The Office of Student Conduct rewrote the Code of Student Conduct this summer, adding a sexual misconduct addendum and making the code more user-friendly.

Effective Aug. 15, the Code of Student Conduct was also updated to meet both state and UNC-system laws.

“The changes made to the code were incredibly relevant and done to help the students,” said Kelly Andrews, chair of the student conduct board. “Many people believed that the code was not user-friendly. We want students to be able to open the code and easily find what they are looking for because the code is made for students to access and use. If our students are not able to use the code and do not find it effective, then something is obviously not right.”

The new policy on sexual misconduct addresses sexual harassment, non-consensual sexual conduct, non-consensual sexual intercourse and sexual exploitation.

The minimum sanction for sexual harassment, non-consensual sexual conduct and sexual exploitation is disciplinary probation, and the minimum sanction for non-consensual sexual intercourse is a suspension of eight semesters, according to the Code of Student Conduct.

The workgroup for the Office of Student Conduct began working in spring 2013 on the changes. During the summer, faculty and student leaders were contacted to review the new code. Chancellor Kenneth Peacock approved all the changes, according to a campus-wide e-mail.

The changes in the Code of Student Conduct are important to students, said Jonathan Adams, the associate director of student conduct.

“It is important for students to be able to understand the code so that they are not only aware of the community standards and university expectations, but also understand their rights as a member of the university community,” Adams said.

Story: CHELSEY FISHER, Senior News Reporter