Welcome to the community of teaching and learning that is the University of Puget Sound. This community enables you to study a range of subject matters with talented faculty members; to play on intramural, club, and varsity athletic teams; to study at the frontiers of the sciences and the arts; to participate in student government and a host of cultural and campus events; to develop lifelong bonds with sisters and brothers in sororities and fraternities, in theme houses and residence halls, in service and diversity groups; to debate important ideas and mediate conflicts; to pray and play; to make music and write literature; to teach one another and to learn from one another—in short, to be students at a residential liberal arts college.
When we're in the midst of such an environment, whether for a concentrated four-year period of time or—for some of us—a career, we can too easily take for granted what a privilege it is. We can sometimes forget that the university is the sum of its parts: It is the people, academic programs, and campus life that make this community what it is on any given day.
In order for a community to function effectively, it must make clear to all of its members norms and expectations that guide its ongoing life. It must also respond when those norms are tested or violated. Our student handbook sets out for you this community's expectations for academic and residential life, the policies and practices that allow us to work well with one another, and the processes by which we deal with conflicts and breaches of community standards. We expect that every student will become familiar with the information on these pages and take advantage of additional information about the campus community that is posted on the university's website.
We wish you a most successful academic year and look forward to joining you for various university traditions and events. Please be in contact with us if you have questions, concerns, or suggestions about life at Puget Sound. We're glad that you are members of our community.