From the President
Posted: Thursday, May 26, 2016Response to College Senate Recommendation: Involuntary Leave Policy
At its May 6, 2016, meeting, the College Senate voted to strongly recommend to the president that the following Involuntary Leave Policy, proposed by the Student Health Advisory Committee, be adopted.
April 30, 2015
WHEREAS, there are times when the academic, social, and personal pressures associated with a campus environment create difficult challenges for individual students;
WHEREAS, Buffalo State provides a Health Center and a Counseling Center to address the physical and emotional needs of students or refers students to off-campus facilities and service providers when needed;
WHEREAS, despite these efforts at support, some students cannot adequately be helped by available facilities and/or refuse to accept recommended emotional and/or medical treatment;
WHEREAS, the unrelieved pressures of coping with the demands of college life may cause some students to be unable to function effectively in the residential or college community—that is, without harming others or disrupting the college community; and
WHEREAS, the student judicial process is available to address behavior that has already occurred there is at the same time a compelling need to prevent harmful behavior before it occurs by responding to information that indicates a student’s intention to engage in harmful behavior,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the college adopt a policy allowing the placement of a student on involuntary leave of absence following a prescribed set of procedures as delineated in the Student Health Advisory Committee’s proposed Involuntary Leave Policy.
I hereby authorize the adoption of the Involuntary Leave Policy recommended by the Senate, effective with the fall 2016 semester. I charge the provost and the vice president for student affairs with joint responsibility for implementation of the policy; communication of the policy to faculty, students, and staff; and oversight to ensure compliance with this policy moving forward.