Student Discipline

God's Word guides the discipline policies and procedures at Concordia University Irvine. God's love for us in Christ Jesus enables us to demonstrate His love to students as we say "No" and "Yes" to them. In His love for us God gave us His Law to curb outbursts of inappropriate behavior and to show us what is right and what is wrong. As Christians, God's Law also serves to guide our lives so that our words and actions are pleasing to Him. Ultimately, rules have been developed at Concordia to protect our students, to keep them safe, and to guide them as they make choices and decisions.

Because of sin, all people at times will make unwise choices and decisions. These can and do often have physical, emotional, and social consequences. When students at Concordia break the rules, they will experience consequences most often determined by the offense.

But God's Word does not stop with simple rules and consequences. In fact, the central message of the Bible is "forgiveness won for all sinners won by Jesus on the cross." Students broken by the Law... students sorry for their inappropriate words and/or actions... will receive forgiveness.

Concordia supports the laws of California and the United States in regard to the use of alcohol consumption and/or possession. Alcohol consumption and/or possession under the age of twenty-one is expressly prohibited, as is public intoxication and driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. At the same time that we support this law, Concordia recognizes an important life decision facing students as they turn twenty-one: the choice of whether or not to drink. The choice not to drink is entirely acceptable and made by a number of Concordia students as they turn twenty-one. The choice to drink carries with it the obligation to drink responsibly. No student, regardless of age, may possess, store, or consume alcoholic beverages on campus.

Concordia recognizes that interaction between members of the opposite sex is an important part of college life - indeed, many of your sons and daughters will meet their future life partner here! That said, privacy is also important. Members of the opposite sex are not allowed to visit in the residence hall rooms between 12:00 midnight and 8:00 a.m. During these hours, a student should be 100% comfortable that no member of the opposite sex will see them in pajamas, towels, mud-packs, etc. As students often stay up well after midnight, Concordia provides a number of public, twenty-four-hour lounges in which they may meet to study or socialize.

God's Word is clear regarding human sexuality. St. Paul states, "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen who do not know." (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6). Concordia University encourages each student to clearly define boundaries for their expression of sexuality remembering that sexual intercourse outside of marriage is a sin. University policy prohibits sexual intercourse outside of marriage. In His love for us, God gave us His Law guiding people to fully enjoy the gift of sexuality between husband and wife.

The Family Educational Records Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of disciplinary records as academic records. Thus, you will likely not be contacted by the University if your daughter or son faces disciplinary sanctions. In instances of major alcohol or drug violations, the University may contact you regarding your daughter's or son's sanctions, or may strongly encourage your daughter or son to contact you directly from one of our offices while in our presence. Whereas this distance is sometimes uncomfortable for parents, we remind you that Concordia has an excellent success record in working with students - fewer than 10% of students who go through the disciplinary system are ever written up a second time.

This can be a very difficult situation. In many cases, the situation can be best addressed by encouraging your daughter or son to simply talk to the other person - maybe with a friend or an RA present. This is typically the most effective means (peer influence is powerful), but may not always be practical. If your son or daughter goes directly to a University official (RA, Associate Dean of Students, or the Dean of Students), he or she will ultimately ask your daughter or son if we can use her or his name when confronting the student. If your son or daughter says no, there are only limited steps that we can take - it may be true, but we must treat it as a credible rumor at best. If your son or daughter agrees to let us use his or her name, there may be some uncomfortable fallout following the confrontation. Be assured that we will do everything in our power to support your son or daughter at this time. Most importantly - when your son or daughter is facing this kind of situation, encourage them to come to speak with us. In certain situations when students' safety is at risk, immediate intervention by the University will occur.