We respect today’s decision by the Whitman County Superior Court and immediately will reinstate Robert Barber as a student at Washington State University in good academic standing. We look forward to a final decision by the court early next year.
With his reinstatement as a student, the athletic department will determine Mr. Barber’s status as an active member of the Cougar football team.
In the meantime, we will continue moving forward with the external review of our student conduct process, which was launched October 28. Lyons O’Dowd, a law firm with experience in education law, is examining our current process, focusing on public concerns raised this fall about alleged racial and ethnic bias in decisions made by the conduct board. We expect to have that review in hand by early January. The court’s decision highlights the need for this review.
The WSU Regents, my leadership team, and I are deeply committed to ensuring that our students are treated fairly by the university. As I mentioned earlier this month, we will engage in a vigorous process involving the WSU community to create a nationally recognized best-in-class student conduct process.
Kirk Schulz