Accountability and Support
A community exists on the basis of shared values, principles, and ideals. At EMU these ideals are articulated in Life Together: Commitments for a Community of Learning. EMU strives to be a community characterized by love for God and one another, wisdom, equality, sustainability, and accountability, and further, to be a place in which all belong and see themselves as members, owners, and curators of the community.
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EMU is committed to building and maintaining a campus environment that is conducive to academic inquiry, engaged campus life, and thoughtful study and discourse. The student accountability program within the student life division is committed to educational, developmental, and restorative processes that meet the needs of individual students as well as the needs of the university community.
Restorative Justice and Student Accountability at EMU
Restorative Justice is a philosophy that emphasizes healing and accountability to repair harm and wrongdoing, build community, and strengthen relationships (definition developed by Dr. Johonna Turner, Assistant Professor of Restorative Justice and Peacebuilding at CJP at EMU).
Restorative Justice (RJ) begins with the assumption that all people should be treated with dignity and respect, recognizing that each person has a unique perspective. By our presence we are all members of communities and are therefore connected to each other. Each of us needs to be responsible for our own actions and need to be held accountable for those actions.
Restorative Justice is a philosophy that focuses on meeting the needs of individuals and groups through community/relationship building as well as through the development of processes that lead to active and meaningful accountability. RJ embraces community empowerment and participation, multi-partial facilitation, active accountability, and social support. Restorative Justice is not an easy way out for those who do harm, because Restorative Justice requires taking responsibility and being accountable in ways that are not easy.
The purpose of a Restorative Justice process is to bring together all parties involved in an incident for the purposes of addressing the harms associated with the incident. The RJ process enhances the opportunity for learning amongst all involved, as well as providing a venue for discussion of various points of view.
Student accountability processes at EMU attempt to embody this Restorative Justice philosophy by creating space for inclusive decision-making, active accountability, repairing harm, and rebuilding trust. However, there may be incidences where respondents/those who have done harm refuse to take responsibility and/or need to be held responsible for harm done or for a violation of university standards of conduct. While highlighting the restorative processes (conferencing and circles) used for repairing harm, rebuilding trust, and building community, the EMU student accountability procedures also contain mechanisms for incidents in which those who have done harm/respondents are held responsible for harm/wrongdoing/violation of policy.
EMU has also developed a table of common outcomes for incidents involving alcohol and other drugs. See the last page of the EMU Student Conduct and Conflict Worksheet for this information.
Scope of Community Expectations
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Respect for the dignity of all persons is the EMU standard. Any unwelcome conduct based on actual or perceived statusincluding: sex, gender, race, color, age, creed, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, veteran status, pregnancy status, religion, sexual orientation or other protected status.Any unwelcome conduct should be reported to campus officials via the Campus Safety Incident Report (emu.edu/safecampus/), who will act to remedy and resolve reported incidents on behalf of the victim and community.
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Relationship violence is a broad term used by EMU to categorize types of violence other than sexual violence that occur in the context of an intimate relationship, often including emotional, psychological, physical, or fiscal abuse. Relationship violence encompasses domestic violence, dating violence, and intimate partner violence. An incident of relationship violence can consist of a single act of violence or a pattern of violent acts. Incidents of relationship violence can occur separate from or in tandem with incidents of sexual misconduct. Conduct that constitutes relationship violence is covered under the Eastern Mennonite University Policy on Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct- emu.edu/titleix/relationship-violence-policy.
Domestic Violence: violence committed by a current or former spouse, or sexual or intimate partner of the alleged victim, a person who is living as a spouse or who lived as a spouse with the alleged victim, parents and children, other persons related by blood or marriage, or by a person with whom the alleged victim shares a child in common. See EMU Policy on Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct)
Dating Violence: violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the alleged victim. The existence of such a relationship will be determined based on the reporting party’s statement, taking into consideration the following factors: a) the length of the relationship, b) the type of relationship, and c) the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship. Dating violence includes, but is not limited to, sexual or physical abuse or the threat of such abuse.See EMU Policy on Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct)
Intimate Partner Violence: includes dating violence, domestic violence, and relationship violence, includes any act of violence or threatened act of violence against a person who is, or has been involved in, a sexual, dating, domestic, and/or other intimate relationship with that person. It may involve one act or an ongoing pattern of behavior. See EMU Policy on Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct)
Stalking: occurs when a person engages in a course of conduct directed at a specific person under circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to fear bodily injury or to experience substantial emotional distress.
Course of conduct means two or more acts, including but not limited to acts in which a person directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any action, method, device, or means, follows, monitors, observes, surveils, threatens, or communicates to, or about another person, or interferes with another person’s property.
A reasonable person means a person under similar circumstances and with similar identities to the victim.
Substantial emotional distress means significant mental suffering or anguish.Stalking includes cyber-stalking, a particular form of stalking in which a person uses electronic media, such as the internet, social networks, blogs, cell phones, texts, or other similar devices or forms of contact.
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The following terms are also defined in the Policy on Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct
*To report an instance of sexual violence and/or sexual misconduct, contact the Title IX coordinator at 540-432-4302 or by email at titleixcoordinator@emu.edu OR complete a Campus Safety Incident Report at https://emu.edu/safecampus/ OR see EMU Policy on Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct “Reporting” section for full details on reporting options and process.
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*To report an instance of sexual violence and/or sexual misconduct, contact the Title IX coordinator at 540-432-4302 or by email at titleixcoordinator@emu.edu OR complete a Campus Safety Incident Report at https://emu.edu/safecampus/ OR see EMU Policy on Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct “Reporting” section for full details on reporting options and process.
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