Transforming Our Hearing Officer Training to Meet the Needs of Various Staff

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Transforming Our Hearing Officer Training to Meet
the Needs of Various Staff

• Andrea Barefield, Coordinator for Residential
  Student Conduct,
• University of Texas at Arlington
• JoCynda Hudson, Coordinator of Residential
  Judicial Programs,
• University of Florida
• Scott Leppla, Coordinator of Residential Judicial
  Affairs,
• Northern Arizona University

ASJA Annual International Conference 2009
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Summary of Presentation

• Institutional Background
• Define the Term Hearing Officer
• Hearing Officer Training Model
• Recognizing Troubled Students
• Provide Suggestions to Rework Model to Fit Other
  Institutions
• Discussion

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Institutional Background

• Northern Arizona University
• Enrollment 14,000
• Students in on Campus Housing 7,000 (3500
  freshman)
• Campus Culture rural community in regional hub
  skiing and snow-play destination proximate to
  Navajo Hopi reservations
• University of Florida
• Enrollment 50,000 undergraduates
• Students in on Campus Housing 8,500
• Campus Culture SEC, ranked football team, campus
  is located in a college town, recently ranked
  1 party school
• University of Texas at Arlington
• Enrollment 25, 000 (19,000 undergraduates,
  6,000 graduates)
• Students in on Campus Housing 5,000
• Campus Culture campus is located in a
  metropolitan area, non-traditional/commuter
  school mentality

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Definitions of "Hearing Officer"

• Northern Arizona University
• Residence Life RHDs  all cases originating
  in-hall NOT resulting in eviction
• Residence Life Coordinators  all cases
  originating in-hall that COULD result in
  eviction, but NOT suspension/expulsion
• Dean of Students Office  all cases originating
  outside the halls and in-hall cases that COULD
  result in suspension/expulsion
• University of Florida
• Graduate Students 1st time offenses in the
  residence halls that potentially wont result in
  probation
• Area Supervisors (professional staff members)
  situations up to and including probation
• Conduct Professionals Residential Judicial
  Programs, Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution
• University of Texas at Arlington
• Conduct Officers (Office of Student Conduct)
  hear all student conduct cases at the
  administrative hearing level
• Hearing Officers University officials trained
  in the University process for any cases that move
  forward to a formal hearing

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Training Model

• Start with Learning Outcomes in Mind
• Rights and Responsibilities
• Roles of Hearing officers
• Understand Institutional Goals/Philosophy
• Train on the Limitations of the Authority of
  Hearing Officers (when to refer)
• Legal Issues Affecting the Hearing Officer and
  Conduct Process
• Process and Procedures
• Institution specific
• How to Have a Hearing
• Student Development (review and for those
  without Student Affairs background)

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Creating Meeting Location

• Establishing the environment
• Non-public setting
• Reduce distractions Email notifications, phone,
  interruptions
• All necessary equipment available and
  functioning pen, pad of paper, recorder
• Review designated hearing locations
• Privacy
• Safety for hearing officer
• Appearance
• Ease of space (i.e. a shared space)

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Meeting Preparation

• Review Institutional Due Process
• Know your institutional process
• Letter receipts, signatures, pre-hearing
  meetings, etc
• Review of the Case Information
• Written complaints
• Witness statements
• Police/security or staff reports
• Incident Report
• Points to Consider
• What is the potential outcome of the hearing?
• Suspension/Expulsion/Evictions vs. other
  sanctions
• What are your the processes for student conduct?
• Do you get a second meeting with the student?
• What information can be introduced at a
  particular meeting?

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Training Model

• Start with Learning Outcomes in Mind
• Rights and Responsibilities
• Roles of Hearing officers
• Understand Institutional Goals/Philosophy
• Train on the Limitations of the Authority of
  Hearing Officers (when to refer)
• Legal Issues Affecting the Hearing Officer and
  Conduct Process
• Process and Procedures
• Institution specific
• How to Have a Hearing
• Student Development (review and for those
  without Student Affairs background)

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Hearings the Hard Questions

• Starting the Educational Discussion
  Icebreaker Questions
• Utilize Values Exploration Exercises and Case
  Studies
• Know Yourself and the Values, Beliefs, and
  Reactions you bring to the hearing
• FOCUS Values to explore With our Students
• Educational values
• Personal values friends, family, religion,
  student organizations, honesty, personal
  attributes
• Social experiences belonging to a group, not
  giving up friends
• Future prospects
• What it means to be a Gator , Maverick (insert X
  factor here)

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Communication in the Meeting

• Consider your meeting format
• What are the essential items about the meeting
  that you need to train about?
• Maintain eye contact and open body posture
• Imagine yourself in the students shoes and take
  this perspective into account throughout the
  meeting
• Accept the story without judgment
• Help clarify any misunderstandings
• Losing patience may occur. Honesty, with
  follow-up, is appropriate

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Asking the Right Questions

• Open-ended Questions/Probing Questions
• Should be used to gain a better understanding of
  the situation and can assist in clarifying
  details that are not explained in the report
• What do you expect to happen in this conduct
  meeting?
• Can you tell me in your own words what happened?
• What effect did your actions (or behavior) have
  on others? On the community? On you?
• Clarifying Questions/Closed Ended Questions
• Allows to fill in a story or provide specific
  responses, and may lead to additional questions.

