Marla Love, Robert W. and Elizabeth C. Staley Dean of Students, explained the ongoing Student Code of Conduct and Procedures revisions and answered one question at the Student Code of Conduct Revisions Town Hall which took place on Thursday afternoon.
The virtual town hall, which was open to the Cornell community for public feedback on proposed student code revisions, had low turnout — only one question was submitted prior to the meeting and none were asked during a live public comment period.
The town hall follows concerns from the Student Assembly and University Assembly about the current Code and Procedures Review Committee being appointed rather than elected. The Student Assembly passed Resolution 10: “Addressing the Administration’s Undemocratic Review of the Student Code of Conduct and Affirming Cornell’s System of Shared Governance” in October.
The Student Code of Conduct revisions process began in August, led by Ryan Lombardi, vice president of student and campus life. Proposed revisions were released on March 9 for public comment, open until April 20.
Once the public comment period closes, the Code and Procedures Review Committee, tasked with revising the Code and led by Love, will review the comments. Lombardi, who oversees the Student Code of Conduct, will make recommendations to President Kotlikoff.
Kotlikoff will adopt a final version of the Code and Procedures based on these revisions on July 1.
The revisions are intended to “ensure that Cornell’s Student Code of Conduct and Procedures remain clear, accessible, and aligned with the university’s values and legal obligations,” according to the Department of Student and Campus Life.
The current revisions are split into two sections: one regarding the Student Code of Conduct, which addresses Cornell’s expectations for students and student organizations, and the other regarding Student Code of Conduct Procedures, which are used in the event of an alleged violation.
At the town hall, Love explained that the recommendations to the Code would clarify language, “reinforce principles of free expression,” establish a new provision for cannabis-related violations and add a provision prohibiting retaliation against a person for their role in a Code of Conduct investigation. Retaliation is currently incorporated under Section 4(O) of the Code, which prohibits the obstruction of Code of Conduct investigations.
Love also discussed revisions to the procedures, such as the creation of a new provision on interim measures, changes in usage of temporary suspensions and improvements on timeliness in investigations.
The recommendations would “create [a] detailed section on interim measures,” which are temporary actions to address an alleged violation while the investigation is ongoing. The new provision would add increased clarity to interim measures, create an appeal process and state that the measures can be either supportive or restrictive to those involved in the investigation, according to the slideshow.
“[An interim measure] might provide resources for those involved to navigate campus in a way that feels supportive as their case continues,” Love said.
One form of interim measures that Cornell may change is temporary suspensions.
Under the CPRC’s recommendations, the term ‘temporary suspensions’ would be changed to ‘emergency suspensions’ to “clarif[y] what a temporary suspension is [and] that it is issued only in extraordinary circumstances,” Love said.
The Faculty Senate claims that temporary suspensions have been ‘overused.’ There were 21 temporary suspensions in the 2024-2025 school year, up from nine from 2023-2024 and none from 2022-2023, according to data provided by the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards in their 2023-2024 annual report and in a presentation to the Faculty Senate last October.
Suggested revisions to temporary suspensions in the procedures would also require a “comprehensive assessment” and “documentation before issuance,” and the establishment of a new “appeal panel that includes college/school leadership,” Love’s slideshow stated.
Love also discussed improving clarity of language in the text and efficiency throughout the investigative process.
Several terms in the procedures would be changed under the revisions for improved clarity, including replacing the term ‘alternate resolution’ with ‘negotiated resolution.’ This term presents an option to resolve an allegation without a hearing.
In efforts to improve timeliness, the revisions recommend allowing investigations to proceed during the alternate resolution process, provide “clarity around review of investigative record[s]” and enable review panel chairs to be faculty or staff, according to the slideshow accompanying Love’s presentation.
Currently, investigations are halted during an alternate resolution process, according to section 15 of the Code of Conduct Procedures.
The revision allowing staff to serve as review panel chairs “allows for greater opportunity and flexibility for Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, in particular the Hearing Panel Chair, to put together a panel,” Love said. “Right now, we don’t have enough faculty in our pool to make this a process that works quickly.”
Only one question was asked during the town hall, regarding whether minor offenses are reported under Section 3(b) of the Code, which discusses disciplinary reporting.
“A student’s conduct record can be shared with others on a need-to-know basis or with the student’s written permission,” Love responded, adding that “most conduct cases involve minor violations of the code and are not reportable.”
The Code and Procedures Review Committee encourages all community members to offer feedback on these proposed reviews through the public comment, open until April 20. Instructions on how to submit public comments can be found on the Student and Campus Life’s website for proposed revisions.
“Your perspectives are vital to ensuring the Student Code of Conduct and Procedures continue to reflect our shared values, support student success, and promote a respectful and inclusive campus environment,” Love wrote in an email to the Cornell community on March 9.
Coral Platt is a member of the Class of 2029 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a staff writer for the News department and can be reached at cplatt@cornellsun.com.
