Q and A with Darrell Goodwin

• Associate Dean of Students
• Coordinator, University Student Judicial System
• Pastor, Liberation Ministries

Each fall, several thousand students return to classes at Seattle University. As coordinator of the student judicial system, Darrell (pronounced: dur-EL) Goodwin helps them be valuable members of the community.

How does Seattle University prepare new and returning students to be good neighbors?

All first-year students have signed the Redhawk Commitment, which encourages students to have respect for themselves, others, relationships, community, honesty and property. This year, the Office of Residence Life also did orientation sessions for students who were going to move off campus. They discussed what it means to live in the community, some tenant questions and engagement in the community.

Off-campus student behavior seems to be coming more under the eye of university officials. Why is that?

Whether they are physically on campus or out in the community, Seattle University students are always part of our institution. We hope they would take off campus the same standards and behaviors they would abide by on campus.

If people have concerns about students’ offcampus behavior, what should they do about it?

They should call the number for Seattle University Public Safety, 206-296-5990. Give a detailed report: where was the disturbance, the exact apartment numbers, the names of the students if possible. Those reports go directly to me.

What do you usually do?

We treat the incident as if it happened on campus. A student is sent a notification letter, they may have a judicial hearing to talk about it, and if the student has violated a university standard or policy, he or she is sanctioned.

Do you try to make this as much an educational process as a punitive one?

The general philosophy is it is educational in nature. We want to look at how has your behavior harmed—how has it harmed yourself, how has it harmed the community you’re living in? The focus always comes back to what harm was caused and how we restore you to the community.

Does the university monitor off-campus behavior?

We don’t have a formal practice of seeking those things out. That’s why we again encourage the community, if they know of something, to report it.

Darrell Goodwin can be reached at (206) 296-6060 and goodwind@seattleu.edu