Judicial Affairs

Mission Statement
The mission of the Stephen F. Austin State University Judicial Office is to guide student conduct in a manner that provides a foundation for success, a commitment to responsible citizenship and a desire to make positive lifestyle choices based on the core values of integrity, honesty, accountability, civility and respect.

Staff Members

Peggy S. Scott, Ed.D., LPC, Judicial Officer
Walt Simonds, J.D., Student Legal Counsel
Amy Smith, Secretrary

Location and Phone

315 Rusk Building
936-468-2703

Services

KSTN - Key Services Temporarily Needed
key•stone n

The wedge-shaped stone at the highest point of an arch that locks the others in place.
Something on which other interrelated things depend

The Judicial Office offers students with temporary limiting conditions help in locating services and assistance vital to their continued academic success. The Judicial Officer works with a student to determine individual needs and then attempts to package assistance from available resources on campus. While there is not always an answer for every situation, much of the time, there are successful ways of addressing students’ temporary needs. The success of this program comes from the cooperation of SFA’s student-centered faculty and staff.

A few of the past conditions for which students have received assistance are broken bones, sprained joints, minor surgeries, and pregnancy complications. Examples of assistance that some students have received are assistance with obtaining copies of class notes, extended travel time across campus between classes, online assignments, and assistance with test taking. Each student is assessed individually and every endeavor is made to work with instructors to find workable answers appropriate to the particular course.

The various conditions addressed under this program do not meet criteria for the Americans with Disabilities Act and any assistance offered through the KSTN program is not to be considered acknowledgement of an ADA qualifying condition.

Absence Notifications
Students missing classes for legitimate reasons other than University-sponsored trips may contact the Judicial Office and request an absence notification be sent to their instructors. These notifications are not excuses. They are provided as a courtesy to the student and the student's instructor(s) and are not an evaluation of the information received by this office.

Students requesting an absence notification should be prepared to give the Judicial Office their name, ID number, date(s) of the absence, reason for the absence, and a contact phone number. Students should also be prepared to offer documentation f the absence to their instructors. As per University policy Class Attendance and Excused Absence A-10, an instructor may determine the nature of satisfactory documentation.

Student Legal Counsel
Walt Simonds, J.D., is SFA’s Student Legal Counsel. He is on campus one and a half days a week and is available to students on an appointment basis. Mr. Simonds is able to address all areas of law. His services are free to students; however, he will not represent a student in court.

CIVITAS
CIVITAS is the University’s campus-wide civility initiative. The goal of CIVITAS is to promote civil responsibility within the University community.

Ethics Statement
This department ascribes to the ethical standards of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA, College Student Educators International) as stated in the Statement of Ethical Principles and Standards [http://www.myacpa.org/ethics/statement.cfm]. We also follow the ethical guidelines of the Association of Student Judicial Affairs (ASJA) [http://www.asjaonline.org/en/cms/?60] and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA, Student Affa rs Administrators in Higher Education)[http://www.naspa.org/programs/standards.cfm].

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