Association for Student Conduct Administration

{{Infobox organization

| name = Association for Student Conduct Administration

| image = Association for Student Conduct Administration (logo).png

| image_size =

| abbreviation = ASCA

| formation = {{start date|1987}}

| founder = Donald D. Gehring

| type = Educational association

| headquarters = College Station, Texas

| coords = {{coord|30.611746|-96.343411|display=inline,title}}

| fields = Student affairs, student conduct, conflict resolution

| membership = 2400

| membership_year = 2023

| leader_title = Executive Director

| leader_name = Tess Barker, JD, PhD

| leader_title2 = President

| leader_name2 = Christina Parle

| leader_title3 = President-Elect

| leader_name3 = Christina Liang

| leader_title4 = Past-President

| leader_name4 = Patience Bryant

| affiliations = Council of Higher Education Management Associations (CHEMA)

| staff = 4

| staff_year = 2023

| website = {{URL|theasca.org}}

| formerly = Association for Student Judicial Affairs (ASJA) (1987–2008)

| footnotes =

}}

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.{{cite web|title=ASCA About Page|url=http://www.theasca.org/about_asca|website=Association for Student Conduct Administration|publisher=Association for Student Conduct Administration|accessdate=19 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717175315/http://www.theasca.org/about_asca|archive-date=17 July 2015|url-status=dead}} 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.

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.{{cite web|title=About ASCA|url=http://www.theasca.org/about_asca|website=Association for Student Conduct Administration|publisher=Association for Student Conduct Administration|accessdate=19 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717175315/http://www.theasca.org/about_asca|archive-date=17 July 2015|url-status=dead}}

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.{{Cite web |title=theasca.org |url=https://www.theasca.org/history |access-date=2023-04-03 |website=www.theasca.org}} 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.{{cite web|title=About ASCA|url=http://www.theasca.org/about_asca|website=Association for Student Conduct Administration|publisher=Association for Student Conduct Administration|accessdate=19 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717175315/http://www.theasca.org/about_asca|archive-date=17 July 2015|url-status=dead}}

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).{{cite web|title=ASCA History|url=http://www.theasca.org/files/history%20for%20website.pdf|website=Association for Student Conduct Administration|publisher=Association for Student Conduct Administration|accessdate=19 July 2015}} 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,{{Cite web |title=ASCA Conference 2023 – Association for Student Conduct Administration 2023 Annual Conference. |url=https://ascaconference.com/ |access-date=2023-04-03 |language=en-US}} the Donald D. Gehring Academy for Student Conduct Administration,{{Cite web |title=ASCA Gehring |url=https://ascagehring.com/ |access-date=2023-04-03 |language=en-US}} 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.{{cite web|title=ASCA Regions|url=http://www.theasca.org/coordinators|website=Association for Student Conduct Administration|publisher=Association for Student Conduct Administration|accessdate=22 July 2015}} 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.{{cite web|title=ASCA Communities of Practice|url=http://www.theasca.org/comm_practice|website=Association for Student Conduct Administration|publisher=Association for Student Conduct Administration|accessdate=22 July 2015}}

