To the editor,

Student development has become aware of some confusion regarding the student discipline process and letters of recommendation that we would like to clarify.

The Oct. 1 story referenced letters of recommendation the university sends out and the possibility of attaching screenshots of social media posts that violate community covenant standards.

First, JBU does not routinely send out letters of recommendations for students—either for jobs or graduate school. Students typically request letters from specific faculty and staff. In almost all instances, those faculty and staff would not have access to a student’s discipline record when writing such a letter.

However, if a student applies for military service or to work for any U.S. government agency, the government conducts a background check, and it would contact JBU for more information on the student. As part of that process, the director of conduct, dean of student care or vice president of student development would review the student’s discipline record (if there were one) and decide what, if any, information was relevant to the government’s background check.

In regard to anonymous social media accounts, any disciplinary warnings and actions are sent to the account via direct message and placed in a discipline file under the account name. If the account owner’s identity is discovered at any point in time, those notes would become part of the student’s discipline file and would be referenced in the background check process noted above.

Every student disciplinary situation is handled on a case-by-case basis, considering all of the facts and circumstances and seeking to treat all people involved with truth, love, respect and dignity. For more information on student expectations and the discipline process at JBU, please refer to the Student Handbook.

Emily Moore

Interim Dean of Student Care

Letter from the Editor

Dear Emily Moore,

Thank you for your response.

For readers who are unfamiliar with the “John Brown University Administration Confronts Increase in Online Harassment” article, the story addresses the impact of meme Instagram pages on students, and how the university has updated language in the student handbook to address anonymous Instagram accounts.

I appreciate that you reached out to our student publication to elaborate on the university policies and changes so that students understand more fully the consequences of their actions. This letter will be posted on our website and linked to the original article.

On behalf of our staff, we are grateful to you and the university administration for your dedication to making campus a safe living and learning environment for students. It has certainly been a demanding semester. With new challenges constantly emerging, your dedication to student thriving is noticed, and we recognize the toll that it has taken on you and administration in this already difficult season. Thank you for your commitment to JBU’s values and the many ways you exhibit the love of Christ.

We are thankful for your support and readership.

In Christ,

Catherine Nolte