Semester: 2023 Spring
Students: Layla Kousari, Helen Li, and Shir Lovett-Graff
The Office of Rights and Responsibilities primarily adjudicates cases of non-academic misconduct in and around the residence halls and affiliated housing properties at the University of Maryland, College Park, and promotes learning, integrity, cooperation, respect, and safety in the community. In recent years, the Office of Rights and Responsibilities and the Office of Student Conduct have promoted a more holistic approach to student development and support when student misconduct happens, including some restorative justice (RJ) practices. They have engaged HNMCP to assess the needs and interests of campus stakeholders and help forecast the implementation of their proposed RJ process design. Specifically, their question presented is, “In what ways does the current RJ proposal meet the needs and interests of faculty, staff, and students? Based on that assessment, what recommendations do you have for successfully implementing the proposal more broadly at UMD?” By understanding these perspectives further and integrating them into the design of a proposed RJ process, the Office hopes the process will have increased buy-in from students, faculty, and staff and that they can implement a restorative justice process as caring, equitable, just, and holistic as possible for the students they serve.
Students will:
- Conduct stakeholder assessment of faculty, staff, and student attitudes towards the proposed RJ process, including those who have experience with RJ on UMD’s campus
- Compare stakeholder needs with existing proposal for RJ process at UMD, identifying any gaps or opportunities
- Deliver a final presentation that outlines design recommendations for implementing the RJ proposal in alignment with stakeholder needs and best practices in the field