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.{{cite web|last1=Grassgreen|first1=Allie|title=Tide Shifts on Title IX|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/04/24/ocr-dear-colleague-letter-prompts-big-change-sexual-assault-hearings-unc|website=Inside Higher Ed|publisher=Inside Higher Ed|accessdate=22 July 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Grassgreen|first1=Allie|title=Deadlines for Campus Justice|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/10/09/duke-eliminates-statute-limitations-sex-assault-cases-after-confusion-ocr|website=Inside Higher Ed|publisher=Inside Higher Ed|accessdate=22 July 2015}} ASCA has voiced support for the OCR-required preponderance of the evidence standard in campus sexual assault adjudications,{{cite web|title=ASCA 2014 White Paper: Student Conduct Administration & Title IX: Gold Standard Practices for Resolution of Allegations of Sexual Misconduct on College Campuses|url=http://www.theasca.org/Files/Publications/ASCA%202014%20White%20Paper.pdf|website=Association for Student Conduct Administration|publisher=Association for Student Conduct Administration|accessdate=22 July 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Bruell|first1=Alex|title=Combating Sexual Assault in Schools|url=http://www.dailyuw.com/features/article_ae1ac346-301b-11e5-a42b-877cd0e34842.html|website=The Daily|publisher=The Daily|accessdate=22 July 2015}} mandatory academic transcript notation for serious disciplinary matters,{{cite journal|title=Transcript notations can help institutions reduce foreseeable risk|journal=Student Affairs Today|date=September 2014|volume=17|issue=6|page=1|url=http://www.theasca.org/files/Publications/transcriptnotationsarticle_SAT_17_06.pdf|accessdate=22 July 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Valenti|first1=Jessica|title=College rapists should not be able to transfer schools to skip consequences|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/29/college-rapists-should-not-be-able-to-transfer-schools-to-skip-consequences|accessdate=22 July 2015|agency=The Guardian|date=29 April 2015}} and advocacy for institutionally-based discipline processes.{{cite news|last1=McMurtrie|first1=Beth|title=With Fraternities Under Scrutiny, Greek Lobbyists Take to Capitol Hill|url=http://chronicle.com/article/With-Fraternities-Under/229749/|accessdate=22 July 2015|agency=The Chronicle of Higher Education|date=29 April 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Bennett|first1=Laura|title=When the Student Culture Changes|url=http://chronicle.com/article/Sexual-Assault-on-Campus-9/229279/|accessdate=22 July 2015|agency=The Chronicle of Higher Education|date=April 2015}}

ASCA has received criticism from popular media outlets Huffington Post and Jezebel for a perceived focus on educational outcomes in campus sexual assault adjudication.{{cite news|last1=Kingkade|first1=Tyler|title=Many Universities Don't Want You To Know How They Punish Sexual Assault|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/29/punish-sexual-assault_n_5894856.html|accessdate=22 July 2015|agency=The Huffington Post|date=29 September 2014}}{{cite news|last1=Beusman|first1=Callie|title=Colleges Rarely Expel Students Found Responsible for Sexual Assault|url=http://jezebel.com/colleges-rarely-expel-students-found-responsible-for-se-1640310795|accessdate=22 July 2015|agency=Jezebel|publisher=Gawker Media|date=29 September 2014}} ASCA responded to those concerns with the publication of a "Gold Standard" report on sexual assault adjudication practices.{{cite web|title=ASCA 2014 White Paper: Student Conduct Administration & Title IX: Gold Standard Practices for Resolution of Allegations of Sexual Misconduct on College Campuses|url=http://www.theasca.org/Files/Publications/ASCA%202014%20White%20Paper.pdf|website=Association for Student Conduct Administration|publisher=Association for Student Conduct Administration|accessdate=22 July 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Hamlin|first1=Kelsey|title=Office for Civil Rights investigates UW for handling of sexual assault cases|url=http://www.dailyuw.com/news/article_1d571e74-1a25-11e5-b973-13257c4e7278.html|accessdate=22 July 2015|agency=The Daily|date=23 June 2015}}

Foundation

The Raymond Goldstone ASCA Foundation provides funds for scholarships to ASCA professional development opportunities such as the annual conference or Gehring Academy.{{cite web|title=ASCA Goldstone Foundation|url=http://www.theasca.org/foundation|website=Association for Student Conduct Administration|publisher=Association for Student Conduct Administration|accessdate=22 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723034052/http://www.theasca.org/foundation|archive-date=23 July 2015|url-status=dead}}

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www.theasca.org}}

Category:Educational organizations based in the United States

Category:Organizations established in 1987

Category:1987 establishments in Texas

Category:Organizations based in Texas

Category:American education-related professional associations