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For this study, 1,884 adjudicated college students provided their impressions of the educational value and procedural fairness of their disciplinary experiences. Results indicated that a strong correlation exists between perceived fairness and educational value. Differences in students' perceptions emerged in regards to age, gender, and GPA, among other characteristics. The value students assigned to the disciplinary hearing they attended with a student affairs professional best predicted the degree to which they believed their involvement in the process would cause them to avoid future violations of university policy and change their behavior.
The increasingly legalistic climate of college student discipline (Giacomini & Schrage, 2009; Lake, 2009) has sparked interest in the due process rights granted to students on college campuses (Bostic & Gonzalez, 1999; Janosik & Riehl, 2000) and the formality of institutions' disciplinary procedures (Fitch & Murry, 2001; Gehring, 2001; Martin & Janosik, 2004; Stoner, 2000). In comparison to the body of research on student conduct practices (Dannells, 1990, 1991; Lancaster, Cooper, & Harman, 1993; Lowery, Palmer, & Gehring, 2005) or the impact of relevant legislation (Gregory & Janosik, 2003; Janosik, 2004), limited data have been generated directly from adjudicated students to better understand whether they consider their discipline experiences educational (Howell, 2005; Lewis & Thombs, 2005; Mullane, 1999). This imbalance in the literature and the trend of procedural rigidity conflict with the priorities of the student affairs profession, namely, the commitment to facilitating college student learning and development (Woodward, Love, & Komives, 2000).
In light of the paucity of studies investigating adjudicated students' perspectives, the purpose of this study was to ascertain this population's perceptions of the procedural fairness and educational value of their institution's student discipline process. Following a review of relevant literature pertaining to college student discipline, the methods for obtaining and analyzing the data are provided. In conclusion, the findings regarding students' perceptions are reviewed and implications presented.
THE STUDENT DISCIPLINE PROCESS
Higher education administrators establish standards of conduct for students to ensure the safety of the campus community and to facilitate the pursuit of the institution's educational mission. They also create discipline systems, in part, to allow students to demonstrate their capacities for accountability, responsibility, and respect for others (Healy & Liddell, 1998). In an effort to prevent significant...