A passion for student affairs

College is a time to explore new ideas and consider different paths. That’s the philosophy Taea Bonner (‘20 criminal justice and sociology, MS ‘22 sociology, Ph.D. ‘25 sociology) adopted when she enrolled at Iowa State, which ultimately led her to a career she loves.

As an undergraduate, Bonner chose to major in criminal justice and sociology to improve relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

“Majoring in criminal justice started with me noticing the dynamics between law enforcement and the community that I lived in at the time,” Bonner said. “Just seeing that relationship and the power imbalance, I wanted to take part in changing that.”

But the deeper Bonner dug into her majors, the more opportunities she uncovered. Eventually, she decided to become a professor. Her first exposure to teaching occurred while pursuing a doctorate in sociology. As part of Iowa State’s Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Bonner taught CJ 2410: Youth and Crime and CJ 3400: Deviant and Criminal Behavior.

“I did one class in the fall and one in the spring, and they were great, but I just started to realize that I wasn’t able to see the difference that I was making with teaching because you don’t know what students are taking from that or what they’re doing when they leave class,” she said.

At the same time, Bonner had an assistantship with Parent and Family Programs in the Dean of Students Office, and that changed everything.

“I was able to interact with students, interact with parents and families, and actually see the difference I was making directly as it was happening,” Bonner said. “I fell in love with that feeling.”

Bonner left her teaching pursuits behind and joined Iowa State’s First Scholars Office for about year before accepting her current position – assistant director in the Office of Student Conduct.

Righting a wrong

In her role, Bonner primarily handles academic integrity concerns and Title IX cases. Title IX is a federal civil rights law in the United States that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal funding.

“Title IX cases are typically referred to our office from the Office of Equal Opportunity when there are potential student violations of the Student Code of Conduct. Those cases are then sent to us, and we complete the investigation,” Bonner said.

But most of Bonner’s time is spent investigating claims of students engaged in academic misconduct, such as cheating on tests. She ensures students are complying with the university’s academic code of conduct and determines sanctions if they are found responsible for violating those rules.

Bonner’s typical workday involves meeting with students, reviewing the claims that have been brought against them, and receiving input from the students on what happened.

“After I meet with the student, I go through all the evidence and information, investigating where does the preponderance of evidence lie? Is it more likely that the student did this or less likely that the student did this?” she said.

While Bonner’s job requires her to sanction students if necessary, she is more focused on helping students right their wrongs and move forward with a renewed interest in doing the right thing.

“I really appreciate that our office isn’t punitive like most students would think,” Bonner said. “But we’re really, really focused on creating a learning opportunity for the student so they can avoid being in this situation again, so they can understand what type of consequences having that disciplinary record could create for them.”

Well prepared

Bonner believes her degrees in criminal justice and sociology prepared her well for a career in students affairs, where she works every day to help students see the best of themselves.

“The majority of the time … people who are engaged in the criminal justice system just want to succeed, so how do we help them get there? That’s the way I look at students when they’ve interacted with our office, knowing that they want to succeed, that they have made a mistake. It’s not the end of the world, even though it feels like that to them sometimes.”

As an undergraduate student, Bonner was involved in numerous research projects, including work related to extreme and repeat criminal offenders. Today, she applies what she learned in that research to why some students choose to cheat again and again.

“It has helped me recognize that students who cheat repeatedly are unlikely to change their behavior, whereas most students who cheat do so because of their circumstances, usually related to stress and time management,” Bonner said. “This understanding helps guide how I shape sanctions and structure conversations with students to align with their individual situations and circumstances, with the goal of creating a learning opportunity that helps them strategize ways to avoid future referrals.”

Explore the possibilities

Initially, Bonner was unsure exactly which career path to follow. But after exploring law enforcement, research, and teaching, she found her fit in student affairs. She encourages current and future criminal justice and sociology students to investigate all career possibilities while at Iowa State.

“Continue to explore opportunities. It’s hard to know what’s out there, what’s available to you when you’re not exploring and you’re stuck on one idea of what you want to do,” Bonner said. “There are so many things I did while I was on campus, new opportunities that I found out about, and even new career paths that I didn’t know existed, especially within student affairs.”