University of Washington delays vote on student conduct code changes

**University of Washington Postpones Vote on Student Conduct Code Revisions**

The University of Washington has delayed a scheduled vote on proposed revisions to its Student Conduct Code, which was originally set to go before the Board of Regents on Sept. 9.

University President Robert Jones announced the postponement in a Sept. 1 letter to Faculty Senate leaders Rania Hussein, Amanda Kost, and Gautham Reddy. Jones stated that the delay was granted to allow members of the university community additional time to review the proposals and provide feedback.

The university initiated the proposed changes following criticism regarding its management of campus antisemitism and anti-Israel protests. Notably, the university cited the May 2025 occupation and vandalism of the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building in Seattle, which resulted in an estimated $1 million in damages. Following the incident, prosecutors filed first-degree criminal trespass charges against 33 individuals.

The proposed revisions include updated definitions for prohibited conduct, such as disruption, failure to comply, and unauthorized access to university property. Additionally, the changes aim to modify the appeals process to incorporate specialized expertise for non-academic misconduct cases.

The Faculty Senate has been given until Dec. 10 to submit feedback. The university also intends to solicit input from staff and student governments across its three campuses.

According to university officials, the revised proposals will be presented to the Board of Regents following the conclusion of this review period. Separately, the university noted that revisions concerning academic student conduct will be addressed during the 2026-27 academic year.

Article and image source: jns.org