Conflict Resolution Policy
National Louis University strives to make the institutional environment for its students, faculty and staff protective of human dignity and trust, effective in fostering communication, and respectful of the value of conflict as a normal aspect of human interaction and student development. The goal of the Conflict Resolution Policy is to achieve timely, equitable and satisfactory resolutions to conflict that interrupts the learning and experiences of NLU students.
Definitions
- Conflict Resolution as defined in this policy is a non-binding and voluntary mediation process for disputes involving two or more students.
- Mediation is defined as the experience of two or more students who are experiencing conflict or disagreement, mediation brings them together to work through concerns to bring them to an agreed compromise that addresses their concerns.
- Mediation Agreement outlines the outcome of the mediation and the agreed upon standards of interaction for all involved parties.
Policy Scope
The Conflict Resolution Policy does not apply to complaints covered under the Sexual Misconduct Policy. Such complaints should be reported to the Title IX Coordinator and handled under the procedures outlined in the Sexual Misconduct Policy.
The Conflict Resolution Policy will be implemented when one of the following circumstances are met:
- Students request a mediation and all students involved in the conflict volunteer to participate.
- The Office of Student Engagement receives an incident report that does not violate the Standards of Student Conduct, however the behavior indicates conflict between two or more students and the conflict is impacting a student’s experience or learning environment.
- As a result of an investigation through the Standards of Student Conduct process, the Student Conduct Officer determines that mediation as outlined within this policy is a requirement for all involved parties.
Procedure for conflict resolution
Upon a request for conflict resolution or a qualifying incident, the Office of Student Engagement (OSE) will review the request to determine whether the dispute is within the scope of this policy.
If the OSE determines that the dispute does not qualify for the conflict resolution process, the OSE will inform that parties to the dispute of any other process applicable to that dispute as outlined within the Student Guidebook.
After the OSE has evaluated and determined that the dispute qualifies for conflict resolution, the OSE will schedule a mediation using a trained mediator to hear the dispute. The OSE will schedule the mediation and inform the parties to the dispute of the date, time and location. The mediator will facilitate the discussion to assist the parties in reaching a mutually agreeable solution. At the conclusion of the conflict resolution process, the mediator will recommend a resolution to the parties and to the Associate Director of Student Development. The Associate Director will review the recommended resolution and may reject a resolution that is not consistent with the policies and procedures of National Louis University, impractical and/or financially imprudent.
If the parties cannot agree on a satisfactory resolution, the parties must complete a second mediation and come to a satisfactory resolution agreement. Failure to reach a satisfactory resolution or upholding the agreed upon resolutions outlined during the mediation process will violate the Requests of University Officials policy and parties will be subject to discipline through the Standards of Student Conduct Policy.
Prohibition of retaliatory action
Prohibition of Retaliatory Action: Any party to conflict resolution shall not be harassed, intimidated or otherwise penalized for using the procedure. If, as a result of using conflict resolution, a party believes that retaliatory actions have been made, the party should report retaliation through an incident report at nl.edu/letusknow.