Mission, Residence Life Program, Administration, Campus Lifestyle Standards, Appeals
Student Life/Residence Life, Campus Community Programs, Campus Ministries
Mission
The Student Life Department exists to promote the development of students’ individual well being and to build community in a Christ-centered environment. Student Life’s specific areas of responsibility include residence halls, campus activities, campus ministries, campus counseling, and international student services.
Residence Life Program
The Student Life staff seeks to serve students and to provide a living situation where students’ basic needs are met and where they are challenged to live responsibly with others. The living units within each residence hall are called mods. Nine to 15 people live in a mod. These students share a common bathroom and lounge area. The group is led by a Christian student leader called a resident assistant (RA).
The Hesston College campus community welcomes all students regardless of race, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and social or economic class. Hesston College is, by design, a diverse campus with persons from across the United States and around the world. The community celebrates this diversity and realizes that differences require each individual to seek understanding and integrity in relationships.
Administration
The Student Life staff is responsible for managing residence hall life and activities. The vice president of student life coordinates all residential living policies and provides supervision and training to the resident directors (RDs) and RAs.
The RDs are adult staff who live in separate apartments in the dorms. Each RD supervises a group of RAs. The RD responds to student needs, provides leadership in the residence hall, is available for counseling and conflict resolution, and is involved in campus life as a mentor and role model for students. The RD responds to emergencies and assists the vice president of student life with campus security.
The RA is a second- or third-year student. Each RA is chosen to provide leadership for a mod. The RA is available to help students move in and get acquainted with other students and the college. RAs serve as a communication link between students and RD; help organize educational, social, and recreational events and programs; and assist in enforcement of college policies. More complete information describing Student Life is available in the Student Handbook on the Hesston College web site.
Campus Lifestyle Standards
To foster community, enhance the campus experience, assist in students’ maturation, and provide a safe learning and living environment, Hesston College has adopted a set of campus lifestyle standards to which all members of the college community are required to abide. These standards reflect Christian faith and commitment and promote wellness. A student’s signature on the application for admission or the affirmation of college lifestyle standards form indicates that he or she understands and agrees to keep these standards, whether or not the standards represent the individual’s conviction or preference. Consult the Hesston College Student Handbook in the Student Life section of the Hesston College website for the list of standards and the enforcement procedures that the college employs when individuals break the standards.
Appeals
Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Vice President of Student Life within twenty-four (24) hours of notification of any decision and should include the offense committed; the disciplines assigned, and complete reasons for the basis of the appeal. The Vice President of Academics will review the appeal request to determine if the appeal should be granted. If the appeal is granted, the student and the Student Appeals Committee will be notified. The Administrative Council appoints the Student Appeals Committee, which consists of a faculty member, staff member, student, and member of Administrative Council. This committee will review all documents, interview persons involved, and either overturn or uphold the decision of the Dean of Students or SDC. All appeal decisions are final.
Grounds for appeals
- The decision is unreasonably disproportionate to the infraction (including consideration of the student’s prior offenses or willingness to cooperate in the disciplinary process).
- Policies and procedures relating to student or academic issues were not followed that affected the student’s right to receive a fair decision.
- The disciplinary or academic decision was not supported by evidence.
- New evidence has become available since the initial hearing that would have significantly altered its results.