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 discretion over appeals decisions. 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.
Although Ives upheld the findings, she changed the sanctions assigned to two of the students. In an email to The Phoenix, Vice President for Communications and Marketing Andy 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 that was circulated among Swarthmore’s faculty and staff in support of the suspended student 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.”
