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Understanding Your Options for Conflict & Conduct Follow‑Up: The Spectrum Model
When a conflict or conduct concern comes up, there isn’t just one way to address it. The university uses a Spectrum Model, which offers a range of pathways from completely student driven conversations to fully formal adjudication to help ensure every situation is handled in the most fair, supportive, and educational way possible.
Most student situations do not require a formal investigation or hearing. Instead, many can be resolved through non formal pathways that focus on communication, understanding, and restoring relationships.
This guide helps you understand your options and choose the pathway that fits your needs and values.
Why Students Choose Non‑Formal Options
Non‑formal options (Pathways 1–7) are available to most students and often offer meaningful, supportive, and empowering alternatives to formal conduct processes.
Students often prefer non‑formal pathways because they are:
1. Educational rather than punitive
These options focus on communication, understanding impact, and building agreements that help everyone move forward.
2. More comfortable and relational
Many students find non‑formal processes less intimidating and more personal than formal hearings.
3. Designed to support relationships
Especially in residence life, classes, teams, or friend groups, these pathways help preserve ongoing relationships.
4. Faster and more flexible
These pathways don’t require hearings, strict timelines, or formal rules—allowing quicker and more adaptive resolution.
5. Empowering
You help shape the process, the conversation, and the outcome. Your voice and needs guide the solution.
6. Context‑sensitive
Non‑formal options allow more space to consider cultural identity, lived experience, background, or systemic factors that contributed to the situation.
7. Not tied to a conduct violation
While staff may keep supportive internal notes, these options do not create a conduct violation on your record.
When Non‑formal pathways may be a good fit
Students often choose these options when they:
- Want to repair a relationship
- Believe there was a misunderstanding
- Want to talk with the other person directly or with support
- Prefer a collaborative, flexible approach
- Want to avoid a formal conduct finding
- Are seeking a faster or less structured process
- Want to be part of shaping the solution
When a formal process may still be necessary
Sometimes policy or safety considerations require a formal approach (Pathways 8–9). If this applies to your situation, staff will explain why and will ensure the process is:
- clear
- fair
- transparent
- supportive
- accessible
Even then, restorative or non‑formal elements may still be available.
The Nine Pathways in the Spectrum Model
You can bring up the pathway you prefer with your contact person, investigator, or Residence Life/Student Conduct staff member. We will help you understand which options are available based on the situation, safety considerations, and policy.
1. No Conflict Management
Meaning: The university intentionally steps back so you can address the situation independently.
Examples:
- You and a roommate adjust expectations together.
- A misunderstanding is resolved through direct conversation.
- Friends talk through tension without needing staff involvement.
2. Dialogue
Meaning: You and another student meet on your own to talk and understand each other’s perspectives.
Examples:
- Two students meet to clarify miscommunication.
- A noise concern becomes a conversation between neighbours.
3. Conflict Coaching
Meaning: You work one‑on‑one with a staff member to prepare for addressing the conflict yourself.
Examples:
- Planning what to say in a tough conversation.
- Learning communication strategies.
- Identifying what boundaries you want to set.
4. Facilitated Dialogue
Meaning: A neutral facilitator guides a conversation, but you and the other person make all decisions.
Examples:
- Suite mates work through tension with help from Residence Life.
- Two peers discuss a conflict with structured support.
5. Mediation
Meaning: A trained mediator structures a meeting to help you build mutually agreed‑upon solutions.
Examples:
- Roommates create a written agreement on shared responsibilities.
- Student leaders resolve a team conflict and create a communication plan.
6. Restorative Practices
Meaning: A process focused on repairing harm, restoring trust, and planning for the future.
Examples include restorative circles, conferences, or boards.
Examples:
- A student who caused harm meets with affected people to build a repair agreement.
- A group circle helps a community talk through impact and decide next steps.
- A diversion option avoids entering a formal conduct process.
7. Shuttle Diplomacy (Negotiation)
Meaning: A staff member meets separately with each party to help them reach an agreement without direct contact.
Examples:
- When meeting together feels unsafe or too stressful.
- When privacy or emotional distance is preferred.
- When two students want resolution but not direct conversation.
8. Adjudication — Informal Resolution
Meaning: A structured meeting with a conduct officer where a student may accept responsibility and resolve the incident without a hearing.
Tone: This option is collaborative, fair, and educational, not inherently punitive.
Examples:
- A student acknowledges a policy violation and works to repair impact.
- A student chooses an informal resolution for clarity and closure.
- Educational or restorative sanctions are assigned through mutual agreement.
Record: Creates a conduct record only when a violation is accepted.
9. Adjudication — Formal Resolution (Investigation)
Meaning: A fair, structured review by a panel or adjudicator to determine whether a policy violation occurred.
Tone: This option exists to ensure due process, clarity, and fairness, especially when facts are disputed.
Examples:
- Two students disagree on what happened and want a neutral decision‑maker.
- Incidents that involve serious impact or require thorough review.
- Situations where university policy requires a formal determination.
Record: A record is created only if a violation is found.
Choosing Your Pathway
After your intake meeting, you will receive clear information about your options. You can bring up the pathway you prefer at any time with:
- your investigator
- your Residence Life or Student Conduct staff
- your support person
We’ll help you understand what each option looks like, how safe and appropriate it is for your situation, and what support is available.
Record Information (as requested):
- Options 1–7: These are on the record only in the sense that staff may keep internal notes—but they do not create a conduct violation.
- Options 8–9: These result in a conduct record only if responsibility is accepted or determined.