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Evidence

• Circumstantial
• Information which, although does not include an
  eyewitness to the actual event, does include
  enough information to lead a reasonable person to
  believe that the student could have committed the
  violation.
• Direct
• Based on personal observation or experience. You
  either believe the persons statement or you
  dont.
• Credibility of involved individuals
• Motive
• Ability
• Malice
• Threats
• Other behavior

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Evidence

• Second-hand or hearsay
• Evidence or information presented by unknown or
  unidentified persons, or evidence with no
  traceable origins.
• Anonymous sources
• Documentary
• Any supportive writing, documents, videos, text
  messages, etc that support or deny a fact at
  issue.
• Documents whos existence and contents are known
  generally or are known by an unbiased witness
  need to be physically produced during the hearing
  (by either party).

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Training Model

• Start with Learning Outcomes in Mind
• Rights and Responsibilities
• Roles of Hearing officers
• Understand Institutional Goals/Philosophy
• Train on the Limitations of the Authority of
  Hearing Officers (when to refer)
• Legal Issues Affecting the Hearing Officer and
  Conduct Process
• Process and Procedures
• Institution specific
• How to Have a Hearing
• Student Development (review and for those
  without Student Affairs background)

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Hearings Final Thoughts

• If you need to conduct further investigation, you
  should ask the student for a preferred phone
  number to contact them at a later time if
  necessary.
• Prompt the student to share any questions or
  concerns they may have. Ensure the student is
  given or has your direct contact information in
  case questions arise after the meeting.
• Develop your OWN assessment tools
• Did I conduct the meeting in a private, relaxed
  setting with no interruptions and no
  distractions?
• Did I state, at the very beginning of the
  session, the purpose of our meeting?
• Did I spend the major portion listening or
  talking?

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Recognizing Troubled Students

• As the trainer, what is your PLAN for helping
  hearing officers deal with troubled students?
• What resources are available on your campus?
• What policies guide use of resources?
• With whom and when should the H.O. consult?
• Are cases vetted by T.A.T. or other individuals
  BEFORE the hearings are assigned?

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Recognizing Troubled Students

• Dealing with student mental health
• Programming
• Training for staff to differentiate between
  disruptive behavior and student in crisis
• Power of referral, walking over to counseling
  center
• Ability to provide resources
• Sanctioning (mental health)
• Sanction the behavior, not the illness
• Collaborate with counseling and student health
  professionals when needed
• Have a basic understanding of HIPPA and how your
  health center/counseling center may be able to
  communicate with you regarding the student

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Recognizing Troubled Students

• If a student reports or demonstrates these
  behaviors
• Change in quality or quantity of work (grades,
  amount of coursework)
• Sudden loss of interest in activities
• Changes in use of alcohol and drugs
• Changes in eating habits
• Changes in daily living or work routines
• Avoidance of friends, more or less desire to
  socialize, change in friends
• Change in general appearance/general appearance
  shows a lack of hygiene/care
• Unusual thinking patterns difficulty
  concentrating
• During conversation sudden mood swings, overly
  defensive or emotional responses
• Admits to difficulty sleeping

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Creative Training Tips

• Role play the hearing with the new officer
• Work on the flow of conversation, body language,
  etc
• Consider video recording a more extensive
  role-play
• Use of video recording or webcams
• Provides supervisor chance to review
• Can highlight body language or actual language
  issues
• Can be used to demonstrate improvement
• Create a video of scripted meeting for trainee
  review
• Demonstrates all the institutional values
• Provides chance to review AFTER initial training

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Creative Training Tips

• Mentor program
• Assign returning staff to new staff to help
  mentor their experience in the conduct setting
• Use of technology to train multiple staff
• If training involves computers, reserve a lab on
  campus
• Camtasia
• Easy to use
• Provides an archived training aid that can be
  revisited later
• Example

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Questions?
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Training Model Review

• Start with Learning Outcomes in Mind
• Rights and Responsibilities
• Roles of Hearing officers
• Understand Institutional Goals/Philosophy
• Train on the Limitations of the Authority of
  Hearing Officers (when to refer)
• Legal Issues Affecting the Hearing Officer and
  Conduct Process
• Process and Procedures
• Institution specific
• How to Have a Hearing
• Student Development (review and for those
  without Student Affairs background)

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Resources

• PowerPoint Presentation and list of interview
  questions will be posted on the Residence
  Life/Housing MIC website at
• http//www.asjaonline.org/en/cms/?1187