Seeking Help to Grow and Change

It is our hope that each member of the SPU community is fully aware of his or her own behavior and the effects — positive or negative — that it may have upon the rest of the community. If you know that your behavior is outside of the limits established by the University and wish to get assistance in order to change this behavior, you may take the initiative to discuss this concern with a peer advisor (PA), residence life coordinator (RLC), or faculty or staff member without the threat of disciplinary action.

A problem of this nature is defined as a personal issue, and the faculty or staff member will seek to work with you toward the goal of restoration. (Exceptions to this approach may be where behavior is repetitive, self-destructive, hazardous to others, or involves a significant legal issue in which the University is obligated to uphold the law.)

If a faculty or staff member knows about the incident or situation from another member of the community, it can no longer be defined only as a personal issue. It may be considered a community issue and therefore may be subject to disciplinary actions. Any community that ignores problem behavior in effect condones it. Ignoring problem behavior in others not only gives tacit approval to the behavior in question, but also (biblically speaking) is the withholding of love from that individual.

In this light, if you believe a student is behaving in an unacceptable manner, you are encouraged to go directly to that person and express your concern about the behavior and the consequences it may bring to the community and/or to the individual. Community expectations should be clarified and the student should be asked if he or she is willing to agree to change the offending behavior. If there is a positive response and the behavior changes, the problem is resolved. If your confrontation does not solve the problem, or there is a continuing pattern of adverse behavior, encourage the student to seek assistance from a faculty or staff member.

If a student takes the initiative to seek help, it will be handled as a personal issue as described previously unless there is continued complaint from the community.

This written attempt to clarify the University's position on discipline is intended to call members of the SPU community to responsibility for their own behavior, and not to shift this responsibility to a select few leaders who are expected to maintain the standards. In sharing a more specific understanding of redemptive discipline, University officials recognize that each disciplinary issue has its own set of circumstances. Because of this, the disciplinary response may not be the same in every situation, but the desired outcome will always be the same: the reconciliation of the individual to himself or herself, to the SPU community, and to God.