The UW System Board of Regents approved a new draft of rule revisions to Chapters 17 and 18 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code at a meeting Friday, which moves the changes to the next stage in the process.

According to the regents, the last major revisions of the chapters occurred in 1996.

Currently, university officials can only discipline students for off-campus misconduct if it involves other students or employees. The revisions expand the guidelines, allowing university officials to discipline off-campus behavior.

The review committee’s revisions state a student may be subject to university disciplinary process for off-campus misconduct if the actions threaten “substantial university interest.” The students would have to present a danger or threat to the health or safety of himself, herself or others and the conduct would have to demonstrate a pattern of behavior that seriously impairs the university’s ability to fulfill its missions.

The draft states the university will also recognize the possibility of local authority reparations toward student off-campus misconduct.

Regent Danae Davis introduced the committee’s revision process and said the next step for the regents will be to conduct public hearings to have the revised rules in place by fall 2009.

“In brief, Chapter 17 revisions seek to clarify, streamline and improve the efficiency of the rules’ format, scope, educational sanctions [and] hearing process,” she said. “Chapter 18 seeks to improve organization and update modernized language.”

In terms of sanctions, the draft provides students an option for educational and developmentally appropriate sanctions in response to misconduct.

The draft will move on to the Legislative Council for review before the hearings take place.