Alexandria Kelch-Brickner will join Tulane’s Office of Student Affairs as a conduct investigator. Following the addition of a second student conduct investigator under the new Student Code of Conduct, Kelch-Brickner will join Dawn Broussard as Tulane’s newest investigator.

Kelch-Brickner comes to Tulane after serving as the chief student conduct officer and deputy Title IX coordinator at Loyola University New Orleans.

Kelch-Brickner began her investigative work in 2011 as an area director at Loyola with a focus on residential life. Her responsibilities included supervising student and graduate staff, serving in a 24/7, 365-day crisis response rotation and managing operations for the freshmen residence halls.

She then transitioned to the role of assistant director of student conduct. In this job, she served as the primary investigator for student-on-student sexual misconduct cases, as an administrative hearing officer and as an advisor to the University Board of Review.

Two years later, Kelch-Brickner was promoted to chief student conduct officer and deputy Title IX coordinator. In this position, she was responsible for the training and process management of student-on-student sexual misconduct cases and for the management of the student conduct process.

Currently, Kelch-Brickner is completing her time at Loyola and preparing to transition to her position at Tulane. As conduct investigator, she will be investigating student misconduct cases, managing conduct hearings and overseeing both educational conferences and training for the campus.

“Other than performing my job to the best of my ability, I also plan to push things from good to great,” Kelch-Brickner said. “There is always something new, better or different that could improve the lives of our students.”

Kelch-Brickner first became interested in investigating during a lecture from one of her professors while she was in graduate school. The discussion was focused on how to respond to a student misconduct issue when adding, removing and changing certain variables. When doing this, it was apparent to her how these particular variables could change an entire situation.

“The lesson was that you should refrain from judgment until you have as complete of a picture as you can gather,” Kelch-Brickner said. “I took that lesson to heart. I know one new piece of the puzzle may change the entire image.”

Kelch-Brickner uses the puzzle analogy in her approach to handling cases of student misconduct.

“It requires someone who is willing to find as many pieces as possible and, while balancing the needs of the involved parties, make the best decision for the students and campus community,” Kelch-Brickner said.

Kelch-Brickner said the skills needed to conduct an investigation include empathy, emotional intelligence, strong critical-thinking skills, an eye for detail, fair-mindedness and the ability to make difficult decisions.

“I believe I possess these traits and that I should use my skills to address and redress student’s concerns,” Kelch-Brickner said.

Kelch-Brickner said her ultimate goal is to reduce and eventually eliminate sexual misconduct. In addition, she said she hopes students make safe and healthy choices throughout their time at Tulane.

“Until that time, though, I hope to help create an environment where people feel comfortable reporting misconduct and seeking support,” Kelch-Brickner said. “I hope that students will feel heard and cared for when meeting with me. I hope to change students’ lives for the better.”