Mission

The Dean of Students Office cultivates the retention, growth and success of students. Our staff educates and empowers students regarding their rights and responsibilities as members of the St. Thomas community and the surrounding community. We believe every member of the St. Thomas community has the right to feel safe and welcome on campus. Our office works to ensure that the university community functions as freely as possible from disruptive and inappropriate behavior through the oversight of the student conduct process and protocols related to bias motivated incidents and sexual violence.

When appropriate, the Dean of Students Office offers restorative justice as a strategy for addressing difficult situations. Staff members are trained to provide safe spaces for impacted parties, those responsible for causing harm, as well as for community members to address difficult situations face-to-face in order to repair harm, promote healing and learning, and build community. 

Our central staff are most likely to connect with students, student family members, faculty, staff, and community members around the following issues: 

• Behavioral intervention
• Crisis situations
• Conflict resolution
• Neighborhood issues
• Orientation and retention programs
• Off-campus student resources
• Policies
• Resources (on and off campus)
• Student conduct
• Student rights and responsibilities
• Veteran resources
• Violence prevention