Statement on Student Rights and Responsibilities

Kenyon College is committed to personal and intellectual development. As members of the College community, students are expected to act in a manner consonant with an effective learning environment where all members can develop to their full potential. As is the case with staff and faculty, students enjoy certain rights. Students are also expected to abide by College policies and regulations, which have been implemented to facilitate a productive learning environment.

Kenyon seeks to develop its students into graduates who model positive social behavior and are effective citizens. The College further strives to cultivate intellectual excellence, based on the principles of factual discussion, careful analysis, and reasonable debate. Kenyon’s dual goals of personal and intellectual development are inherently intertwined, with each affecting the other and influencing the character of the environment in which members of the Kenyon community live, work and learn.

The environment of a small liberal arts college is especially immersive and personal, allowing students to benefit from a close relationship with the faculty and engagement with the community. For such a community to be successful, it must be accepting of all people, encourage diversity, and recognize the responsibility we all have in supporting one another’s safety and well-being. Kenyon, therefore, operates best when relationships are founded upon a basis of mutual respect, both academically and socially. It is for this reason that behaving responsibly and striving to understand each other are underlying tenets of the College.

We also recognize the importance of individual determination and expression. Thus, even as a private institution, Kenyon aims to support individual rights, similar to those in public life. The College also recognizes that the best way to foster the relationship of personal freedom within the context of an institution is not through imposed conformity. In this spirit, College policies and regulations have been designed to encourage individuality while setting forth community expectations.

 

In order to support an environment where individuality, critical thinking and mutual support can flourish, Kenyon affirms basic standards of respectful behavior. The following handbook sets forth those specific expectations for members of the student body, reflecting the values of this Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.

Passed by Campus Senate on April 12, 2018.