Student Rights and Responsibilities Changes Name to Conflict Education and Student Accountability

The rebranding caps a years-long effort on increasing the use of restorative principles and methods as part of a spectrum of approaches to managing student harms.

August 6, 2024

Reflecting more than five years of ongoing work adding the use of restorative principles and methods to formal adjudication processes, the former Student Rights and Responsibilities office has rebranded to Conflict Education and Student Accountability (CESA, pronounced SEE-sah), which went into effect on Aug. 1.

This ongoing effort, involving consultation with student, faculty and staff members throughout the university, has been occurring since 2018. Over those years, the goal has been to increase the educational aspects of working with reports of student academic and non-academic misconduct. During those years, Student Rights and Responsibilities removed a fine-based sanctioning system and began offering alternative dispute resolution processes, increased roles in the conduct process for harmed parties and focused accountability outcomes on identifying and repairing harm.

Launching the new name focuses and highlights that work, all while continuing to expand restorative practices and principles, including within formal adjudication processes. This fall, the office is launching a resolution pathways framework for reports, including multiple restorative practices, conflict coaching and more conflict education, along with formal and mutual agreement policy adjudication. The name change, said CESA Director Christy Anthony, was made to align with this work that has been in progress the past several years.

"It doesn't mean that we're getting rid of formal policy adjudication. Formal policy adjudication is one approach to conflict management. We're adding to the array of options that parties will have as a case moves forward, and ultimately, the office will determine what is the most appropriate method to resolve a case," Anthony said.

The core mission of CESA will still focus on providing accountability process that address both students' responsibilities and their rights as community members.

"We don't have to choose between accountability and restoration," Anthony said. "Effective accountability to our community principles and policies focuses on repairing that harm to the community. Almost always that includes that a person who commits harm remains in the community while repairing it. "In cases of serious harm, effective restorative work can include that the student leaves the community."

Part of expanding the restorative efforts will be to enhance work to help the GW community develop better conflict management resources, for groups and individuals, in both proactive and responsive manners, Anthony said.

Some of those resources will include conflict coaching, educational policy outreach, conflict management strategies workshops, community building circles, listening circles, restorative conferences and, eventually, mediation. This is in addition to the mutual agreement and formal policy adjudications.

"The important work done by this office will be uplifted and enhanced by its new name, Conflict Education and Student Accountability," said Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Colette Coleman. "These additional pathways integrated with formal and mutual agreement policy adjudication in this key branch of the Division for Student Affairs have been developed over several years of work. The result is a spectrum of options that are more aligned with the needs of the current student body and our community as a whole."

Conflict education, Anthony said, is grounded in the idea that conflict is not inherently a bad thing, and that conflict just means people have different approaches on how to do something, and CESA is there to give GW students more tools to effectively manage conflict for best outcomes.

"I think in a community like GW that is diverse and has people from a lot of different backgrounds seeking a really broad array of experiences, it's not terribly surprising that conflict would occur," Anthony said. "What we're trying to do is not to get rid of conflict-we think it can be a tool for a lot of benefit. What we are seeking to do is help our students navigate conflict so that they reap the benefits that good conflict can provide."

CESA encourages students to learn more about their offerings on the relaunched website and to attend some of the offerings this fall. The Codes of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity are still available on that website and remain an important resource for all community members to review.