IX cases
Tuesday, 11 September 2018 - 12:54pm Whether one is a fan of the Obama-era Title IX guidance or a critic, the debate about campus sexual assault has been narrowly framed in terms of an adversarial process that leaves only winners and losers, often ending with the...
Where Title IX Protection Ends: The Discrimination of Parenting Students
Monday, 6 July 2015 - 9:12am As a student affairs practitioner and particularly as a woman I have become intimately familiar with Title IX and its impact on the college campuses. The safeguards put in place by Title IX cover a wide array of topics, and advocates are...
upcoming events
There are no upcoming events at this time
Meet the Directorate
Jennifer McCary
Past Chair
Chief Diversity and Belonging Officer
Bowling Green State University
Douglas Stoves, Ed.D.
Chair
Senior Associate Dean for Student Rights and Responsibilities
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Léna Crain, Ph.D.
Vice Chair for Education
Associate Dean of Students
Bucknell University
Ron Alexander III
Vice Chair for Membership
Assistant Director of Community Standards and Operations
Northwestern University
Lindy Stein
Vice Chair for Publications
Dean of Students
Milwaukee Institude of Art & Design
Mathew J.L. Shepard
Vice Chair for Administration
Assistant Director of Student Conduct and Operations
New York University
Terms ending 2022
- Emalie Chandras, UCLA
- Lucas Christian, Northwestern
- Brad Ledingham, U of Toledo
- Alex Lewin, U of Toledo
- Rachel Smith. Cal Poly
Terms Ending 2023
- Brittany House Conrad, U of Dayton
- Steve Burns, Penn State
- Trina Sokoloski, UPenn
- Heather Cohen, Northwestern
- Ashleigh Wade, U of Cincinnati
Terms ending 2024
- Cortney Brewer, Gonzaga
- Kelli Campa, Marist College
- Vicky Kulicke, U of Toledo
- Amy Williamson, Texas A&M
- Adam Wood, Denison
Get Involved
Membership is open to all ACPA members, whether they have student conduct responsibilities as part of their day to day jobs, or are just interested in the legal issues affecting student affairs professionals and the institutions they work at.
Ready to join?
Joining an Entity through the ACPA Member Portal automatically identifies you as a member of that Entity! You will begin to receive Entity communications through their respective email listserv and have access to any resources they share!
- Login to your ACPA Member Account
- Click on Community Groups (Chatter)
- Click Groups
- Click Active Groups
- Find the entity you want to join and within that group, click +Join
Contact [email protected], to learn more about ACPA’s Commission for Student Conduct & Legal Issues!
Any ACPA member can become involved and there are varying levels of involvement:
- Access the syllabus clearinghouse and graduate prep program directory
- Have your students submit proposals for the writing awards
- Submit a proposal for a faculty research grant
- Review conference programs for the annual convention
- Review our writing award and research grant applications
- Submit a program proposal for the annual convention
- Get to know CPP at the annual convention:
- Attend Sunday night faculty social
- Attend CPP directorate meeting on Monday (open to all)
- Attend CPP Teaching & Learning Session and sponsored program
Cscli Awards
The Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues acknowledges the contributions and achievements of colleagues in our field who have contributed to the Commission, existing research, and the profession as a whole. We are soliciting nominations through commission members, and recipients will be recognized at the commission’s business meeting and ACPA’s annual award ceremony. Read below for further information on the awards and nomination process.
Award for Student Impact
This award is for an student affairs scholar/practitioner who shows extraordinary abilities to connect with and educate students. The evidence of this could include skills in conducting an effective administrative convention in which the student really “gets it,” promoting community and student leadership by advising an active and educational peer board, creativity in developing appropriate educational sanctions to maximize a student’s learning experience, and/or developing innovative proactive programming to foster the integrity within each individual and the respect and commitment to one’s community.
This award may also be awarded to an office that has an extraordinary commitment to training and supporting staff to become conduits for the aforementioned skills or to an individual. Individual nominees must be currently practicing within student affairs or in post-master’s graduate study.
Outstanding Research in Student Conduct and Legal Issues
This award recognizes research in areas applicable to campus discipline and legal issues in higher education. Research should contribute to the expansion of the profession’s body of knowledge concerning the application of due process, developmental theory, and legal or legislative mandates. Evidence of such contributions may include but are not limited to surveys, experimental research, historical treatment of current issues, literature reviews, or annotated bibliographies.
Research done by nominees must have been done within the last 24 months prior to nomination. Nominees must be currently practicing within student affairs or in post-master’s graduate study.
New Professional of the Year Award
This award recognizes the contribution of a new professional in student affairs who is involved in campus student conduct affairs and /or legal issues. This person should be known not only for their campus contributions but also for their involvement in expanding the field of student conduct affairs through membership(s) in professional associations, research, presentations, and authorship of articles. We are particularly interested in candidates who have implemented new initiatives that have made a difference on their campus and can be modeled by other institutions.
Nominees must have fewer than 10 years of professional experience (post master’s degree) in student affairs with fewer than five (5) years in student conduct affairs and/or legal issues. Nominees must be currently practicing in student affairs or in post-master’s degree study.
Outstanding Service to the Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues Award
This award is determined on the basis of a member’s contribution of effort, energy, and time on behalf of the goals of Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues. This may involve work on committees, convention, and programs related to Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues. In addition, recruitment and retention of new members, work assisting newcomers to the Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues, and the student affairs profession can be used in judging merit for this award.
Nominees must be a member of Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues for at least two (2) years. Nominees must be a current member of ACPA.
Tracy R. Teele Memorial Award
This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the area of student conduct affairs and legal issues and is the highest award given by Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues. This is not an annual award and can be awarded to an individual, group or institution that has demonstrated one of the following: 1. Development of an innovative approach to the field of student conduct. The approach may contribute to promoting individual student’s development or may contribute to furthering development of student conduct processes in general. This approach must have been successfully modeled and implemented by others in the field. In all cases, the contribution will have a positive affect on the quality of the facilitation of student conduct affairs in higher education. 2. Contributions to expanding the field of student conduct affairs through research, instruction, publication authorship, or service to ACPA or other professional organizations.
This award may be awarded to an individual or an office. Individual nominees must have 10 years or more professional experience (post master’s degree).
CSCLI BLOG
Julianne Ohotnicky Provides Great Tips for Work-Life Balance
Friday, 28 August 2020 - 2:58pm I am regularly asked, “how do you maintain work/life balance?” This is a great question. I know that I want to be the best professional I can be and I also want to be the best parent, partner, and friend that I can be. Can you do it...
Peering through the struggle- Amy W
Friday, 28 August 2020 - 3:03pm In our line of work, the days are long and the work can be grueling. It can sometimes feel payoff never seems to come and many times we end our days with some really difficult conversations that were had or put on hold for the next day....
Thoughts by Lindy Stein
Friday, 28 August 2020 - 3:06pm Recently, I was in a webinar, where the host posed a thought-provoking statement. “We tell our students what not to do, we do not tell them how to act.” As we return to our campuses this fall, and welcome students back into their...
Restorative justice as a path forward for Title IX cases
Tuesday, 11 September 2018 - 12:54pm Whether one is a fan of the Obama-era Title IX guidance or a critic, the debate about campus sexual assault has been narrowly framed in terms of an adversarial process that leaves only winners and losers, often ending with the...
Where Title IX Protection Ends: The Discrimination of Parenting Students
Monday, 6 July 2015 - 9:12am As a student affairs practitioner and particularly as a woman I have become intimately familiar with Title IX and its impact on the college campuses. The safeguards put in place by Title IX cover a wide array of topics, and advocates are...