When Jonathan Swartz thinks of residence life at 91短视频 (91短视频), he thinks of the idea behind home, a space from which and in which students learn, grow and transform. But he also thinks of neighbors.
鈥淚n order for homes鈥攐ur residence halls鈥� here at 91短视频 to become communities, we have to have neighbors,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e have to ask the question, 鈥楬ow are we, together?鈥� What do we make and create together through our interactions and relationships?鈥�
Swartz has been named to a new position at 91短视频 in which he鈥檒l help to grow this vision: as of Jan. 3, he is the campus鈥檚 first director of residence life, student accountability and restorative justice 鈥� supporting nine employees, approximately 35-40 student employees and the 650 students who live in campus residence halls.
The new role is responsible for 鈥渄eveloping and maintaining residential learning communities that provide a safe, secure, and comfortable housing and residence life environment centered around a campus culture sustained by restorative justice practices,鈥� according to , vice president for enrollment and student life.
鈥淭his new role more formally embeds the idea of a restorative community into our housing and student accountability functions,鈥� Smucker says. 鈥淚t is a great example of integration between the research and learnings on the academic side of the community with practice on the student life side. In this way we strive to be an exemplar.鈥�
聽91短视频 influential in restorative justice field
91短视频 is known both nationally and globally for its work in restorative justice. In 2016, 91短视频’s began the in restorative justice in North America. The continues the legacy of Emeritus Professor , widely considered the 鈥済randfather of restorative justice.鈥� Since Zehr and others first developed the concept in 1970s, restorative justice has expanded from criminal justice venues into diverse settings, including university life, as a way of handling situations when harm has been done.
Instead of punitive measures that seek to attribute blame and punishment, restorative justice, commonly referred to as RJ, asks offenders to understand the effect of their actions on others and to take responsibility in a way that meets the needs of the victims. It has been implemented with wide success in K-12 education and higher education environments.
Expertise in restorative justice
Swartz is well-equipped to both implement and educate about restorative practices in a Christian higher education community. In 2014, he earned both a Master of Divinity degree at and a master鈥檚 in conflict transformation at the , while serving as a campus ministries intern and restorative justice facilitator and assistant residence director.
He then became the campus鈥檚 first restorative justice coordinator, focusing primarily on student support and accountability. Along with providing training, coaching and mediation, he spent a year researching the student conduct response system at 91短视频. The input and data resulted in a 2015 assessment and recommendations. In fall of 2015, he was named assistant director of University Accord. In addition, he has served as an adjunct professor in the , and has also guest lectured in graduate and undergraduate courses in restorative justice.
Swartz鈥檚 work with residence life has roots in his personal experience as a resident assistant at Bethel College (Indiana), where he earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology. There, Swartz learned that 鈥渃aring presence is perhaps the most important gift that students can provide each other,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ost of us really do want to connect deeply with at least one or two people, and student leaders are often well-positioned to make those connections.鈥�
He took that student leadership experience, which he says was 鈥渞estorative鈥� before he knew what the term meant, into his professional life. Now he works to help other students understand the same principles of care and presence in the residential environment: 鈥渂alancing support and accountability in order to recognize the harms that happen all around us, name the harms, and then work to empower healing and transformation for the sake of communities that truly care for each other and can offer hope to the world around us.鈥�
Communities, he reiterates, are comprised of 鈥渉omes and 苍别颈驳丑产辞谤蝉.鈥