"When it comes to character development, we are all on the same journey"

- Author Unknown

Discipline at Northwestern

|Our Community| |Our System|

Our Community

A student's journey of individual development does not occur in isolation; it takes place within a dynamic learning community.  As a large, complex, and diverse institution, Northwestern attempts to balance its needs---to foster freedom for individual growth, to support its various communities of interest, and to fulfill its broader teaching and research mission.  The following group of statements* were presented by a group of students as a work in progress for further discussion and study, and for thoughtful consideration as a member of the Northwestern community.

• The university is an educationally purposeful community, a place where faculty and students share academic goals and work together to strengthen teaching and learning on campus.
• A university is an open community, a place where civility is powerfully affirmed and where freedom of expression is uncompromisingly protected. 
• A university is a just community, a place where the sanctity of the person is honored and where diversity is aggressively pursued.
• A university is a disciplined community, a place where individuals accept their obligations to others and where well-defined governance procedures guide behavior for the common good.
• A university is a caring community, a place where the well-being of each member is sensitively supported and where service to others is encouraged.
• A university is a celebrative community, one in which the heritage of the institution is remembered and where rituals affirming both tradition and change are widely shared. 

*Boyer, op.cit.

Our System

The University’s disciplinary system operates independently of any civil and/or criminal process. For example, a student may be subject to criminal charges and also be subject to disciplinary proceedings at the University if the conduct at issue also violates a University rule or regulation, and falls under University jurisdiction.

Violations of any rules, regulations and policies may be adjudicated within the University by Student Affairs administrative staff, the University Hearing and Appeals System or the Sexual Assault Hearing and Appeals System.

The way in which we resolve violations of University rules is based on three ideas:

1. We care about the kind of people our students are becoming.
2. We believe that resolving violations of University rules is a part of the education process.
3. Dialogue is an essential element of our judicial process.

For more information about specific areas of discipline at Northwestern University, please proceed to the following pages:

Residential Life

Off-Campus

University Hearing and Appeals System (UHAS)

Sexual Assault Hearing and Appeals System (SAHAS)

Sexual Harassment

Discrimination

Academic Integrity