Director, Office of Student Advocacy and Accountability

About the position

The Director for the Office of Student Advocacy and Accountability (OSAA) is responsible for the administration of the University's student conduct program. The Director of OSAA provides oversight and leadership for all student processes and policies outlined in the Student Handbook, as well as related institutional and divisional policy development and implementation. The Director investigates and adjudicates student misconduct and other related disciplinary processes. Provides oversight and supervision for student support and case management, including supervision of staff and student as applicable. The Director develops and manages training for faculty and staff members who manage policies, procedures and housing that pertain to conduct. As a member of the Division of Student Affairs, assists in engaging all students in meaningful educational experiences, in and out of the classroom with emphasis for Residential Life and Housing. Serves on several institutional and division-wide committees, researches and completes required reports and documents that are central to the outcomes of OSAA. The Director of OSAA manages software and other tools utilized to report and record issues related to student conduct and judicial affairs and assures compliance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Responsibilities

• Serves as student conduct administrator, assessing, researching, developing, implementing, and updating consistently all related procedures, training, publications and website.
• Serves as a resource for faculty and staff in discipline matters.
• Develops and administers student conduct budgets.
• Coordinates with Residential Life and Housing staff when reviewing off-campus housing exemptions, including processing and access to eRezLife.
• Meet bi-monthly with Residential Life and Housing leadership team to ensure all the hearing officers and judicial boards are in place and accurate as well as other programs as necessary.
• Maintain understanding of national best practices related to all functions with student rights, responsibilities and student conduct.
• Maintain knowledge of student development theories and their application to students.
• Maintain knowledge of applicable law and compliance areas related to student affairs, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Clery Act, and Title IX.
• Meet regularly with the Title IX Coordinator to ensure compliance for all cases where sexual assault, stalking, sexual harassment, and/or domestic violence are suspected.
• Contribute to the process of vetting/advising graduate and undergraduate admissions in the admittance of prospective students with prior criminal or disciplinary records, and recommend conditions where appropriate.
• Coordinate with the Office of the Registrar all administrative holds to ensure that students' records are aligned and up-to-date with their judicial standing.
• Reviews incident reports, meets with involved parties, investigate incidents, and adjudicate cases according to established codes of conduct and policies.
• Provides all case management for misconduct, from intake to sanction completion.
• Maintain all student conduct records, including management of Maxient software and its use campus-wide.
• Coordinate the annual review of policies and procedures for the Student Handbook.
• Provides proactive education, training, and outreach for faculty, staff, and students on behavior expectations and guidelines, student code of conduct, and all related topics including drug and alcohol training, civility, community living, etc. in collaboration with the Self-Development, Counseling and Special Accommodations Center.
• Works with University Police and local law enforcement relating to incidents pertaining to student misconduct.
• Designs, implements, and assesses effectiveness of sanctions used in the misconduct process.
• Recruits and trains faculty, staff, and students as student conduct board members on an annual basis.
• Provides leadership in the area of institutional and divisional policy development and implementation.
• Maintains communication and professional collaborations with area college/university student conduct offices.
• Co-Leads the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) with the Director of Self-Development and Special Accommodations, a campus-wide committee focused on threat assessment, intervention, and student support.
• Co-Leads BIT with the Director of Self-Development and Special Accommodations student cases, procedures, and processes associated with student support and threat assessment/response.
• Co-Leads the Campus Assessment, Response, and Evaluation (CARE) Team along with the Director of University Police, is a multidisciplinary group that meets regularly to assess, evaluate, and respond to reports submitted concerning an enrolled student's behavior and/or the behavior on another campus. Communicates progress with other campus staff and faculty members as appropriate.
• Thorough on-going case management, meets regularly with referred students to update records, provide on-going support and feedback, and assess progress. Ensures student compliance and follow-through with discussed plans.
• Serves as a liaison and resource to various departments on-campus, including but not limited to Academic Affairs, First-Year Experience, Self-Development Counseling and Special Accommodations, the Wellness Center (personal counseling and health services), Residence Life and Housing, Title IX Office, Athletics, University Police and faculty.
• Remains up-to-date with all campus procedures and policies impacting students from orientation to graduation.
• Researches and completes required reports and documents, including those requiring coordination with other campus departments.
• Participates and provides updates to the UL Student Affairs System Group.
• Supervises the publishing and communication to the campus of all related misconduct publications, forms, and documents.
• Ensures the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's (FIRE) website is monitored for university rankings and updated as needed.

Requirements

• A Master's degree required.
• A minimum of 6 years in student services or a related field in higher education.
• Excellent organizational, management, and leadership skills are required.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively with others are required.
• Computer literacy and database experience are required.
• The ability to manage and complete tasks in a timely manner and the ability to maintain accurate records and files is required.
• The ability to develop knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds is required.
• Ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse communities and cultures.
• Employee shall adhere to all applicable rules and regulations of the UL-System, UL-Monroe, NCAA and SACSCOC.
• Shall be familiar with Higher Education Law as well as state criminal and civil law and Title IX.