Alternative Resolution Process

One reason students who have experienced harm choose to participate in an ARP is so that they can continue to add their voice to the outcome and accountability of the person who caused them harm. Other students may want to participate so that they can tell the person who harmed them how the harm had an impact. Still others want to hear from the Harming Party about what they were thinking when they caused harm.

Regardless of your motivation, most students enter the process because they want some sense of closure to their incident. They may not walk away having a completely restored relationship with the other party, but the ARP gives them an opportunity to address the situation in way that feels more personally meaningful than the student conduct process can provide.

If I am a Harming Party, why should I choose to participate in an ARP?

Given that a requirement to participate in an ARP is admission that you caused harm to another person in some way, one of the benefits to participation is having the opportunity to explain your thought process and apologize for your actions. Though a direct apology is not required, participants are able to accept the impact of their actions and seek to make things right. These responses can act as a form of apology and self-accountability.

Other students participate to avoid facing the disciplinary process. While this is a possible benefit of participation, we encourage students to find other, less altruistic motivations as accountability from peers is often more difficult to face than from an administrator.

The ARP is an entirely voluntary process and can be altered at any time. It can be used as an alternative to, alongside, or at the conclusion of the traditional student conduct process. The ARP can also be used for incidents in which no policy violation has taken place. Situations involving interpersonal conflict or harm caused to others can be resolved through an ARP. Some examples of cases where an ARP may be used might be: roommate conflicts, social media conflicts, possible harassment or cyberbullying, vandalism, just to name a few.  Other types of incidents can be considered for ARP by the Director of SARP.

1. Once it is determined that the ARP is appropriate for a given case, parties will be contacted and invited to participate. All parties must be willing to participate.
2. All parties participate in Pre-Work meetings where they are asked to answer 4 key questions that will be discussed during the Restorative Circle. They discuss their answers with one of the circle facilitators. They may also be given critical information about what other parties might say during the circle. This helps everyone be prepared to respond thoughtfully and contribute to the dialogue.
3. Once all parties have completed Pre-Work Meetings, a Restorative Circle will be scheduled. During the circle, all parties are given an opportunity to identify harms, discuss the impact of those harms, and formulate an agreement for actions that must happen to repair the harm.
4. SARP tracks the completion of the agreement and notifies parties of completion or failure to complete. If agreements are not upheld and the case could possibly involve policy violation(s), it could be referred back to the traditional student conduct process.