Student Affairs Denies Disciplinary Appeals, Amends Some Sanctions

On April 10, the Division of Student Affairs notified students previously found responsible for violations of the Code of Conduct who had appealed of their final findings. The Phoenix has confirmed that all initial findings were upheld, rendering any appeals for a “not responsible” finding denied. The Code of Conduct allows Vice President of Student Affairs Stephanie Ives to have discretion over appeals decisions or to appoint a designee. Ives has frequently been the target of criticism from protesters and their sympathizers on campus, particularly for her defense of the school’s recent and controversial alterations to the Code of Conduct. In an email, Vice President for Communications and Marketing Andy Hirsch told The Phoenix that Ives designated qualified members of the community outside of Student Affairs to handle the appeals. He wrote, “given the criticism … and to avoid even the mere optics of an unfair process, [she decided] it would be best for others to do so.”

Although the designees upheld the findings, they changed the sanctions assigned to two of the students. Hirsch wrote, “the Code of Conduct also allows for sanctions to be revised ‘depending on the basis of the requested appeal.’ There were two instances in which the sanctions were modified based on extenuating circumstances identified in those appeals.”

The Phoenix has also confirmed that one of the two students whose sanctions were revised is the student who was suspended for “assault with a bullhorn.” Originally, the student, a senior, was going to be banned from accessing the academic, residential, or physical parts of Swarthmore, resulting in them being unable to graduate on time in May 2025. The revised sanction maintains their ban from campus, but allows them to attend classes virtually and receive academic credit. The student moved off campus on April 11, the day after the appeal was denied, but is once again set to graduate following this spring semester. However, they are still prohibited from attending commencement in May. 

At the time of the original suspension, the campus learned that the student is First Generation or Low Income (FLI) and that the student had reportedly told the college that they would be homeless if suspended. The Phoenix has confirmed that the college helped facilitate the student’s move into new housing.

There was widespread outrage following the original suspension in March, with students posting on their social media about the claim of assault with a bullhorn being the “first of its kind nationally,” and demanding the school “LET THEM GRADUATE.” A nationally circulated petition demanding the reversal of the suspension received 3,400 signatures. A second petition by undersigned Swarthmore’s faculty and staff declared that a Swarthmore student has never been suspended for peaceful protest and read, “National civil liberties organizations inform us that there is also no precedent in Pennsylvania or United States case law for assault charges involving the use of a megaphone.” The petition quoted an American Association of University Professors statement that cautioned universities against anticipatory obedience to government pressure. “At this historic moment, the College must decide whether it will facilitate the Trump administration’s repression or whether it will stand by its students and their right to political protest.”

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 4/24/25 to include more information from the faculty petition circulated after the student’s original suspension to clarify topics of confusion raised in the comment section. Additionally, a previous version of this article stated that Stephanie Ives made the appeals decisions given the Code of Conduct’s provision of that authority to the VP of Student Affairs. After publication, the college informed The Phoenix that Ives had decided to delegate the decision to others, an option explicitly authorized in the Code of Conduct.