Association for Student Conduct Administration

The Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA) (formerly the Association for Student Judicial Affairs) is the leading voice for student conduct administration within higher education, conflict resolution, law and public policy related to student conduct administration. ASCA also attracts members who work in higher education prevention education and Title IX administrators in the United States. Founded in 1987, ASCA has over 2,400 active members at over 1,000 institutions across the US, Canada, and abroad.^[1] ASCA's headquarters resided on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas until 2018. ASCA is still based in College Station, but is now fully remote.

Association for Student Conduct Administration

Abbreviation	ASCA
Formation	1987 (1987)
Founder	Donald D. Gehring
Type	Educational association
Headquarters	College Station, Texas
Coordinates	30°36′42″N 96°20′36″W / 30.611746°N 96.343411°W / 30.611746; -96.343411
Fields	Student affairs, student conduct, conflict resolution
Membership (2023)	2400
Executive Director	Tess Barker, JD, PhD
President	Christina Parle
President-Elect	Christina Liang
Past-President	Patience Bryant
Affiliations	Council of Higher Education Management Associations (CHEMA)
Staff (2023)	4
Website	theasca.org
Formerly called	Association for Student Judicial Affairs (ASJA) (1987-2008)

Mission

The mission statement of ASCA is to support higher education professionals by providing education materials and resources, intentional professional development opportunities and a network of colleagues to facilitate best practices of student conduct administration and conflict resolution on college and university campuses.^[2]

History

The creation of the Association for Student Judicial Affairs was proposed by Donald D. Gehring of the University of Louisville during conversations with colleagues at the Stetson University Law and Higher Education Conference.^[3] ASJA officially came to form in 1987 with the creation of a steering committee and funding support from Raymond Goldstone at the University of California, Los Angeles.^[4]

ASJA held its first annual conference in 1989 and began the annual Donald D. Gehring Academy for Student Conduct Administration in 1993. In 2008, ASJA changed its name to the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA).^[5] In 2015, ASCA opened a satellite office in Washington, D.C., in collaboration with the American College Personnel Association, to facilitate more interaction with other higher education professional associations and to assist public policy advocacy efforts.

Professional development

ASCA produces several national professional development programs each year, including an annual conference,^[6] the Donald D. Gehring Academy for Student Conduct Administration,^[7] a Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Institute, as well as national collaborations with other professional associations such as NASPA, the Association of Fraternity Advisors, and the National Association for Campus Activities.

Structure and communities of practice

ASCA is organizationally divided into four geographic regions administered by regional chairs with each state having a state coordinator.^[8] The association sponsors committees and communities of practice on topics such as conflict resolution, research, academic integrity, assessment, community colleges, fraternity and sorority life, public policy and legislative issues, mental health, threat assessment and sexual assault.^[9]

Advocacy efforts

After the release of the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) "Dear Colleague Letter" discussing Title IX and campus sexual assault in April 2011, ASCA leadership and publications were frequently cited in the national media to discuss topics related to sexual assault response.^[10][11] ASCA has voiced support for the OCR-required preponderance of the evidence standard in campus sexual assault adjudications,^[12][13] mandatory academic transcript notation for serious disciplinary matters,^[14][15] and advocacy for institutionally-based discipline processes.^[16][17]

ASCA has received criticism from popular media outlets Huffington Post and Jezebel for a perceived focus on educational outcomes in campus sexual assault adjudication.^[18][19] ASCA responded to those concerns with the publication of a "Gold Standard" report on sexual assault adjudication practices.^[20][21]

Foundation

The Raymond Goldstone ASCA Foundation provides funds for scholarships to ASCA professional development opportunities such as the annual conference or Gehring Academy.^[22]

References

1. . Association for Student Conduct Administration. Association for Student Conduct Administration. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
2. . Association for Student Conduct Administration. Association for Student Conduct Administration. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
3. "theasca.org". www.theasca.org. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
4. . Association for Student Conduct Administration. Association for Student Conduct Administration. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
5. "ASCA History" (PDF). Association for Student Conduct Administration. Association for Student Conduct Administration. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
6. "ASCA Conference 2023 – Association for Student Conduct Administration 2023 Annual Conference". Retrieved 2023-04-03.
7. "ASCA Gehring". Retrieved 2023-04-03.
8. "ASCA Regions". Association for Student Conduct Administration. Association for Student Conduct Administration. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
9. "ASCA Communities of Practice". Association for Student Conduct Administration. Association for Student Conduct Administration. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
10. Grassgreen, Allie. "Tide Shifts on Title IX". Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
11. Grassgreen, Allie. "Deadlines for Campus Justice". Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
12. "ASCA 2014 White Paper: Student Conduct Administration & Title IX: Gold Standard Practices for Resolution of Allegations of Sexual Misconduct on College Campuses" (PDF). Association for Student Conduct Administration. Association for Student Conduct Administration. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
13. Bruell, Alex. "Combating Sexual Assault in Schools". The Daily. The Daily. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
14. "Transcript notations can help institutions reduce foreseeable risk" (PDF). Student Affairs Today. 17 (6): 1. September 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
15. Valenti, Jessica (29 April 2015). "College rapists should not be able to transfer schools to skip consequences". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
16. McMurtrie, Beth (29 April 2015). "With Fraternities Under Scrutiny, Greek Lobbyists Take to Capitol Hill". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
17. Bennett, Laura (April 2015). "When the Student Culture Changes". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
18. Kingkade, Tyler (29 September 2014). "Many Universities Don't Want You To Know How They Punish Sexual Assault". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
19. Beusman, Callie (29 September 2014). "Colleges Rarely Expel Students Found Responsible for Sexual Assault". Gawker Media. Jezebel. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
20. "ASCA 2014 White Paper: Student Conduct Administration & Title IX: Gold Standard Practices for Resolution of Allegations of Sexual Misconduct on College Campuses" (PDF). Association for Student Conduct Administration. Association for Student Conduct Administration. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
21. Hamlin, Kelsey (23 June 2015). "Office for Civil Rights investigates UW for handling of sexual assault cases". The Daily. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
22. . Association for Student Conduct Administration. Association for Student Conduct Administration. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.

External links

• Official website