2023-2024 Student Handbook

Introduction

Dear Grinnell Students,

Welcome to the 2023-2024 academic year at Grinnell College.

Central to our campus community is the high level of engagement expected of all who join us here. Such engagement extends beyond our intellectual and academic pursuits to include our positive participation in dialogue and decision making, our intentional and committed involvements in living communities, clubs and organizations, and the rich variety of events and performances offered at Grinnell.

Our community succeeds when all of us acknowledge and accept our responsibilities to each other and to the College. This on-line Student Handbook clarifies Grinnell’s values and expectations – including policies and practices that encourage us to work well with one another and procedures for us to deal with conflicts and breaches of community expectations.

Every student should become familiar with the contents of this online Student Handbook, and take advantage of updated information about the campus community posted on the Grinnell web site. While it is not the practice of the College to monitor online behavior, it should be noted that online behavior may be considered evidence of policy violations. Please keep this in mind as you engage with members of our community both in person and in today’s technological landscape.

You have our best wishes for a successful 2023-2024 academic year. Please be in contact with us if you have questions, concerns, or suggestions about life at Grinnell. We’re glad that you are members of our campus community and look forward to the positive contributions that you will make.

Sincerely,

JC Lopez Interim Vice President for Student Affairs	Beronda Montgomery Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Professor of Biology

Nondiscrimination Statement of Policy

Grinnell College is committed to establishing and maintaining a safe and nondiscriminatory educational environment for all College community members. It is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in matters of admission, employment, and housing, and in access to and participation in its education programs, services, and activities.  The College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth, religion, disability, creed or any other protected class. Discrimination and harassment on any of the bases covered by state or federal antidiscrimination statutes is unlawful and a violation of Grinnell College policy.

Grinnell College recognizes that harassment can relate to an individual’s membership in more than one protected class.  Targeting individuals on the basis of their membership in any protected class is also a violation of Grinnell’s Community Standards and Responsibilities and may violate the College’s Hate Crime and Bias-Motivated Incident Policy.  Under these circumstances, the College will coordinate the investigation and resolution, provided that doing so does not unduly delay prompt and equitable resolution under this policy.

This policy also prohibits sexual harassment, sexual violence, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence against Grinnell College community members of any gender, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation.  This policy also prohibits gender-based harassment that does not involve conduct of a sexual nature.

The College has grievance procedures for any individual who has experienced harassment or discrimination and wishes to pursue resolution.

• Formal Complain Form for Title IX
• Anonymous reports concerning Prohibited Behavior (or any concerning behavior) may be reported through EthicsPoint. 
• Report a Bias Incident
• Ombuds office

The application of the College’s nondiscrimination policy will often involve conflicting interests. This may especially be the case when it is applied to questions of freedom of speech and freedom of association. Because of these inherent difficulties, the application of the nondiscrimination policy may not be simple or straightforward. Since the primary business of the College is liberal education, and because liberal education cannot take place without the free, open, and civil exchange of ideas, the application of the nondiscrimination policy should always be made with consideration of how best to preserve the free, open, and civil exchange of ideas.

Religious Observance Policy

Grinnell College acknowledges and embraces the religious diversity of its faculty, students and staff. Faculty and students share responsibility to support members of our community who observe religious holidays. Students will provide faculty members with reasonable notice of the dates of religious holidays on which they will be absent, and this notice would be expected to occur no later than the third week of the semester. Faculty members will make reasonable efforts to accommodate students who need to be absent from examinations or class due to religious observance. Students are responsible for completing any part of the course work, including examinations, which they have missed due to religious observance, and faculty members are responsible for giving them the opportunity to do so.

Self-Governance at Grinnell College

Our self-governing community affords students the responsibility and right to respectfully engage with other students, staff, faculty, and the greater community to uphold the values and mission of the College, by participating in governance at the institution, which establishes a culture of belonging, and requires accountability and commitment to the community

Self-governance upholds the values and mission of the College.

Grinnell College’s commitment to excellence includes educating students to serve the common good. This purpose can be realized by understanding the relationship between the self and the larger whole. The College is committed to a self-governing community.

Self-governance expects student participation in governance at the institution.

Grinnell College students are charged with participating in institutional governance through established structures and by engaging in peer-based governance in their residential spaces. Students may express their views on institutional policies and have the opportunity to share opinions on decisions that affect student interests. As such, the College pledges to invite student participation while committing to the facilitation of learning.

Self-governance establishes a culture of belonging.

It is our objective to create a culture of belonging where students feel represented and connected to one another through dialogue and shared purpose. Students are expected to engage in active listening, to represent themselves with integrity, and to be honest and accountable for personal choices and actions. To foster our commitment to inclusion and social justice, the College insists that our diversity of identities, worldviews, and experiences be honored and represented in the practice of self-governance. Students are obligated to create space for all voices to be represented as we advance the mission of the College together. Faculty and staff participate in self-governance as facilitators of the student experience. Students can expect to grow in their leadership development, to deepen their understanding of citizenship, to strengthen their confidence and personal identity development, and to cultivate their ethical decision making skills.

Self-governance requires accountability and commitment to the community.

A self-governing community is imbued with responsibilities and rights for each of its members, with the expectation that students will create conditions that allow for these responsibilities and rights to be enjoyed by all. Any assertion of individual rights must be made with regard to the individual’s responsibilities to the community. Self-governance is marked not by license but by the responsible use of freedom, which requires all members of the community to sustain the rights of others. As a result, students can expect to have a rich and rewarding residential experience that remains focused on education as its primary purpose.

Self-governance as a guiding principle of our community exists within a system of standards, laws, policies, and other regulations. All members of our community are subject to federal, state, and local laws and statutes and Grinnell College cannot protect those who violate those laws. To uphold the safety and orderly function of our self-governing community, policies have been established to prevent actions that would infringe upon the rights and well-being of others, cause disruption to others or the community, endanger persons or property, or that would be in conflict with the principles of our self-governing community. If and when students violate our policies, they have an obligation to take responsibility for those actions by engaging in their own learning and development facilitated by our conduct process. 

The Committee on Student Life holds the responsibility for reviewing and updating this document every three years.